The good news is it makes good ice and having the external tank is the way to go . Bad news.. it swirls like a howling banshee when it needs cleaning . I wouldn’t say it’s no maintenance having disassembled to clean its innards..so be prepared to have to clean periodically.
“Periodically” is being kind. If you aren’t throwing bleach in it to sanitize, then you’re throwing vinegar in to descale. And it makes squealing noise even when everything is OK - usually at 3 in the morning. The ice is great, however.
I got a bullet ice maker from a no-name Chinese brand for about half the price. Worked great for 25 months and then went sneakers up, so I got an equivalent from a different Chinese brand and am expecting about the same performance from that.
Then again, I have no desire to chew my ice.
Keeping my opal 2.0 running is basically a full time job. I only use RO water, and clean it frequently. I had an issue with it leaking, which was caused by a worn pump seal. After replacing the pump seal, it stopped leaking for about a month and went right back to leaking. Also, the bolts holding down the auger housing couldn’t handle any torque, and the heads popped right off. Now I’m having another issue with it, and I’m about ready to set it on fire.
Sweet deal! I had one that we had to warranty with the manufacturer. But the replacement one been going strong on over 18 months.
I’ve said it a thousand times, but if you use distilled water, it works perfectly. If you use regular water, you’re going to get the crap and the scaling and the loud noises.
I’ve had mine for almost 3 years now and its virtually silent 90% of the time. It makes a mechanical noise when it first starts up. That’s it.