Best Portable Ice Maker That Can Quickly Chill Your Drinks
Ice machines are used everywhere. Hospitals, hotels, restaurants, bars, etc., invest in ice machines because cold beverages are in high demand irrespective of the season. However, if you own a small restaurant or a juice bar investing in a huge ice machine is not cost effective. Instead, you must consider a compact and portable ice maker that saves money and space. The best portable ice maker can make large amounts of ice in a matter of minutes suiting the needs of small food service businesses, motels, inns, etc.
Best portable ice maker
We have compiled a list of the best portable ice makers that makes ice in different shapes. These countertop ice makers are easy to use and reasonably priced making it the best bet for small businesses.
1 - Garvee Commercial Ice Maker Machine
Dimensions (inch): 11.42 High x 11.57 Wide x 8.74 Deep
Weight: 26 pounds
Daily output of ice: 26 pounds
If you are looking for a budget friendly ice maker with a quick ice making cycle, the Garvee commercial ice maker is the best choice. This is the best portable ice maker when it comes to ice making features. It can produce 9 ice cubes in just 6 minutes. It can make up to 26 pounds of ice in a day.
This commercial ice maker easily fits the bill of any small food service establishment. It produces bullet shaped ice and you can set it to make both large and small ice bullets to suit particular drinks. So, if you want to make a chilled smoothie with small ice bullets or a lemon iced tea with large ice bullets, this ice maker can be your best buddy.
Coming to the features of the Garvee Commercial Ice Maker Machine it has an easy to use control panel. There are two buttons; a power button and ‘Select’ button that will help you choose between large and small ice bullets.
The portable ice maker gives you an add water indication and ice full indication using color coded indicator lights present on the control panel. You can even check the progress of the ice making by looking through the transparent lid on top.
You don’t need to worry about the ice maker making any noise and driving away your customers as the machine is equipped with quiet condensing technology. It operates around 45 dB similar to a refrigerator, quietly making ice on the side while you go about your tasks.
2 - GE Profile Opal 2.0
Dimensions (inch): 16 1/2 High x 13.43 Wide x 17 1/2 Deep
Weight: 37.65 pounds
Daily output of ice: 24 pounds
Do you want to serve your customers with chewable, crunchy nugget ice? The GE profile opal 2.0 nugget ice maker can give you about a pound of ice in a hour. If you want to create a batch of frozen margaritas the GE Profile Opal 2.0 is your best ice source. The machine includes WiFi connectivity which you can use to schedule ice making hours.
Water is filled in the water reservoir situated at the side of the ice device which is then pumped into the machine to churn ice. The storage compartment can store 3 pounds of ice at a time which must be removed for fresh ice to be produced again. If you don’t remove the ice from the compartment, it is allowed to melt which is then redirected to the reservoir.
It is easy to use and easy to clean. You can run the machine through a cleaning cycle for fresh ice nuggets. The downside to this machine is that it is noisy and high priced.
3 - Orgo Sonic Countertop Ice Maker
Dimensions: 16.93 high x 10.24 width x 16.73 depth
Weight: 33 pounds
Daily output of ice: 26 lbs
You might have heard of the popular term ‘sonic ice’. Well you can make your own with the Orgo Sonic countertop ice maker. It is one of the most popular and user-friendly ice maker that is also budget friendly. It has got commendable user reviews and can also be used as a [personal chiller countertop ice maker.
Sporting a sleek style it is available in two different colors. It can produce 26 pounds of ice in a day. Once it is on the ice making process just takes 7 minutes which means every 7 minutes there is a little over 2 pounds of ice enough for making a couple of glass of iced tea.
This makes crunchy nuggets ice in the matter of minutes, however, when you use it for the very first time it takes a few hours. In case you don’t take the ice out, it melts back into the water chamber and spits out ice nuggets. The ice chamber illuminated using a blue lights and has transparent front where you can see the progress of the ice making. Overall, this is one of the best portable ice makers in the market when it comes to features and price.
4 - Magic Chef HNIM27ST
Dimensions (inch): 12.9 High x 9.5 Wide x 14.1 Deep
Weight: 20.2 pounds
Daily output of ice: 27 Lbs
The Magic Chef ice maker is yet another powerful competitor in the list of best portable ice makers. Popularly called the Magic Chef 27 Lbs portable countertop ice maker, this ice machine can produce bullet shaped ice. It doesn't use up much space on the countertop and is a good quality product that is durable.
It can make nine ice bullets in eight minutes. In a day the machine can produce a total of 27 pounds of ice bullets. So, in 30 minutes of activating the ice maker you will have enough ice bullets at least six cocktails. It comes with a handy ice scooper that will help you scoop up the ice from the storage compartment.
