People call it Sonic ice (after the popular fast-food chain), chewable ice, or simply the good ice, but, its official name is nugget ice. We’ve reviewed simple nugget ice makers and fancy ones to help readers bring the coveted ice into their homes. Now, Frigidaire enters the market with the Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 Gen 2 (available at Amazon for $329.88) ice maker, which comes in stylish colors that will pop on your countertop. We spent a week testing this nugget ice maker and we found that it offers an interesting middle ground between high-end and low-end models. It keeps the controls and operation simple; There are no apps or extra water tanks to consider. But the EFIC255 makes chewable ice that is just a tad too hard for our crunchable preferences. For the best nugget ice maker we've ever tested, check out the GE Profile Opal 2.0.
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About the Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255
What we don’t like
Should you buy the Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255?
The Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 is a countertop ice maker that produces chewable ice. The unit weighs roughly 35 pounds with a handle on the back to help with its portability. It requires no external plumbing. Instead, you pour water into the a reservoir located in the top half the machine.
When you first unbox the EFIC255, the manual recommends you run a cleaning cycle. This is standard practice for all countertop units of this type, as it flushes out the internals.
After that was done, we set this Frigidaire to start making ice. We found that the EFIC255 produces about 24 ounces of ice in an hour, roughly on par with other ice makers in its price range.
Our taste tests confirmed that the end product tastes very clean and neutral, which is a sign of good filtration.
But the pellets are harder than we would like; they don’t burst into cold water like the ones on the GE Profile Opal 2.0. However, the tradeoff is that they take longer to melt than the competition, which means your iced drinks will be less watered down.
We found it more attractive than many of its competitors.
We’ve tested and researched a lot of countertop ice makers, and most of them look like misshapen buckets.
The Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 has a quality aesthetic. You can get this model in cream, black (at Target), or navy blue.
We tested the blue version and it has just the right pop of color without being loud on your countertop. The front also has a Frigidaire Gallery stainless steel-colored faceplate. When it’s kept stain-free, it gives the icemaker a clean look.
It has simple controls, but no extra features.
While we appreciate that the Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 uses just two buttons—Ice and Clean—it also lacks a few features that we’ve come to expect.
First and foremost is the light: There’s no internal illumination, so it’s hard to know how much ice is in there in darker settings. A light would make the interior so much more presentable and easy to know when it's time to make more.
Second, there’s no connectivity on this machine. While not crucial, if you’re the type of person who loves nugget ice enough to buy this model, it’d be nice to be able to start the ice maker from your phone. That way, you’ll have fresh ice when you get home. This feature can also be convenient for shutting off the ice maker remotely in order to save power when you're not using it, since ice machines can generally be energy intensive.
Compared to its competition, the EFIC255 is fairly noisy.
Although its volume is generally comparable, rather than a constant whirl, it makes sounds at irregular intervals. So instead of droning in the background, it makes random “growling” noises that are very noticeable.
People liked the ice, but hated the noise.
There are mixed user reviews for the Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255. On Amazon, it’s earned 3.1 stars out of 5. People either love it for making chewable ice—or hate it because it broke. Most don’t go into detail about what broke, only that they were no longer able to get ice.
In our research and experience, devices made by third parties have a higher chance of hit-or-miss quality control—the third party in this case is Curtis International Ltd. (Usually, the issue is that the third-party company has to pay a substantial fee to use the better-known company’s name and then cuts corners elsewhere to make a profit.) This may or may not be the case here.
Either way, the EFIC255 has a one-year warranty if anything goes wrong.
Let’s be real—if you’re a nugget ice fanatic, you already decided if you’re getting the Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 the second you laid eyes on it. This is especially true if you like your chewable ice on the crisper side.
For people who are considering this as a gift, we think this is a good choice. It’s less expensive than the GE Profile Nugget Ice Maker 2.0, but more attractive than the NewAir Nugget Ice Maker.
But its features are pretty basic, without offering any special upgrades. For an ice maker with all the bells and whistles, check out the GE Profile Opal 2.0.
The Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 Nugget Ice Maker is an attractive machine that churns out slow-melting nugget ice.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
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