Reviews
GE Opal, First Generation (OPAL01)
Slower and heavier than the 2.0, and the most completely documented machine in this category. It is also the reason half the Opal numbers online are wrong.
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Quick picks
| # | Machine | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo GE Profile OPAL01 Nine specifications on one page, which nothing else in this category manages. | Best documented |
#ad We earn a commission on purchases made through this link. How this is funded. Prices last checked September 2, 2026.
The most complete spec table in this category
| Spec | GE Profile OPAL01 |
|---|---|
| Model | OPAL01 |
| Ice type | Nugget |
| Rated output | 24 lbs/day [src] |
| Rated output per hour | Not published |
| Bin capacity | 3 lbs [src] |
| Published power | Not published |
| Nameplate current | 2.5 A [src] |
| Voltage | 120 V [src] |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 10.5" W x 14" D x 17" H [src] |
| Weight, empty | 44 lbs [src] |
| Clearance required | 3" [src] |
| Operating range | 55F to 90F [src] |
| Refrigerant | Not published |
| Noise | Not published |
| Warranty | Not published |
| Max $/mo | $6.48(nameplate) |
Nine values on one page: voltage and frequency, current, ice storage capacity, ice-making rate, dimensions, installation clearance, operating environment and empty weight, plus the model designation. Nothing else in this category comes close, and a 2017 document published by a GE skunkworks is still the benchmark for what a manufacturer ought to print.
The operating environment figure — 55F to 90F — is the standout. No other manufacturer we read publishes one, and it answers a question people genuinely have about garages, sunrooms and RVs.
Why this machine confuses everyone
GE's current, public Opal support specification page publishes 2.5 A, 24 pounds per day and 3 pounds of capacity, without naming a model. Those are precisely this machine's figures.
So a shopper looking for Opal specifications lands on GE's support page, reads 24 lbs a day, and compares it against a retail listing for the 2.0 saying 38. The conclusion is usually that somebody is exaggerating. Nobody is. One page has not been updated. The full account is on Opal versus Opal 2.0.
Running cost
2.5 A at 120 V is a 300 VA nameplate. At four running hours a day and 18 cents per kWh that is 36 kWh a month and a ceiling of $6.48 — about $1.30 a month less than the 2.0, for about a third less ice. Per pound of ice, the 2.0 is the more efficient machine on the published numbers.
Who should buy this
- Buy it if it is meaningfully cheaper than a 2.0 and 24 lbs a day covers your household. For two people, it does.
- Skip it if you are paying near 2.0 money. You would be buying a slower, heavier machine for the same outlay.
- Skip it if you need to move it often. 44 lbs empty is the heaviest machine in our comparison, over 6 lbs more than the 2.0.
The picks in full
1. Best documented
GE Profile Opal Nugget Ice Maker (first generation)
The original 2017 machine. Slower and heavier than the 2.0, and the reason half the numbers on the internet about 'the Opal' are wrong.
- Rated output
- 24 lbs/day
- Bin capacity
- 3 lbs
- Electrical
- 2.5 A at 120 V (300 VA nameplate)
- Ceiling at 4 hrs/day, $0.18/kWh
- $6.48/month (from the nameplate ceiling)
#ad We earn a commission on purchases made through this link. How this is funded. Prices last checked September 2, 2026.
This manual is the most completely specified document of any machine here: voltage, current, rate, bin, dimensions, clearance, operating temperature range and empty weight, all on one page.
It is also the source of the confusion. GE's public support specification page repeats these exact figures without naming a model, so people quote the 1.0's 24 lbs a day while shopping for the 2.0.
At 44 lbs empty it is over 6 lbs heavier than the 2.0. That matters if you plan to move it off the counter between uses.
Skip this if
You want the current machine. This is the first-generation unit and it is rated at 24 lbs a day against the 2.0's 38.
Questions people actually ask
How much ice does the original GE Opal make?
24 lbs per day, per the FirstBuild Opal Use & Care manual (Ver. 2/13/2017) for model OPAL01. The manual footnotes it: the actual quantity of ice produced will vary with environmental conditions.
Is the original Opal still worth buying?
Only at a real discount. It is rated at 24 lbs a day against the Opal 2.0's 38, and it weighs 44 lbs empty against the 2.0's 37.6. What it has over the 2.0 is the most complete published specification of any machine in this category, including an operating temperature range that no other manufacturer here publishes.
What temperature range does the Opal need to work in?
55F to 90F, per the OPAL01 manual. That is the only published operating range we found for any machine in this comparison, and it is genuinely useful: below 55F the machine struggles to run properly, and above 90F ice melts as fast as it is produced.
Sources
- FirstBuild Opal Use & Care manual, Ver. 2/13/2017, p.12 (read 2026-09-02)
- GE Appliances Opal support specification page (read 2026-09-02)
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 Owner's Manual 49-9000029 Rev. 6, p.17 (read 2026-09-02)
- EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, June 2026 (US residential average price) (read 2026-09-02)
Read next
- GE Opal vs GE Profile Opal 2.0
2.5 A versus 3.0 A, 24 lbs versus 38, 44 lbs versus 37.6. And the support page mix-up.
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 (XPIO13SCSS)
3.0 A, 38 lbs a day, 1.6 lbs an hour. The best-documented machine in the category.
- The Best Nugget Ice Makers
Six machines ranked on published specs, each with a sourced monthly running-cost ceiling.
- What a Nugget Ice Maker Costs to Run
Per-model monthly costs with the wattage sourced, the duty cycle stated and the arithmetic shown.
- How to Clean a Nugget Ice Maker
A cross-brand cleaning procedure, and the cleaning-versus-descaling distinction nobody draws.
- Why Are Nugget Ice Makers So Expensive?
One component explains the price gap: a motor-driven auger inside a refrigerated cylinder.