Ditch Your Refrigerator's Ice Maker For This 'Cool' Gadget From Costco

If you are shopping for an ice maker because your fridge doesn't have one, or if you need a portable option for parties, a dorm, or even a boat, then Costco has a nice product to meet your needs. It's the Frigidaire Self Cleaning Bullet Ice Maker, and you can nab it from Costco for $75.99. It can make an impressive 26 pounds of ice per day, and it only takes six minutes for some ice to already be available after you pour water in.

There are great Costco gadgets for every budget, and this ice maker definitely fits that bill. It creates bullet-shaped ice, so no large square cubes or crushed-style ice. It runs fairly quietly at 38 decibels, so it shouldn't be that attention-catching. It's meant to sit on a countertop and plug into a normal wall outlet. It measures just over 13 inches tall and 10 inches wide, so you do need to ensure you have enough space.

The ice maker will alert you when its water reservoir is running low, so you don't have to check it daily yourself. It comes with a one-year warranty and even has a self-cleaning mode for added convenience. At the time of this writing, this model is online-only, so you won't find it in Costco stores. It's worth noting here that you can shop at Costco without a membership using a secret hack, and that online items can usually be purchased by non-members even without a hack.

If you've been looking at other ice makers from Costco, you'll notice the Frigidaire Self Cleaning Bullet Ice Maker at $75.99 is the most affordable option in the category. That's not necessarily to say the price is cheap, because it isn't, but it is a bargain compared to other Costco ice makers.

Costco offers another Frigidaire ice maker for $160. For that extra price, you'll get 33 pounds of ice compared to the cheaper product's 26 pounds. It also produces crushed nugget-style ice instead of bullet-shaped, which may or may not be your preference. The added price comes with a scoop for the ice, though buying a little scoop on its own from any retailer is not typically an expensive purchase. The more expensive model, however, is in stock at certain Costco warehouse locations if you prefer that over online ordering.

If you're looking to spend even more money, Costco offers an Iceman dispenser and ice maker for $200 as of this writing, though the typical price is $300. This is fancier than the cheaper Frigidaire models, allowing you to fill up your glasses with ice by placing them under a dispenser as you would in a restaurant. It stands nearly four feet tall, so it doesn't have the portable countertop convenience of either Frigidaire product.

The Frigidaire Self Cleaning Bullet Ice Maker has an average rating of four out of five stars from Costco customers, with nearly 700 reviews available when this article was written. Positive reviews mention that it is quiet, that the ice tastes good, and that it makes enough ice to meet people's needs. Even the positive reviews, though, do mention issues with ice melting fairly quickly. People say they purchased this ice maker because their own fridge wasn't creating enough ice, and others say they use it in their vacation home or on their boat.

Not all reviews are positive, however. Reviews with lower ratings report the machine rusting or no longer working after a year — note that this is when the warranty expires — and some complain that the ice melts too quickly. Regarding interacting with customer service on product issues, one reviewer shared that "We tried doing a warranty claim and they made it impossible — we were going to have to pay $50 to ship it back for them to do an investigation on why it wouldn't cool or make ice anymore."

It is worth noting that there are many more positive reviews than negative. Costco has a plethora of items available — you can even buy EVs from Costco — making it a good option for many needs. If you find yourself needing a countertop ice maker, this Frigidaire is a solid budget-minded choice.