WhynterIMC-270MS Compact Ice Maker, 27-Pound, Metallic Silver

With four people home 24x7 during quarantine, we were consuming waaay more ice than our refrigerator's ice maker could provide. This little countertop model met our needs and stepped up to meet the demand of two work-from-home adults and two thirsty teens trying to get through distance learning. We started the icemaker off each morning with a fresh batch of water, and within 8 or 9 minutes had enough ice for one beverage, followed by another batch every 8 minutes all day long. Throughout the day, we had each filled up our water bottles with ice multiple times, made iced coffee, iced tea and added ice to our sodas; the machine kept pace with our demands, consistently replenishing our supply of ice. Full disclosure- it's pretty darn loud, even in a spacious kitchen open to a great room, so keep that in mind if you have a smaller space or need to be able to work nearby. Overall, it met our needs very well.

Ice backup better than "insulated" buckets, driving time, gasoline waste, overpriced bad ice?Giving 5 stars only temporarily in order to report in phases a more holistic impression of this solutionto ice outages, thanks to a Samsung ref. design whose fickle ice maker requires a backup unit like this.Unit was selected b/c:it was in the highest bracket for owner reviews on Amazon & Best Buyno store locally had this (or any other) counter ice makerPrime shippingin stock @ Amazonavailable next day~ same price as a replacement freezer ice maker (well, except for shipping markups + expedited)You MUST wait the 4 hours mfr demands if unit shipped or unboxed out of level (depend on this!)THENFirst ice comes out in 8 minutes flat, selected as "large" BUT the ice bucket catcher has a center holeEXACTLY this size to allow some to dive back into the water pool reservoir .... ?!?!?!This is because the 9 metal rods haven't gotten cold enough = tiny, tiny ice at first.Placing the shovel in the bucket is a temporary solution but it takes up space for ice; remove it later orwhen running at full tilt.Second ice dumps in 8 minutes flat! Size & quantity is not impressive BUT calculations indicate x1.7faster than -14F freezer ice maker when Large ice bullets chosen (Tiny bullets might form faster).Contrary to Specifications @ "27#/24hrs" ~1#/hr.Beats fetching store ice thus far & rich in ice ... until tested by visitors coming next month ... so wait& see. Third dump ~8 minutes = more exciting than freezer ice every 90 minutes (even if muchlarger dump).Comment made - is there water boiling in the kitchen? Does it seem that loud? Dishwasher seemsthat loud, freezer ice dump louder but deeper, muffled sound & no sound when running.Next morning2 hours = 1 quart mug filled with "large" ice ~1 poundIndicator "ice full" is because it needs you to push ice away from dump site, your reward is at leasttwo more loads; will try to see if 1.5# in specs can actually be true with a little ice pushing help ... seems a stretch. Freezer ice maker on the door hold 7.5# and dispenses the oldest ice at bottom!That day, the production rate stayed the same, sometimes filling up with ice but heavier duty ice; itseems the 9 metal rods don't respond immediately to commands like start or switching from tiny tolarge cubes/bullets. consistent with startup SOP.Even 30 ' away some will find the drone (not to mention the ice drops) noises to be competitive, soplaced with a buffer between, carpet/other materials nearby is a plus for everyday use.If a surplus of ice is achieved due to having another ref/freez maker, know that dumping these soft,moist bullets into that freezer bucket WILL freeze together, form a block, then this logjam must be ice picked to insure normal ice dispensing. Saving them in a tray in freezer = ice picking out what you need.This ice is the next friendliest soft ice to shaved ice for your teeth - ask your dental tech next visit about that if you chew it.Have drained it once to insure fresh filtered water and didn't make too much of a mess as a newbie - TIPS: have more than 4 cups catcher, better is over sink; refilling up to max. level only if it's turned off - otherwise will become too full and up into ice basket above water reservoir.Waiting for a sale? HA! These don't last long & NONE were stocked locally here in Mudville (pop. 200,000). Yes, I refer this for modest extra ice, ice maker backup and fun toy gift to guys into bartending, kids big on soda fountainsLasted FIVE years so saved on gas/time getting ice out in perilous traffic

