Hello! In this article, I will share our honest opinion about the Silonn Slim24b nugget ice maker for those who are wondering if it is worth buying in 2025. This is one of the best-selling nugget ice makers on the market, so we decided to buy it and put it to the test to see if it really lived up to its popularity.
Not only did we put it through its paces, but we also compared it to the competition as we have been testing other top-rated countertop ice makers as well. We have been using and testing these machines for over 3 years, so you can be sure that our review will be solid as it will be based on our own hands-on experience.
Read on to learn all the necessary information about this machine. At the end, I will give you our final thoughts and you will know if it is the right one for you or if you should keep looking at other options.
Silonn Slim24b First Impressions and Operation
This machine, just as you can see in the photos, is simply beautiful. We loved that it’s all dark, even on the inside, which isn’t exactly black like the outside but rather dark grey. Most of the machines we’ve tested are always white, or almost white, on the inside. It’s not a determining factor, but we know that light colors tend to end up showing more of any stains or marks that develop over time. The other aspect we liked about its design was its size. It’s quite compact, so it doesn’t take up much counter space. And although we noticed that it’s a bit taller than most machines we’ve tested so far, its height seemed quite acceptable to us. So we think it could fit quite nicely under any cabinet.
Countertop ice makers have always been known for being very easy to use. But, nugget ice makers are definitely the ones that take the prize for ease of use above the rest. To operate this one you only need one button (in fact, the only one it has). With it you turn the machine on and off, and you can also activate the self-cleaning mode by pressing it for a few seconds. To make things even easier for you, a light around this button lights up in 4 different colors. One color to indicate when ice production is running, a second one to let you know when the basket is full, a third one to tell you when you need to add more water, and the last one to indicate when the self-cleaning function is running. Easy to use is an understatement with this machine.
Ice Cube Style and Production Speed
Are you, like us, a fan of the soft, chewy ice that they serve in those fast food restaurants’ drinks? Well, that’s the kind of ice this machine produces. More commonly known as nugget, pebble, pellet, or even sonic ice. Favored by many for its soft, easy-to-chew texture, and its nature to absorb the flavor of drinks. This type of ice is not only great for drinks like smoothies, blended cocktails, iced teas, sodas, etc…but also, thanks to its moldable shape, it’s great for preserving food in coolers, or even for use in ice packs used for treatments.
The speed at which this machine produces this delicious ice is incredibly amazing. In less than 10 minutes you will start to see the first nuggets of ice. And, unlike other machines where you can choose the size of ice, and where a batch is dispensed every so often, in this one, the size of ice is only one and it keeps dispensing constantly. Under normal conditions, with an ideal temperature (70°F), half of the ice basket is filled in about 45 minutes. And it is completely filled in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Don’t worry about 70°F, though. This machine can also work with even higher temperatures. Of course, the production speed will be a little slower, but we guarantee that the quality of the ice will still be top notch.
Silonn Slim24b Storage and Production Capacity
Okay, I’m going to be very honest here. One of the main features that ice makers manufacturers generally like to highlight is how much ice their machines can produce in a day (i.e., 24 hours). This one, like most of its kind (nugget type), can supposedly produce 33 pounds of ice in 24 hours. If your ice demands are high, either because you have a large family or because you simply need a lot of ice on a regular basis, this amount of ice may seem like enough.
But, and this is where we get really serious. The water tank on this machine, with a capacity of 1.1 liters of water, is one of the smallest you’ll find on a countertop ice maker. On the other hand, the ice basket can hold up to 1.8 pounds at a time (not among the largest capacity, but not among the smallest either), and it fills up in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
So, if we take these numbers into account, we could safely say that this machine would not only be able to produce such a quantity of ice in a single day, but it would be able to do so in much less than 24 hours. But honestly, for you, my friend who consumes a lot of ice: you would have to refill water and empty ice constantly for many hours, if not to obtain such a quantity of ice, then at least to get close to it. Would you really have the time and patience to do such a task? But for you, my friend who consumes little ice or only needs it for certain occasions, both the storage and production capacity of this machine should be more than enough.
Performance and Noise Level
As we mentioned at the beginning, and as we usually do with every machine we test, this one was really put through its paces for about 4 months. In these tests we focused on checking, more than anything, everything that has to do with the overall performance of the machine. From everything that involves the ice making process, to everything that involves the correct functioning of each of its operating functions. The main purpose of these tests is to check that everything (and I mean everything) with the machine in question not only works perfectly well right out of the box, but continues to do so even after several weeks of use and long hours of uninterrupted work.
Fortunately, we are pleased to say that this machine successfully passed each and every one of the tests it was subjected to. Therefore, our expectations were not only met but also exceeded.
As for the sound that the machine makes while it is working, we honestly have to say that it is not even remotely among the quietest ones we have tested. But don’t worry! We are not saying that it is a noisy machine either. Of course you will hear it while it’s working, especially if you’re close to it. But based on our personal experience, we can assure you that the sound it makes is totally acceptable. So, if you were worried that it might disrupt your daily routine, don’t be, it won’t do that.
Smart Functions And Ice Preservation
As is common in most modern ice makers today, this one features an automatic shut-off system that activates once the sensors located on the top edge of the basket detect when the ice level has reached its maximum capacity. This feature is super useful as it not only saves you from constantly checking when the basket has been filled up, but it also helps prevent the machine from trying to forcefully continue working when it doesn’t need to.
But these sensors don’t just help stop production. Once the ice level in the basket has decreased, either because you removed it or because it has started to melt, the sensors will also detect this and this will cause the machine (of course, as long as there is water in the reservoir) to restart ice production again.
And speaking of melting, it’s important to know that countertop ice makers don’t keep ice frozen indefinitely like a freezer would. That means that if you leave it in the machine it will eventually melt. The good news, though, is that nugget ice makers are usually well insulated. Therefore, they can keep ice frozen for quite a while. This is super convenient since you have plenty of time to use the ice, or transfer it to the freezer after it’s made. Something you can’t do with bullet ice makers, for example, because not only does the ice they produce melt quickly, but they also have very poor insulation.
Convenient Drainage and Portability
Another feature that this machine has in common with most countertop ice makers is a water drain port at the bottom. This port is covered by a plug, which, by the way, has been a bit tedious to remove in other machines we’ve had that also have a similar one. But luckily, in this one, as in other nugget ice makers we’ve tested, this plug is designed in a more comfortable way for a better grip and easier removal.
Either way, this water drain feature is super important, as it not only helps simplify cleaning and maintenance of the machine, but it also helps prevent mold and bacteria from building up inside due to moisture.
But there is another rather useful feature that also makes cleaning the machine easier. The top can be completely disassembled along with the lid. This way, the small reservoir (where the water is pumped) can be easily accessed for cleaning when necessary.