Customers love the high-quality nugget ice this maker produces, finding it easy to use and conveniently sized for home use. However, some customers reported concerns about the machine's noise level and its longevity, with some units experiencing malfunctions after a few months. Additional feedback mentioned the ice maker's weight and the need for relatively frequent cleaning.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
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Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Reliability
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Happier with this one v. GE opal junker
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Posted . Owned for 3 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Haven't seen how it holds up past a year so giving it a 4. Our GE opal lasted barely over a year & was a piece of junk! We are much happier with the Insignia. Bonus being cheaper & on sale when we bought this 3+ months ago. Kept the side tank from the GE opal to hook up to this one but have found we really don't need it. There's still about half of the ice that hasn't melted overnight when I turn it back on in the mornings. It's making ice again within 10 or so minutes! Very happy with this nugget icemaker!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Noise level
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
This Ice Maker Rocks or At Least Nuggets
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This ice maker is great. My girls and I love it and it is fun to use. It could have some enhanced features like a water input funnel, because it drips a bit when you take the basket out to put in new water. It’s got a pretty blue night light and makes bite sized nuggets. It’s a little noisy, like making popcorn very slowly, but not to distracting. Takes about 10-12 minutes for a full tray. The ice scoop and water tray are nice additions. Serves its purpose well. Recommended.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Ice quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nugget Ice
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Posted . Owned for 5 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought as a gift for my 25YO daughter and she absolutely loves it. She states she no longer goes to Sonic to buy her drinks. Overall the machine was easy to set-up and definitely easy to use. The machine is average size and doesn’t overwhelm her limited counter space but has a large enough tank to keep plenty of ice on hand.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Was ok then wasn't
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Posted . Owned for 9 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought one 9 months ago and loved it. Cleaned it regularly. Then last week notice black plastic in with ice. The part that makes the shape of the ice had broke and started coming threw in chunks and even powder form that you couldn't see unless you took tray out and looked in water settle in the bottom.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Good Ice Maker . Great Ice....
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I got this unit as an upgrade to the entry level insignia one witch fail in less than a year. This ice maker is overpriced but it is more economical then its competition. It's make good ice fast and in nuggets similar to sonic ice witch is for my kids who love it which to be honest that's the only great thing about it. I need this in my home but for the full retail price it wouldn't be with it for me.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nugget (Chick-fil-A) Ice
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
We LOVE the nugget ice; this machine doesn’t disappoint!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent ice maker
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent product, ice starts to fall within 10 minutes.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great ice , great price
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Does a great job. Works as well as the previous owned Opal ice maker
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nugget ice maker
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Works great love it the best purchase ever. Dont know why i didnt buy one sooner
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Noise level, Weight
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Quick Chewable Ice!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
If you're looking for a portable ice-maker to get that awesome chewable ice that everyone loves, this Insignia ice-maker will do that job perfectly for you, but there are some downsides.
First thing you notice when you get this ice-maker is that it's got some weight to it. Of course you can't expect something that can freeze water and keep the ice from melting to be lightweight. Even so, it's easy to set-up and get going, once you take care of the initial cleaning, which is simple to do as well and doesn't take long.
Another thing that doesn't take long is getting actual ice! It says it only takes 12 minutes to get ice, but I think they mean 12 minutes to get enough ice to actually use in a full drink, because it really only took a little over 6 minutes for it to start spitting out ice! Those first bits of ice probably isn't enough for a regular drink, but give it 12 and you do have enough! And yes, it is those awesome chewable little nuggets!
Even filling up the entire bin didn't really take too long. I timed it at just around 4 hours to go from completely empty with no ice to completely full and the 'ice full' indicator coming on. That's honestly really good, especially if you're using this while hosting parties. Of course you can always dump the full bin into a separate container to put in your freezer so that it can keep making more.
Leave it on and it'll keep the ice cold and as you use it it'll automatically make more, at least until it runs out of water. Another nice feature is that when some of the ice melts a little bit, the melt water just drips right back into the reservoir to be re-used into making ice. Although the design to make that happen isn't entirely a good thing, which we'll get to in a moment.
