A countertop ice maker not only makes ice at home, but it is also portable and allows you to take your ice with you and make ice anywhere you can find an electrical plug and water to fill the reservoir. Get cool at the speed of ice – from water to ice in minutes! You can’t even drive to the store and buy some that fast. A countertop ice maker is great for parties or other functions where you need to generate a lot of ice in a hurry. But what is the best countertop ice maker?
Ivation Portable High Capacity Countertop Ice Maker by Ivation: $144.49 from Amazon
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Forget ice trays and store-bought ice, this compact stand-alone ice maker features three sizes of ice to choose from, it boasts a removable ice tray and a see-through window that allows you to check the progress. Once you fill the reservoir, you are a mere six minutes from ice. In fact, you can easily make more than 25 pounds of ice in one 24 hour cycle. A water saver feature allows any melted ice to drain back into the water reservoir for the next cycle. The ice tray is not refrigerated but acts more as an ice bucket. Reviews are overwhelming in their positivity, with most customers saying they are happy and would buy again or recommend to a friend.
ICE103 Counter Top Ice Maker by Igloo: $129.00 from Amazon
This unit offers an oversized stainless steel ice bucket that holds over two pounds of ice and offers a choice of three cube sizes. It goes from water to ice in six minutes and makes more than 25 pounds of ice per day. Customers report pleasure and even surprise at the performance of this little machine, and some say they have used it continuously for a year, never turning it off. However, some say this one is fairly large at 14 x 12 x 15 inches to keep on a counter.
Portable Ice Maker AB-ICE26S by Avalon Bay: $149.95 from Amazon
Like the others in this list, this machine makes ice in six minutes and features two sizes of ice compared to three sizes with the previous machines. It also produces 25 + pounds of ice cubes in a 24-hour cycle, and makes the first batch of 9 ice cubes in 6 minutes, and recycles melted ice back into the water reservoir. It features a bottom drain for easy clean up, weighs about 20 pounds and comes with an ice scoop and basket.
Reviewers report that this machine is quiet, and makes enough ice quickly to last the next day. It has been used camping, fishing and for parties. Other customers purchased due to a lack of an ice maker or the breakdown of the auto ice maker in the fridge.
Portable Countertop Ice Maker by Magic Chef: $224.00 from Amazon
Although this compact ice maker lags a bit behind the others, making cubes in seven minutes versus six minutes from the competition, it received 5 out of 5 stars with reviewers making it worth the wait. This portable ice maker makes about 27 pounds of ice in 24-hours, a bit more ice than the competition also.
Avanti WIMD332PC-IS Portable Counter Top Ice Maker by Avanti: $215.99 from Amazon
As with its competitors, the machine will turn out 26 pounds of ice in a 24 hour cycle. The outstanding feature of this model versus the others is the ice dispenser. In fact, many customers chose this model for that very reason even thought the price was on the high side. This is the only model in our list that has this feature. Clean up is quick and only requires a vinegar and water rinse every 30 days depending on the frequency it is used. This model offers the choice of two size cubes and requires only three to four cups of water to fill the reservoir. It is small enough at 16.5 x 12.2 x 14.2 inches to leave on the counter without taking up too much room.
A counter top ice maker is great for those without an ice maker built into their fridge and is portable enough to take camping or along to a party. For what it is this is also a great buy. The ice maker turns out a load of ice with a speed of six to seven minutes and you can’t beat the quantity of ice made. Save a ton of money on purchasing ice. If you regularly purchase ice, a countertop ice maker will pay for itself in no time.