Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a Professional Home and Personal Chef and I also teach cooking and knife skills. I take all of my kitchen items, tools, utensils, knives, serving items, other accessories, and food products very seriously. When I test and review culinary items, I am highly critical and meticulous in evaluating and rating them. My reviews are honest and unbiased. Good is good…bad is bad! This new Snoworld Countertop Ice Maker is a very good machine. It has some unique features that makes it stand out from competing Ice Makers in the same price class. It makes plenty of bullet-type ice cubes in two sizes and does it as quickly as similar ice makers. It does have a couple of minor annoyances, but they are not deal-breakers, and overall, the unit is a good potential choice for a number of uses as described below. PROS: * Well-made and very robust construction. It's a tank of a machine. * Produces first ice within 8-minutes of first start. * Two cube sizes to choose from, though the vast majority of users are likely to choose Large. * Self-Cleaning cycle which is the first I've seen on this level of Countertop Ice Maker * Drain plug at the bottom of the unit allows for easy draining for dry storage * Quiet operation, and you only really hear it when the latest ice drops to the basket * Touch-control selections for Ice Size, Power, and Wi-Fi activation. * Long power cord allows for varied position on countertops or other locations NEUTRAL: * The system has WI-FI capability (2.4G only and will not work with a 5G internet connection). It is used with the Smart Life app on iPhones (Don't know about Android), and it DOES work, but it seems like more of a sales feature than is likely to be actually used regularly by most owners. In my case, I can't really think of a situation where the app would be a significant benefit. Nonetheless, it is available if you have some specific use for it. * It is a larger unit than many other countertop Ice Makers and takes a bit more room, all the while making the same amount of ice as others, and the same length of time for production. Ice bin size is equivalent to other makers. MINOR ANNOYANCES: * When the "Add Water" light comes on, you must recycle the power switch after filling the water reservoir in order to reactivate the system and recognize water has been added. Other machines do not require a power reset and automatically sense the water level filled and resume production. * Ice made by this system tends to bunch towards the back of the ice basket which can cause the machine to think the basket is full and suspend ice-making until it doesn't sense ice at the top of the basket. This reduces the amount to ice made at one time because the basket still has room for one or two more cycles of ice production. A simple shake of the basket or moving a little ice forward into the bucket allows the machine to resume. This is now the third countertop ice maker that we own. We have one in our RV; another on our basement bar, and one more for my wife's office staff for their cold drinks. They are great to have when you either don't have a freezer ice-maker, or need ice away from your kitchen. We use ours on ou outdoor patio as well in the summer for quick access without having to go in the house for ice. All in all, I rate this Ice Maker at a relatively high FOUR STARS, and not five due to the annoyances mentioned and the size of the unit that does not produce more ice than our other smaller machines. I can still honestly recommend it, as it makes good ice, quickly, and the self-cleaning feature is a real unique bonus. Bon Appetit! *If you found my review helpful to you, PLEASE let Amazon know by clicking the "HELPFUL" button below!