Probably the first downside to this ice-maker that you'll notice is that it's loud. The motor getting the water and freezing it into ice is loud, the ice dropping into the bin is loud, everything is just loud. It's not exactly unexpected, but in the days of open floor plans in homes where you're watching a movie in your living room while opened up to your kitchen where the ice-maker is, you definitely notice it. We honestly ended up having to turn it off while relaxing trying to watch some tv. If you've ever stayed in a hotel and noticed the sound coming from the small room typically in the hallway where the ice machine is, that is exactly what the sound of this Insignia ice-maker reminds me of.
Once the ice-maker is full though and it stops making ice, it does become nice and quiet, but here's where the design to re-use melted water comes into play. Basically, the container of ice is in the same space as the water in the reservoir. All that separates them is the plastic bottom of the ice bin, which has holes in it to let any melted ice water to drip back into the reservoir. That means this space can't get as cold as your freezer otherwise the reservoir water would freeze, and it wouldn't be able to make ice, and since the water is obviously at a warmer temp than the ice, it plays a big part in why some of the ice melts. So the peace and quiet you get when the ice-maker is full, doesn't last long, since as soon as enough ice melts to drop it below the sensor, it immediately kicks back on to make more ice and gets loud. Unfortunately it doesn't have the option to keep the ice that's in it cold while turning off the actual ice-making portion.
Just keeping the water reservoir empty isn't an option either. It'll stay quiet for a minute with the 'add water' light on, but as soon as some of the ice melts and drips into the reservoir, it doesn't take much to trigger the machine into turning back on. This is where the on and off cycle gets even more annoying.
In the end, while we absolutely love the ice that this machine makes, the annoyances from the sounds it makes are too much for us to have it in use daily. To be fair, we live in a modestly small house so that probably contributes some to the noise level. Even though we won't be using it daily, especially since we do have a working ice-maker in our kitchen fridge, this is going to be a game-changer when we're hosting parties. For those times we'll definitely turn it on the night before and I really feel this use case is where it'll really shine, mainly because of how quick it makes the ice, but also because who doesn't love chewable ice nuggets!
All that said, this is an ice-maker and that is the main reason anyone is buying this. As an ice-maker this does an excellent job and that's why I still give it 4 out of 5 stars. Besides the fact that any type of refrigeration unit is always going to be a noise-maker. Unfortunately this is my first portable ice-maker I've ever had so I have nothing to compare the noise against either. Oh, and the blue light is really cool too, especially at parties!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Cleaning, Noise level
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good but not quite chewable
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Pros
Clean and simple design
Blue light looks nice for gatherings
Reasonably quiet for an icemaker
Quick to make first batch
Makes ice fast overall
Easy to clean
Right angle wall plug
Makes semi chewable ice
Reasonably easy to clean
Cons
Stainless steel gets fingerprints easily
Front door can rattle
Front door handle is fragile
Using ice scoop is awkward
No timer
Still could be too loud for common areas
Ice not as chewable as it could be
Ice keeps melting causes bin to drip water when opening
Drip tray shows water spots easily
Requires frequent cleaning (every 3 days)
The Insignia Portal Nugget Ice mater is a has a clean and simple design. It is a simple stainless steel and black plastic cabinet with just an on/off, clean, and light button on the front. The front has a viewing window which allows you to see the ice level with help of the blue light. The top has a ribbed storage area which could either hold the scooper or potentially glasses. On the right side near the back of the unit is an exhaust fan which you would want to give ample space to blow out the warm air. The left side near the back has intake vents. On the back are the two cleaning tubes that when not in use hang on the holder. The included plug is a right-angle plug but strangely the cord coming out of the back isn’t. If the cord coming out of the back was right angle to match, then the unit could be move closer to the wall. Included are an ice scoop and black plastic drip tray
Performance and Usage
Getting started out of the box is very simple. Just do a quick clean on the inside and toss out toss the first few rounds of ice and you are done. Once you press the on button there is a short delay before the compressor kicks in and a few minutes later the first batch of ice drops out. Sometimes we have started a batch it seemed like it was less than 10 minutes before we heard the first ice drop out. While not silent, it is reasonably quiet for what is essentially a compressor in a metal box. There is no padding or sound insulation, so you are going to hear the hum of the compressor. You will also periodically hear it pushing out a batch of ice and the ice dropping into the tray. If you are more sensitive to appliance sounds or want to place it in a small common room, it might get distracting. It would have been nice if Insignia included some sound insulation in it like larger appliances to keep the sound down even more.
