Head-to-head · Best Portable Ice Makers

Frigidaire EFIC452-SS Clear Ice Maker vs GE Profile Opal 2.0

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

GE Profile Opal 2.0 comes out ahead by a clear margin (3.5 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Nugget-ice devotees who want soft chewable ice and app scheduling, and who will keep up with cleaning a premium countertop appliance. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #5 in Best Portable Ice Makers

Frigidaire EFIC452-SS Clear Ice Maker

3.5

2 sourcesall derived$159as of Aug 1

The Frigidaire EFIC452-SS is the clear-ice specialist here, making transparent square cubes instead of cloudy bullets or soft nuggets. IceArtisan rates it 3 out of 5 and IceMakerSpot 4 out of 5, both praising the clarity while noting the cubes emerge fused in sheets you have to break apart. Up to 40 lbs a day and a 2.3-quart tank suit a home bar; slower cycles and manual cleaning are the price.

Strengths

— Makes genuinely clear, square cocktail-grade cubes
— Up to 40 lbs a day from a generous 2.3-quart tank
— Two cube sizes with a first batch in about 15 minutes

Watch-outs

— Cubes come out fused in sheets that have to be broken apart
— No self-cleaning, so descaling is a manual job
— 15 to 18 minute cycles are slower than a bullet maker's

$159 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Portable Ice Makers

GE Profile Opal 2.0

4.5

3 sourcesall derived$515.56as of Jul 31

The GE Profile Opal 2.0 is the nugget-ice pick: soft, chewable, Sonic-style ice rather than the hard bullets or clear cubes the rest of this group makes. CNN Underscored ran it for two months and called it whisper quiet, and Reviewed rates the ice clean-tasting and the SmartHQ scheduling genuinely useful. It is the most expensive maker here and it needs regular descaling.

Strengths

— Soft, chewable nugget ice that no other maker in this group produces
— Around 44 dB, quiet enough to leave running in a kitchen
— First nuggets in 10-15 minutes and up to 38 lbs a day

Watch-outs

— Expensive at $450-600, several times the cost of a bullet maker
— Sustained output trails bullet makers despite the fast first batch
— Needs regular cleaning and descaling to stay reliable

$515.56 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Frigidaire EFIC452-SS Clear Ice Maker

The only clear-cube maker among these picks, producing presentation ice that differs from the bullet ice of the Frigidaire EFIC189 and Magic Chef MCIM22SV and the nugget ice of the GE Profile Opal 2.0 and Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255. It costs more and runs slower than the bullet makers but far less than the Opal.

GE Profile Opal 2.0

The only premium nugget maker among the top picks, and a different product from the hard bullet ice of the Frigidaire EFIC189 and Magic Chef MCIM22SV or the clear cubes of the Frigidaire EFIC452-SS. The budget Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 also makes nugget ice, but with noise and durability complaints the Opal avoids.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Frigidaire EFIC452-SS Clear Ice Maker	GE Profile Opal 2.0
Ice Type	Clear square cubes (2 sizes)	Nugget (chewable)
Output	Up to 40 lbs/day	Up to 38 lbs/day
Cycle Time	15-18 minutes	—
Water Tank	2.3 qt	—
Bin Capacity	2.4 lbs	3 lbs
Self-Cleaning	No (manual)	—
Noise	Quiet	Quiet (~44 dB)
Warranty	1 year	1 year
Dimensions	14"D x 11"W x 15"H	17.5"D x 13.43"W x 16.5"H
Wattage	120 watts	360 watts
First Batch	—	10-15 minutes
Connectivity	—	Wi-Fi (SmartHQ app)
Water Supply	—	Side tank + onboard reservoir

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