First impressions? This ice maker is the smallest one of all! It takes up less real estate on your countertop but also holds less ice! The product image makes it look like stainless steel, but it’s actually a gray plastic material. So aesthetically, it’s not ideal. But what about the ice?

The shape of this ice was unexpected! They almost look like styrofoam packing peanuts with hollow insides. The product listing describes them as “bullet-shaped,” which is probably accurate! And you can select either 1-in ice or .8-in ice, although we didn’t notice much of a difference in size.

Surprisingly, we didn’t mind the different shape! It still satisfied the crunchy ice craving, and the texture was great. I think if you’re a small household and don’t have a refrigerator ice dispenser, this is going to make you so happy.

I would say that this ice maker is the budget version of the Opal ice maker. It’s smaller in size and has a really nice stainless steel finish. I also love that it has a flip-top lid for scooping out your ice. According to the product description, this one wins for making the most amount of ice at 3.3 lbs!

As for the actual ice, it’s the perfect size to chew on, but it was a bit more rough around the edges than the others. And somehow, the ice is harder to chew, whereas the others made more soft-crunch ice. Make sense?

Also, this one has a self-clean feature which is so convenient.

In my opinion, this appliance is the prettiest of the bunch. The black/stainless steel combo is lovely and has a really modern, simple shape. It’s also the largest, which is less than ideal if you’re short on counter space. That being said, the dispense on this machine is incredibly satisfying and easy to use.

You won’t ever have to dig out a scooper, and I would trust my kids with this machine because it’s so simple. Oh, and it fits a Stanley cup perfectly without the bottom drip tray!

This isn’t considered a downside, but opposite to the other ice makers, you can’t visually see how much ice has been made. And you can’t see the water level either. Actually, filling it with water is at first odd, but also fun. You poke the funnel into the hole on the frontside and pour the water in. And since you can’t see the fill line from the outside, the machine beeps at you when it’s full.

The ice pebbles are everything you want them to be–top-notch texture and perfectly crunchy. This one also has a self-cleaning feature.

Regarding budget, this particular ice maker stands out as the most expensive, and it also happens to be the one we’ve had and tested for the longest time. I don’t really love that there’s a side tank involved, and it is optional, but I would say it’s pretty necessary unless you’re fine with refilling the water cavity frequently.

Over time, it has required some troubleshooting, and here and there, it makes some random weird sounds, but it does an incredible job of satisfying the pebble ice craving. It also seems to make ice the quickest, and with the side tank, you won’t have to refill very often.