One thing that might not be obvious is the icemaker doesn’t keep the ice cold. After ice is made it drops into a bin that is not kept cold. This means that as the ice sits it begins to melt. The melted ice does drop back down into the water bin to be made into ice again, but it is a bit of a downside. When you open the ice bin there is usually some water in the bottom. It does have slots to drain out the water, but water does drip everywhere regardless. The solution is a black plastic drip tray. It isn’t attached or kept in place in any way. It also shows white stains as water evaporates leaving a white film. It would have been nice if the drip tray had slots to allow water to drip below and out of site. This way the white film would be hidden inside the base of the tray. Even better would be to have the ice bin hinge out so water would drip directly back into the reservoir when opened. Included with the icemaker is a small scoop which works but could also use some improvement. Compared to the ice bin the shape and length of the scoop means getting out ice feels awkward and often leads to dropping some even outside the icemaker. While these are mostly minor nuisances, they are areas where the design could be improved.
The big question is how does it perform? First it must be said that the people like the blue light. It might not be quite as useful as a white light be for seeing ice levels, but it does get more attention from visitors. As for the quality of the ice it is very good. While the specs say it makes chewable ice, it isn’t quite as soft and brittle as the kind you would see at some restaurants and fast-food chains. It is a little more solid that that but much software than the cubes that come out of your fridge. Since the bin isn’t refrigerated, the nuggets get little softer as they melt and even more so in your drink, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to chew them if you value your teeth. They also sometimes refreeze and get harder as they sit. The big difference is in how well they cool your drink. If you are the type that likes your drinks, such as soda, nearly freezer cold this will do the trick. Even if the soda is room temperature it is nearly freezer cold by the time you finish pouring. That’s not something you are going to get from regular ice. Also, the ice doesn’t seem to water down the drink any faster.
While using the icemaker is overall very simple the cleanup process is a bit tedious. That’s not because it is very hard. It’s because you are supposed to clean it every 3 days. The process involves filling it up, pressing clean, and then draining the water. It probably has something to do with either mold or calcium buildup but it’s worth noting you must take care of it frequently. While the stainless-steel sides make it feel like a higher quality machine, they also create a fingerprint magnet. There is no coating on the metal so if you touch the metal at all or drip some water on it you are going to see it until you clean it again.
Something else worth considering is it doesn’t have a timer. Some units have a timer that you can set for the time of day you usually have ice they will turn on. This way you can always have fresh nugget ice ready at that time. Thankfully this unit is fast because the process is completely manual. You can save the ice and put in your freezer for later, but it doesn’t work as well. We even tried dumping the ice straight into our fridge icemaker but putting the ice in the freezer causes it to harden and combining into chunks negating the advantages. You are better off just turning it on when you need it and waiting the few minutes it takes to get a batch.
