At first lift you notice a surprising heft—dense and balanced in your hands,the metal cool and slightly grainy under your palm. The Scotsman CU50PA-1, a renewed undercounter top‑hat ice maker, arrived with a brushed-steel face that catches light softly and a compact footprint that reads as intentionally tidy. You flip the lid and the plastic trim feels matte and snug; a low hum and a brief pump-click register as the unit wakes up, more mechanical than musical. Standing beside it, you find the seams and edges visually reassuring—clean joins, no loose trim—and the drip area sits flush enough that you only become aware of it when you run a hand across the front.
Spotting the CU50PA-1 in your space: how it reads at first glance
When you first spot the unit tucked beneath your counter it reads as a compact, purposeful appliance rather than a decorative piece — the front panel catches light and fingerprints in equal measure, the door handle sits where your hand expects it, and the venting at the bottom quietly signals its undercounter intent. Open the door and the ice bin is instantly legible: you can tell at a glance whether it’s full or needs a speedy shake to level the cubes, and the access angle makes brief, everyday interactions feel straightforward. In routine presence you tend to notice small maintenance habits more than big surprises — a quick wipe of the door, checking the floor beneath for stray drips now and then — and those little rituals shape how the machine feels in the room over time.
- Finish: shows wear patterns and cleaning frequency at a glance
- Access point: reveals how frequently enough you bend or reach during use
- Base/vent area: indicates where floor clearance and airflow matter most
| Visual cue | What it signals in everyday use |
|---|---|
| Front surface | how often you’ll touch and clean it |
| Proximity to other appliances | how much space you naturally give it while moving around |
This pre-owned or refurbished product has been professionally inspected and tested to work and look like new. How a product becomes part of Amazon Renewed, your destination for pre-owned, refurbished products: A customer buys a new product and returns it or trades it in for a newer or different model. That product is inspected and tested to work and look like new by Amazon-qualified suppliers.Then, the product is sold as an Amazon Renewed product on Amazon. If not satisfied with the purchase, renewed products are eligible for replacement or refund under the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Date First Available : August 27, 2019 Manufacturer : Scotsman ASIN : B07X1TZ4B8 Best sellers Rank: #16,031 in Appliances (See Top 100 in Appliances) #2,505 in Ice Makers customer Reviews: 2.4 2.4 out of 5 stars (2) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, “allowLinkDefault”: true , function (event) if (window.ue) ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) ); ); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, “allowLinkDefault” : true , function(event) if(window.ue) 0) + 1); ); );
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The stainless skin and inner parts you can touch: seams, hinges and overall build feel
When you run your hand over the outer skin you notice the brushed stainless texture and how it catches light differently depending on the angle.The seams where panels meet are mostly flush; at a few junctions there’s a slight lip you can feel with your fingertips, especially along the top edge where the door meets the body. The door hinge has a measured, steady action when you open and close it — there’s some resistance on the first pull and the swing stays true rather than wobbling. Small sensory details stand out during normal use: the finish will show fingerprints and water marks after handling, door edges feel rounded rather than sharp, and the handle area has the most frequent contact wear.
- Seams — generally even, with occasional narrow gaps you can detect by touch.
- Hinges — solid motion, low rattling, slight initial stiffness when cold.
- Surface texture — brushed finish that feels smooth but not slick when wet.
Inside, the parts you touch have a noticeably different tactile character: the ice bin and removable trays are molded plastic with smooth, rounded edges, while exposed metal panels near the evaporator feel cold and firm under your hand.Seams inside are sealed, even though you’ll find tiny creases and junctions where water and ice tend to collect if left between cleanings. The door gasket compresses predictably as you close it, giving a clear tactile cue that the seal is seated. In routine interaction you’ll handle the drain grate and access panels — they fit without looseness but some trim pieces have a little give if you press them; the areas behind the hinge can collect a bit more condensation, so you’ll notice dampness there more often than on flatter surfaces.
Tucking it under a counter: how it occupies your cabinet, clearances and scale
When you slide this ice maker under a counter it behaves like a shallow, boxy appliance that mostly hides behind the cabinet face while leaving its front accessible. The unit’s feet let you nudge its height to meet the underside of the countertop, and when set in place the door needs room to swing open so you can reach the ice bin without awkward angles. In practice that means the face and toe-kick area remain the primary access points; the back of the cabinet is where the drain hose and power cord want to escape, so you’ll often find yourself routing them through an existing service hole or making a small notch rather than trying to feed everything through the front. You’ll notice the grille and intake areas are exposed at the bottom front, so that space should not be blocked by a fixed panel or stored items.
Scale-wise it sits in the same family as small undercounter refrigeration gear but feels slightly more utilitarian in depth and height, so it can change how you use the surrounding cabinet space. Routine interactions—opening the door, scooping ice, or wiping the front—happen without pulling the unit out, though occasional forward movement is handy for reconnecting the drain or giving the rear a quick wipe. A few spatial points to keep in mind:
- Front: clearance for full door swing and toe-kick access
- Back: space for the drain hose and power cord to exit
- sides: small gaps for airflow and slight leveling room
These are the typical quirks you’ll adapt around while using it under a counter; you’ll probably end up shifting small things in the cabinet and making minor reach adjustments as part of the daily routine.
