The convenience of having your own movable ice machine cannot be overlooked. By plugging in the unit and providing a water supply, you can make pounds and pounds of ice every day. This makes these machines effective for many different occasions! You can use them for parties at your home or at the office, BBQ’s, camping and providing ice at a picnic. Our portable ice maker reviews cover a wide range of topics and tips, as well as all kinds of models from various manufacturers like Emerson, NewAir, Magic Chef and EdgeStar to name a few. Here are some basics to keep in mind as your read the reviews.
Generally, most of the portable ice cube makers reviewed here don’t have a LCD screen or anything fancy like that. These little countertop makers are meant to produce ice quickly for you, and there is not really a need for such advances as backlit LCD screens and it just adds to the overall price. Nonetheless, some designs do have them, while most others just have a few buttons and LED lights to tell what is going on.
Nearly all of the ice machines reviewed do have the means to store ice. Just be sure that you check how well the design is, and how well it insulates the ice from melting. Some designs do a better job keeping the storage compartment cold. Others have a larger capacity and thus hold more ice.
The storage capabilities mean nothing if the thing can’t even fill it! Generally, all manufacurers report the speed by how many pounds of ice the maker can produce within a 24 hour period. A standard countertop ice machine can make between 20 and 30 pounds of ice (but not always have the room to store it). The larger portable ice makers can even reach up to 40 pounds of cubes! Also, pay close attention to how long the production cycle is as that can vary from 8 minutes to 12.
Some machines can produce ice cubes of up to 3 different sizes. This is something you may want to consider, as the bigger cubes melt slower but generally take longer to produce (of course). Not all of the ice cube makers can do this, but it is something to think about during the research and buying phase.
One final thing to consider that is really important is the maintainance of the ice making machine. Some models and designs end up with excess water that often needs to be drained. If that is not something you want to mess with, consider one of the ice machines that recycle the melted ice cubes and make new cubes.portable ice maker reviews
Ice Maker Mania will ensure all of these topics are covered for all the machines whenever appropriate. Hopefully your decision on which model or design to purchase will be made easier. You can start reading our most recent best portable ice maker reviews below!
