John Hornick — Chef’s Apprentice
Looking for a 15″ undercounter ice machine for your kitchen? We use a lot of ice in our very busy home kitchen and have owned several competitive machines. When choosing an ice machine, we want something that makes ice fast, is easy to clean, and doesn’t eat up our energy bill. We’re glad we found the Euhomy machine. Known for modern designs and top-notch efficiency, Euhomy makes machines that get the job done. Picking the right ice machine can save you time, money, and hassle. Let’s dive into what makes our Euhomy ice machine stand out.
Overview of Euhomy Ice Machines
Brand Background and Market Presence
Euhomy entered the appliance scene a few years ago but quickly made a name for itself. They focus on quality, value, and modern design. Their ice makers are popular with both families and business owners. You’ll find Euhomy’s products in many kitchens and commercial spaces. They aim to make ice production simple, fast, and affordable.
Types and Key Features
Euhomy’s ice makers pack a punch with features like super-fast ice-making, touch controls, and energy-saving modes. Euhomy offers two main types:
- Countertop ice makers: compact, perfect for small kitchens or personal use.
- Freestanding ice makers: bigger, suited for undercounter in homes and restaurants.
This review covers the 15″ freestanding model with stainless steel reversible door and adjustable feet. Euhomy calls it a built-in commercial machine. Although it can be freestanding and probably could be used for commercial duty, it fits under a standard height countertop in a 15″ space in our kitchen cabinets in our home.
We have owned several 15″ ice machines. This is the best we have found, and the least expensive. After a year of use, we couldn’t be happier with it.
Performance and Ice Quality
Ice Production Capacity and Speed
This Euhomy machine can make about 40 cubes every 15-20 minutes, for a total of about 80 lbs. of ice in 24 hours. The speed may depend on factors like water temperature and room climate. But we often turn off the machine when traveling, and we are amazed at how fast it starts pumping out cubes when we return and turn it on.
The storage bin holds 24 lbs. of ice, which easily meets our needs. Ice production pauses when the bin is full, so it isn’t always making 80 lbs. per day.
Types of Ice Produced
Our machine produces clear, crunchy cube ice – just right for drinks, our cooking needs, and keeping our three Siberian Huskies happy. We do have it connected to a 3-stage reverse osmosis filter that we already had for filtering drinking water, which I easily installed myself.
Design, Usability, and Maintenance
Compactness and Aesthetic Appeal
The 15″ Euhomy machine has a sleek, stainless steel design that matches our other stainless steel appliances. Although the size is compact, it makes a lot of ice.
User Interface, Controls, and Cleaning
The controls are on an easy-to-use touch panel below the ice bin, which is hidden when the door is closed. The control screen displays the ambient temperature and allows us to adjust the ice cube size by changing the ice-making time. The 24-hour timer function lets us set the machine to start or stop running, but we don’t us this feature.
I especially like the fact that the machine HAS controls. We have owned several other 15″ ice machines made by much more famous brands, none of which allowed us to control the ice cube size, but cost far more.
The cleaning function, activated by pressing the “Timer Clean” button, helps maintain the ice maker’s efficiency and longevity by preventing mineral buildup. Cleaning requires following the steps in the manual and using ice machine cleaner. Cleaning any ice machine is a chore and a bit of a pain in the neck, but it must be done so that the ice-making mechanism doesn’t get clogged with mineral deposits. This is true of every ice machine we’ve owned, including the Euhomy machine.
But the Euhomy machine has an important design feature that makes cleaning less of a pain: the ice bin is removable. None of our previous machines had this simple feature. It makes cleaning SO much easier, compared to the difficulty of cleaning ice machine bins that can’t be removed.
Durability, Reliability, and Customer Satisfaction
Build Quality and Materials Used
The machine appears to be sturdy and well made. The plastic parts appear to be durable plastics and the door and handle are stainless steel.
Installation
I installed the machine myself, which was easy. Installation requires attaching the water supply line, which we already had in place from our previous machine. The drain tube also needs to be attached to the drain hole. There is no drain pump, so make sure you have a gravity drain (I believe it could be attached to a drain pump — I’ve done it with other machines). Then plug it in (it has a regular 110V plug).
Reliability and Longevity
Our machine has been operating flawlessly for one year since we bought it. The three much more expensive brands we have owned have never lasted for more than 5-6 years. We were told they could be repaired, but the cost of the repair didn’t seem worth it. The Euhomy machine seems to have a higher chance of long-term reliability. But even if it doesn’t last any longer than our previous machines, replacing it with a new Euhomy machine after 5-6 years would cost a minimum of half as much as it would cost to replace the other brands we have owned.
To be honest, we hesitated buying this machine because we didn’t know the Euhomy name and had owned several other 15″ ice machines made by well-known brands. We ultimately decided that the Euhomy price made it worth the risk. So far, after a year, we are very happy we bought this machine.
Customer Support and Warranty
Euhomy provides a standard warranty of one year. We didn’t buy the extended warranty that everyone tries to sell for everything. We have not needed Euhomy’s customer service team, thank goodness.
Cost Analysis and Value for Money
Price
Our machine cost $799 in Summer 2024. It is now $699! I am thinking of buying a spare. We have paid twice as much and more for other 15″ undercounter ice machines.
Energy Efficiency and Operating Costs
Euhomy machines are designed to consume less energy, but we have not tried to measure energy consumption or savings.
If you are buying your first ice machine you may be surprised to learn that ice machines have no freezer feature to keep the ice frozen. I assume this is to keep the machine cost down and to allow the ice to replace and replenish itself by slowly melting, rather than getting old and stale if the machine kept it frozen. This seems to be true of all ice machines. So insulation is important. You want the ice to melt slowly and replenish itself if you don’t use much of it very frequently, but you don’t want it to melt too fast. The faster it melts, the faster it replenishes the melted ice and the more energy and water the machine uses. The Euhomy machine boasts 3-layer housing to prevent the ice form melting too quickly.
Pros and Cons
Strengths:
- Fast ice production, perfect for parties, busy kitchens, and Siberian Huskies.
- Easy to use controls and smart features.
- Stylish, modern design fits any 15″ undercounter space.
- Reliable performance with clear, plentiful ice.
Weaknesses:
- When the machine is making ice it is sometimes a little noisy and makes strange sounds, but this has not been a problem.
What Are People Saying?
Reviews of this machine are overwhelmingly positive, praising its rapid ice production, high daily output, adjustable cube thickness, clear, hard, gourmet-style cubes, stylish design, and reliability.
A noted drawback is that it needs a gravity drainage or a pump. Some say it is sometimes noisy (which is noted in the manual and is normal).
Conclusion
Our 15″ Euhomy undercounter ice machine stands out as a smart choice for dependable ice production. It’s well-made, makes plenty of clear ice fast, and cost less than half of the price of well-known competitive brands we have owned.
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