A countertop ice maker is a small refrigeration appliance that freezes water from a reservoir you fill by hand. The useful questions are which ice form it makes, how much it is rated to produce and under what conditions, how water gets in, and what the exact package supplies. None of those is answered by a model family name alone.
Decide between nugget and bullet ice first
Nugget machines scrape ice flakes off a chilled cylinder and press them into soft pellets. Bullet machines freeze hollow cylinders around cold probes and drop them into a basket, often with two or three selectable sizes. The two designs differ in mechanism, price range, size and cleaning routine, so settle this choice before comparing numbers. Manufacturer wording such as restaurant-style or chewable describes an intention, not a measured texture, and this catalogue records ice type only as a documented form.
Read the specification table rather than the headline. One manufacturer page uses nugget wording in its subheading while its own table and manual describe bullet-shaped cubes. When a page and its table disagree, the table and the manual are the sourced record.
Read daily output together with its conditions
Pounds per day is a rating measured at a particular room and water temperature. Output falls as either temperature rises, and manuals say so directly. A seller table for the Opal 2.0 Ultra ties 38 lb per day to 70 F ambient and 60 F water and lists 32 lb per day at 90 F ambient and 70 F water per DOE. Many other figures, including a 44 lb rating and a 26 lb rating in this catalogue, are published without any conditions.
Treat an unconditioned figure as unknown in terms of conditions, not as a warm-kitchen result. A figure with conditions can only be compared against another figure measured the same way. Where a manufacturer, its graphics and a seller disagree, as with the Opal Mini's 34, 36 and 38 lb statements, the catalogue keeps the conflict visible instead of picking one.
Separate first ice, cycle time and bin capacity
Time to first ice is a start-up claim; a cycle time is how often a batch drops once the machine is cold. Bullet manuals give cycle ranges of roughly 6 to 15 minutes that depend on cube size and room temperature, which does not establish a first-ice time. GE states about 10 minutes for the Opal 2.0 Ultra and about 5 minutes for the Opal Mini, again without conditions, and its support pages warn that the first nuggets can be slushy.
The bin or basket is not a freezer. When it fills, the machine pauses and the stored ice slowly melts back into the reservoir to be refrozen. Compare bin capacity as the amount you can scoop at once, from 2 to 3 lb where a figure is published here, and plan to move ice to a freezer for a party. Reservoir volume is a third, separate number that limits how long the machine runs unattended.
Confirm the water supply and what the package includes
Every catalogued unit is filled by hand and none connects to a water line. The differences are in the container: an internal reservoir with a maximum line, a removable top tank such as the Newair's 1.8 L tank, or a GE side tank that stands beside the machine and feeds the reservoir through a tube. A side tank is only part of the purchase when the exact model suffix and box list say so. The Opal 2.0 Ultra XPIO13SWSS ships with one; the Opal Mini P4NM20BZLG does not, and GE sells it as an accessory.
Apply the same test to filters, scoops and holders. A compatible scale-inhibiting filter is not an included one, and a photograph showing a tank or scoop is not a box list. Record the model suffix, color and seller together, because one family can be sold with and without a tank, with different filters, and in colors with different codes.
Treat cleaning cycles as maintenance, not hygiene
A documented cleaning cycle is a button-started function: GE's manuals describe a 55-minute descale with citric-acid descaling powder plus rinse and sanitize cycles, Newair documents a 20-minute cleaning process repeated with fresh water, and the Frigidaire-branded EFIC122 manual describes a 30-minute self-cleaning program. All still require you to add water or descaler, wait, drain and rinse. A unit whose table says no self-cleaning function, such as the AI-100SS, is cleaned by hand with detergent or vinegar cycles.
None of these functions is a sanitation guarantee, and manuals ask you to change standing water daily and drain the unit before storage. Decide how much routine you will accept, and check that the drain plug and reservoir are reachable where you plan to put the machine.
Check the identity and the electrical details
Brand names do not always identify the maker. Frigidaire-branded countertop ice makers are made, distributed and serviced by Curtis International under license from Electrolux, and the seller listing in this catalogue is matched to the EFIC122-BLACK only by its UPC. Keep the model code, UPC and warranty provider together when you compare offers.
