The Frigidaire EFIC235-AMZ Countertop nugget ice maker gives you another alternative to the popular Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker.
Related: NewAir Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
The EFIC235-AMZ produces 44 pounds of TRUE nugget ice.
The style of this ice maker isn’t like the others on the market. It’s narrow design is perfect for small spaces, and I found the pull-down ice bin to be a great idea.
The ice that this unit produced was soft and chewable, and it makes enough ice for the entire family.
I love the stainless steel design on the ice bucket, and the simple controls at the top of this ice maker make running the unit a breeze. It only took a few minutes for me to have it up and running.
Another great feature of portable ice makers, like all the other portable ice makers on the market, is that you do not need any water hookups or drain hoses. You plug the ice maker into a standard plug, fill the water reservoir with water, and that’s it – you’re ready to begin to make nugget ice.
Design
The ice maker produces luxurious nugget ice that’s fit for a king or queen. To access the ice, you pull out the ice bucket and grab the nugget ice.
To be honest, it kinda looks like a small oven, only it makes ice (which is the opposite purpose of an oven).
The ice maker comes with the common white ice scoop, and it’s used to shovel up the ice and put it into your beverage.
The EFIC235-AMZ has a bottom plate used to collect excess water or stray ice that falls from the scoop or ice bucket.
The water reservoir is on the top of the unit and can be completely removed and filled with water. This is different than all the ice makers that I have reviewed, and I have reviewed a lot. It also has a blue LED light, so you can get ice at night without turning on the kitchen light, plus it looks great.
The front and the sides are stainless steel, which gives it a real elegant look to it. I found that overall, it was a solid design that looked good in my kitchen.
This machine came from Amazon. It came packed well, with protection on the stainless steel, and styrofoam securing the ice bin. Nothing was damaged.
Function
When you begin the ice maker’s ice cycle, you’re going to hear the pump, water running (which is common with all the portable nugget ice makers), and you’ll start to hear the compressor kick in and start cooling down the unit.
It begins to produce nugget ice in about 5 minutes. You’re get enough ice to fill up a glass. From there, you’ll get nugget ice consistently, until your ice bucket is full or you run out of water.
There are 2 fans on either side of the unit, which do throw out warm air. It’s advised to keep it in an open area so that the air can properly flow (they suggest 6″ on either side of the unit).
Maintenance
If you ever need to drain this ice maker, it’s designed to do so easily.
There are two tubes on the back of the unit; they will need to be disconnected and dropped into the sink. The water will drain out, and you can add fresh water to the unit.
Related: A Review of the KBGoodice Self-Dispensing Nugget Ice Maker
This also makes cleaning the ice maker a simple task. The UV feature is something that I have never seen in a portable unit. I have seen blue light or UV in commercial ice maker units, but never in these countertop-sized ice makers.
You enable the UV feature, and it cycles the water and cleans it with a UV light. It’s probably good to do this for at least 20 minutes to get the full effect. You also have a cleaning button that will run the water through the unit for cleaning away grim or calcium. Use this feature with a cleaning solution.
The ice maker will recycle the water from the water reservoir, so as you use the ice or it melts down, it will automatically begin the ice cycle. This means you’ll always have great nugget ice available.
PROS
There are several things that I love about this ice maker. I love that it makes nugget ice and that’s it’s more affordable than the other countertop nugget ice makers on the market.
It has a great design for a portable ice maker, and comes with premium features.
This portable nugget ice maker also produces 44 pounds of nugget ice every day (holds 3 pounds of ice at one time), which is plenty for my family of 5.
CONS
I found that this ice maker was very hard to move around. It was far too heavy to be portable. I would find a place for it and leave it there.
I found that the manual was a little confusing and didn’t provide much information.
You can download the Frigidaire EFIC235-AMZ Countertop Nugget Ice Maker User Manual here.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an affordable portable nugget ice maker, then the FRIGIDAIRE EFIC235-AMZ might be your best choice.
It comes with some really great features, looks great in your kitchen, and is priced right.
I provided the best price below. Enjoy.
- Nugget Ice
- Easy Operation
- Great Viewing Window
- Heavy
- Generic Design