The water compartment can store enough water to help the machine run continuously for a few hours. You can produce both large and small ice using this machine. There is an add water indicator and an indicator that tells you when the ice bin is full. The transparent lid on top helps you check whether the ice bin is full. It has an easy touch control pad with two buttons for powering on the machine and choosing the shapes of the ice bullets.
5 - Frigidaire Portable Countertop Ice Maker
Dimensions (inch): 14.75 High x 13.5 Wide x 10.25 Deep
Weight: 18 pounds
Daily output of ice: 27 Lbs
Featuring a lightweight design and a stainless steel enclosure, the Frigidaire portable countertop ice maker is another popular portable ice maker. This machine features a compact design and has sleek and stylish look to complement your kitchen ambience.
This is a countertop ice maker that can produce 26 pounds of ice in a day. It generates ice in less than 6 minutes and can hold up to 1.5 lbs of ice in the ice basket. It is fitted with large water storage capacity with a reservoir that can hold 2.1 quarts of water.
The Frigidaire 26 lbs portable countertop ice maker is easy to setup. Simply plug it in, fill in water in the reservoir and push the ‘On’ button. In just 6 minutes you will have three cups of ice bullets ready to be thrown into your drink. During the ice making you don’t have to worry about noise as it features a quiet performance operating at less than 38 decibels. It also boasts an easy clean function complete with a convenient drain plug that allows you to drain and clean your ice maker quickly.
6 - HiCOZY countertop ice maker
Dimensions (inch): 16 High x 9.6 Wide x 14.2 DeepWeight: 28 pounds
Daily output of ice: 55 pounds
HiCOZY’s countertop ice maker can make ice that is perfect for cold coffee, ice tea, soda, etc. This nugget ice maker starts producing ice in just five minutes and within an hour you can expect an ice basket brimming with nugget ice.
This ice maker can produce a whopping 55 pounds of ice per day enough to make ice beverages for a small restaurant on a busy day.The most notable function of the machine is the water inlet that will fill up water in the reservoir automatically. So if you want it to run continuously you just need to connect the inlet to a water outlet. You can also manually fill in water without connecting the water inlet.
The machine has two ice producing modes; Eco mode and the Cycle mode. In eco mode, ice production is stopped after a single ice making cycle is complete. In cycle mode, the ice production continues for several cycles ensuring that there is always ice in the bucket. You can switch between the modes by pressing on the button located on the back of the device.
Both the modes produces the same amount of ice at the same speed. The eco mode is features a more quiet operation at about 58 dB while the cycle mode gets a little noisy at about 65.5 dB.
There are indicator lights on top of the device that are color coded to show the different functionalities. The color codes are described in an explainer that the company has stuck to the top of device. The ice maker has a self cleaning function and the company recommends adding some lemon juice so the cleaning is efficient.
Buyer’s guide
Before you buy the best portable ice maker there are certain factors to consider so you can get the perfect one for your business establishment:
1 - Daily output
First you must determine how many pounds of ice you use on an average in a day. For every machine the capacity of ice production varies. While juice bars and cafès might need a larger capacity ice machine, a regular restaurant that doesn't have many ice beverages on their menu can opt for a smaller capacity device.
2 - Speed
If your food service establishment gets busy on most days then you will want an ice maker that can produce ice quickly. Read amount of time an ice maker machine will need to complete a single cycle and how much ice it can produce in a single cycle. 3 - Type of ice
Ice machines can produce different ice shapes: cubes, bullets, nuggets, etc., So, when you choose an ice machine make sure you know the purpose the machine will be fulfilling. You should also check whether you want clear ice or cloudy ice depending on how you wish to use it.
4 - Size
Make sure you have a space for the ice machine to be kept safely. It would be wise to measure the space and then match the dimensions of the chosen ice machine. Also, if you are buying a noisy ice maker make sure it is out of the earshot of your customers.
FAQs
1 - Are ice makers noisy?
Not all ice makers are noisy. If you want a quiet ice maker buy one like the Garvee commercial ice maker which operates under 45 db. Anything under 50 db is recommended if you want noise free operation. 2 - How does ice makers work?
Ice maker machines have water reservoir and an ice basket. Once you fill water in the reservoir and switch it on the ice making process begins. The water from the reservoir is pumped into a container. The ice maker has freezing-cold metal prongs which are dipped into the container turning the water into ice in minutes.
3 - How long does ice makers take to make ice?
The time required for making ice varies from machine to machine. A single ice making cycle of most ice machines range from 5 to 10 minutes. This is much faster compared to a standard refrigerator which takes up to 90 minutes to make ice.4 - How to clean an ice maker machine?
The best portable ice maker machines come with self cleaning function. Therefore, with the simple press of a button your machine cleans itself without manual intervention. However, ensure that you fill the fresh water in the machine once in 24 hours to get clean ice.
