Reliability: Like many small appliances, countertop ice makers are not built with the kind of durability that larger appliances are.

The Magic Chef ice maker makes nine bullet-shaped pieces of ice in about eight minutes using cold tap water. If you need ice on a pretty consistent basis throughout each day, it may be wise to leave the machine running unless you go out of town. If you are looking for a base model refrigerator for an apartment or guest house, check out this option. The ice is chewy, fluffy, and doesn’t clump (the machine keeps the pebbles separated by draining melt water quickly).We also like the Costway EP24228 bullet-ice maker, which has a matte finish that doesn’t show fingerprints as much as other machines’ surfaces did. The reservoir holds enough water to make ice continuously for a few hours at a time, so you don’t have to watch it too closely for refills. And actually, several other brands carry ice makers that are nearly identical except for the logo (like the Igloo ICE103).

Bullet-ice makers: Most bullet-ice models are roughly the same size, taking up about half as much counter space as a small microwave. The unit has push-button controls and an LED display, and it alerts you to let you know when the ice collector is full or water is low. The first batch is a little smaller than subsequent batches, as the machine heats up, but the difference wasn’t as obvious as with other brands we’ve tested. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). Although the cloudy bullets aren’t exactly gourmet ice, they chill your drinks, and that’s good enough for most people.

Like most other ice makers, the bucket that holds the ice sits above the water in the reservoir, which allows water to drip off back into the reservoir as the ice melts.