Ok...here's the skinny on this ice maker. As soon as it arrived, i cleaned it per manufacturer's instructions. ( i do.like the self cleaning cycle). After cleaning, i left it open on the counter to dry out overnight. I began making ice in the morning. It will make 8 large cubes every 7 minutes or the onboard basket full in 1 hour. I typically make ice once a week and keep it in a tub in the freezer. It took me 7 hrs to make a tub full!! My previous countertop icemakers only took about 4 hrs. ( If allowed, ill add photos). Overall, it does a nice job, aside from it being noisy..