If you’re looking for a portable ice maker that makes wonderful soft nugget ice, then the NewAir 44lb. Nugget Countertop Ice Maker is a sure fit for you.
I mean, who doesn’t like nugget ice? My family goes crazy over nugget ice and there is a good reason why, and when I unpacked this Newair Nugget Ice Maker they were so excited to see it in action.
Related: This Portable Ice Maker has made our recommended products list.
Related: Newair Nugget Ice Maker Review
NewAir supplied me with a sample of this ice maker to test it out, and as always, I’m going to provide you with my honest opinion here.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
Nugget ice! Is there a better ice available? It’s so, so, so . . . enjoyable.
I really love nugget ice because it’s soft and easy to chew. If you’re an ice chewer, then you’ll really enjoy having nugget ice around at all hours of the day.
Nugget ice is very porous and absorbs the flavor of your beverage. But this isn’t the only thing that makes nugget ice awesome – it also fills your entire glass with ice so that your beverage gets colder fast and it keeps your beverage colder longer.
Again I ask, is there a better ice available? If there is then we haven’t been properly introduced yet.
Now you know why I was so excited to try out this portable ice maker – it’s nugget ice!
I received the ice maker well packed just a few days after ordering it. It didn’t take long to have it unpacked and all set up on my table. I took a few moments staring at it . . . .
Well, you’re probably wondering what I thought. Here are my first impressions.
Design
The design of the Newair 44lb. Countertop Ice Maker is very simple. It’s really a rectangular box made with high-quality black stainless steel.
The front of the ice maker is also simple. At the top of the ice maker, you notice the ice maker’s controls. Operating the ice maker is easy.
Hit the ICE button to begin to make nugget ice. The CLEAN button will begin the self-cleaning process, and the LIGHT button will enable the LED blue light that gives this ice maker a really awesome flare.
The front of the unit has a slide-out ice tray and a cut-out that’s used for pulling out the tray. Again, I repeat what I mentioned above, the design is simple but not in a bad way.
To fill the ice maker with water, you just pull out the ice tray and fill the water reservoir that’s located under the ice bin. This is an important feature because as the ice melts, the water drips back into the water reservoir to make more ice. You don’t need to place this ice maker by a water source, and you don’t need to connect it to water. You just add the water manually as it’s needed.
Here are a few design specifications:
- Product Dimensions: 15.04″D x 9.84″W x 16.54″H
- Product Weight: 34.17 lbs.
- Amps: 2.7 amps,200 watts
If you’re planning on sliding this ice maker under your cabinets, make sure that you measure the height of your cabinets. It did not fit under my kitchen cabinets, so I had to put it on my table.
On both sides of the unit, you’ll notice the venting for the ice maker. At the back of the unit, you’ll notice two tubes that travel from the bottom to the top of the ice maker that’s used to drain water from the reservoir.
Draining water from this Newair ice maker is easy. Just unclip the hoses and place the tubes in your sink. It takes about 3-5 minutes for all the water to be drained and then you can transport the ice maker or clean it.
Overall, it’s an uncomplicated but elegant design. You can really tell by handling this ice maker that it’s well built and feels sturdy.
The only complaint would be that it’s a bit boxy, but a great design for placing under a cabinet or sitting at your home bar.
Function
At the end of the day, you’re looking for an ice maker that works.
I’ve used this unit for several weeks and it does a really great job of producing soft, chewable nugget ice. In fact, it produces 44 pounds of nugget ice every day!
When I received this ice maker, I followed the recommended steps to prepare it for first use.
I removed all the tape and packaging from the unit.
I cleaned the unit with lukewarm water and a soft cloth.
Filled up the water reservoir and turned on the unit.
The ice maker begin quickly to make nugget ice and it didn’t take long at all before I had enough nugget ice to fill up my glass. This unit doesn’t just produce enough nugget ice for my family of 5, it also produces nugget ice quickly.
The nugget ice that this ice maker produces is perfect. It’s soft and turns a warm beverage into one that’s ice-cold very quickly.
If you’ve never had nugget ice before or you’re looking to reproduce the same ice as a Sonic Drive-In or a Chick-fil-A then this ice maker makes perfect sense for you.
I absolutely love the ice that this unit produces. It’s perfect for any beverage.
The ice maker continually cycles through the ice process. If you run out of water and the ice in the ice bucket melts and fills up the water reservoir, then the ice maker will begin making ice again. This is true for the ice bucket being full as well. It’s great because you always have ice available.
The self-cleaning feature for this countertop ice maker is a great addition as well. It’s important to clean your portable ice maker to ensure that your ice is pure and your unit functions properly.
Cleaning your Newair Nugget Ice Maker is so easy. All you have to do is press the CLEAN button for about 5 seconds. The cleaning function will enable and will last for about 15 minutes. You’ll notice the power indicator light will begin to flash and you’ll hear the water begin to cycle through the unit. I always hated cleaning my portable ice maker, but this cleaning function means I can do it more often without the hassle.
The ice bucket slides out on the front of the unit. You’ll notice a cut-out on the front of the ice maker to place your hand and gently pull out the tray. I found that at the beginning, it was really hard to pull out. In fact, my 10-year-old daughter really struggled to get it open. Over time it did become easier. You want to make sure that you gently pull up as you pull the ice tray out.
Over the weeks of owning this unit, it worked perfectly.
Value
When push comes to shove, the real reason you’re here is to discover if you should invest your hard-earned money in this countertop ice maker. I get it.
- 44 Pounds of Nugget Ice a Day
- Produces Nugget Ice Quickly
- Stainless Steel Design
- Simple to Operate
- Blue LED light in the Ice Bucket
- The Ice Bucket Can be Hard to Remove
- Boxy Design
After using this unit for several weeks, I really believe it’s a solid portable ice maker for your kitchen, home bar, or business. Nugget ice makers are really expensive and it used to be that owning a nugget ice maker for your home was just unheard of. It would cost thousands of dollars to purchase and install a nugget ice maker and so owning one for your home was just out of the question.
With the Newair 44lb. Nugget Countertop Ice Maker, producing nugget ice at home, has never been so affordable and easy. This unit isn’t cheap compared to small, cheaper bullet-shaped ice makers, but as far as nugget ice makers go, this gives you a ton of value.
Conclusion
Should you purchase this portable nugget ice maker from Newair?
It’s a solid build with a simplistic design, and it’s easy to operate.
On top of all that, this ice maker looks pretty cool.
Its design will fit into most kitchen or home bar designs, and it produces an incredible 44 pounds of nugget ice every day. Compared to other portable nugget ice makers, it’s a great deal.
In my opinion, it’s two thumbs up from me. I really enjoyed using this nugget ice maker, and I didn’t have an issue over the several weeks of using this unit every day.
The nugget ice was perfect. The design fits nicely in my kitchen. Overall, I really liked it.
You can read more about this great portable nugget ice maker with the link below.