Final Thoughts
While the Insignia Portable Nugget Ice could use some further improvement it is still a nice unit. If you are in the market for a budget-oriented nugget icemaker, then the Insignia Portable Nugget Ice maker is worth a look.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Weight
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Solid Ice Maker with some Minor Flaws.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Insignia Nugget Ice Maker is a product I’ve always wanted in my home, so I was excited to get my hands on one to see how it performed. The unit was easy to initially setup and the instructions were straight forward. The Ice Maker is heavy so I don’t really consider this to be a portable device, but I guess you could take it anywhere where you have an outlet and use it. Instructions require that you put the Ice Maker in a well-ventilated area so it can breathe as the side fan puts off some heated air. Once installed where you want it to go you must run a Vinegar/Water mixture through the unit to initially clean it, which takes about twenty minutes total and it advises that you clean it every 3 days. Afterwards I wiped down the inside with a Baking soda and water solution, and we were off and running ready to make some ice. The one thing that struck me as odd and a rather weird design choice is the placement of the water tank in the bottom of the unit to make the ice. My mother in law has a GE Opal Ice maker and their ice maker has a separate water tank that hangs on the outside of the unit and is easily accessible to refill. With the Insignia it’s at the bottom of the unit itself and the opening is not very big so when I’m using my Brita I had to tilt the unit back in order to fully empty my jug. I suppose going forward I could use a gallon water jug to pour it in, but to me it’s a poor design choice. The ice starts making producing quickly, about 10-12 minutes it will start producing cubes but they don’t come out particularly fast so if you’re planning on throwing a party and need a full tray of ice for it I suggest doing it about 2 hours ahead of time. There’s a blue light inside of it that adds a nice effect and you can watch the ice being made and a drip tray to keep any water from getting on the countertop. The nuggets are a nice small rectangular shape and perfect for mixed drinks, soft drinks, or someone who is looking for these small pellet ice cubes like Sonic and some restaurants have. The one other feature I wish it had is the ability to keep the ice cold after being made. Unfortunately, if you want to keep the ice for a long period of time it needs to be put in a Ziploc bag and moved to your freezer otherwise it will melt.
In conclusion, the Insignia Ice Maker is a solid product, my wife and I are excited to have it in our home and will be using it daily for our drinks. The minor quibbles I have with the product don’t detract from the awesome ice it produces and I would recommend it for someone looking for a pellet ice maker in their home!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Cleaning, Noise level
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good design but needs some improvements
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This portable ice maker has some pros and cons. The good things about this maker is that the product that is made, being the ice is exactly how it is explained. It is small, crunchy and made pretty rapidly. If you are in a rush to make ice, this maker has you covered. Ice is created, in what seems like near seconds from plugging in. As the cubes are made they drop into the reservoir. The design of this ice maker is that when the ice melt, the water drips into the water container that feeds where the cubes are made, pretty neat. The ice machine does have a nice aesthetic with its crisp and satisfying lights
Outside of the ice making, however this machine is a little on the noisy side, the cleaning process is a tad cumbersome and the buttons dont appear to be very responsive. I would equate the sound as a quiet, yet audible hum. Another item that was not optimal was the drip tray, it didnt serve a purpose as when I went to scoop ice out water spilled everywhere, not the end of the world yet slightly pesty.
In summary, if you are looking for an ice machine that makes "the good ice" then this certainly will check your box. There are some small enhancements that could make this a better appliance, but all in all is really made well and does the job.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Noise level, Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
The debate continues - cubes or chewable nuggets
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Insignia portable nugget ice maker is a great looking appliance and will fit in with pretty much any decor.
This is the third type of ice maker I have, including the half-moon model in my freezer and a gourmet/bullet maker.
Unboxing and setup was simple. The packaging is sturdy and does a great job at protecting the unit. Also, there is a protective film on the stainless portions of the unit. Run the unit through a cleaning process and discard the fist bin of ice.
Heavier than my portable bullet ice maker, I don't know that I would take this one camping like I do with the bullet model.
Doing some research, the Insignia model resembles the well-regarded GE Opal 2 which makes me think these units are manufactured by the same company and should have the same or similar internals. Another reviewer stated the side water tank from the Opal 2 fits this Insignia model.
Adding water. Unlike other machines, the holding bin slides out the front of the unit rather than lifting out the top so you have to remove the basket to fill it up. This works much better with a long neck bottle and was a little difficult with a larger Brita pitcher. Also, having an add-on water bin similar to the Opal would resolve this.
The Insignia does start producing nuggets in about 12 minutes however, unlike bullet cube makers, ice constantly trickles out a few pellets at a time rather than dumping 9 cubes per cycle.
