What is a portable ice machine?
We are now living in a world where technologies have been built to make our lives easier and more convenient. People tend to get everything they want that could bring them instantaneous results. There are actually lots of products that are being made to address this cause. For instance, appliances have been improved throughout time to achieve these results.
One of the appliances that offer fast and instant results is the portable ice maker. An ice maker is a handy appliance that instantly makes ice. Perfect for those who always want their drinks served cold. Because of its small size and lightweight qualities, you can bring it anywhere. It is also easy to store because of its compact design; it would not consume much space in the kitchen. You can also store it inside small kitchen cabinets or overtop cabinets.
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With a portable ice machine, you don’t have to worry about running out of ice during a house party. The ice maker would make sure that you will have ice anywhere and anytime you need them. So, go get yourself one and select the best portable ice machine out there that would suit your ice needs.
Top 5 Best Portable Ice Makers
Before deciding what to buy, it is important to consider some factors that could help you choose the best portable ice maker. You can simply check the quality and efficiency of the product or just read portable ice maker reviews. Through this, you will be provided with enough knowledge which you can use in selecting the best item. If you want an ice maker which creates nugget ice, you may want to check out our review of the best sonic ice maker on the market
We have compiled and reviewed some of the best portable ice makers that are out on the market. Every product chosen was based on the criteria we have provided and it underwent stringent evaluation. The following are the top 5 best ice makers:
This portable ice machine is designed by Avalon Bay, one of the best makers of ice maker technology. It is the lightest among other portable ice machines, weighing only 20 pounds. This is a perfect partner for your mini bar, kitchen, or office. Despite its weight and small size, this little piece of art can produce up to 26 pounds of ice per day or a cycle of 6 minutes per operation. That is enough to keep your party going for the whole day without worrying that you’ll run out of ice.
It is available in 3 colors and designs. You can choose the color red if you want to add an additional color touch to your bare kitchen or black for a spotless design. Silver is ideal for a barer and more luxurious design, perfect for any color motif interior. It also has a sleek finish for easier cleaning; you don’t need to wash it with soap and water. It is also very easy to use for it doesn’t require installation. You can just add half a gallon of water and then choose the desired ice cube by pressing a button. It allows you to choose between 2 sizes for the ice cube. Because of its lightweight quality, you can carry it anywhere and take it to where the party is at.
Pros:
- Easy to clean due to its sleek finish
- Lightest ice maker at just 20 lbs.
- There are light indicators so you’ll be reminded when to refill the water.
- Fresh new ice every 6 minutes and can produce a total of 26 lbs. of ice daily.
- You can choose from 2 sizes of ice cubes.
- No installation required
Cons:
- Because it requires electricity, you can’t take it to places without an electrical outlet.
- It doesn’t come with a removable tray so an ice scoop is needed to transfer ice.
- No water reservoir so you need to refill water every process.
- No removable tray
- No timer capacities
Buy Avalon Bay Ice Maker Today!
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The best thing about this ice maker by Ivation is the LCD display which displays information about the ice processing and other intuitive information. This Ivation ice maker is also for heavy-duty purposes for it can create a total of 26.5 pounds of ice daily. Another good thing about this ice maker is its 2.8-liter water reservoir that allows you to store water for a continuous process of ice making. No need to check every now and then if you ran out of water or refill water. If indeed, the water runs out or if the water container is almost empty, the LCD display would tell you to refill right away.
Another thing to love about this ice maker from Ivation is its easy-to-press touch for on and off options. It also features a modern compressor technology that requires only minimal energy consumption. With this, you would not need to worry about your electric bill rising up even with frequent use. The large see-through window is another plus point for this wonderful ice maker for it allows you to see and witness how ice is being magically created. You can easily monitor the process.
You should check first before opening the lid to avoid letting the cold out. Just like any other portable ice machine, it is also small and easy to store. Even though Ivation is new to making ice makers, this design they launched is from carefully devised engineering. They were able to compete for their design with competitors who are not new to producing quality portable ice machines.
Pros:
- It can create a total of 26.5 lbs. of ice daily.
- 8-liter water reservoir to avoid adding water regularly
- LCD display for warnings and other related information such as needs water refill, running low in the water, low ice, etc.
- Modern compressor technology for energy efficiency
- It has a removable tray for easy transfer of ice.
- Larger see-through window
- You can select 3 sizes for the ice.
- No installation required
Cons:
- Not fully automated
- No timer capacities
- Doesn’t have storage capacity
This ice maker by Knox is another excellent ice-making partner which also has the same modern technology for a compressor that makes ice faster. With this, you don’t have to worry about your electric bill shooting up the roof. It can create 27 pounds of ice on a single day with a 5-6-minute cycle for each process. You can also choose from 3 selectable ice cube sizes depending on where you are going to use it. Knox also embraced the LCD display technology with this portable ice machine. But the positive note is it has a sound alarm that can go off once the ice-making process has been completed. It also alarms if the machine is running low on water and if it needs a refill or it needs to be cleaned and emptied of water.
