Spent $800 on a used commercial ice machine off Craigslist... now I get why restaurants never buy retail

3 comments

3 Comments

Bought a used bread slicer from a diner closing down three years ago. Thing weighs like 400 pounds and the blade guard is held on with zip ties but it cuts perfect every time. My neighbor got a brand new home model for Christmas and it broke after two months. There's this whole parallel economy of commercial gear that regular people never see. Refrigerators meant to run 24/7 for a decade vs. the shiny one at Best Buy that dies right after the warranty.

brianreed17d ago

400 pounds just for bread slices? That seems a bit much honestly.

max_hernandez2715d ago

Yo man that's the thing nobody talks about. The commercial stuff is built for abuse, not for looks. That ice machine probably has a real compressor, real copper lines, real insulation. The home Depot special uses a tiny rotary compressor and plastic parts that crack in two years. I fixed a commercial ice machine once, everything was serviceable with standard tools. Try fixing a modern home ice maker, good luck, you're throwing the whole thing out. That $800 is cheap for years of reliability, bet it churns out ice like a monster.