EdgeStar IP211SS - Ice Maker Ice Makers

I really like this small, easy-to-use ice maker. It has a very small footprint, makes lots of top-quality ice, and performs exactly as advertised. My wife drinks quite a bit of water all day, so she uses a few pounds of ice daily. We had to keep six or seven ice trays in the freezer at all time, and an ice bucket to hold more ice. The new ice maker means more space in the freezer for food, which is great since my wife makes all the food for our baby. We have more room in the freezer for the baby's food, and plenty of ice for my water-chugging wife. Only one, small complaint - the start-up instructions tell the user to clean the new machine by running a solution of vinegar and water through the system for two days. It actually took about four days for all the vinegar to get cleared out of the system. The ice bucket on this unit would get full of vinegary ice, which I dumped. I then had to refill the unit with clean water to continue rinsing out the system. We were very happy to finally get untainted ice on the fifth day. I recommend using the alternate cleaning method using a solution of lemon juice and water, which will not leave a nasty taste in one's mouth.

Now I've had this unit for about six months. First I'll say it make great ice if you use great water. I use distilled. The cubes come out amazing. That said, it's far from perfect. A few things are less than desirable about it. 1) it has become loud, too loud 2) it's a pain to clean. there are two small filters that my large hands have a hard time getting to. They must be cleaned on occasion or water doesn't flow right. If you don't use pure water the dispersion tube gets fouled up and has to be taken out with difficulty and great care 3) it has a tendency to freeze over when it doesn't detect its full because a lever freezes or get blocked by other ice. I Got use to the sound it makes and push the power button for five second to put it in reset thaw mode. Then it's fine though. We bought it for our RV. It saves us using capacity in the freezer and about $3 a day on buying ice. It makes more ice than we need, and we do use it constantly. I may try a different" next time.

This machine is junk. I sent the first one back within a short time, and unfortunately opted to have them send me another one thinking it must have been a lemon. Same problems as with the first one. It is VERY high maintenance, it is constantly getting dirty and not working. Now I'm pretty much stuck with it and have to throw $300 away and buy a new machine. I highly advise against this machine. And I see comments very similar to mine. My brother bought a $150 ice maker at Wal Mart, and it makes ice like a charm. I am very dissatisfied with this product and makes me never want to buy Edgestar again.

After not quite two years of normal use for two people. The machine gave out, it quit, it won't make ice any more. I wouldn't recommend it. It was tempremental as all get out. It didn't like to start making ice until it felt like it. I would fill it then start. Then go to see how much ice it had made... NONE. Then I would have to unplug & plug it in again, it then it would start making ice. Ice makers are not reliable at all. This is my second one in about 5 years, We will now buy our ice.

Pros. My third counter-top ice-maker--all similarly priced. My first EdgeStar. Every day, all day use. First one made tubular, opaque ice, small amounts, ice melted rapidly, device lasted about 1 1/2 yrs and stopped functioning. Second unit similar to EdgeStar, made clear ice, came out in almost solid blocks, very difficult to break apart, took about 45 mins or longer to make first batch each day, loud, and almost impossible to get into crevices to clean. It, too, lasted about 1 1/2 yrs and began leaking what looked like freon into the water. Have had the EdgeStar for a few months. Very quiet. Produces beautifully clear ice, large batches, sheets break apart very easily, only takes a few minutes for each batch, and entire bin is over-flowing in very short amount of time. More exposed areas (fewer inaccessible crevices) for easier thorough cleaning than with the two prior ice-makers. Very helpful online video covering main points of unit's operation--but could be a little more detailed. At this point, I'm extremely happy with it. Would recommend.Cons. A thick protective coating is not just wrapped around the assembled unit. Unit is assembled with the coating already on the separate pieces, which makes it almost impossible to remove. In other words, the screws, outer edges, etc., are all assembled on top of the tough plastic coating. The coating is stuck in between all the seams. Especially difficult to remove from the bottom of the unit, since you can't tip it on its side. It takes two people to get the stuff off--one person holding the unit over the edge of the counter, and a second person getting underneath to remove. When we opened the box, a couple of screws were just floating around loose in the bottom. At least half of the screws in the bottom of the unit were wiggling loosely, and could not be tightened, as they were totally stripped out. This is concerning, but the few functioning screws holding the bottom on seem to be adequate to do the job. (If I had picked the unit up from a local store, I would have returned it, and insisted on a replacement with a securely attached bottom. EdgeStar's return policy would have entailed me paying for shipping and not sure I would have ended up with anything better. Not happy with that situation, but seemed too much of a hassle to deal with.) Access to water delivery pipe poorly designed. Instructed to remove pipe for regular cleaning. Not enough space at either end to maneuver pipe out of its holder. I noticed in the video that it presented a problem even to the one giving the demonstration. They should correct the problem. I did have the symbol light up that unit needed cleaning--shortly after I had cleaned it and filled with fresh water. I called for assistance/clarification because the alert symbol kept flashing. He asked me for the model number and then said to override it by holding the timer button down for a few seconds and symbol should go away. Appears the symbol to clean is not really connected to anything detecting the need to clean. Makes it difficult to determine if the unit is registering something that actually requires attention.