Quick Answer: Menards’ ice-maker selection is genuinely thin compared to every other retailer covered on this site — two generic budget countertop bullet-ice units around or under $60 (an Elite-branded model and a Hamilton Beach HBIC2912), and one ultra-premium KitchenAid panel-ready built-in ice maker priced near $2,700-2,900, with no confirmed GE Profile Opal, Frigidaire, or other nugget-ice brand in the lineup. Menards’ well-known “11% rebate” promotion can apply to appliances, but it pays out as mail-in store credit, not cash, and Menards only operates in about 14-15 Midwest and Great Plains states.
If chewable nugget ice is the goal, Menards isn’t really where this search should end — here’s the actual catalog, the rebate math, and the regional catch worth knowing before you drive to a Menards or click through on menards.com.
What Menards actually sells
| Brand / model | Ice type | Capacity | Price at Menards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite Portable Countertop Ice Maker (IM2401) | Bullet | About 26 lbs/day | Under $60 | Generic budget brand, seasonal promo pricing |
| Hamilton Beach Countertop Ice Maker (HBIC2912) | Bullet | About 26 lbs/day | Under $60 | Same price tier as the Elite unit |
| KitchenAid 15" Panel-Ready Built-In Ice Maker (KUIX515SPA / Juniper KUIX515SJP) | Clear cube | Undercounter, plumbed | About $2,700-2,900 | Premium built-in; comparable units list around $2,744-2,898 at Lowe's and Plesser's |
That’s the entire confirmed range: a rock-bottom bullet-ice tier and an ultra-premium built-in tier, with nothing in between. There’s no GE Profile Opal on the shelf the way there is at Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, and no Frigidaire EFIC lineup either — if the plan was to compare nugget-ice prices across big-box retailers, Menards simply isn’t in that race.
Budget bullet-ice tier (Elite / Hamilton Beach)
- An independent 30-day test of a similarly specced cheap countertop unit found real output well under the advertised 26 lbs/day — closer to 15-18 lbs/day in practice, according to a hands-on review at homevol.com.
- Ice came out wet and hollow rather than the dense, chewable nugget texture this site's flagship picks (like the GE Profile Opal 2.0) are built around.
- Reviewers flagged biweekly cleaning as necessary to avoid a slimy reservoir or plastic taste in the ice — a maintenance burden closer to a $60 appliance than a $350+ one.
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The 11% rebate: real credit, but not cash
Menards is famous for its “11% rebate” promotions, and they genuinely can apply to major appliances — including, during an active promo week, an ice maker. The catch is in the mechanics: it isn’t a discount at checkout or cash back. It pays out as Menards Merchandise Credit, a non-expiring store gift card that only spends at Menards. To get it, you have to save your receipt, fill out a paper rebate form, and mail both to a P.O. box in Elk Mound, Wisconsin within 30 days of purchase — then wait 6-8 weeks for the credit to arrive. Skip the mailer, and the “11% off” headline price never actually materializes. It’s a real savings mechanism for shoppers who follow through, not a discount that shows up automatically the way a coupon code would on Amazon or Walmart.com.
Return policy
Menards’ major-appliance return window is 90 days if the ice maker is unused and still in its original, unopened packaging, or 7 days if you’re returning a unit that’s been used and turns out to be defective. A receipt is required for either path. Standard in-stock merchandise returns don’t carry a restocking fee, which puts Menards roughly in line with the 90-day windows at Walmart and Target, and meaningfully longer than Best Buy’s 15-day policy — the return terms here aren’t the problem with shopping Menards for an ice maker; the thin nugget-ice selection is.
The Midwest-only catch
Menards operates about 355 stores across roughly 14-15 states — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — with no physical stores anywhere else in the country. Every other retailer covered on this site (Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy) has nationwide store coverage. Menards.com does ship many items outside that footprint, but the in-store pickup convenience and the rebate promotions that make Menards worth a special trip for Midwest shoppers don’t really translate into an online-only purchase from elsewhere in the country.
Best picks by budget
- Under $60 — Elite or Hamilton Beach countertop bullet-ice makers: The cheapest entry point at Menards, but expect wet, hollow bullet ice and real-world output below the advertised rate.
- About $2,700-2,900 — KitchenAid panel-ready built-in: A genuine premium undercounter clear-ice machine, but priced for a full kitchen remodel budget, not a casual ice upgrade.
- Everything in between — look elsewhere: For actual nugget ice at a reasonable price, see our best nugget ice maker roundup or the GE Profile Opal 2.0 review.
Menards ice maker shopping, by the numbers
| Metric | Figure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed nugget-ice models | 0 | No GE Profile Opal, Frigidaire, Euhomy, or Gevi listings found — unlike every other retailer this site has reviewed. |
| Budget countertop price | Under $60 | Cheapest entry point, but real-world output ran below the advertised 26 lbs/day in independent testing. |
| Rebate payout form | Mail-in store credit | The "11%" is Menards Merchandise Credit, not cash — requires a paper form and 6-8 week wait. |
| Standard appliance return window | 90 days | Unused, original packaging required; 7 days if defective after use. |
| Store footprint | ~14-15 states | Midwest/Great Plains only — no nationwide store network like its big-box rivals. |
The bottom line
Menards isn’t a real destination for nugget ice — its confirmed lineup tops out at generic sub-$60 bullet-ice makers with output that underperforms its own spec sheet, then jumps straight to a $2,700+ KitchenAid built-in with nothing in between. The 11% rebate is genuine savings if you actually mail the form and don’t mind store credit, and the 90-day return window is competitive, but the regional footprint and thin selection make this one of the weaker retailer options covered on this site. For the nugget ice people are usually searching for, Amazon or a dedicated appliance retailer is the faster path.