# "Nugget" Ice machine for a home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208 "2007-12-25T16:02:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/1 "2007-12-25T16:02:30Z")
My parents are building a new kitchen and my dad has gotten hooked on nibbling at that flaky ice stuff they put into soft drinks at some drive throughs. We believe it’s called “nugget ice.” He was wondering if there are any non-commercial ice machines that made this sort of ice an if so what would be a good durable brand that would, ideally, also have a good selecion of machine sizes and looks. (We can google it of course, but we were hoping for some personal recommendations.) Anyone happen to know? ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/2 "2007-12-25T18:52:38Z")
[This](http://www.icemachinesdirect.com/details.asp?ProductID=29) is the smallest ice maker I’ve ever used, but it still is a commercial model. I agree that this type of ice is addicting 😃 Good luck on your search. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/3 "2007-12-26T03:03:11Z")
[This](http://www.icedispenserworld.com/manitowoc-sn12andsn20.html) appears to be the smallest “nugget” ice maker on the planet. Usually, these things are far larger, meant for making hundreds or thousands of pounds of ice a day. At $3,000, it’s a bit extravagant, but not unreasonable, for someone who really is into ice. It is a countertop-eater, though, and with its height, they’d need to build a nook especially for it. To feed it, they’ll need a water line and a dedicated 15 or 20-amp circuit - trivial considerations at the time of planning a kitchen remodel. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/4 "2007-12-26T07:10:42Z")
You could always start checking your newspaper for bankruptcy auctions. Restaurants open and close all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/5 "2007-12-26T22:28:53Z")
At one time I had an ice grinder, hand-cranked, which produced nugget-like ice. If you could find one, it’d be a lot cheaper than a commercial ice machine. ---
**Author:** ![Flipshod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/6 "2007-12-27T13:43:50Z")
I just went through this search last year–I ended up getting a portable ice maker and a commercial sno-cone machine for a cost of around $800. The only nugget machines that could meet my required output were 3 or 4 times that amount. (And I searched pretty thoroughly (at least for me). It keeps my in my fix of crushed ice, but is not quite as easy. One day my lust for ice will rise to the point where I will be a able to justify $2,500 for the real deal. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/7 "2007-12-27T16:54:30Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] You could always start checking your newspaper for bankruptcy auctions. Restaurants open and close all the time. [/QUOTE] A friend who owns two bars has purchased several ice makers that way. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nugget-ice-machine-for-a-home/431208/8 "2007-12-27T18:01:17Z")
My wife went through the same thing. Once we found that the cheapest ice-makers were around $3,000, we decided it was simply more economical (even in the long run) to continue purchasing a bag of ice from the local Sonic drive-in once every couple of days. The toughest part is during the hot Texas summer when I have to call around to all the local Sonics and find one that is willing to spare a bag of ice for us.