GE Profile Opal 2.0 with Side Tank

I've been using this machine 1 year now, daily for hours, and it's still going strong and works great. Bought the additional side tank which is a must. I only use with distilled water which greatly helps in reducing buildup. I clean / flush once a month with vinegar solution and once a quarter with bleach solution. It's never been really dirty or had any mold build up because of the routine. The cleaning process can be a bit of a pain as I have to carry the machine next to the sink and it's heavy. Only complaint though and it's because where I chose to have it. The app is great with WiFi to tell me when tank is getting low, needs cleaning, and allows me to schedule ice maker to run in mornings and afternoons. Starts making decent ice quantity within 15 - 30 minutes. Ice itself is well formed, chewable, and clear with distilled water.

I was nervous getting this from the reviews that I read. I was pleasently suprised. It is quiet. It can make the first round of ice within 7 minutes. The ice is not "wet". It is easy to add water and it works wonderfully with Alexa. I do wish that there was a hose hook up and sensor that would allow me to tap into my fridge water supply so that it filled itself, but it is not terrible withhout it. I fill it up each morning as coffee is making and that's all I do each day. It wil take about 8 cups of water and that will fill the bin twice. You can over fill. For example, you can have a full bin of ice and then fill up the water reservoir. It will stop making ice until the amount of ice drops, then it will start making ice until it fills up again. I have to listen for it to hear it. I have mine on a schedule with Alexa to make ice from 5am - 10am and then again at 4pm - 10pm. works great. With this schedule, I have always had ice when I went to get some. Really satified with this product and would suggest it. The reservoir is nice, but I don't have it and am not planning to buy it. Haven't needed it. Wish the price was about $100 less, but I'm not fussying that much. Solid build. Update: after sitting on my kitchen counter for a year, regular cleaning, fan started to get loud and then leak in reservoir and unit became unusable. Went back to fridge ice maker and threw this in the trash. I see why they price it so high, not seeing many return buyers. So disappointing.

This is one of the best on the market. I bought this because my son loved the ice it made. Too long of a story to include here, just know that his last hours on this earth included chewing on the perfect ice pellets made by this machine. I found that insulating the ice bucket caused the ice to last a bit longer. Although this machine recycles the melted ice water into new pellets, adding a small layer of rubber/foam insulation helps in keeping the ice box colder, and helps prevents the ice from melting too fast. I used 1 inch, 1/16 inch single sided adhesive rubber in a double layer on both sides and bottom of the ice box. This is the second machine I have bought. The first one lasted 20 months, using distilled water, about a gallon a day, and never ran it thru a cleaning cycle. I do not recommend that practice. I bought the extended warranty for this new one, and have a new filter shipped from Amazon every month, which aligns with the programmed cleaning cycle. It’s very easy to use, and the side water tank is so handy, as it holds about a gallon of water. Our tap water is very hard, which is why we chose distilled water to use is our machine. You’ll find that slime and algae will build up, plugging the filter, and interfering with the ice making auger in the ice cup. Keep it clean by flushing and sanitizing with bleach, and changing the filter after each cleaning. I’ll post an update on how long this one lasts. As far as I can tell, this one is the best counter top I’ve maker on the market today. Its size is perfect for our countertop, and you have to walk in the kitchen to hear it making its perfect ice. The noise level is not a problem with this one. I highly recommend this ice maker, with the side tank for your iced drink needs. You’re gonna love it.

The built-in ice makers that come with refrigerators are notoriously temperamental. Ours quits on its own for no reason whenever it feels like it. Its cube storage is small and it isn’t reliable. Last summer it went on strike for a week so I set up one of those $100 ice-bullet makers. It had to be tended like a fussy old aunt. With another summer in the near future, I decided to improve matters. I bought this GE Opal 2.0 unit. I *love* it! I especially like the fact that when the already-made ice begins to melt, the water is put back into the system to freeze again into new nuggets. It’s automatic and runs along without supervision as long as it has enough water to run an ice cycle. After a week, I also bought the available side tank. Now we’re really set for all the drinks, ice packs for sprains, and nugget crunching to come. I high recommend this!

