I hosted a Fourth of July cookout for about twenty people. We ran out of ice by 3 PM. Someone had to do the shame-drive to the gas station for three bags of ice that cost nine dollars each and were half-melted by the time they got back. The next week I bought a countertop ice maker. It has paid for itself in gas station ice savings alone.

The Frigidaire EFIC189 produces 26 pounds of bullet ice per day with a 2.2-pound basket that refills every eight to nine minutes per batch. That’s enough ice for a party, not just a couple drinks. Here’s what six months of daily use looks like.

What “26 pounds per day” actually means

It means in ideal conditions — room temperature around 70°F — the machine produces nine bullet-shaped ice cubes roughly every eight to nine minutes. That’s about 2.2 pounds per hour at full tilt. In reality, if you’re using it in a warm kitchen during summer, it’s closer to 20-22 pounds per day. Still way more ice than a typical household needs.

The basket holds about 2.2 pounds at a time. When it’s full, the machine stops making ice. When you scoop some out, it starts again. The ice is “bullet” style — small cylinders with a hole through the middle. They’re soft-ish, not rock-hard like freezer ice, because they’re frozen quickly rather than slowly. They melt faster in a drink, which is either a feature or a bug depending on your preference. I like that they’re chewable.

Setup and daily use

It’s countertop — no plumbing. You pour water into the reservoir (about 2 quarts capacity) and plug it in. It starts making ice in about eight minutes. The first batch is cold-ish but not fully frozen — dump the first batch and the second onward will be solid.

This is not a freezer. It does not keep ice frozen. When the ice melts in the basket — and it will, within a few hours — the water drains back into the reservoir and gets re-frozen. This means the ice is constantly cycling. For daily use, you need to either use the ice as it’s made or transfer it to a freezer bag or bin. I keep a gallon ziplock in my freezer and dump the ice basket into it once or twice a day.

Cleaning is the one downside. Every few weeks you need to drain it, wipe down the reservoir, and run a cleaning cycle with vinegar or citric acid to prevent mineral buildup. It takes about twenty minutes. Skip it and you’ll get funky-tasting ice and eventually the machine will clog.

Real talk: is it worth the counter space?

It’s about the size of a large bread machine — roughly 12 by 14 inches of counter real estate. That’s not nothing. Before buying, I measured my counter and put a sheet of paper in the spot to see if I could live with it. After six months: yes, I use it almost every day, especially in summer. If you entertain regularly or have a household of four or more people who go through ice trays constantly, it’s worth it. If you live alone and use four ice cubes a week, stick with trays.

• Output: 26 lbs/day ideal, ~20 lbs/day real-world in warm kitchen
• Cycle time: ~8-9 minutes per batch of 9 bullet cubes
• Maintenance: Clean every 2-3 weeks with vinegar/cleaning cycle
• Counter space: ~12×14 inches — bread machine size
• Ice type: Bullet-shaped, soft, chewable, melts faster than freezer ice