I don't consider something a liquid to drink if it lacks ice. This machine works great and I love it dearly. I just was tortuted by a more expense NewAir Unit that ran 10 days, then it eventual replacement that was "Refurbished" to which I objected but got anyway. After the "runaround circuit of misery" by NewAir? The eventual Refurb "New Unit" arrived D.O.A. It turned on but the arms would not turn just like the junk unit I bought new. I finally bought this "Igloo- The Wirecutter Recommendation". I LOVE IT!!!It just keeps WORKING AND WORKING CRANKING OUT REALLY NICE ICE. Buy THIS ONE. Please read their EXCELLENT User's Manual. It's highly informative: tells you what to expect, troubleshooting tips, how to use the self-cleaning (easy) feature. It does take a very few minutes of no sounds before you hear it working this is normal. A tip I received from people experienced in buying ice machines: Get the extended warranty. I bought it for 3 years. I realized what a bargain and convenience this unit was compared to the cost and hauling of bagged ice. This wonderful machine also weighs 1/3 of the NewAir garbage. BUY THIS ONE!Update 2 years later: I bought this 12/21. Have used it 24/7 365 to perfection! Now close to two years later it malfunctioned and stopped making ice. The "people in the know" who said "always buy an extended warranty on an ice-maker were right! The warranty people are picking up the device from my home tomorrow for free and issuing me an Amazon credit for the full price to buy a new one. Honestly? Even for the time it worked perfectly non-stop it was worth the $145 or so I paid for it even if I wasn't getting a new one. The dependability and non-stop availability of ice nonstop without having to spend a cent on a bag and lug it around, then have it take precious space in. my freezer was divine.I am left with one confusion: My machine is the "Original Aqua (it might mention the arm) now at $172.00 (approx) I can pay the difference. But the page pulls up the $99 unit "Aqua Arm" or "with Aqua Arm." I would rather pay less, but in reading the reviews they were better for the more expensive unit I had, and the model numbers are similar but different: It is ICEB26HNAQ vs IGLICEB26HNAQ (Higher Price vs Lower Price) but I don't want to be a dummy and pay more if I don't need to, so I'll check with Igloo first comparing motors and here comparing dimensions. I don't want to screw up getting a machine that delivered beyond my wildest dreams because cash is tight. I retried the NewAir junk. It still never worked. I hate that company for charging more, delivering a dud and replacing it with a dud. They robbed me of about $200.00 and tortured me. Never had a functional machine. Stay away from New Air, they are thieves that make broken machines and run an unethical operation. I will bring this up every chance I get as I've never bought and been stuck and replaced and stuck with a lemon buying from ANY company. New Air are "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" as the song goes and are the more expensive choice! They cannot even begun to be compared to Igloo!