Best ice makers according to redditors
We found 45 Reddit comments discussing the best ice makers. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 45 Reddit comments discussing the best ice makers. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
You can also buy a machine that makes it if you're not a poor. https://www.amazon.com/FirstBuild-Opal01-Opal-Nugget-Maker/dp/B0751KDVTP/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536819146&sr=8-3&keywords=opal%2Bice%2Bmaker&th=1
Its a bit expensive, but this is actually a pretty awesome machine since its the only consumer grade nugget ice maker. Other than that guy you're looking at like a few thousand dollars on a commercial Hoshizaki machine or something.
I believe there are crazy expensive ice makers out there that claim to make the same kind of delicious nugget ice that Chic-Fil-A does.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751KDVTP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_ffqVDbSBA01RV
An ice maker that does nugget ice.
I can say that using those ball ice makers with boiling water does make them less cloudy but not perfectly clear. There are devices you can buy which do make clear ice but they can be kinda spendy.
https://www.amazon.com/Luma-Comfort-IM200SS-Portable-28-Pound/dp/B00DYJNNWQ
Luma Comfort IM200SS Portable Clear Ice Maker, Stainless Steel
Treat yo self
Like many of my brothers in this sub, I'm always thirsty and always want water. In particular, I want it ice cold and in massive quantities. A while ago, I got this refillable 100z "cup":
Pic with pint glass for size comparison
I lived near a gas station with really well filtered water that let me fill it up for free, so I was set. Unfortunately, after moving, all the places near me want like $1 for an ice water refill in that thing. Fuck that. Here's an overview of all the components needed.
Pitcher - I use this Brita pitcher. In the past I used the bigger one here, but it honestly sucks to fill up because it's heavy and unwieldy, whereas the pitcher form factor is really easy to just refill right after you use. It also pours quite a bit slower. Apparently my new place does some filtration of water before it comes out of the sink, so I might switch to this guy for instant filtration. Also make sure to change that damn filter often enough. Having charcoal leech into everything when it breaks down from too much use won't hurt you but it definitely looks bad and takes some time to clean out.
Giant Cup - Valero Corner Stores sell this, though the 64oz and 52oz variants are more common. Plenty of other gas stations sell identical 100oz cups with their branding, but you just have to find one. If you don't mind paying the pretty steep cost (~$20) some people sell them on Amazon, like this one. I really really wish Yeti or some other company made a 100oz cup made for drinking that insulates as well as theirs do, but I haven't found one.
Reusable Straw - The big cup comes with a plastic reusable straw which you can see in the pictures of the one I linked to, but I don't like it. The ridged structure that makes it easily bendable also causes drag on the water and makes it harder to drink. So what I use are these. They are just the right size. They get a bit off smelling after a while (a month or two), and there's a brush included to clean them, but I can never really get them cleaned well, so I honestly just toss them and use another. It's $8 for 5, so you're looking at maybe $15 or so a year in straw costs. I had also looked at some of those reusable metal straws but then I realized how bad it would suck to pick up the cup too quickly and bash my teeth out with the inertia of a full 100oz cup.
Ice - Here's the the tricky one. This is basically why I filled it up at the gas station in the past. I'm really picky about ice and will only use clear "restaurant quality" ice. The kind of ice made in most freezer ice makers is cloudy because of air bubbles in the water, meaning that it also picks up any off smells in the freezer, melts far too quickly, is weirdly soft, etc. If you do it right, you can get pretty clear ice from ice trays, but if you're doing that for a cup that big, it's gonna take a lot of time. Here is a pic of the ice maker I bought to solve this problem (I bought it here). It does a really good job making clear, good tasting ice. I fill it up with a full load of water from the pitcher and usually within 90-120 minutes, it's full of clear square ice. Here is a pic of some extra ice I stash in the freezer from it. I'll edit this with a pic of some fresh super clear ice in a bit, I don't have any on hand right now. Overall, I like the ice machine, though I will say that it costs quite a bit to run (it runs at around 150W, spiking to 190W) and should be wiped down every week or two. It might just be easier to grab some of the 10 or 20lb bags of ice from the gas station or grocery story and use that. It is nice to be able to make it on demand though.
Every morning I get up and fill the ice maker up to the top, sip on the leftover water from last night while I wait for the new ice, and then refill when I'm done. I usually drink two cupfulls of water a day.
But what if I want my water to get me drunk?
The best part about water is that it makes the best mixed drink for sipping at home. Just carbonate it and mix it with a spirit. The Japanese highball is the height of such mixed drinks, but I've found that some experimentation yielded a variety of great options. I usually do around 5:1 water to spirit, but usually I eyeball the spirit pour and just full up the glass.
