DELLA 33lbs Large Capacity per Day Automatic Clear Ice Cube Maker Storage Electric Easy-Touch Panel XL w/Ice Scoop

Product arrived single-boxed, but in good shape because of the Styrofoam inside. Included instructions were somewhat difficult to decipher. "Pure water is not allowed on this unit, spring water is recommended." The ice comes out usually as a single sheet, even when you use the small setting. It is easy to break apart manually and it will do this spontaneously as it melts a little. According to the instruction booklet, the cycle time for making the large cube is 28 minutes for the first cycle and 25 minutes thereafter. For the small cubes it is 21 minutes initially and 17 minutes thereafter. I found these times to be accurate. I use filtered water and the ice is quite clear. I previously owned a Scotsman under counter clear ice maker-- the quality of these cubes is comparable. I also previously owned an Igloo counter top bullet ice maker-- this Della makes better cubes than the Igloo. I am taking one star off because I can not determine the warranty. There was no information included with the ice maker and none on the Della website about this particular model. I have had this unit for only one week, so no reliability info at present.

I am addicted to ice, and this is my review of the Della 33lb clear ice maker.Before buying this unit, we had a “bullet-shaped” ice machine. It worked well for several years, and was convenient. The ice was “soft” and it melted quickly. I chose the Della unit because it made the “clear,” longer lasting ice cubes.It’s larger than I expected. It holds more water in the reservoir. The ice is mostly clear, similar to making ice in trays in the freezer. I really like the quality of this ice. It seems to last longer in drinks than the “bullet-shaped” type. This machine produces a lot of ice; more than our previous ice maker. These are the things I like about it. Now, for the challenging things.I’ve needed to develop a routine to work around some unexpected issues with the unit. The ice basket/drawer has drain holes in the back of the bottom of it to allow melting ice to flow into the second reservoir. When you take it out of the machine to remove the ice (the ice comes out in cube-sheets and needs to be broken up into cubes) the ice tends to be sticking up in the back of the drawer, causing the drawer to come out at an angle—the exact angle where the drain holes are. My workaround: keep a folded paper towel below the machine. (The manual suggests removing the upper water reservoir to remove the protruding ice, and that’s easy enough, but it happens every time. Plus, there are the times I forget about tipping the drawer forward because of the drain holes and I get water all over the place—hence, paper towels.)So, since the cubes come out in a sheet (and I’ve tried both large and small cubes, although they appear to be the same size) I keep an insulated ice bucket next to the unit to store the ice and break up the cube-sheets into cubes. The small cube setting produces sheets that break up a little easier, however I’ve noticed water within the cubes.With our previous ice machine, it was pretty simple: put in water, scoop it out of the basket. With the Della machine it’s more like using an ice “harvesting” routine.But, the ice is worth it, and it produces a lot of it. And before I get a message from the seller: yes the unit is on a level surface (I’ve even experimented with slight adjustments).Noise. There are three main sounds it makes:1. The ice is made by pumping water up to cascade over the metal cooling grid like a waterfall. Because of this, the pump is running for most of the cycle. It’s not loud, but our previous ice maker only pumped water for a few seconds at the start of the cycle. Like I said, it’s not loud.2. The second sound is a bit startling at first. It is the crash of the finished cube-sheet of ice falling into to drawer.3. The alert tone for “full ice basket” or “water empty” is unique. It’s a rapid series of five chirps. Its not overly loud. It’s nice that it doesn’t sound like all the other appliance alerts, but it does sound like we’ve captured a baby eagle.Overall, I’m pleased with the unit. Great ice! Lots of it! It does require a little more attention than the standard “bullet-shaped” machines, but I think it’s worth it.***UPDATE***After seeing other reviewers photos, I’ve been removing the upper reservoir to collect the ice. It is actually much easier than dealing with the removable ice drawer. No drips on the floor from the drawer drains. Also, it’s easier to break apart the sheets right in the drawer with the scoop.

I had high hopes for this, but the other reviewers who talk about design flaws are correct. We use an ice maker on the countertop 24/7. It is our sole means of ice. We do not empty and put it in the freezer - we just serve from the machine and any left over ice remelts and remakes continually. We have used an ice machine like this for three-plus years, having to replace it each year as it wears out. This year when it was time to get a new one we decided to try a different brand looking for better durability.I can't speak to the durability of this machine as we will not be keeping it. However I can talk about the things that are not working properly on it that have made us decide to return it. As mentioned by other reviewers the ice comes out in one sheet. It is very difficult to break apart. Also, the machine is very quiet until the ice drops. It is the loudest crash I have ever heard in an ice machine. We can literally hear it throughout our 4000 square foot home. When the ice drops it sometimes catches on the back lip of the tray and pushes the tray forward (see photo). Which in turn triggers the ice machine to stop making ice. This is a design flaw, the tray will never get full this way. Lastly, the machine has a triple chirp that goes off every time ice falls. There is no way to turn this noise off, and with our kitchen open to our living area this can become annoying very quickly.On a positive note. It makes good solid ice. If you will be using this machine to make ice and then emptying the ice when the drawer is full and storing it in your freezer, then this might work well for you. You could break the ice up as you dumped it. And would be checking the drawer each time then so if it popped out, it would be noticed.This ice machine could be made so much better if it dumped out individual cubes rather than sheets of ice. I think that would solve most of the problems. Love the water area and clear view.

This product produced ice as stated. It was fast (my first batch took only 7 minutes) and the ice was clear. Using the small setting produced ice faster. The water pump can be heard when circulating so this device is not noiseless. One disadvantage is that water splashes over the already made ice and wets it. I found myself having to shake the ice dry in order to put it in my freezer without worrying about it sticking together in one frozen lump. All things considered, this is a good product that performs well.