The Opal Nugget Ice Maker is sweeping social media. If you have not seen this, the Opal ice maker is an “affordable nugget ice maker for your home”. Right now you can preorder your Opal Nugget Ice machine on their funding campaign for $399, this is $100 off their future price of $499.
The funding campaign had a goal to reach $150,000, selling 375 units. They have now sold well over 6,000 units raising over 2.57 million dollars.
WOW!
Downside? You have to wait till July to receive your ice maker.
On their funding page, Opal notes that most their competition starts at $2000 to $3000 dollars, and they are correct. So, I am not a dumb man, I know when something cost more there is a reason. Just like buying a Kia verses a Bentley. Yes a Kia is cost less than a Bentley, but as Kia is cheaper than Bentley quality wise too.
In this blog post we are going to compare the Opal Ice Maker to two other options. The Follett Ice and water dispenser and the Scotsman SCN60 under counter ice machines.
I’m going to let you know from the start that these models are in the price range that Opal mentioned, so they are more than 4 times the price. My purpose of telling you this is not to persuade you not to get an Opal, but to make sure that you are an informed shopper, making a decision that is best for you.
Production and Storage
The Opal ice machine creates 24 pounds of ice per day with a bin that holds three pounds. Opal claims this to be 4 cups an hour/96 cups per day. This math is simple, 4 cups per pound of ice. The reality is that this is about half right. The average user of nugget ice uses more ice. So instead of half a cup of ice they use a full cup of ice. A full 12 oz cup of nugget ice weights half a pound. So really, this number is going to be cut in half. So when the bin is filled to the max, you will be able to get about six 12 oz. cups of ice. And it will take three hours to fill the bin again.
The Follett 7 series Nugget Ice Dispenser creates 125 pounds of ice per day and hold 7 pounds in the bin. This means you could get up to 14 cups when the bin is completely full. And it will only take 1 hour and fifteen minutes to completely fill the bin.
Scotsmans SCN60 series have a storage bin that hold 26 pounds of ice and creates 85 pounds per day. This means with the under counter unit you can get 52 full cups of ice from a full bin, but it will take over 8 hours to fill the bin once emptied.
Water line, drainage, and recycling… Gross!!
Quick story! One of my dearest friends has been a health inspector for many years in the great state of North Carolina. I traveled on several trips with this person and when going into restaurant she would always look up into the ice dispenser before getting ice. She explained this to me once and showed me the mold growth that was growing around the mouth of the dispenser. Since then, I look too!
There is something else I have learned about since working for a Restaurant Equipment company, Ice machines get dirty! They need regular cleaning! The picture to the left is from an ice machine at a water treatment plant in South Carolina that was taken by one of our service techs.
GROSS!! This is why many top brands have built in antimicrobial technology. A good water filter also help maintain a cleaner ice machine, but they still need to be cleaned.
The Opal system uses a Reservoir to store the water and once the ice melts uses the melted ice to create more ice. This seems like a very green idea. Everyone wants to recycle water. But we also want to make sure it is clean, and not filled with bacteria. This would require regular sanitation to make sure bacteria does not fester. Opal does not let us know how large the reservoir is, so we cannot know how often you will need to add water.
This is where Follett destroys the competition. While the Follett Ice Machine also recycles the melted ice, they have a built in Agion silver-based antimicrobial system to maintain water free from bacteria. Please know, even this unit needs regular cleaning. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the Follett does require a water line and does not have a reservoir that you must refill.
Scotsman has an even simpler solution, new water with every batch and a drain line to remove what melts. Just let your local water provider or your natural sceptic system clean your water. Once again, this unit needs regular cleaning too!
Countertop vs Undercounted
This is a simple question, which fits your needs better? If Countertop than Opal and Follett are your options. If under counter than Follett and Scotsmans are your best options. Yes that’s right, Follett can go under counter. Their under counter unit is a little more expensive, but still have the ice and water dispenser.
So if you are looking for a cheap nugget ice machine, the Opal nugget ice machine may be a good option. But please be smart consumer and understand that this massive difference in price is for a reason.
In the future, JES Restaurant Equipment Blog will be getting a Opal Ice Maker and testing the unit and examining how the machine works. But, at the earliest, this will be in July of 2016!
