There are ton's out there, do you want clear ice or regular ice? if you choose clear which is better quality do you want square cubes, top hat or crunchy ice AKA nugget ice. If you choose clear ice you will need a source you can pump water to like a dishwasher does into a drain. Warning clear ice makers are noisy and you need to run the cleaning cycle to keep the operating. Top brands are expensive, Perlick, Sub-Zero, Hoshizaki. Good brands for less Marvel, U-Line Scotsman. If you want quiet stay with non clear ice but the quality for cocktail ice isn't as good basically frozen cloudy cubes.

I have the same question. I'm not worried about price or having lines hooked up. I'm worried about noise and reliability and of course I want clear square cubes. Which do you think is the best for that? Thanks in advance.

I really like the Marvel which is what I have in my home. They claim the lowest decibel rating for a clear ice maker but they are all loud. To make clear ice the water is continually poured over cooling plates and the ice is always in a melting state so you will hear the pump drain periodically also. They have a model called illumian-ice which is pretty cool. I am an appliance nerd so I can tell you anything you would want to know LOL.

https://www.marvelrefrigeration.com/products/ice-makers

They’re all loud energy hogs. Not a one can be certified by the Energy Star program.

Now I'm thinking skip the clear ice. Way too high maintenance. I don't want the ice that melts fast though. Is there a machine that will shut off when the ice is done, keep the ice cold until you need it, produce ice that doesn't quickly melt, and is reliable? Is there such a thing? I'm starting to wonder if getting a freezer drawer specifically for ice might be a better solution? Otherwise it sounds like even if I do find a machine, I'll need to keep it in the pantry or somewhere not in the kitchen. Not sure why this is such a challenge. Does anyone have just a freezer drawer they use for ice? Did that work out to be a good solution? Thanks in advance.

Hi Michelle yes you can get a built in non clear ice maker that makes regular ice and keeps it full. Usually those are crescent cubes and all they require is 110 power and a water connection. There are several brands available. You can purchase a freezer drawer with ice making capabilities but they are expensive and have limited ice production.

We have a refrigerator with two ice makers. It serves the purpose without a separate appliance.

4 Years later, and a Uline nugget maker not even worth fixing considering the repair costs...

Any advice based on what has been recommended here?

We have a Scotsman that's worked well for 5 years so far. Ice is clear and fresh.

It sounds like a cyborg. Quieter would have been good.

Expensive to run, especially during the week when we use little ice. It does not have any kind of scheduler so I've got it on a switched outlet and use our C4 HA sytem to manage it. It normally runs only from 2a to 6a. This provides fresh ice for us for each day. I've a button that each press turns it on immediately for 12 hrs (or adds 12 hours to the clock). For a busy weekend I'll press it 4 or 5 times on Friday afternoon and we'll have continouse ice for the weekend.

It'd be much better if it had a scheduler that could manage the hot plate, drain pump and ice making more efficiently.