I absolutely love my new icemaker. I admit, I was nervous about buying any portable ice makers after reading some reviews. I found as I read a lot of them, many are mistaking this as a freezer to hold ice after it's made. The seller posted several notices on the page that it will not just sit and hold the ice, but it takes the melt and remakes ice, so who cares.My mindset for buying this unit was: I had an ice maker in every fridge for over 30 years, but the place I live doesn't have ice makers. I could buy a new fridge with the icemaker, but didn't see any under 500 bucks. I wanted something to let others in my house have ice too. I also figured I could use this on my brothers house boat or a picnic. I have been making ice in trays and go through a lot of ice. I never thought a portable could keep up with me. I never run out of ice now and rarely make my 8 trays of oversized ice cubes. Now the big cubes are reserved for bourbon or such. This unit puts out enough ice for everyone in the house+.So why some negative reviews on portable icemakers? 1. people think it's a freezer (the only thing besides dry ice to keep it frozen). Solution, use the ice, or let it remake the melt to new ice, or bag it up and put it in a FREEZER.2. People don't read that like many items, it works more efficiently after running a little bit. The first 2-3 batches looking pitiful, after that its good solid ice.Your conditions, such as how warm it is around the unit, how warm of water you are using etc will affect your ice production.I decided to test this unit thoroughly. I first used garage temp water while in a heatwave. I store 30 gallons of purified water there. I was in a 80degree house, and as expected, the cubes in the first 2 runs was dismal. As the unit cooled it started making proper ice, about 3 runs in bad conditions which I thought was impressive. Including the first runs, and based on hours of it running for the test, I found in bad conditions it still puts out 15 pounds of ice in 24 hours. Since then I have it on my kitchen counter. I start the ice maker after the coffee. By the time I'm done with my first coffee, I have plenty of ice to fill my 40oz yeti.For those that this type of icemaker doesn't work, the only option I saw was a small stand alone commercial ie maker. Its about $450+ and will not fit on the counter.2 family members will be buying this unit after seeing mine in action.

I haven't used it as much as I thought I would. The drawback is that it produces cubes a lot slower than I had hoped. Additionally, even the "large" cubes are smaller than I expected. So on those occasions when I have anticipated the need for a supply...in advance, I have had to make cubes and store them in the freezer.

Our ice maker stopped working around 3 months after use. I contacted Amazon and they helped me contact the company. I emailed and heard back quickly. We were asked to perform a couple of things to see if the machine would start working again. It did not fix our machine. I was then told that they would ship a new machine at no cost to me. This ice machine sits on our counter is on all day every day. Makes ice, it is quiet with only the pump noises. I love this machine and I love this company! So nice working with a company that stands behind its customers! I would recommend any products this company sells!!

A little louder than I expected, but overall very good product so far. Makes ice quickly for drinks. Should hold up for a night of 4 casual drinkers, but not going to keep more than 4 a night ice happy..(:>)...unless you make a stock in advance.

Meets my ice making needs perfectly!The ice machine makes ice in under ten minutes of turning on the machine. Within a few ice making cycles the ice bucket is easily full. This machine's output would most appropriately supply a small group of people (1-4), but it would not be unthinkable in any way that the machine could produce ice for up to about 8-10 people.There are few slight downsides to the machine. The first downside comes with its size; the machine can fit a counter-top however it is by no means toasted sized and will take up significant room ( think more around the size of a smaller microwave). The second downside comes with the noise that some have noted the machine making. Upon starting up the ice machine it is particularly noisy, after it is ran for sometime and ice is produced the machine is really by no means annoyingly noisy. The final downside comes with the ice itself. The ice produced is both hollow and smaller than traditional block of ice made in the freezer, which unless you are pouring liquor drinkings should not make a huge difference.I bought this machine as a gift for my ice enthusiast brother, and in no time my non-ice drinking father was putting ice in every one of his drinks and considering buying a machine for himself. I recommend this product for anyone who likes ice in there drinks or likes to host small gatherings.

Love how within 1/2 hour you have plenty of ice.It does its first drop in 5-6 min. but it only does 9 at a time.Give it a few more minutes and you have a full bucket of Ice!

I absolutely love my ice maker. It's so easy to use, so easy to clean, doesn't really take up much counter space, and is super quiet.

It’s fast !