ProfileOpal 2.0 XL with 1 Gallon Tank, Chewable Crunchable Countertop Nugget Ice Maker, Scoop Included, 38 lbs in 24 Hours, Pellet Ice Machine with WiFi & Smart Connected, Black Stainless

If you’re a fan of the soft, crunchy nugget ice found at old-school soda fountains or your favorite drive-thru, the GE Profile Opal Nugget Ice Maker delivers that same experience—right in your own kitchen. I’ve been using this machine for some time now, and I can confidently say it’s one of the best home ice makers on the market, if you’re willing to commit to some routine care.⸻Pros: • Perfect Nugget Ice: This machine produces the iconic soft, chewable ice that’s incredibly satisfying. Whether you’re making cocktails, iced coffee, or just love munching ice (despite what your dentist says!), the quality is exceptional. • Quiet Operation (Relatively): Compared to commercial or restaurant-grade ice makers, this unit is impressively quiet. There’s a low hum while it runs and a gentle sound when ice drops into the bin. • Thoughtful Design: Comes with a scoop, a front drip tray for catching condensation, and a sleek, modern look that fits well in most kitchens. • Self-Recycling Water System: Melted ice drains back into the reservoir and is reused—efficient and convenient. • Decent Water Capacity: The gravity-fed reservoir holds up to one gallon of water. I strongly recommend using distilled water to reduce mineral buildup and prolong the machine’s life.• Party Prep Friendly: Under normal usage, a full ice bin will provide enough ice for about 6–8 twelve-ounce beverages. When hosting guests for drinks and light bites, I like to fill gallon-size freezer bags about 3/4 full of ice in advance and store them in the freezer. This ensures I have plenty of nugget ice on hand for the entire gathering and can keep the ice bin replenished for everyone to enjoy their favorite cold beverage.⸻Cons (But Manageable): • Requires Routine Maintenance: Like all freestanding ice machines, it needs regular cleaning and descaling. This includes the water tank, the internal reservoir beneath the ice bin, and periodic sanitizing. You’ll want to plan a full clean every 45 to 75 days, depending on usage. • Descaling Frequency Varies: If you’re using tap water, the hardness of your local water supply will affect how often you’ll need to descale. Harder water will lead to faster buildup, so regular monitoring is key. Using distilled water significantly reduces this concern. • Not a Freezer: The ice is stored in an insulated bin, not a freezer compartment. It will slowly melt if unused, but thankfully, the machine refreezes it using the recycled water. • Minor Condensation Drips: When removing the ice bin, you may notice a bit of condensation on the bottom. The included drip tray handles this well, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.⸻Final Thoughts:This ice maker is a game-changer for nugget ice enthusiasts. Yes, there’s a little maintenance involved—but in return, you get restaurant-quality ice at home. As my grandmother used to say, “Anything worth having is a result of hard work.” In this case, the “work” is light and completely manageable.If you’re prepared for basic upkeep and use distilled water when possible, this is a fantastic investment for your kitchen or home bar. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates the joy of perfectly crunchy ice.

Light quit working within a week. I was willing to ignore that. Then the buttons for power, and cleaning got finicky and rarely reacted to being pressed. Often times I would need to unplug the unit and plug back in to get ice going. Then loud squealing noises randomly occurred. The loud banging sounds. Then ice production completely stopped and the unit is non-functional.Cleaning, descaling, and sanitizing were all done by the book and on schedule. In fact, it seamed every time I maintained the unit it restarted with a new problem present.Reached out to GE today (8/19/25). Told them it was purchased 7/17/24 and delivered 7/19/24. Told them I knew it was technically out of warranty but I hoped they could help as it was barely out of warranty, been acting up for months, and that I had been traveling most of the summer, really busy, and couldn’t tell if the unit was working funny because of the pauses in use.They told me to gather videos of symptoms, pics of model and serial numbers, pic of empty water tank, and original invoice and call back and they could start a claim. I restated that in knew it was out of warranty barely, and asked if this was worth my time. I was assured that yes it was worth the effort.I gathered all the requested items within 15-20 minutes and called them back. I was asked for model and serial number and I provided them verbally. The GE Opal rep then said it only had a one year warranty. I informed her of the previous reps encouragement and assistance only to be told yeah I don’t know why they would have told you to do that. We don’t offer any service or replacement after a year. I pushed back with what do I do with an almost but not quite 13-month old $650 ice maker that’s not working? She stated that hopefully someone could service it but they had know idea who. Very inspiring response.

Not gonna sugar coat it, the price point is definitely the biggest hurdle for the Ice Maker. However this is the highest quality one i've found on Amazon. I have tried a $250 dollar no name brand, and not only was it just slower overall, the quality of the ice didn't compare to this GE brand one.Setup is extremely simple. Just follow the instruction manual for preparing it for first use, and then go to town making enough ice to host parties, birthdays, anything really.The size of the Ice Maker is a bit bulkier than I would prefer, but it still fits on my countertop just fine. The nice thing is that even with the side tank option, I have not found it to be necessary; the base water tank underneath the ice tray has plenty of room. I had a party with 6 guests over and just using the main water tank I had plenty of ice for the evening. another feature that makes this machine so worth it is how FAST it makes the ice. I haven't personally timed it but I started the machine, did a couple of chores around my home (couldnt have been more than 30 minutes), and came back to it pumping out perfect little ice nuggets.A must have for anyone that wants to impress their guests, or loves to host social gatherings.

OMG I have been wanting a “good ice” machine since forever!! This is it! Just like sonic and hospital ice lol. It is very heavy so be aware when you need to clean it. It makes the perfect amount if ice and keeps making it as you use it. It is so easy and it functions well except it will flash that it needs to be cleaned and then it will stay on sometimes but doesn’t effect its use. It is large so make sure you have soace on your counter