For the past few years on Amazon Prime day I was always so tempted to buy the nugget ice maker that every influencer links on Instagram. I had complete sticker shock the first time I tapped on that link and saw it was close to $600! Year after year more people would post about it and I always wondered is it seriously worth it? This past year it was on sale for about $460 and I decided to grab it. My community of Instagram followers hilariously supportive of the purchase - I think mostly because they wanted an honest review of whether the famous Amazon nugget ice maker was really worth the price tag or not. I've been using it every day for about a month now and I'm sharing my thoughts in this post! 

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.

For a quick, short answer - yes, I do think the amazon nugget ice maker is worth it. I'll explain in more detail throughout this post, but I think I have drank more water in the last month than I have all year. With that being said, the nugget ice maker has some flaws that I think you should be aware of before you buy it.

Why I decided to buy the nugget ice maker from amazon

A few years ago I learned that you could look up the toxicity rating of the tap water in your home by searching your zip code on the EWG website. Out of curiosity I looked mine up and it led me down a rabbit hole of the contaminants found in tap water. I already thought the "filtered" water tasted a little off from our refrigerator so I went all in and purchased the Berkey water filter. You can read more about that and my other favorite home wellness products in this post. I absolutely love my Berkey filter but a downfall is that it keeps water at room temperature. I've made my own ice cubes with water from my filter but it's time consuming and just inconvenient. I liked the idea of being able to fill the nugget ice maker using water from the Berkey, 

Well, turns out this isn't the most convenient way to make ice either. The water tank of the ice maker is quite large so it was taking almost all of the water from my Berkey, which is already a process of filling up and a little slow. I ended up buying this filter from Amazon for the ice maker and filling up the tank from the sink. While I'm sure it isn't the best filter, I don't notice any weird taste from the ice. The description says to replace the filter every 3 months, so just keep in mind that you will run into that extra expense since the nugget ice maker doesn't include a filter.

How often do you have to fill the water tank?

Between my husband and I, we probably fill the water tank 2-3x a week. Keep in mind I am filling a huge Stanley cup with ice about twice a day, plus additional small glasses with other beverages throughout the day as well. 

Something to note is that this ice maker isn't a freezer, so the ice will begin to melt if it's not used right away. This isn't really an issue because the water gets collected in the machine and just gets remade. However, be aware that the machine is EXTREMELY loud when it's making ice. I honestly thought about returning it the first day because I could hear it rumbling across my house for hours. Thankfully once the machine gets pretty full with ice it only makes more in short spurts when you take out a scoop or it melts.

Why is the amazon nugget ice maker worth it? 

If you like soft, chewable ice you will be really happy with this nugget ice maker. I personally love the convenience of it, especially for parties or having people over. Usually we just buy a bag of ice to put in a bucket, but then you're always having to refill it and it often starts to stick together as it melts. Wow I just had so much nostalgia of my dad banging a bag of ice on the counter during every family get together at our childhood house LOL. 

I also just feel like it really up-levels your at home beverage making. I haven't gone to many coffee shops since I've gotten it because I've been having fun making new drink recipes at home. Maybe if you didn't go to Starbucks for a year it would pay for the ice machine? Haha! There's also just nothing better than drinking cold ice water from your Stanley cup all day long.

What else should I know before I buy it?

After doing some more research I realized that the Opal Ice Maker sold on amazon isn't actually the latest model available. It seems like they've made a few upgrades such as wifi compatibility (not sure why you would need that) and self cleaning. l I've also read some reviews that say the warranty included with the one bought on amazon isn't very good. I'm hoping I never have to use it anyway! Another thing that isn't necessarily a huge deal is that the ice bin always feels like it's going to fall off when you open it to scoop out the ice. It never has, and I don't think it will, but I feel like the design could have been a little better. Other than that, my biggest complaint is the loud noise it produces when making more ice.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I have only had this ice maker for about a month now so I will make sure to update it as time goes on if my opinion changes. If this review was helpful and you decide to buy the amazon nugget ice maker I would be so grateful if you would purchase it through this affiliate link. This doesn't add any extra cost to you, but I receive a small commission that helps support the free content I provide on this blog. Thank you so much for reading and feel free to send me a message on Instagram or e-mail me if you have any specific questions about it! 

Shop the post:

Other posts you might like: