This Countertop Ice Maker Makes The 'good Ice' You Only Get In Restaurants

3 days ago

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The GE Profile Opal 2.0 nugget crystal shaper is simply a smart room appliance that sells for $599.
This instrumentality will do nan instrumentality if you want those satisfyingly munchable crystal pellets often served astatine accelerated nutrient restaurants
It's besides operable via a mobile app.
It's pricey, particularly fixed what it is, but I've recovered nan instrumentality good worthy nan investment.

Whether you telephone it nan bully ice, Sonic ice, nugget ice, aliases pellet ice, there's nary denying that nan small, munchable crystal pellets recovered successful immoderate accelerated nutrient restaurants are positively addicting.

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I count myself among nan ice-chewing addicted. While satisfying that craving utilized to mean a late-night edifice run, I've recovered that crystal is now disposable from nan comfortableness of my room pinch nan GE Opal 2.0. And successful nan period I've had this machine, I've utilized it astir each azygous day. So far, it's surpassed my expectations.

Like its predecessor, nan Opal is simply a countertop crystal shaper that promises to present munchable nugget crystal correct into your ain location successful a sleek, stylish package. But nan 2.0 type adds galore smart features to make getting it arsenic easy arsenic possible.

The portion comes successful astatine 16.5" precocious (meaning it fits nether astir cabinets), 16" deep, and 13.5" wide (additional waterside vessel included). It takes up a hefty footprint connected your countertop, but that's existent of astir devices successful this category.

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Setting up nan instrumentality was a small cumbersome, but wasn't excessively unspeakable for a one-time process. It progressive creating an relationship and password, verifying each, connecting to some Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and entering codes from a explanation connected nan backmost of nan machine.

While it's running, nan Opal 2.0 makes astir a lb of crystal an hour. There's nary cooler successful nan drawback bin, truthful you're making crystal arsenic needed, and immoderate crystal that melts successful nan bin is recirculated into nan h2o reservoir below.

But wherever nan Opal 2.0 shines supra its title is its smart connectivity.

All nan smart features for nan crystal shaper unrecorded successful nan Smart HQ app, nan existent location of each GE smart appliances and products. With nan app, you tin power nan bin ray (off, dim, aliases on), move connected nan maker, and group a schedule.

You'll besides person app alerts erstwhile nan portion needs cleaning and descaling (a process that conscionable involves removing a filter, moving a very diluted bleach solution done nan tank, and draining nan line), which is astir erstwhile a period for me, aliases if nan crystal bin wasn't decently replaced.

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So far, nan smart features person worked flawlessly. When I first sewage nan device, I group up a preferred schedule, and for complete a month, my crystal shaper has softly whirred to life astatine 6 each greeting Monday done Friday. The first nuggets deed nan bin conscionable earlier I aftermath up astatine 6:15 a.m. When I turned nan schedule disconnected for a week erstwhile I was retired of town, nan crystal shaper stayed silent.

The on/off characteristic useful arsenic intended, arsenic I tin toggle nan powerfulness fastener successful nan app and nan instrumentality responds a fewer moments later. This is an particularly useful characteristic erstwhile I'm astir town, arsenic I tin move nan shaper connected erstwhile I'm headed location and get astatine my favourite crystal waiting connected me.

Of course, it's besides compatible pinch Alexa and Google Home.

Do you need your crystal shaper to beryllium Alexa-compatible? Well, it's awfully useful sometimes, for illustration erstwhile you're successful nan surviving room, and you'd for illustration a acold drink. You tin simply speak nan command, and crystal is connected nan way. I'm a sucker for smart location tech, and asking Alexa to "make ice" and proceeding nan instrumentality statesman humming successful nan adjacent room still makes maine grin each time.

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Like a batch of smart location features, I questioned astatine first whether it would beryllium an action I'd moreover use, but quickly recovered it becoming a portion of my regular routine.

There is conscionable 1 rumor pinch nan GE Opal 2.0, and it tin beryllium a large one. This is simply a hefty product, and I don't mean nan beingness size. The value comes successful astatine nearly $600 (even much pinch nan additional broadside reservoir), meaning this surely isn't a inexpensive crystal maker. Yes, location are much affordable options, but nary of those supply nan smart capabilities of nan Opal, which moves nan needle rather a spot successful my book.

GE doesn't tout nan Opal 2.0 nugget crystal maker arsenic a budget-friendly option. Bluntly, astatine much than double nan value of little costly machines, it's rather costly for what it is, and that value will perfectly beryllium a obstruction for immoderate people.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Opal 2.0 nugget crystal maker was a luxury purchase, and I knew that going in. But it's been wholly worthy nan value truthful far. Beyond performing flawlessly some connected nan mechanical and method side, it's go a spot of a speech portion arsenic well, arsenic everyone who has ever seen it instantly says thing on nan lines of "Oh, it makes that ice!?"

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So if you find yourself craving chewable crystal arsenic I do and don't mind splurging a small to get that crystal connected schedule automatically aliases astatine nan pat of a telephone fastener (and impressment your friends successful nan process), you won't find a amended option.