Cue the song “Ice, Ice Baby”…
The Scotsman SCCN60MA1SU Nugget Ice Maker is pretty damn impressive. A few years back I was privy to rumors swirling about the existence of a prototype residential ice maker that Scotsman was developing that would make the rather infamous “nugget” ice cubes that fast food chains like Sonic and Chick-fil-a use in their drinks. Little balls of ice perfectly sized for munching on after a drink. A cross between a small ice cube and shaved ice. Thankfully, this machine did actually make it to the factory line and here it is, in the flesh.
The unit itself is 15″ wide, with specs near identical to Scotsmans other 15″ machines. In fact, I switched my 2 year old paneled Scotsman out without a hitch. Even though the unit is not “technically” a clear ice maker, it does still need a drain or a pump. I personally recommend a water filter on the line to make sure the unit last longer and the ice always tastes good. We use an Everpure H-1200 in our home, which is a 2-stage filter.
The difference between the SCCN60A1SU and other ice makers is the design of the auger, which takes the freezing water and very slowly compacts it as it flows through the winding tunnel to the top. It forms ice into small rods which break in to pieces and fall into the ice bin below. It also uses 40% less energy and 50% less water than than other ice makers.
It makes ice extremely quick for a stand alone machine, filling our bin completely within 10 hours of powering on the unit. The Scotsman SCCN60MA1SU produces 60 lbs of ice a day, which means recovery time is quick. In fact, within 20 minutes of turning on the unit, it was dispensing ice. A built-in timer informers you when to run the cleaning cycle, so there’s no need to remember (or if you’re like me, forget) when to clean the unit.
We’ve tested the unit on all different types of beverages, and over all the results have been extremely positive. The only thing of note is that due to the smaller size of the ice “nuggets”, pouring boiling hot tea into a glass full of this ice will melt most of it. Its best to stick with room temperature or cold beverages with this ice. If you like large ice cubes that don’t melt, what we call “rocks” ice, this probably isn’t the unit for you. Ice melts fast and quickly becomes soft round pebbles to chew on. This brand new model starts shipping at the end of the summer, and will retail for around $3,000. at your local Scotsman dealer.
Pros: Makes ice quickly , great recovery time, unique size and shape of ice
Cons: 1 year warranty is light for a product of this calibre, cleaning procedure requires removal of too many parts
Is this review dated from this year 2013? I have been looking for one of these machines for my new house I am going to move into and heard they machine was discontinued. So I am curious if this is a review about a new machine that will be out later this year or if this is a review of the now discontinued machine.