It takes about an hour to get enough ice for a couple of cocktails. It takes about 3 hours 15 minutes to fill the bin so plan on bagging ice prior to any large parties or backyard bbq’s. A full bin fits nicely in a gallon ziplock bag and once frozen it breaks up nicely to keep the nuggets.
The rated ice production is about 44 pounds per day which is almost double to my bullet machine however, according to my math - 3.25 hours per 3.5# bin comes to just under 25 pounds per day.
I love that there is a light in the bin making it easy to see at a glance how full it is. It does shut off when the bin gets full and if not dumped, the sitting ice did freeze together in a large clump.
The included drip pan is a necessity when removing the drawer either to dump the ice or refilling the water.
Heat is a byproduct of any refrigeration and know that this unit really pumps it out, something to consider when deciding placement. It also seems a bit louder when first turned on but it does quiet down after running a few minutes.
Also know the manual recommends running the unit through a cleaning cycle every three days which seems to be the case with pretty much all nugget ice makers.
Regarding the filling process, I would have liked it if there was a port either on the top or side and a viewing window for the water level, similar to some coffee pots.
I give this unit five stars - I was going to take away one star for the filling and length of time to usable amounts of ice but these are by design, not faults in workmanship.
This model is one of the least expensive nugget/pellet machines I’ve seen and I recommend it to all fans of this form of ice.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Weight
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Ice Maker That Should Be More
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker is a great ice maker. It makes quite a bit of ice -- the dispenser was full in just over two hours. The black and stainless steel finish will fit right in most home bars, and should provide plenty of ice, especially if you continually make if and store what's made in the freezer. The LED light is a nice touch as it adds a bit of elegance and makes it easy to see the ice inside.
It's easy to use -- simply pour water in the container and let the machine do its thing. The unit is not actively refrigerated. It's more like a cooler, so the ice remains for quite some time, but will eventually melt back into the water reservoir where it is recycled into ice again.
The Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker is indeed portable in the sense that it's not permanently connected to was water source so it can be moved around, but at over 40 lbs. it's not particularly easy to lug around. It is something you can take along with you to place in say, and RV, which is a great use, but if you don't have one, it will likely be set on a counter. As stated earlier, it's a fantastic accessory for a home bar.
It's not perfect, however, and please bear with me as to understand why a little background on "nugget" ice is required. It was popularized by Sonic Drive-In (Think carhops and roller skates), which opened in the early 50's as a root beer stand. As such, drinks there are not an afterthought, but an integral part of their business. In fact, Sonic Ice, referred to as "nugget" or "pellet" ice (due to the term "Sonic ice" is a trademark), is pretty famous in a lot of circles. The reason for that is this type of ice is quite different from regular ice cubes. Nugget ice is made by think sheets of water being frozen, then forced together in layers to make the tiny nugget.
Sometimes referred to as "chewable ice", this process is completely different from standard ice makers as these layers have much more air in them and also results in a larger surface area than typical ice. The air helps insulate the ice, making the ice melt more slowly. An added benefit is that it makes the ice softer and more chewable while some of the flavor from the drink makes its way into the ice, making it a treat to actually eat the ice after the drink is gone. One of my favorite drinks during the summer is Sonic's Cherry Limeade -- so much so that I make them at home, and I had to get an ice maker that could make Sonic ice as it just wasn't the same without it. I needed another machine for the office, so I grabbed the Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker when the opportunity came up.
This is where my disappointment in the Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker comes from. Nugget ice makers are 3-5 times more expensive than regular ice makers, and Insignia's Nugget Ice Maker is no different. But I am not sure it actually makes nugget ice. It makes tiny ice, but the texture is different. It's like mini ice cubes rather than actual nugget ice. It's denser and much harder, making it not easily chewable. These nuggets are just not the same as those from my other nugget machine.
The door/ice tray could've been designed a little better. When you pull the tray out, there is nothing preventing it from dripping water on the counter surface. Insignia's solution was not to design a better tray, but to simply add a plastic tray which slides under the front of the machine to catch the drips. It's not that it doesn't work -- it does, but it's not exactly the most elegant solution. It seems more of an afterthought.
