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Message
Under counter ice maker suggestions
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:17 pm
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:17 pm
Are these things really this expensive? Almost all of them that I see are well over $1,000.
19
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:20 pm to MSTiger33
We have 2 of them.
One makes cube ice and the other crush ice. Crush ice is used for orange crushes and is also called pellet ice. Cube ice is better for cocktails, etc.
One makes cube ice and the other crush ice. Crush ice is used for orange crushes and is also called pellet ice. Cube ice is better for cocktails, etc.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:38 pm to MSTiger33
Own a Kitchenaid. Along with 80% of all my other 8yr old appliances it has failed repeatedly. First failure the “sealed unit” compressor and evaporator etc were replaced under warranty. 13 months later and out of warranty it failed again with a repair bill of $1,200. That time I refused to repair it. It’s located in the kitchen and is noisy, maintenance needy, and I’m too cheap to throw more money at it. My research shows that style (under counter) is unreliable. I swapped to re-freezable blocks for fishing and other things.
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
This post was edited on 9/28/22 at 4:31 am
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:39 pm to MSTiger33
I have a Scotsman SCN60 nugget ice under counter machine. I would highly recommend. In my last house I had a comparable Hoshizaki under counter nugget ice machine. I would recomend the Scotsman 100 times over. You have to maintain these with at least every 6 month sanitizing and de-scaling, and the Scotsman is so much easier to DIY this. I won't go into the process, but Hoshizaki requires some mechanical prowess, Scotsman is simple to manage.
I also prefer the quality of the ice of the Scotsman - a little softer and chewier. I am pretty sure they make oem versions for GE monogram and some other brands as well.
I'm going to edit to add that I haven't spent a dime on parts or repair for the Scotsman - only time and some consumables for descaling/sanitizing, and I've had it 6 years. I spent a small fortune ordering parts and a lot of time frustration and money repairing the Hoshizaki - had to learn a good deal because it was had to find a residential appliance repair person that would work on them.
And you are righ, they are not cheap, but one household appliance that we use constantly and it has easily been worth the cost to us.
I also prefer the quality of the ice of the Scotsman - a little softer and chewier. I am pretty sure they make oem versions for GE monogram and some other brands as well.
I'm going to edit to add that I haven't spent a dime on parts or repair for the Scotsman - only time and some consumables for descaling/sanitizing, and I've had it 6 years. I spent a small fortune ordering parts and a lot of time frustration and money repairing the Hoshizaki - had to learn a good deal because it was had to find a residential appliance repair person that would work on them.
And you are righ, they are not cheap, but one household appliance that we use constantly and it has easily been worth the cost to us.
This post was edited on 9/27/22 at 9:04 pm
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:41 pm to MSTiger33
Don’t waste your money.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:57 pm to MSTiger33
First, Don’t get one. We’ve had ours replaced twice before I pulled it and got a second wine fridge in its place. I had direct water line through a reverse osmosis but the damn thing had issues after about 2 months. It would get cold but never make ice then one day it’s overflowing with ice. I find their internal machinery to be much lower quality compared to a larger freezer ice machine.
2) They aren’t as convenient as I thought it would be. After the all in cost I probably could have gotten an industrial ice maker for the garage instead - which would have been much more convenient.
2) They aren’t as convenient as I thought it would be. After the all in cost I probably could have gotten an industrial ice maker for the garage instead - which would have been much more convenient.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 8:59 pm to MSTiger33
Unless you are spending a few grand there is no point
Yes they are that expensive
Yes they are that expensive
Posted on 9/27/22 at 9:14 pm to MSTiger33
Don’t do it!
Posted on 9/27/22 at 9:18 pm to Bowlinm
That’s kinda on you, for buying the cheap stuff.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 9:34 pm to MSTiger33
Spent $2000 on a kitchen aid in dec 2020. It worked great until a few months ago. It’s been broken since June; still under warranty and it took several months for them to send someone out. He came yesterday and said it’s a faulty pump and they’re not making enough to keep up so it’ll be 3-4 more
Months to get it in. It also cost $800 to figure out the plumbing in our house on a crawl space.
Not worth it.
Months to get it in. It also cost $800 to figure out the plumbing in our house on a crawl space.
Not worth it.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 9:42 pm to tigerbandpiccolo
They kinda aren’t worth it, decent ones cost about 2k and the all last about 2-3 years honestly. i think I have owned about half a dozen so far
This post was edited on 9/27/22 at 9:51 pm
Posted on 9/27/22 at 9:44 pm to MSTiger33
If you can't afford Hoshizaki, you don't need an ice machine.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 9:49 pm to MSTiger33
I have had several of these, multiple different brands. Most of these different brands are all made by Whirlpool, so specific brand probably doesn't matter unless you spend way more for a Hoshizaki. And, like many have said, they break. Often. I have learned to work on them to an extent, and have been able to extend their life in some cases, but understand they will not last 10+ years like household refrigerators. Also, they get pretty nasty on the inside and require frequent cleaning, which usually means taking them apart. Some require a water filter which helps cut down on build-up, but the filters are about $35 each and need to be changed every 6 months or so. Bottom line, if you will use them a lot (we do), then they are probably still worth it. But, I would search for the best price rather than a certain brand because more expensive does not equate to better quality in most cases.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 10:00 pm to Bowlinm
quote:
My research shows that style (under counter) is unreliable.
