When we reviewed Opal Nugget Ice Maker back in 2017, we were impressed with its stylish design and the fact that it made perfect nugget ice quickly, but we weren’t as taken with its lofty price, lackluster app, and noisy operation. The new GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker (starting at $665) is even more expensive than its predecessor, and its mobile app can still use a couple of features. That said, it brings several improvements to the smart kitchen table, including Wi-Fi connectivity, an extra water reservoir, improved status indicators, and much quieter operation. If you like fast food-style crunchy nugget ice and you’re willing to pay a premium to make it at home, you won’t be disappointed.
A Cool Look for Your Countertop
The Opal 2.0 looks similar to the original model, but there are noticeable differences. It still uses a sleek stainless steel cabinet, but this time around the interior and accompanying plastic trim is gray (the ice maker also comes in a black stainless finish that will cost you an extra $34). Designed to sit on a counter, the Opal measures 16.5 by 13.4 by 17.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 38 pounds, making it slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor.
Whereas the original Opal uses a round backlit button and different colored lights to tell you what state the machine is in, the Opal 2.0 uses text-based status indicators located on the face of the device, near the top, that make it much easier to understand what’s happening. On the left side are Making Ice, Add Water, Defrosting, and Cleaning indicators. There’s also a backlit Wi-Fi icon indicator that’s lit when the ice maker is connected to your network. Off to the right are Clean, Light, and Power buttons. The Power button turns the ice maker on and off, the Clean button puts it in cleaning mode, and the Light button turns the interior ice bin light on and off and lets you select a high or dim illumination setting.
The Opal 2.0 uses the same ice-making technology as the original model. It takes ice flakes from a chilled cylinder and compresses them into small nuggets like the ones you get at a Sonic drive-in, which are softer than regular ice cubes and easy to chew. The Opal 2.0 can make one pound of ice per hour and has a clear pull-out bin that can hold up to three pounds of ice. The interior reservoir holds enough water to fill the ice bin before having to be refilled.
New to this model is a side tank reservoir that provides water for up to three times the amount ice, or around nine pounds. Also new is an embedded 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio that lets you control the Opal 2.0 with your phone no matter where you are (the original model was Bluetooth only). There are two tubes around back for draining the system during the cleaning cycle, one of which will be connected to the side tank when installed. Included in the box are a clear scoop, an owner’s manual, a quick start guide, and a drip tray.
The Opal 2.0 uses the Smart HQ mobile app (for Android and iOS), which also controls other GE smart home devices including the GE Energy Star 115-Volt Electronic Room Air Conditioner AHC08LY. The app will let you know when the machine is making ice, when it’s time to add water, and when the bin is full, and it lets you dim or turn off the interior light and create an ice-making schedule. However, there are no push notifications that tell you when you need to add water or when it’s time for a cleaning. Additionally, a light schedule would help conserve power and extend the life of the bulb.
Making Nugget Ice
Preparing the Opal 2.0 for first use is easy, but requires a specific cleaning procedure that includes washing out the bin and both the internal reservoir and the side tank with warm soapy water. You also have to rinse out the internal components. To do this, I mixed five cups of water with one teaspoon of household bleach and poured the solution into the internal reservoir. I turned on the ice maker and pressed the Clean button for three seconds to begin water circulation, at which point the Clean LED was illuminated. After several minutes, the circulation stopped and the LED went dark. I remove the plugs from the drain tubes and drained the water into a sink (you can use a bucket if you prefer). Once drained, I replaced the plugs and filled the internal reservoir with five cups of fresh water. I pressed the Clean button again and let the water circulate before draining. After three fresh water Clean cycles, the ice maker was ready to go.
Pairing the Opal with the mobile app was also easy. I downloaded the SmartHQ app, created an account, and tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the home screen, which opened up an Add Appliance screen. I selected Profile from the list, tapped Countertop Appliances, and then selected Opal Nugget Ice Maker.
Following the on-screen instructions, I pressed and held the ice maker’s power and light buttons until the Wi-Fi LED began flashing. I was prompted to enter the ice maker’s password (found on the back on the device) and the last four digits of its SSID (also on the back). I then selected my home Wi-Fi SSID, entered my password, and waited 30 seconds or so for the ice maker to join my network, at which point I tapped Done to complete the installation.
I refilled the reservoir with fresh water and the Opal 2.0 began making ice. The first thing I noticed was how quiet it is. Granted, it does emit a low hum, but it’s whisper-quiet compared with the original model.
After 15 minutes, ice began filling the bin, and after three hours or so the bin was full of fantastic crunchy nugget ice. The app did a good job of informing me of the Opal’s current status, and the machine had no trouble adhering to my ice-making schedules.
Bring Your Favorite Ice Home
Whether you’re a devoted ice chewer or just prefer chilling your drinks with crunchy little cubes, the GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker will provide you with all of the nugget ice goodness you can handle. It’s a stylish appliance that you can connect to your home Wi-Fi network to see when the ice bin is full and when it’s time to add water, and you can create ice-making schedules to ensure that you always have plenty of nugget ice on hand. At $665, the Opal 2.0 doesn’t come cheap, but it’s still more affordable than a commercial model and it’ll fit on your countertop, making it a must-have kitchen companion for nugget ice lovers.