The LCD display also shows other stuff other than the ice-making process. This includes related information such as the time and the date. It also has the same 2.8-liter water reservoir just like the one from Ivation. But the best quality of this ice maker is it comes in a stainless steel body making sure that you will have no problems with rust in the long run. The sleek design also makes it easier to wipe and to clean.
Another good quality about this ice-making technology from Knox is no ice cubes would be wasted. This is because unused ice cubes that melted will be returned to the water reservoir and would once again be turned into ice on the next cycle. It is also fully automated allowing you to program your cycle and letting you set up the timer to continue creating or stopping. It would also automatically shut down when it has been idle for a long time.
Pros:
- It has a 2.8-liter reservoir
- Features modern compressor technology
- LCD Display which also shows the date and the time
- An alarm system that will go off every time a physical intervention is required
- Stainless steel body to avoid rust and easy cleaning
- Automated system
- Can generate up to 27 pounds of ice
- No installation required
Cons:
- More expensive compared to the other ice makers with the same specifications
- Slightly heavier than its competitor making mobility a bit harder
- Doesn’t have storage capacity so unused ice inside the machine can melt if unused
Buy Knox Portable Compact Ice Maker Today!
Newair’s Ice Maker – is the most heavy-duty ice maker on this list. It can create up to 50 pounds of ice daily with 12 ice cubes created for a 7-minute duration every cycle. It also comes with a stainless steel body for rust protection and easy cleaning. The best quality of this ice maker is it has a self-cleaning function that would save you time. It also has automatic overflow protection to make sure that the correct water level is being met and maintained.
You can choose from 3 sizes of ice cubes small for some alcoholic beverages, and medium to large for juices. It is also user-friendly since everything you need to know is available with a click button. The Stainless steel and black color would have no problems fitting in your interior since the stainless body would just blend into the surrounding surface. Another good thing that this ice maker has is, that it is certificated by ETL for safety compliance. It is also known to be a non-hazard and post no serious threat to the environment.
Pros:
- It has a larger daily capacity of 50 pounds of ice
- Has a self-cleaning function
- Rust protection
- Environmental friendly by preventing damage to the ozone layer
- No installation required
- It has an automatic overflow protection
Cons:
- Heaviest with a weight of 37.60 pounds compared to another ice maker
- A bit bigger compared to other competitors for it requires a bigger item storage
- Not energy efficient
- Smaller see-through window
- It requires a draining system
- Doesn’t have storage capacity
- Doesn’t have a water reservoir
This ice maker by Koldfront is convenient to use for it doesn’t require a draining system since it is properly insulated. You can leave your ice for a couple of hours inside the ice maker machine because it can hold up to 1.5 lbs. of ice. You don’t have to worry that the ice will melt. It also produces tough ice cubes, one of the reasons why produced ice takes longer to melt. It is perfect for camping, fishing and other outdoor activities due to the tough produced ice and storage capacity as mentioned earlier.
This ice maker features 2 sizes of ice cubes that you can select from and the cycle time of each ice process is about 10 minutes. It can produce up to 26 pounds of ice daily. With its lightweight quality of only 20.3 lbs., it is convenient to carry around and transport. It is also efficient to use since unused melted ice can be re-used and reproduced as fresh ice. It is also one of the cheapest ice makers available in the market with the same specifications. It is also one of the smallest ice makers with dimensions of 9.5 inches in width and 12.9 inches in height.
Pros:
- Has a storage capacity and can hold up to 1.5 lbs. of ice
- It is properly insulated
- No installation required
- No draining system required
Cons:
- It doesn’t have a wide see-through window frame
- No water reservoir capacity
Buy Koldfront Ultra Compact Ice Maker Today!
Conclusion
The overall rating for a portable ice maker is 4 out of 5. It is a perfect weapon of choice for a forever cold drink. It would make sure that you don’t need to run to the store again to buy ice since you now have an ice genie right inside your home. The only suggestion for makers of the ice maker, though, is to develop a machine that has a built-in battery system so that you can literally take the ice maker anywhere.
Since all of the ice makers need an electric outlet to function, it would be hard to take the machine to places that have no power supply. Places like the forest for camping or when you take it for fishing. An ice maker with a built-in battery or own power supply that would allow you to create even at least 3 cycles of ice would be a splendid idea. That would really mean that you can take your portable ice maker wherever and can create ice whenever you need them.