Head-to-head · Best Portable Ice Makers

Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 Nugget vs GE Profile Opal 2.0

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

GE Profile Opal 2.0 comes out ahead by a clear margin (3.7 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Nugget-ice devotees who want soft chewable ice and app scheduling, and who will keep up with cleaning a premium countertop appliance. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #4 in Best Portable Ice Makers

Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 Nugget

3.7

3 sourcesall derived$288.97as of Aug 1

The Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 is the budget route to nugget ice, making chewable Sonic-style pellets at a fraction of the GE Opal's price with a high 44 lbs/day output. Reviewers are candid about what that costs you: it is loud, its pellets are harder than the Opal's, and it carries a low 3.1-star Amazon average with real durability complaints. Buy it if you want nugget ice cheaply and will accept the reliability and noise risks.

Strengths

— Makes chewable Sonic-style nugget ice for far less than the GE Opal
— High 44 lbs/day output with restaurant-style nuggets in ~15 minutes
— Clean, neutral-tasting ice from good filtration

Watch-outs

— Loud, with irregular growling operation noise
— Low 3.1-star Amazon average and notable durability complaints
— Nuggets are harder than the GE Opal's softer pellets

$288.97 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Portable Ice Makers

GE Profile Opal 2.0

4.5

3 sourcesall derived$515.56as of Jul 31

The GE Profile Opal 2.0 is the nugget-ice pick: soft, chewable, Sonic-style ice rather than the hard bullets or clear cubes the rest of this group makes. CNN Underscored ran it for two months and called it whisper quiet, and Reviewed rates the ice clean-tasting and the SmartHQ scheduling genuinely useful. It is the most expensive maker here and it needs regular descaling.

Strengths

— Soft, chewable nugget ice that no other maker in this group produces
— Around 44 dB, quiet enough to leave running in a kitchen
— First nuggets in 10-15 minutes and up to 38 lbs a day

Watch-outs

— Expensive at $450-600, several times the cost of a bullet maker
— Sustained output trails bullet makers despite the fast first batch
— Needs regular cleaning and descaling to stay reliable

$515.56 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 Nugget

The budget nugget-ice maker, offering the same chewable format as the premium GE Profile Opal 2.0 but with harder pellets, more noise, and weaker reliability. Its higher daily output beats the Opal on volume, but it lacks the Opal's quiet operation and smart features. It makes a different ice type from the bullet Frigidaire EFIC189 and Magic Chef MCIM22SV and the clear-cube Frigidaire EFIC452-SS.

GE Profile Opal 2.0

The only premium nugget maker among the top picks, and a different product from the hard bullet ice of the Frigidaire EFIC189 and Magic Chef MCIM22SV or the clear cubes of the Frigidaire EFIC452-SS. The budget Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 also makes nugget ice, but with noise and durability complaints the Opal avoids.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Frigidaire Gallery EFIC255 Nugget	GE Profile Opal 2.0
Ice Type	Nugget (chewable)	Nugget (chewable)
Output	Up to 44 lbs/day	Up to 38 lbs/day
First Batch	~15 minutes	10-15 minutes
Bin Capacity	3 lbs	3 lbs
Self-Cleaning	Yes (auto)	—
Noise	Loud (growling)	Quiet (~44 dB)
Owner Rating	3.1 stars (Amazon)	—
Warranty	1 year	1 year
Water Supply	Side tank + onboard reservoir	Side tank + onboard reservoir
Cycle Time	10-15 minutes	—
Footprint	Compact countertop	—
Controls	LED touch	—
Features	See-through lid, exterior drain	—
Dimensions	16.75"D x 11.75"W x 20.25"H	17.5"D x 13.43"W x 16.5"H
Wattage	500 watts	360 watts
Connectivity	—	Wi-Fi (SmartHQ app)

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