If you’re replacing a modular cuber, pick the ice shape first. Then have the bin, the space and the utilities checked against the replacement model you’re quoting. Two heads with similar daily production can still differ in ice, size and hookups.
This compares two US air-cooled modular cubers: the Hoshizaki KM-520MAJ and the Ice-O-Matic CIM0520FA90, Ice-O-Matic’s current full-cube model.
Start with the ice your operation uses
The Hoshizaki KM-520MAJ makes crescent ice. The Ice-O-Matic CIM0520FA90 makes full-cube ice. Those are different shapes, so settle which one you need before you compare quotes. Ice-O-Matic lists the half-cube version separately as the CIM0520HA90.
Get an ice sample and try it in the glasses, pitchers and containers your staff actually use. Check the portion for a normal drink, and whether a different ice shape would change how your staff work. If you run a dispenser, make sure the head, ice type and dispenser are an approved combination.
If your current ice works well, say so in the quote request. Switching brands shouldn’t turn into a surprise change to your drink service.
Measure the whole assembly
These two have different cabinet dimensions. Hoshizaki lists the KM-520MAJ at 22 inches wide, 27⅜ inches deep and 28 inches high. Ice-O-Matic’s current CIM0520FA90 sheet lists 22.26 inches wide, 24.62 inches deep and 21.25 inches high. Those are head dimensions, not the height of the assembled head, bin and legs.
Measure the usable opening, any overhead shelving and the access route. The installer should check the assembled height, door access and service space before you order.
Ventilation takes space too. Hoshizaki’s specification sheet calls for six inches at the rear, sides and top. Ice-O-Matic’s 2026 installation manual calls for six inches at the rear, both sides and top for standard exhaust, and it describes other exhaust arrangements. Let the installer pick the arrangement that applies. Don’t assume dual exhaust lets you enclose the machine.
Find out whether the existing bin can stay
Photograph the bin’s model label, if you can reach it, and send it with the head’s model number.
Hoshizaki publishes a top-kit matrix, and the Ice-O-Matic sheet has a bin-and-kit chart. The quote should name the approved combination and any adapter you need, especially if you’re keeping a bin from another manufacturer. The CIM0520FA90 sheet lists KCUBEDISPB for dispenser mounting. Check the dispenser itself against the approved combinations too. If nobody can show the bin is approved, have a replacement bin quoted as a separate line.
The Hoshizaki installation manual also warns that a top kit must not block the bin-control sensing area. The installer has to check how it attaches and how it works, not just whether the head sits on the opening.
Get the utilities checked before you accept the quote
Both list 115-volt, 60-Hz, single-phase power and a 20-amp maximum breaker. Your existing circuit still needs checking against that unit’s nameplate, circuit requirements and connection method. The KM-520MAJ has to be hardwired.
Add the water supply, filtration, drain routing and connection locations to the site check. The CIM0520FA90 uses R290, a flammable refrigerant, so its installer also has to check the manual’s room and location requirements. Get any site changes priced before you order. Leave wiring, refrigerant work and installation to the pros, working from the manuals for these machines. Don’t disconnect or pull out the old machine just to take measurements.
Compare production under the same conditions
Get each supplier’s production figure for the quoted model at the same air and incoming-water temperatures. A number at 70°F air and 50°F water can’t be compared with one at 90°F air and 70°F water. Use the figures for the ice type you’re being quoted, and don’t borrow another model’s rating.
For electricity and water use, ask for the same test conditions and units, with the document revision attached. If a listing and a spec sheet disagree, get it cleared up for the unit you’re actually getting before you work out running costs.
Tell the supplier your busiest service periods, roughly how much ice you use a day and any recent shortages. The supplier should show how the proposed production and storage cover that. Keep a production shortfall separate from a storage shortfall when you describe the problem.
Keep repair in the decision
If your current machine has started falling behind, have it looked at before you assume you need a bigger replacement. Put the diagnosis and repair quote next to a full replacement quote, including any bin, adapter and utility work. The $99 diagnostic is credited toward the repair, and you get a written estimate before any work starts.
Our commercial ice machine repair page covers the service. When you contact us, include the model, the symptoms, the maintenance history and any replacement proposal you want to talk through.