How picks are made.
Every pick on this site says what it is good for and who should skip it. Here is where those words come from.
Today: the shortlist
- Maker numbers. Ice per day, time to first ice, bin size and dimensions come from each maker's own spec sheet. When shops quote different numbers, the lower one is used.
- Owner faults. I read what owners report after months of use: leaks, noise, pumps that fail, mold. A fault that comes up again and again becomes the "Skip it if" line.
- No paid places. No brand pays to be listed, and no brand sees a page before it goes live.
Next: hands-on tests
Shortlisted machines are being tested at home, the way a bar would judge them:
- Minutes to the first ice, and pounds made in 24 hours.
- How long the ice lasts in a glass before it waters the drink down.
- Noise while it runs, measured from where you would sit.
- How long a full clean takes, step by step.
A page changes from "shortlist" to "tested" only when that test is done, with real photos.
A note on AI
SOMM DIGI's AI helps organise spec sheets and owner reports. Every pick and every verdict is mine.
Updated October 26, 2026