While I think the Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker is fantastic as an ice maker to compliment say a home bar, as a nugget ice maker it disappoints. It's name indicates this, just as its price. From that perspective, I have to rate it as just okay.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ice quality
Cons mentioned:
Noise level
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
ICE ICE Baby!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Wife and I usually buy a bag of ice from that fast food restaurant with all the drinks once or twice a month because we LOVE the crunchy cube ice. So when I saw this Ice maker from insignia I was really excited to get my hand on it!
Got it and could not wait to get it going. It’s the perfect size and produces a lot of ice in a pretty short period of time! It is pretty heavy but no heavier than a heavy mixer would be. We opted to put it on the ground next to a mini fridge in our kitchen, but it would fit on the counter no problem. I was worried about how to fill it with water if its on the counter under a cupboard or something, but the water is loaded in the front which makes it super easy to fill. I would recommend filtered or purified water for the clearest cubes. You have to run two to three batches of ice to make sure all the manufactures residue was cleared out of all the lines. Note: If for some reason the unit was shipped on its side or transported on its side the instructions say to let it sit vertically for 4 hours to allow the refrigerant to settle.
Ran the two batches to clear the lines and then started on the first batch of ice! The unit makes some noise. I would not say it is loud per se but it kind of sounds like small hail hitting a window when the ice drops from the freezer to the plastic basket. It did not bother me or my wife in the least but just know that it is not whisper silent. It starts spitting the ice out quickly and can fill up the basket a lot faster than I thought it would. I love the light inside which can be turned off or on and the scoop it comes with is a nice touch!
The size of the ice is perfect and if you like to crunch ice when you drink your favorite beverage it is the perfect density and size to crunch away!!!
Something else though that I had not considered is that it is an ice maker and not an ice machine. I’m not sure what the distinction “officially” is but what I mean is that after it makes the ice you need to use it in a day or so or transfer it to a freezer for longer-term storage. It’s not like an ice machine like I have at work that continually has ice in it and continually makes the ice. The instruction says you should clean out and drain the water every 24 hours to keep the ice fresh. So we plan to use it for parties or for the weekend or to make ice and store it in the freezer so I don’t have to run to the fast food place to get the” good ice” anymore!
Overall, I really love this little ice maker. It’s the perfect size for plenty of top-notch crunchable ice! Works great and looks great! If you are looking for more of an industrial ice storage/maker maybe you’d want another model. But for my house….PERFECT!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Ice quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Ice nuggets at home, just like the restaurant
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
If you're like me and love to have the restaurant ice nugget shape at home, then you're in luck. This Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker is a fantastic machine to have for my kitchen needs. The ice produced from this is exactly like one of my favorite fast food chicken restaurants. The ice nuggets are the kind of ice that is smaller in size, but also easy to chew and crunch on. The machine works extremely well in producing almost 3.5 pounds of ice when at full capacity in the removable basket.
Extremely easy to use and efficient in making the right amount of ice. There is a water tank that can be filled to your desired preference, as it holds 2.3 quarts of water in the reservoir. The touch buttons on the front of the ice machine are easy to understand and operate. It takes approximately 12 minutes to start the production of the ice and it just keeps on going from there to fill up the removable basket with the water in the tank. This also comes with a small drip tray and an ice scoop to easily get your ice out of the basket. There is a very helpful feature included in this machine that my family has really liked. It's the self recycle water system, which filters and reuses any melted water back into ice.
The machine itself is solid and requires a medium lift if you plan on moving it from place to place. We have this placed on our kitchen island nearby the sink. There are 2 tubes on the back which make this easy to drain out at the end of your use. The system empties out and you can easily have it prepped and ready for another usage again. The machine also has a auto cleaning mode that helps to ensure that you have a clean machine producing clean ice. The stainless steel design looks very nice and adds a nice industrial / restaurant look. I really like the blue LED lighting within the basket which lights up the area to easily see how much ice is available.
