Insignia™ - Portable Nugget Ice Maker with Auto Shut-Off - Stainless Steel
- Brand
- Insignia™
- SKU:
- NS-IMN44BS4
- UPC:
- 600603298097
- Condition:
- New
- SAVE 10% use coupon :
- SAVE10
- Free Shipping:
- 1-3 Business Days
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You'll never run out of ice with the Insignia NS-IMN44BS4 Portable Nugget Ice Maker with Auto Shut-Off. This ice maker stores up to 3.5 lbs. to supply all the cold drinks at a large gathering. It creates small, chewable ice pellets in 12 minutes, letting you enjoy the restaurant-style ice you love right at home. An extra-large 2.3-quart water tank recycles melted ice, so you can refill it less often. A digital touch control panel makes this portable ice maker easy to operate, and the lighted bin makes it easy to see how much ice is ready to use. Match the ice maker to your kitchen décor with a black and stainless-steel design that will attract all your guests. Become the best party host with a portable ice maker that keeps up with the drinks and your guests' expectations.
Dimension
Product Height : 16.5 inches
Product Width :9.8 inches
Product Depth :16.1 inches
Product Weight :31.6 pounds
Features
Small, chewable ice pellets Enjoy ice pellets like those served in restaurants.
Removable basket Offers easy access to large amounts of ice.
Auto shut-off Ensures ice production stops when the bin is full to prevent overflow.
LED lighting Lets you easily see how much ice is inside the basket.
Fast-working system Produces your first ice in about 12 minutes.
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) storage capacity Gives you plenty of ice for any occasion.
Digital touch controls Makes using this ice maker simple and easy.
Drip tray and ice scoop Makes it easy to pour ice into individual glasses and keep your countertop dry.
Extra-large water tank Holds up to 2.3 qt. (2.2 L) of water.
Self-recycling water system Filters and reuses melted water, eliminating the need for a drain.
Auto cleaning mode Keeps the ice maker in good working condition.
Textured top Provides convenient storage for glasses or bottles.
Stable standing design Four rubber feet keep the ice maker stable on your table or countertop.
Stainless steel and black design Easy to keep clean and looks great in any kitchen.
TUV certified Tested for safety complies with the requirements of national, regional, and international regulations.
What's Included
Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker with Auto Shut-Off
Ice scoop
Drip tray
User Guide
20 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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Quick Chewable Ice!
If you're looking for a portable ice-maker to get that awesome chewable ice that everyone loves, this Insignia ice-maker will do that job perfectly for you, but there are some downsides. First thing you notice when you get this ice-maker is that it's got some weight to it. Of course you can't expect something that can freeze water and keep the ice from melting to be lightweight. Even so, it's easy to set-up and get going, once you take care of the initial cleaning, which is simple to do as well and doesn't take long. Another thing that doesn't take long is getting actual ice! It says it only takes 12 minutes to get ice, but I think they mean 12 minutes to get enough ice to actually use in a full drink, because it really only took a little over 6 minutes for it to start spitting out ice! Those first bits of ice probably isn't enough for a regular drink, but give it 12 and you do have enough! And yes, it is those awesome chewable little nuggets! Even filling up the entire bin didn't really take too long. I timed it at just around 4 hours to go from completely empty with no ice to completely full and the 'ice full' indicator coming on. That's honestly really good, especially if you're using this while hosting parties. Of course you can always dump the full bin into a separate container to put in your freezer so that it can keep making more. Leave it on and it'll keep the ice cold and as you use it it'll automatically make more, at least until it runs out of water. Another nice feature is that when some of the ice melts a little bit, the melt water just drips right back into the reservoir to be re-used into making ice. Although the design to make that happen isn't entirely a good thing, which we'll get to in a moment. Probably the first downside to this ice-maker that you'll notice is that it's loud. The motor getting the water and freezing it into ice is loud, the ice dropping into the bin is loud, everything is just loud. It's not exactly unexpected, but in the days of open floor plans in homes where you're watching a movie in your living room while opened up to your kitchen where the ice-maker is, you definitely notice it. We honestly ended up having to turn it off while relaxing trying to watch some tv. If you've ever stayed in a hotel and noticed the sound coming from the small room typically in the hallway where the ice machine is, that is exactly what the sound of this Insignia ice-maker reminds me of. Once the ice-maker is full though and it stops making ice, it does become nice and quiet, but here's where the design to re-use melted water comes into play. Basically, the container