Polar PIM10BLS Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker

It's small, compact, easy to use and quick at making ice. I've owned three other ice makers over the years and each has had major issues with either not making ice quick enough, being a pain to fill, or being way too noisy. This little unit is a dream. And the instruction manual is written in coherent understandable English. I really like it.

Initial 4 star review about 30 days of use, 3 months in now a 3 star ending.Great little product, makes the medium size round cubes in 10mins. Good if you have no refrigerator ice maker. Nice with the stainless steel case and black front.The prices of the better ice makers are 150 dollars up, I say they are pretty expensive but what are you gonna do other than buy those little plastic ice trays where the cubes start to stick to them and eventually the trays start to crack, then you throw em away, or buy a new fridge with a ice maker. This item is worth it if you can come up with the funds to purchase.I use filtered water (ice tastes cleaner) to make about 8-9lbs. of ice in about 6-7 hours to stock in the freezer in a large one gallon ice cream bucket that lasts a family of 3 five days and I put ice in every glass of water/juice/soda I drink. If you're not picky like me and don't need ice in every drink the few pounds of ice will last much longer.Some reviews mention ice tasting like plastic or something like that, if you do a prefill of the maker and leave the water standing in the ice maker for 20-30 minutes, drain, then wipe inside dry, and repeat once more it helps with that. However, it is new and you're going to get some taste from the plasic and metal parts that the water passes through until it is used a few times.No need for the manufacturer recommended bleach and water prefill(I wouldn't do bleach, it would probably make the ice/maker taste/smell like bleach).Update: July 21, 2012. 3 months of use and the pump failed, not the compressor but the pump that brings the water up into the compressor that makes the water up to freeze, also it didn't make any ice and the ice full light comes on.I still say it is a good product until it failed in 3 months. Wish it lasted a few years, 2 years would've been nice.

The product worked ok for the first 60 days. The ice was a little watery and the machine leaked a little. Overall it worked for the first 60 days but then broke. Very disappointed with this product and it is not worth the cost to take it to an appliance repair shop.

Nearly two years ago I purchased and began using my NewAir AI100BK Portable Icemaker. For two years it faithfully supported my frappe habit, saving me countless amounts of money by bringing me ice for my Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker. I was happy.However all good things (and electrical products) come to an end, and after nursing it along for three months, it quietly died. I grieved and then moved on.I chose the Polar because it opens in the front, fitting under my counters better, and actually holds about the same amount of ice. The drain for the water is underneath, allowing an easy way to empty it. It makes ice just as fast as my previous one, if anything, while this is smaller, it seems to be even better insulated. The poles that freeze the water are inside where they can't be touched by children.The guidelines state that you should clean it (bleach in water) regularly, and give instructions on saving your ice once the basket is full. It also recommends emptying it if you aren't using the ice. Since I let my previous maker run continuously, with the ice melting into the bottom and being remade, not only is this a better choice for health, but it will likely prolong the use.To fill this ice maker you remove the drawer and fill the bottom. It comes with a pitcher which makes it easy to do, it also includes a scoop for the ice. You then plug it in and it makes ice ... Three choices of sizes. It doesn't state that you need to use any specific water, but the flavor of ice is dependent upon the water you use. When the drawer is full or the reservoir of water gets too low, a light comes on and it stops making ice. If the drawer is full (about 1/2 gallon of ice), put the ice in a ziplock bag and it will keep making ice. If you don't remove your ice it slowly melts back into the reservoir.I thought parts were missing when mine first arrived, only to discover that the cord and pitcher were in the reservoir ... The scoop was in the drawer.I have ice again. I am happy.Edited - I have noticed that once my drawer is full, I need to push the stop and start button to get it to start making ice again. If I don't, it takes awhile to reset. I have also noticed that this particular model is more efficient when it makes the cubes, so I now keep my setting on medium cubes.The other model began to immediately make ice once it fell below a certain level, so that it always had ice. This particular model focuses on making ice to be frozen. As a result, if I want guaranteed ice at any given moment in time, I need to empty it into the bags and freezer.Final edit - stars removed. It was great while it lasted, but died after less than 5 months use. Going back to the New Air.