A shift of ice on a busy day: access, noise and the rhythm of routine use
On a busy shift you quickly learn the small choreography around the unit: open the door, reach in, scoop, close up and pause while the machine fills again. The access pattern becomes almost reflexive — you find a place to rest the scoop, nudge a few slotted cubes that have stuck together, or tilt the bin to make the next handful come free. Habitual interactions — wiping a damp rim, nudging the dispenser lip free of frost, or angling a tray under the outlet — slip into the routine without formal cleaning steps; they’re part of keeping the flow moving during peak periods. The front clearance, lid swing and how the bin presents the ice all register more as practical little frictions or conveniences in the moment than as features on a spec sheet.
Sound marks the rhythm as much as access does. From close up you’ll notice a low mechanical hum between harvests, a brief pump or water-trickle undercurrent during fills, and a sharper clack when cubes drop into the bin — those three notes form the day’s background tempo. In a loud back-of-house the noises blend into ambient machinery; in a quiet prep area the clacks feel more prominent and the pauses between harvests are easier to time by ear.Typical sounds you’ll notice:
- low continuous hum from the motor and compressor
- soft water movement or pump noise during fills
- distinct clacking when ice is released into the bin
These cues often become the way you time other tasks — grabbing a tray when the bin is full, pausing while the harvest finishes — and they shape how the unit fits into your working rhythm more than any single specification might suggest.
how it matches your needs and where it shows real limits in everyday use
Everyday fit shows up quickly: the unit settles into a under-counter niche and produces usable ice on a steady cadence during normal service, so typical grab-and-go rhythms run without frequent intervention. the presence of a pumped drain and an outdoor-capable finish reduces friction around where it can sit, and the ice-distribution and bin access are straightforward enough that loading glasses or pitchers becomes part of the usual flow rather than a chore. In routine interaction the machine will be noticed more for consistent cycles and a compact footprint than for dramatic performance spikes; simple habits — brief bin wipes after a busy shift, an occasional pause while the compressor recovers — become part of normal use rather than exceptional maintenance tasks.
Where limits appear tends to be in sustained, high-demand or marginal-environment situations. Production levels flatten during long, continuous runs and the ice in the bin can clump in warm, humid conditions, so activities that require a steady high output over several hours will expose that behavior.The pump that eases installation also introduces an extra mechanical element that can hum or need attention, and the compact service access means quick troubleshooting feels fiddly rather than convenient. Common, day-to-day observations include short cycling on very hot days, visible mineral spotting when water is hard, and a tendency for the bin to need intervening scoops to avoid compaction.
- Short event bursts: keeps pace initially, then shows longer recovery gaps.
- Outdoor or exposed spots: placement is easier but long-term exposure makes upkeep more visible.
- Hard-water areas: mineral buildup appears sooner and becomes a recurring presence.
See the full listing and specifications
Routine care and the small details you’ll live with: drain pump behavior, outdoor cues and service access
Once the machine is part of your daily rhythm you notice the drain pump as much by sound and timing as by sight. It tends to start with a short, slightly higher-pitched run right after harvest cycles and a faint gurgle when the water line finishes draining; in a quiet kitchen that pattern becomes familiar. If the unit lives outdoors or in an unconditioned space you’ll pick up additional cues — metal panels that feel colder to the touch, a change in cycle cadence on colder days, and the way airflow noises shift when leaves or dust collect near vents. you won’t be interacting with the pump constantly, but its little noises and the occasional soft vibration through the cabinetry are things you’ll recognize as part of normal presence rather than a one-off event.
Over time a few small realities shape how you manage the space around the ice maker: routing for the drain hose tends to dictate where you can put service access, the first run after a long idle can include a short burble as the line primes, and minor drips at a joint sometimes appear until fittings settle into place. You may find yourself glancing behind the access panel before calling someone, or brushing away debris from an exterior vent after windy days. A few helpful cues to note as they occur are:
- Gurgle during harvest — a predictable sound that usually coincides with the pump’s active draining.
- Short priming burble — more noticeable after long idle periods.
- Shift in fan or airflow noise — frequently enough signals external obstructions or temperature-related changes.
How It Settles Into Regular Use
Over weeks you notice the Scotsman CU50PA-1 Undercounter Top Hat Ice Maker - 65 lbs/Day, Pump Drain, Outdoor Rated, 115v (Renewed) moving from a new appliance to a familiar presence, something you open without much thought. It slides into the under-counter groove, shares space with glasses and a small collection of water spots on nearby surfaces, and its quiet pauses become part of the morning and evening rhythms.In daily routines it prompts little habits—a quick glance, the casual loading of a pitcher, the occasional wipe where fingers leave a faint trace—and that living-in feeling grows. After a while it simply stays and settles into routine.
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