of ice is in the same space as the water in the reservoir. All that separates them is the plastic bottom of the ice bin, which has holes in it to let any melted ice water to drip back into the reservoir. That means this space can't get as cold as your freezer otherwise the reservoir water would freeze, and it wouldn't be able to make ice, and since the water is obviously at a warmer temp than the ice, it plays a big part in why some of the ice melts. So the peace and quiet you get when the ice-maker is full, doesn't last long, since as soon as enough ice melts to drop it below the sensor, it immediately kicks back on to make more ice and gets loud. Unfortunately it doesn't have the option to keep the ice that's in it cold while turning off the actual ice-making portion. Just keeping the water reservoir empty isn't an option either. It'll stay quiet for a minute with the 'add water' light on, but as soon as some of the ice melts and drips into the reservoir, it doesn't take much to trigger the machine into turning back on. This is where the on and off cycle gets even more annoying. In the end, while we absolutely love the ice that this machine makes, the annoyances from the sounds it makes are too much for us to have it in use daily. To be fair, we live in a modestly small house so that probably contributes some to the noise level. Even though we won't be using it daily, especially since we do have a working ice-maker in our kitchen fridge, this is going to be a game-changer when we're hosting parties. For those times we'll definitely turn it on the night before and I really feel this use case is where it'll really shine, mainly because of how quick it makes the ice, but also because who doesn't love chewable ice nuggets! All that said, this is an ice-maker and that is the main reason anyone is buying this. As an ice-maker this does an excellent job and that's why I still give it 4 out of 5 stars. Besides the fact that any type of refrigeration unit is always going to be a noise-maker. Unfortunately this is my first portable ice-maker I've ever had so I have nothing to compare the noise against either. Oh, and the blue light is really cool too, especially at parties!
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Nugget ice maker
Works great love it the best purchase ever. Dont know why i didnt buy one sooner
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Nugget ice at a nice price
I already own a small Insignia ice cube maker that makes nine cubes at a time. I bought that three years ago. I kept seeing these nugget ice cube makers, and I really like nugget ice, so I finally got one. This one is larger than my little 9 cube maker, but not by a whole lot. This is a really nice looking unit, black and stainless steel finish, which matches my kitchen. It fits on my countertop, next to my refrigerator. The ice maker in that quit a long time ago. There’s 3 ½” of space between the upper cabinet and the top of the nugget ice maker. The power cord is decently long, which is nice because you need a good wall outlet to be able to plug into. This nugget maker is pretty simple to operate. I put filtered water in it to cut down on buildup. The maximum amount of water it holds is 74.4 ounces/ 2.2L of water. I happened to have an extra 2L slim pitcher, so I decided to use that as my dedicated water-pourer. The ice sort of forms slowly, it sounds like a cross between popcorn popping and a slow hail storm. The motor is not that noisy. Yes, I can hear it, and noises actually bother me a lot, but it’s not an annoying noise. There is an air vent fan on the right side of the machine. Be sure to keep that clear of a wall or refrigerator so the air circulates freely in order for the ice to be produced correctly. I just scoop out the ice after there’s a bit of it in the bin and put it in a large silicone bag and stick it in the freezer if we aren’t using it up as it’s being made. You do have to do a self-cleaning every three days, as stated in the instructions. It wasn’t that bad, and we didn’t have to carry the machine over to the sink, which was a relief as this thing is somewhat heavy and I don’t want to drop it by accident. It weighs about 31 pounds. For me it’s not the weight of it, but I’m short, that's the only problematic part for me. I think the self-cleaning instructions could be a bit more detailed, as it’s pretty important, but I think I “get it”. Especially since I have owned another electric ice maker, I know this is a step you shouldn’t ignore. The drain pipes, as they are called, are not hard plastic but I think they are silicone. So they won’t crack easily. You will have to detach those from the clip in order to do the self-cleaning but it wasn’t very hard to do at all. All in all this is a nice upgrade from my 9 cube ice maker! I can now enjoy my iced tea and other beverages with this wonderful little ice.
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Nugget Ice
Bought as a gift for my 25YO daughter and she absolutely loves it. She states she no longer goes to Sonic to buy her drinks. Overall the machine was easy to set-up and definitely easy to use. The machine is average size and doesn’t overwhelm her limited counter space but has a large enough tank to keep plenty of ice on hand.
