I was skeptical of a luxury smart ice maker, but the results won me over

• GoveeLife's smart nugget ice maker makes 2.5 pounds of ice an hour.
• The bucket stores and keeps ice cool for hours.
• It has a premium price tag of $500.

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Several years ago, I spent more than $500 on a countertop ice maker. (No, I'm not ashamed to admit this.) My refrigerator made perfectly fine ice, but it wasn't the good ice, the soft, chewable nuggets you find at many fast food restaurants. That ice maker is still one of my favorite kitchen appliances, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I use it every single day I'm at home.

There are now several other entries in the "premium nugget ice maker" category, including an upgraded version of the one I have. A few weeks ago, though, I ...