GE Profile™ Opal™ 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank and Scale Inhibiting Filter

This would be our 4th machine over a 12 year period. We have been using these since before “Opal” was bought by GE and they took over branding them in their name. We opted for this new ULTRA model because of the new extra filtration and cleaning updates/upgrades (plus the compressor conked-out in our 3 year old 2.0). Reason the other models failed in the past is because we didn't stay up on 100% cleaning the critical INTERNAL parts. WE DID EVERYTHING (and more) the manual and website (and some blogs out there) called for But in all fairness, GE needs to provide a far more in-depth process to clean out the mold and scaling that will inevitably build up no matter how many times you use bleach or descaling liquid or vinegar (you need to actually clean these internal parts by hand). There are a few good YouTube videos out there that show you how, but GE needs to STEP UP and OWN this. The new Ultra itself is sleeker than the previous, we like the new black color and the few tweaks made to the design here and there. We just got the new one up and running this afternoon, so we'll see how it goes.

Owned 4 months, this Opal ice maker has worked well. If you are considering one, buy it for the convenience of having ice handy and in a very useful form: the small cubes cool drinks quickly and eliminate the need to deal with ice trays, store bought bags or in-door refrigerator ice makers with limited lifespans. Most users won't save money vs. store bought ice. My technique: fill the reservoir with distilled water (tap water allows mineral residue to build up, requiring a special cleaning routine), run the ice maker for 2 to 3 hours, scoop the cubes into plastic sandwich bags and freeze them. (The cubes will freeze together, but 1 or 2 sharp raps against the kitchen counter breaks them apart for good.) Drain the Opal until next use. Noise level after startup (3 or 4 minutes) is quiet: low enough to converse with the Opal a few inches away without raising your voice.