If there’s one appliance that isn’t a cooker that we don’t talk about enough in our outdoor kitchen, it’s the humble ice maker.
I couldn’t imagine our outdoor space without it, and we’ve had ours installed for 6 years and haven’t had a single issue with it. There’s a new model in town that makes the chewable Chick-fil-A style ice, and that’s what we’re putting in our new kitchen build at The Barbecue Lab studio.
Today we’re going to show you cube and nugget outdoor kitchen ice makers, see how our cube model has fared with 6 years of use, and test the new nugget machine to see if there’s a clear winner between the two designs.
Quick Links to the products mentioned in this post:
- REFR3 (cube ice maker)- Use code BBQLAB for VIP Pricing
- REFR3A (nugget ice maker)- Use code BBQLAB for VIP Pricing
- Newair countertop nugget ice maker
Here at The Barbecue Lab, Melissa, Addy, Ethan, Uno, and I test the gear you’re thinking about for the backyard so you can know you’re getting something that works and you’ll be happy with in the long run. In today’s video, we’re taking out the ice maker we built into our outdoor kitchen build that’s been solid for 6 years and putting it beside the brand new nugget ice maker that we’re installing at The Lab in our studio kitchen.
Our guests over the years have loved access to ice when we’re having a BBQ, but would they love it more if it was the crunchy Chick-fil-A or Sonic-style ice?
Outdoor Kitchen Ice Maker: Cube Style
Let’s start with what we know and have used for years now. This is the REFR3 from Renaissance Cooking Systems, and it’s a cube-style ice maker. We have a water supply that comes off our buried water run to our sink, and you can set this ice maker up to drain on the ground, or pick up a drain pump where any drain water is directed into the drain for our sink. We use the pump so we don’t constantly have a puddle on the ground, since this isn’t a freezer, it’s an ice maker. The ice inside will slowly melt over time, and whenever the switch is triggered, it makes ice, and when the bin is full, it pauses production.
We can adjust the size of the cube, but we’ve found that full cubes are our favorite. It makes 44 pounds of ice per day and has storage for 26 pounds in the pull-out bin. That’s what we have here at home, so let’s change it out with the new machine and see the differences.
Outdoor Kitchen Ice Maker: Nugget Style
This is the REFR3A Nugget Ice Maker, and it is a little taller than the REFR3 by 3/4 inch. We hooked up the same water supply that comes off the sink, and we’re utilizing the drain hose instead of the drain pump, since this is a temporary setup for this video. The nugget ice maker isn’t a freezer like we also found in the cube machine, so ice will melt and drain out of the hose into our channel drain.
The inside is quite different than the REFR3 in that the cube machine had a large bin that slides out, and the nugget machine does not. You can change the cube size on the cube ice maker, but on the nugget machine you get what you get, and a nugget is a nugget. This machine produces 55 pounds of ice per day and holds 26 pounds of ice in the hopper. The ice maker has an automatic shutoff, so when the bin is full, ice production stops via the sensor in the back. We have the door opening to the right, but both of these doors are reversible, and there’s extra hardware included to change that if you’d like.
Outdoor Kitchen Ice Maker Review
We do as much as we can to review all of the gear that we have here on The Barbecue Lab, but it’s hard to come up with a bunch of things to review on an ice maker. Does it make ice? Yep. Is that ice chewable? Also yes. aaaaaand that’s about it.
The nugget ice is easier to chew by a long shot over the cube kind, but that doesn’t stop Ethan from eating 88 ice cubes a day.
Warranty
What I can say is that each model has a 7-year warranty, and we’re on year 6 with the cube machine, and it shows no signs of slowing down or stopping. Most gear we review is replaced by the manufacturer with a new model before the warranty expires, so it’s difficult to find models that last long enough to wear out the warranty. The REFR3 is almost there, but it’s still going like day one 6 years in.
Ease of cleaning
One point of review has to do with the winterization process. We’re located in the Indianapolis area, and it freezes here for 4 months out of the year, and we need to shut off the water to the kitchen, drain the lines, and wait until Spring to turn it back on. That means we prop the door open to keep it from mold and mildew, which means that there’s all kinds of dirt and dust that get in here during those months. This nugget ice maker doesn’t have a pull-out tub, so I’m guessing that’s going to be more difficult to clean when we fire it back up in the Spring.
Ice retrieval
The cube ice maker also has the ability to pull a bucket of ice out to dump in a cooler compared to using a small scoop to empty the nugget ice maker. This scoop is small, and it’s perfect for a single drink, but it’s not the tool I’d choose if you’re trying to load a cooler with it.
Scoop Storage
Like I’ve mentioned, we’ve been using the cube ice maker since 2020, and for the past 6 years, I’ve had to regularly go fishing for the scoop that inevitably gets buried under a pile of ice. I love that the new nugget ice machine has a place to store the scoop on the side wall. It’s a small upgrade but a huge one at the same time.
Cube or Nugget?
One thing we can weigh in on here is the cube vs. nugget debate. Here are some pros and cons to consider.
If you’re planning on using this to entertain guests in the backyard, either will work, but people go crazy for the nugget ice vs. the cube ice. If I was just using it for keeping drinks cold in a glass during events, I’d go nugget all the way.
If you’re like us and using ice to keep coolers cold before traveling, the cube ice is great for that. We find that it lasts longer before melting, and if that’s a big consideration, it’s worth thinking about.
We’ve had a countertop nugget ice maker in the kitchen, and I have to admit that there are times that our guests will pass on the cube ice during a backyard party and come inside the house to get the nugget ice if they know it’s there. That’s one of the things that tells me nugget ice is for parties and everyday use, and cube ice is for coolers and keeping everything else cold. That’s the way I see it, and if you’re thinking about installing an ice machine in your outdoor kitchen, these are things to think through.
How to save money on an outdoor kitchen ice maker?
If you’d like VIP pricing on any outdoor kitchen gear from Renaissance Cooking Systems, just use the code “BBQLAB” at checkout to get the best price. We can help you save some money on your outdoor kitchen build, and after 6 years putting Renaissance Cooking Systems gear to the test, I can tell you that it’s withstood the test of time and abuse that we’ve given it.
Learn more about our outdoor kitchen build
- See how we saved thousands of dollars by building our own DIY outdoor kitchen.
- Learn the 10 things we got right in our DIY outdoor kitchen build (5 years later)
- See the 7 mistakes we wish we hadn’t made when we built our outdoor kitchen ourselves.
Quick Links to the products mentioned in this post:
- REFR3 (cube ice maker)- Use code BBQLAB for VIP Pricing
- REFR3A (nugget ice maker)- Use code BBQLAB for VIP Pricing
- Newair countertop nugget ice maker
