Quick Answer: Perlick’s built-in ice makers split into clear ice (H50IMS/H50IMW, up to 55 lbs/24h, roughly $4,805-$5,338) and soft chewable ice that Perlick brands “cubelet” rather than “nugget” (HP15CU/H80CIMS, up to 80 lbs/24h, ~$5,510-$6,111). Both lines are UL-rated for outdoor installation as standard — not a special edition, the way Sub-Zero, Marvel, and U-Line each wall off a separate (often pricier) “Outdoor Collection” SKU.
If you searched “Perlick nugget ice maker” and came up empty, that’s a naming trap, not a missing product. Perlick — known mainly for outdoor-kitchen refrigeration and backbar equipment — calls its soft, chewable, nugget-shaped ice “cubelet” ice. Same bite, different word on the spec sheet.
The Perlick lineup at a glance
| Model | Ice type | Output | Storage | Outdoor-rated? | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H50IMS / H50IMW | Clear | Up to 55 lbs/24h | 27 lbs | Yes (UL-listed) | ~$4,805-$5,338 |
| HA15CI (older) | Clear | Up to 51 lbs/24h | 22 lbs | No | Discontinued/sold out |
| HP15CU / H80CIMS | Cubelet (nugget-style) | Up to 80 lbs/24h | 22 lbs | Yes (UL-listed) | ~$5,510-$6,111 |
Prices and availability per current AJ Madison, bbqguys, and ShoppersChoice listings, October 2026 — confirm against an authorized Perlick dealer before ordering, since hinge side, panel-ready vs. stainless finish, and drain-pump configuration all shift the final price.
Perlick H80CIMS (Signature Series Cubelet)
- Soft, chewable "cubelet" ice — the same shape and texture shoppers mean when they search "nugget ice," just under Perlick's own brand name for it.
- UL-listed for installation in an outdoor kitchen as well as indoors, built into the Signature Series as standard, per current bbqguys and ShoppersChoice spec listings.
- Backed by a 2-year full warranty on the unit; one retailer lists a separate 6-year parts-and-labor warranty specifically on the optional factory drain pump, starting from the pump's install date.
Get your ice maker in two days — try Amazon Prime free for 30 days for fast shipping on filters, drain line, and a backup bag of ice while a Perlick install is scheduled and plumbed.
Why “cubelet,” not “nugget”
Perlick’s own retailer listings are consistent on this: the soft-ice line is marketed as “cubelet” ice, never “nugget” ice, even though the shape and chew are the same soft, flake-compressed ice Sonic and Chick-fil-A fans are chasing. One retailer listing for an older panel-ready model even calls the ice “nugget-shaped” in its own description while the product name says “clear ice” — a sign that even dealers mix up Perlick’s terminology. If you’re cross-shopping Perlick against GE’s Opal line or EdgeStar, search Perlick’s own site and dealer listings for “cubelet,” not “nugget,” or you’ll come up empty on a brand that actually sells the product.
Outdoor-rated is the category norm now — Viking is the outlier
Buyers expecting Perlick’s outdoor UL rating to be a rare feature should know it isn’t: Sub-Zero’s UC-15IO, Marvel’s Outdoor Collection, and U-Line’s Outdoor Collection all carry the same rating today. What’s different about Perlick is that outdoor-rating isn’t a separate, pricier line at all — the Signature Series covers both clear and cubelet ice, indoor or out, under one catalog. The actual outlier among the premium brands this site has reviewed is Viking, whose only outdoor-rated nugget model (the FGNI515) is now discontinued and sold out, leaving its current nugget lineup indoor-only. See our Viking ice maker review for that story.
Perlick vs. the competition
- vs. Viking (closest premium peer, now indoor-only): Viking’s FNIU515D (65 lbs/24h nugget, ~$5,169-$5,529) is a comparable price, but its only outdoor-rated nugget model is discontinued — Perlick’s cubelet line stays outdoor-rated across the board. See our Viking ice maker review.
- vs. Sub-Zero (also ultra-premium, separate outdoor SKU): Sub-Zero’s UC-15IO (outdoor-rated, ~$4,655 MSRP) doesn’t publish an output figure, where Perlick’s outdoor-rated H80CIMS is rated up to 80 lbs/24h. See our Sub-Zero ice maker review.
- vs. U-Line (built-in specialist, own Outdoor Collection): U-Line’s UONB115 (Outdoor Collection, 90 lbs/24h nugget, ~$5,199) actually out-produces Perlick’s H80CIMS by 10 lbs/24h for a lower price — the highest-output outdoor nugget unit this site has found. See our U-Line ice maker review.
- vs. Marvel (built-in nugget alternative, own Outdoor Collection): Marvel’s MANP415-IS01A (65 lbs/24h nugget, from $2,280) undercuts Perlick’s cubelet pricing by roughly half, at a lower output ceiling. See our Marvel ice maker review.
- vs. GE Profile Opal 2.0 (countertop nugget): The Opal is a $429-549 plug-in countertop machine rated up to 38 lbs/day — far lower output, but no cabinetry cutout, no outdoor-rated install needed, and a fraction of the cost. See our GE Opal 2.0 review.
Perlick by the numbers
| Metric | Figure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Price range | ~$4,805-$6,111 | Per current AJ Madison, bbqguys, and ShoppersChoice listings — spans entry clear-ice to the cubelet flagship. |
| Outdoor UL rating | Standard, not a separate SKU | Sub-Zero, Marvel, and U-Line each sell outdoor-rating as a distinct line; Perlick's Signature Series carries it across the whole catalog. |
| Cubelet output | Up to 80 lbs/24h | Second-highest among outdoor-rated soft-ice units reviewed on this site, behind only U-Line's UONB115 (90 lbs/24h). |
Who should buy a Perlick ice maker?
Buy Perlick if you want high-output soft-chewable ice — 80 lbs/24h — with outdoor-rating built into the standard catalog rather than a separate, pricier SKU. Check U-Line’s UONB115 first if raw output is the only priority, since it rates 10 lbs/24h higher at a lower price. Skip Perlick if the install is strictly indoor and budget matters: Marvel and EdgeStar both undercut Perlick’s pricing substantially for comparable or only modestly lower output, and the GE Opal 2.0 delivers real chewable ice for under $550 with zero plumbing or cabinetry cutout.
The bottom line
Perlick’s real differentiator isn’t that it’s outdoor-rated — Sub-Zero, Marvel, and U-Line all offer that too, and U-Line’s UONB115 actually produces more ice. It’s that Perlick doesn’t segregate outdoor capability into a separate, costlier line, and it doesn’t call its soft ice “nugget” at all. Search “cubelet,” not “nugget,” or the comparison won’t turn up the right product.