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Nugget (Chick-fil-A) Ice
We LOVE the nugget ice; this machine doesn’t disappoint!
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ICE ICE Baby!
Wife and I usually buy a bag of ice from that fast food restaurant with all the drinks once or twice a month because we LOVE the crunchy cube ice. So when I saw this Ice maker from insignia I was really excited to get my hand on it! Got it and could not wait to get it going. It’s the perfect size and produces a lot of ice in a pretty short period of time! It is pretty heavy but no heavier than a heavy mixer would be. We opted to put it on the ground next to a mini fridge in our kitchen, but it would fit on the counter no problem. I was worried about how to fill it with water if its on the counter under a cupboard or something, but the water is loaded in the front which makes it super easy to fill. I would recommend filtered or purified water for the clearest cubes. You have to run two to three batches of ice to make sure all the manufactures residue was cleared out of all the lines. Note: If for some reason the unit was shipped on its side or transported on its side the instructions say to let it sit vertically for 4 hours to allow the refrigerant to settle. Ran the two batches to clear the lines and then started on the first batch of ice! The unit makes some noise. I would not say it is loud per se but it kind of sounds like small hail hitting a window when the ice drops from the freezer to the plastic basket. It did not bother me or my wife in the least but just know that it is not whisper silent. It starts spitting the ice out quickly and can fill up the basket a lot faster than I thought it would. I love the light inside which can be turned off or on and the scoop it comes with is a nice touch! The size of the ice is perfect and if you like to crunch ice when you drink your favorite beverage it is the perfect density and size to crunch away!!! Something else though that I had not considered is that it is an ice maker and not an ice machine. I’m not sure what the distinction “officially” is but what I mean is that after it makes the ice you need to use it in a day or so or transfer it to a freezer for longer-term storage. It’s not like an ice machine like I have at work that continually has ice in it and continually makes the ice. The instruction says you should clean out and drain the water every 24 hours to keep the ice fresh. So we plan to use it for parties or for the weekend or to make ice and store it in the freezer so I don’t have to run to the fast food place to get the” good ice” anymore! Overall, I really love this little ice maker. It’s the perfect size for plenty of top-notch crunchable ice! Works great and looks great! If you are looking for more of an industrial ice storage/maker maybe you’d want another model. But for my house….PERFECT!
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Solid Ice Maker with some Minor Flaws.
The Insignia Nugget Ice Maker is a product I’ve always wanted in my home, so I was excited to get my hands on one to see how it performed. The unit was easy to initially setup and the instructions were straight forward. The Ice Maker is heavy so I don’t really consider this to be a portable device, but I guess you could take it anywhere where you have an outlet and use it. Instructions require that you put the Ice Maker in a well-ventilated area so it can breathe as the side fan puts off some heated air. Once installed where you want it to go you must run a Vinegar/Water mixture through the unit to initially clean it, which takes about twenty minutes total and it advises that you clean it every 3 days. Afterwards I wiped down the inside with a Baking soda and water solution, and we were off and running ready to make some ice. The one thing that struck me as odd and a rather weird design choice is the placement of the water tank in the bottom of the unit to make the ice. My mother in law has a GE Opal Ice maker and their ice maker has a separate water tank that hangs on the outside of the unit and is easily accessible to refill. With the Insignia it’s at the bottom of the unit itself and the opening is not very big so when I’m using my Brita I had to tilt the unit back in order to fully empty my jug. I suppose going forward I could use a gallon water jug to pour it in, but to me it’s a poor design choice. The ice starts making producing quickly, about 10-12 minutes it will start producing cubes but they don’t come out particularly fast so if you’re planning on throwing a party and need a full tray of ice for it I suggest doing it about 2 hours ahead of time. There’s a blue light inside of it that adds a nice effect and you can watch the ice being made and a drip tray to keep any water from getting on the countertop. The nuggets are a nice small rectangular shape and perfect for mixed drinks, soft drinks, or someone who is looking for these small pellet ice cubes like Sonic and some restaurants have. The one other feature I wish it had is the ability to keep the ice cold after being made. Unfortunately, if you want to keep the ice for a long period of time it needs to be put in a Ziploc bag and moved to your freezer otherwise it will melt. In conclusion, the Insignia Ice Maker is a solid product, my wife and I are excited to have it in our home and will be using it daily for our drinks. The minor quibbles I have with the product don’t detract from the awesome ice it produces and I would recommend it for someone looking for a pellet ice maker in their home!