How to make it at home? Sodastream of course! Here is a picture of my Sodastream bottle, a very fancy eau-de-vie, and the resulting beverage. Here are my top picks for spirits to mix with your delicious spicy water:
There are tons of other great options and plenty of bad ones (funky rum like Rumfire or Wray & Nephew, mezcal, peaty scotch, etc. are things I love that don't work)
Hope this inspires people to drink more fuckin water.
I have this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VV8GOQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
you'll see it with the brand names igloo, frigidaire, etc. Same product, different brand with their label on it. It's not bad if you are ok with it failing after roughly 2 years of occasional use. Took longer than advertized to fill and is nearly impossible to clean.
Recommend against.
Specifically:
BUNN HT Phase Brew 8-Cup Thermal Carafe Home Coffee Brewer
EDIT: 2nd item is Avalon Bay AB-ICE26B Portable Ice Maker
Not sure what you mean by freezer - but, I have this one and we have used it for a year now with numerous BBQ get togethers, birthday parties, weekly game nights and just everyday use. It is still going strong and does a great job. Makes the ice quickly and holds a decent amount in the reserve. The cubes aren't visually cocktail grade since they're shaped oddly due to how the machine works, but if that's not an issue then I think this could work for you.
Yup; they're called pellet or nugget ice makers, like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Scotsman-Brilliance-Nugget-Machine-Finish/dp/B0057PAFVM
Buy an Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
Just to throw some math at it, a 20lb bag of ice is around $3.50 x 2 = $7/day for 40lb store-bought ice (probably close enough).
I'm seeing 50lb ice makers for $800-$2000+. Payback works out to $800 (machine cost) / $7 (store-bought) = almost 4 months. The $800 SPT brand one I saw on Amazon draws 400 watts so 0.4kwH x $0.12/kwH x 24 hours = $1.15/day electricity usage which pushes the payback out a little bit. A little risky for my taste but if OP is going to be religious about using 50lbs a day, every day, for the next 6 months or more then it might be worth the adventure.
Try an under-counter ice maker like this. I know someone that has one attached to a reverse-osmosis hookup and I love going to their house in the summer - unlimited ice for cold drinks by the pool.
gimme some tech Daddi!
I nominate /u/teenaamariee
She's had a rough couple of weeks dealing with sun poisoning and now an aching tooth. I think this would make her day, and plus her counter NEEDS one of these ice makers...ya know, for the next time she gets sun poisoning. jk. it's for a nice cool beverage :D
Here's one that makes 28 pounds a day, and requires no plumbing:
https://smile.amazon.com/Luma-Comfort-IM200SS-Portable-28-Pound/dp/B00DYJNNWQ
EDIT: Ah, now I see your edit and I understand why you need a larger machine.
Not sure what your budget is like but you could get something like this. Pretty sure you can find similar stuff for cheaper.
You can combo this with some steel inserts for an ice well and bottle chilling.
I've been looking into this for my off grid build, and I have come up with a solution to the high electricity cost of refrigerators. I plan to run a ice maker and use a old style ice chest, perhaps even a antique one they are reasonably priced. IIRC a ice maker capable of making 25 lbs of ice in 24 hours uses only
150120 watts AC. The ice should last 3 days at least so the ice maker wouldn't have to run full time. This is the best solution I've come up with.https://www.amazon.com/Vremi-Countertop-Ice-Maker-Stainless/dp/B07H7SGQ52/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=ice+maker&qid=1554763643&s=gateway&sr=8-4
for $100 you can have unlimited ice.
I don't know costs in AU at all, but in the US you can buy an ice maker for about $120 that should be plenty to keep your laser cool, at least assuming you are not cutting for hours on end. Assuming you don't already have an icemaker in your fridge, that gets you an added bonus along with cooling your laser.
Running piping through a freezer is an option, but you need to make sure the pipes are fully drained between uses. I would just use a mini fridge instead, you don't need or even want the water to be around freezing.
Woops. I confused myself on the pricing with the tiny fridge that holds 4 soda cans.
The ice machine is for counter tops. Around 100 bucks. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074VG4CM8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_q7gPCbFC5WHT2
Try Craigslist or offer up for second hand. eBay/AliExpress to get the price down. Amazon isn't always the cheapest.
