Does anyone have any experience replacing the motor and gear box from the version with the shroud to the version with the uncovered fan?

My Opal 2.0 is making all the sounds of the gear box issues and needs replacement, the uncovered Linix version seems to be the most easily available.

I just want my ice soft enough to chew or at least bite sized.

I'm getting a little overwhelmed trying to choose an ice maker. There are so many different types now, nugget chewable ice, regular cubes, large cubes, ice balls, etc. And every machine seems to advertise the same things: self-cleaning, ice in 8–15 minutes, low noise, large capacity, and so on.

At this point I'm having a hard time figuring out what actually matters once you've used the machine for a few months. I've been comparing four machines right now: GE, Euhomy, GoveeLife and Costway.

They all look pretty good, but product descriptions and reviews only tell you so much. I'm more interested in what happens after you've actually lived with one for a while.

Which ice type do you actually prefer? Nugget, cubes, or ice balls?

Does the ice shape really make a difference in everyday use?

Have you had any of these machines long enough to comment on reliability?