AGLucky Ice Maker HZB-12/B In-depth Review

AGLucky is a brand name of Ningbo Rowan Electric Appliance based in China. They manufacture a wide range of ice makers including nugget ice makers and commercial ice machines. Other brands in the family are Antarctic Star, Free Village, and Kismile to name a few.

Key Specs

Where to Buy Price at publication $109.99

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Compared to Other Bullet Ice Makers

7.9 Performance

Although not the absolute best machine for ice capacity, the AGLucky HZB-12/B ranked as a very good runner-up. On average, it produces around 11 oz (304 g) of quality ice per hour. It took a little longer than some other machines to stabilize but, once it got into its ‘ice making groove’, it consistently made quite chunky bullets of at least 6 grams each.

Additionally, it produced the least amount of poor quality waste ice. This ranked the AGLucky HZB-12/B as a great machine for ice quality even compared to the Frigidaire EFIC189.

7.4 Ice Capacity Test: Fairly Good

We run all machines for three consecutive full basket tests. We note the time it takes to fill a basket, the weight of the ice produced, and we also remove poorly formed ice bullets.

The AGLucky HZB-12/B produced, as an average of these three tests, 16 oz (456 g) per basket within 90 minutes each. That translated to 10.7 oz (304 g) per hour or 16 lbs (7.3 kg) of ice per 24 hour period.

Our tests revealed what an average user can expect from the AGLucky HZB-12/B. If you are making ice to store, you will need to check up on your machine every hour and a half and you can expect to have around 16 oz (450 g) of excellent quality ice.

8.6 Ice Quality Test: Among the Best

The AGLucky HZB-12/B has proved to be one of the best machines we’ve tested for consistently good ice quality. It took slightly longer than average to stabilize, but regularly produced bullets of 6 grams or more, while many other machines are less than 5 grams. For the AGLucky HZB-12/B, you will have to wait about 50 minutes to an hour before the machine is really performing up to standard.

7.9 Design

The AGLucky HZB-12/B does stand out a little from other typical ice makers. It has a raised roof and control panel and the view window is a little smaller compared to other machines. We found the build quality of the plastic exterior to be good enough, but prone to scratching. Overall, the design and quality is acceptably good especially considering its excellent performance.

In The Box

• One ice maker machine
• One user manual
• Ice scoop
• Ice basket

Dimensions

8.2 Build Quality: Reasonable

The body of the AGLucky is a fairly lightweight type of plastic. While it is easy to keep clean, we did notice with extended use that the body is prone to scratching. The ice basket was a rather flimsy type of plastic, and not so great for ice scooping. Other than that, we encountered no quality issues. The overall build quality was a close match to the performance score.

9.0 Panel Design: Nicely Raised

The compromise to a smaller view panel and less internal visibility is actually an easy to see raised control panel. The back half of the machine is raised slightly and the controls sit more or less in the middle. This is a nice user-friendly design, but the control panel itself is minimally sized, almost identical to the Frigidaire EFIC 189.

7.1 Lid Design: Insulation Poor

The lid quality and insulation is important on an ice maker, especially if you are making ice for use throughout the day. Countertop bullet ice makers do not have a refrigerated compartment for storing ice.

Before running our ice capacity test, we leave each machine to run overnight for 8 hours and examine the ice condition the following morning.

The lid of the AGLucky may look good, but on closer inspection the insulation design appeared not so great. The wide, flat joinings seemed to take away from its effectiveness. Our overnight ice melt test also proved the AGLucky HZB-12/B to have a poor level of ice quality retention.

7.0 Ice Basket: Very Generic

The ice basket of the AGLucky seems to be a generic design that easily fits a lot of similar ice makers. It’s a cheap and somewhat flimsy plastic identical to that of the Silonn. Additionally, the basket size is a bit short which creates a somewhat uncomfortable leverage for ice scooping.

Water Reservoir: Standard Volume

The water reservoir of the AGLucky is a fairly average size of a countertop ice bullet maker. Generally, you can get about three baskets of ice from the reservoir before refilling. The reservoir is white like any other ice maker, and the water level mark is likewise also white and somewhat difficult to see.

Drainage Plug

The drainage plug is a minor yet important part of an ice machine. The plug is made from silicone and is attached to a harder plastic tether which hooks out of the way up against the body when draining water.

Ice Scoop

Cord and Plug

The electric power cord of the AGLuck HZB-12/B is a standard 71 inches (1.8 m) and colored black. It’s a good length for a low-powered kitchen appliance and comes with an earthed 3-pronged plug.

7.8 Usability

The AGLucky is a very practical machine. We liked the raised control panel design and the buttons have good traction. The view window is smaller than some similar machines, but you can easily see the ice inside.

For ice scooping, the ice tray is a generic standard and could be improved. The outside of the machine is easy to keep clean, but it tends to scratch easily. For troubleshooting or deep cleaning, you need to bend over a little if you need to view the ice rods.

7.5 Ease of Use: Could be Better

The AGLucky HZB-12/B has a nicely raised control panel positioned just behind the transparent view window. Similar in size to the Frigidaire EFIC 189, the panel is quite compact if not a little cramped, but the button traction was really good.

The view of the ice rods is also somewhat obscured, but you can get a good view if you bend down. 

In terms of design and material quality, the ice basket could be a little wider for better scoop leverage. Additionally, the flimsy plastic of the basket and its shorter length makes scooping feel cramped, especially for the final few scoops.

8.1 Noise: Not an Issue

The AGLucky HZB-12/B claims a noise level of 40 dB, but this is generally for making small ice bullets. For large ice bullet making, we measured an average fan sound of 67.7 dB. This is an easily tolerated noise level and the third quietest machine we tested after the Frigidaire and Euhomy.

8.5 Cleaning: Easy Enough

For internal cleaning, the white colored tank is much the same as any other ice maker. It is easy to wipe around and the water guard removes without any hassle. It's advisable to clean the guard in a bleach solution every now and then.

Before you clean your ice maker, you need to first drain out the water. The AGLucky has a soft silicone drainage plug with a well-designed comfortable fit.

The advertised ‘self-cleaning’ function really just sucks up water from the tank and flushes it through the ice making mechanism. It’s better to clean the tank first before running this function.

The ice rods, on the other hand, are not as easily visible as some other machines like the Frigidaire or the Kismile ice maker which has a hood that lifts up. Good visibility is useful for troubleshooting and periodic cleaning of the rods, especially if you live in a hard water area or don't use filtered water.