Silonn Nugget Ice Maker SLIM24B Review: budget-friendly way to get that soft ‘good ice’ at home

I picked up the Silonn Nugget Ice Maker (model SLIM24B, the 33 lb black version) because my fridge ice maker died and I was tired of dealing with ice trays. I also really like that soft “hospital/fast food” nugget ice, and this is one of the cheaper machines that promises that style. I’ve been using it daily on my kitchen counter for a bit, mainly for iced coffee, water bottles, and the occasional evening drink.

In practice, this is a pretty straightforward machine: you fill the tank with water, hit one button, and a few minutes later the first batch of pebble-style ice starts dropping into the basket. It’s not restaurant-level output, but for a couple of people it’s enough to keep up if you plan a little. I usually run it for a few hours, then dump the ice into a bag in the freezer so I’ve always got a stash.

What stood out right away: the ice texture is actually soft and chewable like they claim, not solid bullet cubes. The unit is more compact than some nugget makers I’ve seen, but it’s still a chunky appliance to leave on the counter. Noise-wise, it’s not unbearable, but if you hate fan noise you’re going to notice it when the compressor kicks in. It’s more like a small dehumidifier than a quiet fridge hum.

Overall, my first impression is that it’s a pretty solid budget nugget ice machine with some trade-offs: you get good ice and easy operation, but you’re living with fan noise, regular refilling, and the usual reliability lottery you get at this price. It gets the job done for everyday home use, but it’s not some heavy-duty commercial unit you forget about for 10 years.

On price, the Silonn SLIM24B usually sits in the lower to mid range of nugget ice makers. Full-blown nugget machines from big brands (GE Profile, etc.) can cost two to three times more, sometimes more than that. Those often have built-in water lines, bigger bins, and sometimes better insulation. On the flip side, there are cheaper cube-style ice makers that don’t do real nugget ice but still give you small bullet cubes. So this Silonn sits in that middle spot: more expensive than basic cube machines, cheaper than the big-name nugget units.

For what you pay, you’re getting: soft chewable ice, simple one-button operation, self-cleaning mode, and a reasonably compact footprint. You’re not getting: long-term proven reliability, silent operation, or a refrigerated storage bin. If you factor that in, the value is decent. If you specifically want nugget ice, this is one of the more budget-friendly ways to get it without going into luxury territory. Compared to just buying bags of ice, it will eventually pay for itself if you go through a lot each week.

Where value slips a bit is if you don’t really care about nugget texture. If you just need ice because your fridge maker died, a cheaper bullet ice machine will cost less and still handle daily drinks fine. The premium here is mostly for the texture and feel of the ice. Also, the Amazon rating around 4.1/5 with several thousand reviews tells you it’s generally well-received but not flawless—there are enough 1–2 star reviews about units arriving dead or failing early that you have to accept some risk.

So in my opinion, value is good but not mind-blowing. If you or someone in your house really likes chewable nugget ice, it’s worth the money and feels like a fair trade-off. If ice is just frozen water to you and you don’t care about texture, you can save cash with a simpler machine or even just use trays and a chest freezer. This one makes sense when you specifically want that “good ice” experience without jumping to the high-end brands.

Design-wise, the Silonn SLIM24B is on the cleaner side. The black finish hides fingerprints decently and doesn’t scream “cheap plastic” from a distance. It’s not luxury, but it looks fine next to a black or stainless coffee maker. The footprint is about 11.3"D x 12.91"W x 8.9"H according to the specs, which is compact for a nugget ice maker, but let’s be honest: it’s still a fairly big box to park permanently on a counter, especially in a small kitchen or apartment.

The detachable top is actually useful. You can pop it off to access the water reservoir and the ice area more easily when you want to deep clean or wipe things down. Some machines force you to reach into awkward corners; this one is better in that regard. The lid is clear enough that you can see how much ice is in the basket without opening it every time, which helps keep things colder and a bit less noisy.

The front-facing controls and indicator lights are simple but well placed. From a few meters away I can see if it’s out of water (red light) or if the ice bin is full. That lines up with what one reviewer liked: you don’t need to stand over it to check its status. There’s no option for different nugget sizes on this model, unlike some cube machines that offer “small” and “large” bullets, so what you see is what you get in terms of ice size.

On the downside, the design doesn’t hide the fact that this thing has a compressor and fan. Venting is on the sides and back, so you need to leave some space around it. If you shove it into a tight corner, it’ll run hotter and probably be louder. Also, at about 20.8 pounds, it’s light enough to move but not something you’ll want to drag in and out of a cabinet every day. Design verdict: practical and fairly compact for what it is, but still a noticeable presence on your counter. If you’re already tight on space, you’ll feel it.

Durability on these countertop ice makers is always a bit of a gamble, and the Silonn SLIM24B is no exception. Physically, the casing feels decent: not super thick, but not flimsy toy plastic either. The lid and basket fit well, and nothing feels loose or about to snap when you open and close it. At around 20.8 pounds, it’s light enough to move but heavy enough that it doesn’t scream “disposable gadget.” That said, the real question is the compressor and pump, and that’s harder to judge in a short period.

Looking at other users’ feedback helps. There are people saying theirs is still going strong after about a year of near-daily use, which is reassuring. At the same time, you’ve got the occasional horror story: one buyer said theirs arrived and never made ice at all—just circulated water—and another mentioned a unit dying exactly one day before the warranty expired. The positive side of that story is that Silonn’s customer service apparently replaced it quickly after they sent a short video, which is good, but it also shows these units can fail suddenly.