Manufacturers publish electrical data unevenly: some give watts, some give only volts and amps, and sellers sometimes list figures that disagree with the manual. The catalogue keeps those conflicts unresolved. Body dimensions are not working clearance either; GE requires four inches at the sides and back, and lids and tank positions need room. Confirm the rating label, clearance and box contents for the exact package before ordering, and treat every figure here as an attributed source statement rather than a test result.
Common questions
Is a higher pounds-per-day figure always better?
Not on its own. A figure measured at 70 F ambient and 60 F water is not comparable with one published without conditions, and output falls as room and water temperatures rise. Compare conditions first, then the number.
Is the side tank included with every GE Opal?
No. It is included only with packages whose model name and box list say so, such as XPIO13SWSS. Models sold without it, such as the Opal Mini P4NM20BZLG, treat the side tank as a separate accessory.
Does a self-cleaning cycle keep the machine sanitary?
It is a documented maintenance function that still needs user-added water or descaler, draining and rinsing. It is not a hygiene guarantee, and manuals still ask for regular manual cleaning and daily water changes.
Sources & further reading
- Opal nugget ice maker family pageChecked 2026-10-21
Current GE family page listing Opal Mini, Mini Pro, 2.0 Ultra, 2.0 Ultra XL, 2.0 XL and Opal 01 models with per-model daily figures, first-ice statements and dimensions. Icon graphics and text disagree for some daily figures; the text figures are used. No production conditions are stated.
- Opal 2.0 Ultra XPIO13SWSS specification and box listChecked 2026-10-21
Seller table stating 38 lb per day and 1.6 lb per hour at 70 F ambient and 60 F water, and 32 lb per day at 90 F ambient and 70 F water per DOE. Box list: side tank, scale-inhibiting filter, stainless scoop and magnetic scoop holder. The page showed the item sold out; availability is not recorded.
- Opal Mini series owner's manual 49-9000083 Rev. 1Checked 2026-10-21
Manual covering P4NM20, P4NM25 and P4NM27 series. Specification table read for 120 V AC 60 Hz, 2.0 A, 2.6 lb ice storage, 8.59 x 15.59 x 14.56 in, 55-90 F operating range and 27 lb empty weight. The side tank, scoop holder, water filter and descaling powder are marked as included only with certain models and the side tank is sold as an accessory. Clean-button rinse and descale cycles were read.
- NIM044BSN2 trilingual owner's manual v1.0Checked 2026-10-21
Manual read for the 0.47 gallon (1.8 L) fill limit, the 20-minute CLEAN-button process with fresh-water rinse cycles, the parts diagram (water tank, second water tank, ice basket, drip tray, drain plug) and the statement that capacity varies with ambient and water temperature. No rating conditions or wattage are given.
- AI-100 bullet ice maker product pageChecked 2026-10-21
Manufacturer store page whose specification table lists bullet ice in three sizes, 28 lb per day, 9 pieces per 6-minute cycle, 176 oz water capacity, side-mounted drain, self-cleaning function no, 120 W, 115 V, 1.9 A, 13.75 D x 11.75 W x 14.60 H in and 24.30 lb (26.30 lb stainless). The page subheading uses nugget wording that the table contradicts. Several color variants were marked sold out or unavailable; the stainless AI-100SS manual is linked.
- Frigidaire brand page at Curtis InternationalChecked 2026-10-21
Curtis International describes itself as manufacturer and distributor of these appliances and states that FRIGIDAIRE is a trademark of Electrolux Consumer Products Inc. used under license. Used to identify the licensee behind Frigidaire-branded countertop ice makers.
- Frigidaire EFIC122-BLACK user manualChecked 2026-10-21
Manual specification page: 115 V 60 Hz, 90-120 W power consumption, 120 W while running, 1.5-1.8 A, 12 kg per 24 h, 9 pieces per cycle, R600a, 8.7 W x 11.6 D x 11.4 H in, 14.0 lb out of box. Operating text: 6 to 13 minute cycles, recommended 50-105 F room and 40-90 F water, fill below the level mark, and a 30-minute automatic self-cleaning program started by holding ON/OFF. Curtis International handles warranty claims.
See our methodology for source labels and limitations. Product evidence dates are shown beside the corresponding specifications.
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