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How the order is set. The top three slots are named picks — best overall, most popular, best value — and each states the measurement it won on. Every product after them is ordered by one fixed formula: the Amazon star rating and review count, applied identically. No brand can pay for a slot, a badge or a score.
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1
What 6,492 buyers talked about
“Thus far it is great, makes ice fairly quickly. Easy setup, delivered on time, machine just as described.”
2
Amazon's Choice
What 4,788 buyers talked about
“We love this ice machine! It is great! It's very quiet and makes ice fast! Couldn't ask for a better product!”
3
Amazon's Choice
What 2,088 buyers talked about
“Great icemaker and well worth the money. It has been running since I got it.”
4
What 6,492 buyers talked about
“This is the best ice maker. It's the perfect size for the counter. Easy to clean.”
5
What 6,165 buyers talked about
“This little ice maker is amazing! It makes ice quickly. It is extremely easy to use.”
6
What 3,687 buyers talked about
“I am in love with this. It's fast, decent amount of ice in minutes. It does not leak, easy to clean and dry.”
7
Amazon's Choice
What 1,612 buyers talked about
“This is a fantastic ice maker. We love it. It's the perfect size for us.”
8
Amazon's Choice
What 1,388 buyers talked about
“This is a great ice maker. I love mine! I would strongly recommend.”
9
What 6,202 buyers talked about
“Great icemaker to have around the house. Very good quality for the price. Doesn't make a lot of noise.”
10
Amazon's Choice
Amazon publishes no review themes for this listing, so there is nothing here to count.
Why trust this list
Every ranking below is a count, not an opinion. Here is the size of the sample behind this page.
WinnerReviews counted 1,844 mentions of noise across these ten countertop ice makers and only 54% were positive — the complaint appeared for six of the six brands on this list, so it is a category problem, not a bad unit.
991 of 1,844 mentions, 6 brands
Across the three brands where buyers raised durability, WinnerReviews found only 45% of those mentions were positive, and for ecozy the theme came out negative overall at 27% — budget for this failing inside a couple of years.
220 of 486 mentions, 3 brands
The storage bin is insulated, not refrigerated, so ice melts back into the reservoir and gets remade; WinnerReviews found melting was the lowest-rated theme of all at 33% positive. Move ice to your freezer if you need it later.
32 of 96 mentions, 2 brands
When we counted what buyers argue about, noise came up for five of the six brands here — and it was the only theme where opinion consistently split. Kismile sat at 48% positive across 269 mentions, COWSAR at 52% across 263, ecozy at 54%, Antarctic Star at 55%, and EUHOMY at 63% across 444 mentions.
| Brand | Share of mentions that were positive | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Kismile | 48% | 128 of 269 |
| COWSAR | 52% | 136 of 263 |
| ecozy | 54% | 84 of 155 |
| Antarctic Star | 55% | 107 of 194 |
| EUHOMY | 63% | 278 of 444 |
No machine in this category scored well on it. These units run a compressor and an auger in a small plastic body with no sound insulation, and they cycle on and off all day rather than running once and stopping. If the machine will live in an open-plan kitchen or anywhere near where people sleep, treat noise as the deciding factor rather than a footnote — it is the complaint most likely to make you stop using the thing.
Every listing leads with a pounds-per-day figure — 26, 35, 44. That number is measured in ideal conditions, running non-stop with cold inlet water, and almost nobody runs their machine that way.
The number that actually governs your day is basket capacity, which is usually between one and three pounds. A machine rated at 44 lbs a day still hands you roughly two pounds at a time and then needs to make more. If you are filling a cooler, none of these are the right tool; if you are filling glasses, the output rating barely matters.
This is the single most misunderstood thing about countertop ice makers. The storage basket is not a freezer. It is an insulated bin, and ice sitting in it slowly melts back into the reservoir below, where the machine re-freezes it.
In practice that means the machine keeps cycling as long as it is switched on, and it means you cannot make ice in the morning and expect a full basket that evening. Make it when you need it, or move it to your freezer for storage.
Brands use all three words for the same thing: soft compressed flake ice that you can chew, the kind associated with Sonic. If a listing says nugget and another says pebble, that difference is marketing, not engineering.
The real split is nugget versus bullet. Bullet ice — the hollow cylinders — comes from a simpler and cheaper mechanism, freezes faster, and lasts longer in a drink. Nugget machines cost more and are generally slower, and what you are paying for is the texture.