They have countertop machines that make ice like this, but, fuck, they are expensive. This one is $410 dollars. You can almost get a fridge for that much.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071J2LSQS/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_udtIAbQC19F36
Will change your life. I can't vouch for this specific brand one way or another.
aka nugget or pellet ice
Nugget ice maker: https://www.amazon.com/FirstBuild-Opal01-Opal-Nugget-Maker/dp/B0751KDVTP
At 150W, you could run this off an inverter.
Igloo ICEC33SB 33-Pound Large Capacity Automatic Portable Countertop Clear Ic... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GXXT7CG/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_ivm5Bb0TSZYZN
The perfect ice:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H7SGQ52/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0my0DbGNHA36J
Ive had my eye on one of these. Ive seen some people run them on solar panels
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HJHBYJ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_iVzDDb7Q2GXYF
That specific one is refurbished but tons of companies make that style
YouTube video of solar setup
https://youtu.be/hnHRu_qUocQ
My office recently got this ice machine. It's great. It's small, it has a pretty big area to keep the ice and it holds about as much as one we used to have that took up twice as much space. When the ice melts the water goes back down into the reservoir, and the reservoir holds a good amount of water. You could run it constantly, but it doesn't have a function that keeps it cold enough that it wouldn't melt overnight. It doesn't fully melt overnight though so it is a little bit insulated. Definitely reccommend this one.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V6V67W5/ref=twister_B07V5SRD1Q?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 This is the link of the 25% off product.
Opal Nugget Ice Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751KDVTP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vOKKAbS9920CH you can buy one of these to make this kind of ice at home now. You're welcome.
Opal Nugget Ice Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751KDVTP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_emKKAb7W4B8WE
Thank me later
hOmeLabs Portable Ice Maker Machine for Counter Top - Makes 26 lbs of Ice per 24 hours - Ice Cubes ready in 6 Minutes - Electric Ice Making Machine with Ice Scoop and 1.5 lb Ice Storage - Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071J2LSQS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3UBaBbXH5W7FV
That’s the one we have. We are happy as heck with it.
Something like that. But the "bladder" has to "sweat". People have been cooling water that way for a very long time, but don't do it so much now thanks to refrigerators.
You might buy an ice maker like this one. It is about $120, which is not like easy on my wallet either, but after that you would have probably enough ice for next to $zero forever.
Given the fact that you are already doing ice baths, I think that perhaps you are already way outside of the bladder league.
I've got one like this and it's been chugging away every day for about two years. Most of these $150-ish makers that people are posting just like this one work pretty well from what I've heard, they've all got very similar designs. They pay for themselves pretty darn quickly if you use ice frequently.
Aside from that I'd recommend storing ice in a freezer as it gets made and shutting it off when you go to bed at night. These ~26lb/day ice makers can't quite keep up with 5-6 people making drinks if you have guests, and since it'll continue recycling ice if you don't use it they can waste a decent amount of electricity at night.
In a former office bar we had something like this, which might help you here.
we use a 110v one. strictly for cocktails. takes about 15 mins or so to make enough ice for 2 drinks then we turn it off. Its not a crazy amount of power but i wouldn't want to leave it on all day either. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00INXG9MY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Add a rough in box so you can get in there.
Sharkbite 25032A Ice Maker Outlet Box, 1/2 inch x 1/4 inch Compression, Push-to-Connect Copper, PEX, CPVC, PE-RT Pipe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EPJ3MQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_77ugDbR5C9JCX
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYJNNWQ?keywords=clear%20ice%20maker&qid=1458555811&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYJNNWQ?keywords=clear%20ice%20maker&qid=1458555811&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this
The thing I've been trying to save up for is the counter top ice maker.
We moved in April and our old fridge that had the ice maker in the door doesn't fit here. Currently we have to put the tap water through the filter, then freeze that in ice trays... and it's just not the same after we were spoiled with instant crushed ice before haha!
thanks for the contest :)
Not sure it helps but we bought an ice maker for around $100 through Amazon, it's an igloo model.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VV8GOQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm really not sure how well this would do off grid though as I we are always plugged in but this thing churns out ice pretty fast. I usually buy one bag of ice or use what's in the house to start my cooler than keep this running while we are camping and I never have to buy ice again.
Op, check this out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004VV8GOQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1459307261&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=ice+maker&dpPl=1&dpID=415BlwjYtaL&ref=plSrch
It's a counter top ice maker. I use mine every day and the progress pelets are great. After using it for a while, totally worth the price.
Was it This one?
If so, I can confirm it's a great ice maker. Got it for my mom a few years back. Still uses it and loves it.
You can buy a nugget ice maker nearly identical to Sonic for only $499