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What pounds per 24 hours means, and what the basket holds
Updated
The 24 hour number is how much ice the machine could make if it never stopped. It does stop. A sensor halts ice making when the basket is full. On the six picks here the basket holds 3.7 to 7.9 percent of the daily number. To collect the full 26 lb from a bullet machine, you would have to empty the basket 18 to 21 times in a day.
The numbers side by side
| Model | Listing, per 24 h | Basket holds | Baskets to reach the daily number | Best case basket fill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra | 38 lb | 3 lb | 13 | 114 min |
| Frigidaire EFIC452-SS clear | 40 lb | 2.4 lb | 17 | 86 min |
| Euhomy IM013 nugget | 35 lb | 1.3 lb | 27 | 53 min |
| Frigidaire EFIC117-SS | 26 lb | 1.5 lb | 18 | 83 min |
| Euhomy IM001 with handle | 26 lb | 1.3 lb | 20 | 72 min |
| Igloo IGLICEB26HNBK | 26 lb | 1.25 lb | 21 | 69 min |
Pounds per 24 hours on the listingPounds the basket holds
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra38 lb3 lb
- Frigidaire EFIC452-SS clear40 lb2.4 lb
- Euhomy IM013 nugget35 lb1.3 lb
- Frigidaire EFIC117-SS26 lb1.5 lb
- Euhomy IM001 with handle26 lb1.3 lb
- Igloo IGLICEB26HNBK26 lb1.25 lb
Euhomy's support page says its machines have a sensor that stops ice production when the bin is full. So a machine left alone makes one basket, waits, and then remakes whatever melts. It does not pile up 26 lb.
How the daily number is measured
Federal rules define a portable ice maker as one with no water line connection and a reservoir you fill by hand. That describes every pick here. The test method for them says to start with an empty bin, fill the reservoir with water at 70 F, run until the bin is half full, and then measure. Melt water collected during the test is counted with the ice. None of that tells you what is sitting in the basket at 6 pm.
Conditions move the number too. GE lists the Opal at 38 lb per day in a 70 F room with 60 F water, and 32 lb per day at 90 F air and 70 F water. GE's support page adds that a warm location or an enclosed cabinet can reduce the rate of ice production, and that filling only to the lower fill line makes about a quarter bin of ice. The other five listings print one number and no test conditions.
How long a basket takes
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra114 minutes
- Frigidaire EFIC452-SS clear86 minutes
- Euhomy IM013 nugget53 minutes
- Frigidaire EFIC117-SS83 minutes
- Euhomy IM001 with handle72 minutes
- Igloo IGLICEB26HNBK69 minutes
These times are the basket size divided by the listed hourly rate. They are a best case with no melting. The Opal takes the longest because its bin is the biggest, not because it is slow. The Euhomy nugget maker fills its small basket fastest.
What to do with this
- For daily drinks for two to four people, any basket here covers a round. Pick on ice type and cleaning.
- For guests, run the machine ahead of time and move each full basket into a freezer bag. The calculator tells you how many hours ahead.
- If you want ice waiting all day with nobody tending it, a bigger basket matters more than a bigger daily number.
Check your own numbers with the pounds per hour calculator, or compare all six picks on the roundup page.