In practice, if you run it a lot in summer and give it a break in cooler months, I’d expect a couple of years out of it, maybe more if you’re lucky and keep it clean. Running the self-clean mode regularly and descaling with vinegar or proper cleaner like one reviewer does every two weeks should help. Letting it breathe (not cramming it into a tight shelf) will also help the compressor run cooler and probably live longer.

So I’d rate durability as acceptable for the price, but not bulletproof. This is not a built-in $2,000 nugget ice machine that will last a decade. It’s a few-hundred-dollar countertop appliance with a decent track record and a visible number of failures. If you buy it, keep your receipt, register the warranty if possible, and test it heavily in the first weeks so any defects show up while you’re still covered.

Performance is where this thing either makes sense for you or not. Silonn claims up to 33 lbs of ice per 24 hours and first ice in about 6 minutes. In real use, that 6-minute figure is for the very first small batch of nuggets. Don’t expect a full basket that fast. It’s more like: first small handful in a few minutes, then it steadily drops ice over the next couple of hours until the bin fills up. For daily use, I usually let it run for 1–2 hours and that’s enough ice for several large drinks or to refill a freezer bag.

For a couple or small family, the output is fine. One reviewer mentioned it easily covering 6–8 drinks a day in the summer, and that matches my experience. If you’re a heavy ice person (big tumblers, all-day iced coffee, kids constantly refilling), you’ll want to either run it longer or accept that it won’t keep up with a huge crowd in real time. This is more of a “make ice ahead and store it” machine than a “serve 15 people at once” machine.

Noise is where opinions split. Silonn calls it low-noise. I’d call it tolerable but noticeable. When the fan and compressor are running, it’s similar to a range hood on low or a portable AC on its quietest setting. It’s not constant hammering, but the cycles are obvious. If your kitchen is open to your living room and you’re sensitive to fan noise, you will hear it while watching TV. If you’re used to white noise from appliances, it’s probably fine. One Amazon reviewer even said if you hate the sound of the stove fan, this may bother you, and I agree.

One more point: this doesn’t store ice in a freezer compartment. The bin is insulated, but not refrigerated, so if you leave ice sitting in there all day it will slowly melt. The machine reuses that water to make more ice, so it’s not wasted, but if you want a big stash that doesn’t shrink, you have to move the ice to your freezer. Performance overall: it gets the job done for normal home use, but it’s not magic. Plan ahead a bit, accept the fan noise, and you’ll be fine. Expect it to behave like a built-in fridge ice maker, and you’ll be disappointed.

Out of the box, the Silonn SLIM24B is pretty simple. You get the machine, a removable ice basket, a small plastic scoop, and a basic user manual. No water line, no fancy accessories. Setup is literally: unbox, remove a bit of tape and foam, let it sit upright for a while so the refrigerant settles, then fill it with water and hit the button. I didn’t need to look at the manual much beyond checking the cleaning mode and indicator lights.

The front panel is as simple as the listing suggests. You’ve got a big power/start button, some indicator lights for ice-making, cleaning, water level, and a full ice basket. No screen, no app, no timers. Personally, I like that. Less to break. The status lights are bright enough that you can see from across the room if it’s out of water or if the bin is full. That matches what some Amazon reviewers mentioned: you don’t have to walk over and poke at it to know what’s going on.

The stated capacity is 33 lbs per day, which sounds big but in real life it just means: if you let it run for most of the day and keep emptying the basket into the freezer, you’ll end up with a decent pile of ice. The internal bin itself isn’t huge. It’s fine for a couple of people or a small family, but if you’re hosting 10+ people and everyone wants full cups of nugget ice at once, you’ll need to start making ice hours before or supplement with store-bought bags.

Overall, the product presentation is very “no nonsense”: it looks like what you see in the listing, it’s easy to get going, and there aren’t any hidden tricks. If you’re expecting a plug-and-forget built-in fridge style machine, this isn’t it. It’s more of a countertop appliance you interact with regularly: refill water, empty ice, run cleaning mode every so often, and occasionally wipe it down with vinegar or cleaner like other buyers mentioned.

The main question with any nugget ice maker is simple: is the ice actually that soft, chewable stuff people obsess over, or is it just small hard cubes pretending to be special? On this Silonn model, I’d say the ice is pretty close to the “good ice” people talk about. The nuggets are small, irregular pellets that pack nicely in a cup. They have more air in them than solid cubes, so they crunch easily and don’t feel like you’re biting rocks.

In drinks, the ice chills things fast because of the extra surface area. For iced coffee and tea, that’s great—you get a cold drink quickly. The trade-off is that it melts faster than big solid cubes. One reviewer’s kids said it melts quickly, and that’s true if you use it in a regular glass and sip slowly. If you use a decent insulated tumbler (Stanley, Yeti, etc.), the ice lasts way longer and the fast cooling is a plus. For cocktails, it’s nice if you like a bit of dilution; if you want super slow-melting ice for whiskey, this is the opposite of that.

Chewability is where it shines. If you or someone in your house likes chewing ice—like the reviewer who bought it for their anemic mom who lives on pellet ice—this stuff is satisfying without wrecking your teeth like hard cubes. It’s softer but not mushy. I’d put it a notch firmer than Sonic-style ice, but in the same ballpark. It feels consistent too; I didn’t notice big differences from batch to batch once the machine was up to temperature.

So in terms of effectiveness for what it’s supposed to do—make soft chewable nugget ice—it does the job well. It’s not perfect restaurant-grade ice, and it’s not miracle ice that never melts, but for home drinks, water bottles, and casual cocktails, it’s genuinely pleasant. If you’re buying this mainly for texture and chew factor, you’ll probably be happy. If you’re expecting ultra-clear, rock-hard cubes, this is the wrong type of machine anyway.