Overall a great machine to have for anyone that likes to have restaurant quality ice available at home. A great machine to have for people who like to host parties and get togethers for friends and family. Wow your guests with this fun toy, which goes from a fun item into a must have that our family got hooked on very fast.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size
Cons mentioned:
Weight
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nugget ice at a nice price
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I already own a small Insignia ice cube maker that makes nine cubes at a time. I bought that three years ago. I kept seeing these nugget ice cube makers, and I really like nugget ice, so I finally got one. This one is larger than my little 9 cube maker, but not by a whole lot. This is a really nice looking unit, black and stainless steel finish, which matches my kitchen. It fits on my countertop, next to my refrigerator. The ice maker in that quit a long time ago. There’s 3 ½” of space between the upper cabinet and the top of the nugget ice maker. The power cord is decently long, which is nice because you need a good wall outlet to be able to plug into.
This nugget maker is pretty simple to operate. I put filtered water in it to cut down on buildup. The maximum amount of water it holds is 74.4 ounces/ 2.2L of water. I happened to have an extra 2L slim pitcher, so I decided to use that as my dedicated water-pourer. The ice sort of forms slowly, it sounds like a cross between popcorn popping and a slow hail storm. The motor is not that noisy. Yes, I can hear it, and noises actually bother me a lot, but it’s not an annoying noise. There is an air vent fan on the right side of the machine. Be sure to keep that clear of a wall or refrigerator so the air circulates freely in order for the ice to be produced correctly. I just scoop out the ice after there’s a bit of it in the bin and put it in a large silicone bag and stick it in the freezer if we aren’t using it up as it’s being made.
You do have to do a self-cleaning every three days, as stated in the instructions. It wasn’t that bad, and we didn’t have to carry the machine over to the sink, which was a relief as this thing is somewhat heavy and I don’t want to drop it by accident. It weighs about 31 pounds. For me it’s not the weight of it, but I’m short, that's the only problematic part for me. I think the self-cleaning instructions could be a bit more detailed, as it’s pretty important, but I think I “get it”. Especially since I have owned another electric ice maker, I know this is a step you shouldn’t ignore. The drain pipes, as they are called, are not hard plastic but I think they are silicone. So they won’t crack easily. You will have to detach those from the clip in order to do the self-cleaning but it wasn’t very hard to do at all.
All in all this is a nice upgrade from my 9 cube ice maker! I can now enjoy my iced tea and other beverages with this wonderful little ice.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Ice quality, Size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
LOVE THIS PELLET ICE MAKER!!
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love this icemaker! Not only does it make the nugget ice that I love to crunch on, it doesn't take up very much room on the counter. It is easy to fill, a large enough basket for the ice, and it starts making ice within 20 minutes of plugging it in. The window is nice to see how full the ice bin is and the light makes it easy to see. This is a quiet running machine so it is not intrusive if you're in the same room with it. It does give off a little heat from the back side, which is expected with any type of motor that's running. It's not anything you would notice unless you were putting something behind it, which is how I discovered it. Certainly not enough to deter me from using it. The buttons are right in front and very easy to understand. I have told many about this icemaker. I really think it's a great product.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Better than most
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This Insignia icemaker is better than other icemakers I have owned of similar size and cost.
The setup, cleaning and start-up instructions are clear and helpful. After a couple of cleaning cycles according to their instructions, the machine started making ice in 12 minutes after completing the cleaning process. However, the ice is made slowly and it took over another half hour to complete making ice from the initial cycle, so plan on running the icemaker well in advance of the time that you will require it.
Insignia refers to the style of ice as "nugget" and chewable. It is indeed similar to the nugget-style ice found at fast food restaurant franchises such as Sonic or Raising Cane's, not the cube style ice made by competitive icemakers of similar size and price.
Insignia recommends running a cleaning cycle every three days. Since I plan to use this as a back-up to my refrigerator icemaker, I will probably perform a cleaning once a week so I will keep white vinegar on hand as well as the distilled/filtered water for making the ice cubes.
So far I am very happy with this icemaker and look forward to it lasting longer than the last one I owned.