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The debate continues - cubes or chewable nuggets
The Insignia portable nugget ice maker is a great looking appliance and will fit in with pretty much any decor. This is the third type of ice maker I have, including the half-moon model in my freezer and a gourmet/bullet maker. Unboxing and setup was simple. The packaging is sturdy and does a great job at protecting the unit. Also, there is a protective film on the stainless portions of the unit. Run the unit through a cleaning process and discard the fist bin of ice. Heavier than my portable bullet ice maker, I don't know that I would take this one camping like I do with the bullet model. Doing some research, the Insignia model resembles the well-regarded GE Opal 2 which makes me think these units are manufactured by the same company and should have the same or similar internals. Another reviewer stated the side water tank from the Opal 2 fits this Insignia model. Adding water. Unlike other machines, the holding bin slides out the front of the unit rather than lifting out the top so you have to remove the basket to fill it up. This works much better with a long neck bottle and was a little difficult with a larger Brita pitcher. Also, having an add-on water bin similar to the Opal would resolve this. The Insignia does start producing nuggets in about 12 minutes however, unlike bullet cube makers, ice constantly trickles out a few pellets at a time rather than dumping 9 cubes per cycle. It takes about an hour to get enough ice for a couple of cocktails. It takes about 3 hours 15 minutes to fill the bin so plan on bagging ice prior to any large parties or backyard bbq’s. A full bin fits nicely in a gallon ziplock bag and once frozen it breaks up nicely to keep the nuggets. The rated ice production is about 44 pounds per day which is almost double to my bullet machine however, according to my math - 3.25 hours per 3.5# bin comes to just under 25 pounds per day. I love that there is a light in the bin making it easy to see at a glance how full it is. It does shut off when the bin gets full and if not dumped, the sitting ice did freeze together in a large clump. The included drip pan is a necessity when removing the drawer either to dump the ice or refilling the water. Heat is a byproduct of any refrigeration and know that this unit really pumps it out, something to consider when deciding placement. It also seems a bit louder when first turned on but it does quiet down after running a few minutes. Also know the manual recommends running the unit through a cleaning cycle every three days which seems to be the case with pretty much all nugget ice makers. Regarding the filling process, I would have liked it if there was a port either on the top or side and a viewing window for the water level, similar to some coffee pots. I give this unit five stars - I was going to take away one star for the filling and length of time to usable amounts of ice but these are by design, not faults in workmanship. This model is one of the least expensive nugget/pellet machines I’ve seen and I recommend it to all fans of this form of ice.
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Ice nuggets at home, just like the restaurant
If you're like me and love to have the restaurant ice nugget shape at home, then you're in luck. This Insignia Portable Nugget Ice Maker is a fantastic machine to have for my kitchen needs. The ice produced from this is exactly like one of my favorite fast food chicken restaurants. The ice nuggets are the kind of ice that is smaller in size, but also easy to chew and crunch on. The machine works extremely well in producing almost 3.5 pounds of ice when at full capacity in the removable basket. Extremely easy to use and efficient in making the right amount of ice. There is a water tank that can be filled to your desired preference, as it holds 2.3 quarts of water in the reservoir. The touch buttons on the front of the ice machine are easy to understand and operate. It takes approximately 12 minutes to start the production of the ice and it just keeps on going from there to fill up the removable basket with the water in the tank. This also comes with a small drip tray and an ice scoop to easily get your ice out of the basket. There is a very helpful feature included in this machine that my family has really liked. It's the self recycle water system, which filters and reuses any melted water back into ice. The machine itself is solid and requires a medium lift if you plan on moving it from place to place. We have this placed on our kitchen island nearby the sink. There are 2 tubes on the back which make this easy to drain out at the end of your use. The system empties out and you can easily have it prepped and ready for another usage again. The machine also has a auto cleaning mode that helps to ensure that you have a clean machine producing clean ice. The stainless steel design looks very nice and adds a nice industrial / restaurant look. I really like the blue LED lighting within the basket which lights up the area to easily see how much ice is available. Overall a great machine to have for anyone that likes to have restaurant quality ice available at home. A great machine to have for people who like to host parties and get togethers for friends and family. Wow your guests with this fun toy, which goes from a fun item into a must have that our family got hooked on very fast.