****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I received this rather slowly, but after unpacking it, it was extremely simple to operate. No guesswork, and only a few buttons.I plugged it in, filled it with a couple of quarts of water, selected "small cubes" and in about 8 minutes the first batch was delivered, and every 8 minutes after that until the bin was full and "ice full" lit up on the control panel. I emptied the bin into a freezer container and pushed "start" again. It takes about an hour and a half to fill the bin, which is equal to about two ordinary ice cube trays, which is about a quart of water, so in three or four hours, you have the equivalent of four ice cube trays to store in your freezer.The "large" ice cubes are about 50% bigger than the "small." Neither is really large, but I prefer the small size. They also work better in my ice crusher (Hamilton Beach) for even finer ice for super cold drinks.This machine does make a little noise from the fan and when it empties the ice into the bin, but it's a kind of reminder that it's on, because if you leave it in the ice maker, it will melt and then make the same ice over and over, which is terribly wasteful. It is not a freezer. You have to get some plastic bins from 99 cent store or Walmart and then find a place in your freezer.Occasionally the ice will be melted slightly, causing it to stick together in your plastic containers. If you get a metal ice scoop you can break the ice apart with that. Even better is a meat tenderizer mallet which will break it apart in just a couple of whacks.This is small enough to fit in an out of the way place (on a low table, for instance) yet big enough and fast enough to make plenty of ice for everyday use or parties.