This 100%. I have had two and they each lasted about 3 to 4 years. Just not worth the money they cost. Put your cash into some other appliance.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 10:06 pm to BigPapiDoesItAgain
quote:
I have a Scotsman SCN60 nugget ice under counter machine. I would highly recommend. In my last house I had a comparable Hoshizaki under counter nugget ice machine. I would recomend the Scotsman 100 times over. You have to maintain these with at least every 6 month sanitizing and de-scaling, and the Scotsman is so much easier to DIY this. I won't go into the process, but Hoshizaki requires some mechanical prowess, Scotsman is simple to manage.
I do not recommend the Scotsman or any other ice maker with the same auger technology. I had this same unit and it lasted 5 years. I would routinely clean the unit when it needed it and even had it through a reverse osmosis system and I continually had problems with it. The life on the machine is 5-10 years if you’re lucky and they are really expensive, like 3.5-4.5k. The problem lies when the water drips into the gear chamber of the auger. Eventually it wears down.
As much as I loved the nugget ice, I had to move on from it and I purchased the Manitowoc half cubbed icemaker. I have had it for 6 months without any issues. It makes roughly 95 pounds of ice daily. It’s restaurant grade and isn’t as expensive. I paid 2,100 for the unit.
This post was edited on 9/27/22 at 10:10 pm
Posted on 9/27/22 at 10:10 pm to coondaddy21
Scotsman ones aren't really made for your house anyways.
We have a couple 350 pound ones for a sports facility but you need a maintenance plan and proper set up.
They last a long time but cost a fortune to do it right.
We have a couple 350 pound ones for a sports facility but you need a maintenance plan and proper set up.
They last a long time but cost a fortune to do it right.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 10:13 pm to MSTiger33
Most are well over $1000, we have a GE Monogram that was over $3000 and has been replaced twice in 8 years. After having an undercounter type, I won’t have another one when we eventually sell and move.
They can be a hassle, seems like something stays broke on it, especially the melting grid, often and it has to have a special cleaner used often to keep it working right. It was part of the appliance set that was in the house when we bought but I wouldn’t add one on future builds or wouldn’t want one in a future purchase. When you figure initial cost, maintenance and upkeep, down time and repairs, water usage and filters, the actual price of ice you use would be pretty significant. It’s mostly for glass and mug ice, at 40 lb capacity it really isn’t enough for large ice chest.
I’ll either get a larger free standing type for a garage or just buy a cheap upright freezer and keep it filled it with bags of Sonic ice, that could end up thousands cheaper in the long run.
They can be a hassle, seems like something stays broke on it, especially the melting grid, often and it has to have a special cleaner used often to keep it working right. It was part of the appliance set that was in the house when we bought but I wouldn’t add one on future builds or wouldn’t want one in a future purchase. When you figure initial cost, maintenance and upkeep, down time and repairs, water usage and filters, the actual price of ice you use would be pretty significant. It’s mostly for glass and mug ice, at 40 lb capacity it really isn’t enough for large ice chest.
I’ll either get a larger free standing type for a garage or just buy a cheap upright freezer and keep it filled it with bags of Sonic ice, that could end up thousands cheaper in the long run.
Posted on 9/27/22 at 11:59 pm to MSTiger33
I have a countertop GE Opal nugget ice machine. Have been very pleased but I am on the second one, the first one died after four years. We liked it enough that the boss lady had a new one ordered and on the way - later that day. Original cost on both was about $450-500.
Requires cleaning about once a quarter but only takes a few minutes once you have it at your kitchen sink. I fill it with distilled water jugs instead of tap water. This helps tremendously with scaling and overall cleanliness.
Basically, in the nugget ice realm, you can pay $2500 minimum or get a countertop unit like an Opal for several hundred bucks. In the last year or so, there have been some alternatives to the Opal come out at about $400 on Amazon but I have never seen on in person. Some newer models have much larger water hoppers.
Again, despite some required maintenance and 2nd unit, we've been pretty pleased with the GE Opal. It has about a 3 lb. ice hopper and it makes ice up pretty quickly. Daily fills are no problem and it only takes seconds.
LINK
Good luck with your research.
Requires cleaning about once a quarter but only takes a few minutes once you have it at your kitchen sink. I fill it with distilled water jugs instead of tap water. This helps tremendously with scaling and overall cleanliness.
Basically, in the nugget ice realm, you can pay $2500 minimum or get a countertop unit like an Opal for several hundred bucks. In the last year or so, there have been some alternatives to the Opal come out at about $400 on Amazon but I have never seen on in person. Some newer models have much larger water hoppers.
Again, despite some required maintenance and 2nd unit, we've been pretty pleased with the GE Opal. It has about a 3 lb. ice hopper and it makes ice up pretty quickly. Daily fills are no problem and it only takes seconds.
LINK
Good luck with your research.
Posted on 9/28/22 at 12:06 am to MSTiger33
They are definitely a PITA that often have problems
It helps some if you are able to work on them yourself vs always paying someone but still a pain
I have several I've Been given for free from ppl who were just gonna chunk them
It helps some if you are able to work on them yourself vs always paying someone but still a pain
I have several I've Been given for free from ppl who were just gonna chunk them
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