Most machines on this list advertise a self-cleaning cycle. It circulates water through the system and drains it. It does not remove the mineral scale that builds up on the evaporator, which is the thing that eventually slows ice production and makes ice taste wrong.
Descaling still needs to be done by hand with a citric-acid or vinegar solution, roughly monthly with hard water. Buyers who skip it are a meaningful share of the durability complaints — EUHOMY's durability theme ran at only 54% positive across 267 mentions.
One block per product, built from the review themes Amazon publishes for that listing. We do not test these — every figure below is a count of what buyers wrote.
Positive 74%2,130 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
A solid pick that comes with an asterisk. Noise level drew 269 comments and only 48% of them were positive.
Everywhere else it does the job: 74% of 2,130 comments positive, led by performance at 88%.
For what it is worth, reliability is what comes up most — 412 mentions at 68% positive.
I would still buy it, but I would want you to know about noise level first. Everything else about it holds up, which is the only reason it made #1.
Positive 81%3,461 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
Buyers are unusually united on this one. Across 3,461 comments Amazon has grouped into 8 themes, 81% were positive — and the strongest, ease of use, ran 302 happy out of 310.
Durability is the softest spot at 54%, on 267 comments. Nothing that should change your mind.
For what it is worth, performance is what comes up most — 633 mentions at 94% positive.
Buy this one and stop reading. Ease of use is where it shines, the rest holds up, and after 3,461 comments we could not find a reason to talk you out of it.
Positive 79%990 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
Good, not flawless. The complaints cluster on reliability — 33% positive across 70 comments.
Set that aside and it looks strong — quality at 92%, and 79% positive over 990 comments in total.
The busiest thread is performance: 201 comments, 87% of them positive.
Worth buying with your eyes open. It is genuinely good at quality — just do not expect much on reliability, because 67% of the people who brought it up were not happy.
Positive 74%2,130 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
Most people get on with this one. Where they do not, it is noise level: 48% positive out of 269 comments.
Set that aside and it looks strong — performance at 88%, and 74% positive over 2,130 comments in total.
The busiest thread is reliability: 412 comments, 68% of them positive.
Worth buying with your eyes open. It is genuinely good at performance — just do not expect much on noise level, because 52% of the people who brought it up were not happy.
Positive 75%1,624 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
Well liked, with a catch worth knowing before you order. Durability is the weak link — only 27% of the 125 people who raised it were positive.
Set that aside and it looks strong — ease of use at 92%, and 75% positive over 1,624 comments in total.
The busiest thread is performance: 450 comments, 88% of them positive.
Worth buying with your eyes open. It is genuinely good at ease of use — just do not expect much on durability, because 73% of the people who brought it up were not happy.
Positive 74%1,955 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
Most people get on with this one. Where they do not, it is durability: 45% positive out of 94 comments.
Set that aside and it looks strong — ice production speed at 86%, and 74% positive over 1,955 comments in total.
The busiest thread is reliability: 428 comments, 71% of them positive.
Worth buying with your eyes open. It is genuinely good at ice production speed — just do not expect much on durability, because 55% of the people who brought it up were not happy.
Positive 72%756 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
This one splits on a single issue. Melting speed came back just 40% positive on 50 comments; everything else holds.
The rest holds up. Performance is the standout at 88%, and across all 756 counted comments 72% were positive.
Here is how I would put it: get this one if performance matters more to you than melting speed. That is the whole trade, and it is why WinnerReviews has it at #7 rather than higher.
Positive 73%626 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
This one splits on a single issue. Melting time came back just 26% positive on 46 comments; everything else holds.
Everywhere else it does the job: 73% of 626 comments positive, led by performance at 88%.
For what it is worth, reliability is what comes up most — 112 mentions at 72% positive.
I would still buy it, but I would want you to know about melting time first. Everything else about it holds up, which is the only reason it made #8.
Positive 78%2,429 comments counted
Every theme Amazon counted
Good, not flawless. The complaints cluster on noise level — 52% positive across 263 comments.
Set that aside and it looks strong — ease of use at 97%, and 78% positive over 2,429 comments in total.
The busiest thread is reliability: 559 comments, 68% of them positive.
Worth buying with your eyes open. It is genuinely good at ease of use — just do not expect much on noise level, because 48% of the people who brought it up were not happy.
This is the thinnest entry on the page for evidence. Amazon publishes no grouped themes for it, so all we have is the 3.7 average across 15,374 ratings.
WinnerReviews places it at #10 on rating and review volume alone, because there is no theme data to weigh.
Counted from real Amazon reviews for the products on this page. Every line carries the sample it came from.