This was a great ice maker for about 8 months but then starting making a terrible sound as you will hear in the attached video. This was after doing the monthly vinegar treatments and using filtered water. The device is covered with a 1 year warranty but warranty support is terrible. I have called them at least 12 times over 2 months and still don't have it resolved. The first calls you are told that you need to totally clean the system with a vinegar treatment and let it sit overnight with a vinegar soaked cloth shoved up into the ice maker opening where the ice falls out. Called back after this didn't work and they said you may need to do this for several days and multiple treatments. I did that for a week and the results are in the video with the loud screeching sound until I unplugged it because it sounded like it would catch on fire. After sending them all the steps I had followed and the video, proof of purchase etc. they finally opened a case with a case#. It has now been 4 more weeks and each time I call they say the person isn't available that has the case assigned and they can't assign it to anyone else. This has been a terrible experience, and I would not recommend that anyone purchase this product.

Just received it today so I can't comment on longevity. Otherwise, it was simple to setup, run the cleaning cycle and get my first batch of ice. I am an "ice snob" so I'm very particular about my ice. I was buying a bag every day from Sonic. I had figured out optimum time to get fresh ice from the top (which is cloudy and "soft") instead of ice that had been sitting there (that's clear and "icy"). I was worried this machine wouldn't make the SOFT ice. But it makes PERFECT, soft ice. So far, I couldn't be any happier. Update: After less than 8 weeks (I've already descaled it twice) today it suddenly stopped working. The add water button was on, but the reservoir was full. After watching several YouTube videos I kept seeing that the pump wasn't priming and to place my finger over the hole in the reservoir. That did nothing. Also said to try squeezing some water into the hole. Well, that's a problem, because the space to put something in the hole is not large. So I did some research and found the perfect little squeeze bottles that you can even get here on Amazon (I happened to get my at my local Walmart). They are called Joie Condiment Mini Squeeze Bottles. Additional Update: About a month ago I started to get the Add Water light even though I could see the water was actually being drawn out of the reservoir. If it turned the machine off and back on it would then make ice. This week even that stopped working and now the machines makes NO ice. Almost six months to the date I received it. So I have to return it and get a "new machine." I asked if it was actually new or refurbished and all I got was, it's being shipped from our warehouse. That doesn't answer the question. I figured out that based on how much ice I was buying from Sonic the Opal would pay for itself if it worked for at least 6 months, so I guess it was worth the purchase. It did make spectacular soft ice!

I really love this ice maker. I previously purchased one of the less expensive "bullet" ice type (Igloo) and it stopped working after about 30 days so I returned it. I didn't own an ice maker before that one and really love having one. I use bottled water for it and it tastes great. Besides the obvious benefit of the small chewable ice, there are many other benefits. One, it keeps the ice MUCH longer. The ice melts much slower in the GE model because it has a more insulated container holding the ice, The clear plastic part is double walled which helps a lot. This machine is much quieter than the others. You still hear the compressor, but since the ice is smaller and in a more insulated container, its really quiet when it drops. This ice maker makes the ice on a more continuous basis rather than waiting for a batch of 9 of the bullets in the others. Overall it also just seems much better made. The ONLY thing I haven't figured out yet is the app. I have it connected, which is cool in itself to be able to turn it on/off, adjust the light, see the current status (like when it is out of water). However I scheduled it to turn off at night and that part doesn't seem to be working. It's very likely user error. Also for those debating getting the side container of water or not, I did not and don't think I will. The machine itself stores enough water to more than fill the large ice storage of ice. So unless you are going to make ice to store in a freezer, or go through more than one bin a day, I don't think it is that beneficial. I chose not to get it mostly due to wanting to save the space on my counter.

At first, I was skeptical about getting this for my wife as a birthday gift because of the price - I wondered if it was really worth it. Now that we've had it for almost a year, I can tell you it is DEFINITELY worth it! This ice maker is so amazing! It actually promotes hydration - you WANT to drink more water because you just love the ice! I was impressed at how fast the ice starts being made after turning it on. It does make a slight humming noise but it's at such a low decibel level so it's barely noticeable. You do have to take good care of it though. Read the cleaning instructions and take the time to clean it on a regular basis. But do NOT try to open the top of the unit. It's very difficult to pry open and it's not worth the trouble. Just use the two cleaning methods that are mentioned in the manual... and you'll have great tasting ice in no time. Our friends and family love when we have this ice ready when they come over! It's like getting Chick-Fil-A ice for free!