Our choose
This ice maker is one in every of many clones obtainable, however it stands out for its worth, availability, and customer support.
Much like different normal countertop ice makers, the Magic Chef MCIM22/HNIM27 makes 9 bullet-shaped cubes each eight minutes. Inside a half hour, you’ll have sufficient ice to relax just a few drinks.
Though the cloudy bullets aren’t precisely gourmand ice, they chill your drinks, and that’s ok for most individuals.
The reservoir holds sufficient water to make ice constantly for just a few hours at a time, so that you don’t have to look at it too intently for refills. (Like with all of those machines, nonetheless, the bullets will soften if left within the unrefrigerated storage basket.)
Although most of the ice makers we examined confirmed streaks on their stainless-steel finishes, this mannequin confirmed them extra prominently.
The Magic Chef ice maker is mostly in inventory. And if you are going to buy it by House Depot or Walmart, in-store returns ought to be simple, which is a plus.
Our choose
This bullet-ice maker is compact and has a self-cleaning mode. However due to its barely smaller dimension, you’ll want to refill it a bit extra ceaselessly.
Just like the Magic Chef MCIM22/HNIM27, the Igloo IGLICEBSC26 makes 9 bullet-shaped cubes in lower than 10 minutes. However it’s smaller and lighter than our choose from Magic Chef, which you may respect if in case you have minimal counter house or plan to retailer it away.
Much like different bullet-ice makers, the Igloo ice maker produces ice that’s neat and respectable sufficient for drinks.
This mannequin’s water reservoir shops much less water than that of our choose, so you’ll want to refill the machine extra ceaselessly, however we barely seen the distinction in testing. The Igloo ice maker’s barely lighter weight (0.75 pound lower than the Magic Chef ice maker) and compact form make it a lot simpler to hold to the sink to empty and clear than its rivals.
The very best factor about this machine is its intuitive controls, which positioned it only a notch above the opposite bullet-style ice machines we examined.
This mannequin additionally has a self-cleaning mode, which was the simplest to pick out and function of the bullet-ice machines we examined. You continue to must clear your ice maker usually the quaint means.
Additionally nice
This mannequin produces clear ice—which retains carbonated drinks fizzy for longer—in a lot larger batches than our different picks. However the machine takes up more room.
Should you drink a variety of sodas or seltzers, otherwise you simply need better-looking ice, contemplate a waterfall-style, clear-cube ice maker just like the Luma Consolation IM200. Clear ice cubes don’t make carbonated drinks fizz as a lot as cloudy ice does, so your bubbly drinks will style higher for longer.
The Luma Consolation ice maker takes 20 to 24 minutes to make a batch of ice, which is 3 times longer than our bullet-ice picks. It additionally makes 3 times as a lot per batch. Its ice was constantly clear and lasted for greater than an hour in a glass of room-temperature water.
The machine’s controls will let you select between two thicknesses of ice, which is helpful if you’re in a hotter room. Clear ice usually comes out in an oblong block, and the Luma Consolation ice maker’s was simple to interrupt aside.
Nevertheless, it’s bigger than each of our bullet-style picks and takes up extra room on a countertop.
Additionally nice
Nugget ice has a cult following due to its tender, chewable consistency. This mannequin makes it superbly, however it’s costly and enormous.
This cheaper, tankless model makes the identical nice ice, however you’ll want to refill the water reservoir between batches.
The GE Profile Opal 2.0 with Facet Tank produced the highest-quality nugget ice of the fashions we examined. In our testing, the Opal 2.0 churned out batches of crunchy, pebbly ice match for chilling the whole lot from sodas to cocktails with its satisfying, chewable consistency.
The Opal 2.0 has a smooth design, with a clear, illuminated reservoir for the ice. A removable aspect water tank attaches to the machine with magnets. The aspect tank permits for extra ice to be made between refills; it’s also possible to go for a less expensive model with out the aspect tank.
The Opal 2.0 is ready to connect with Wi-Fi and might be programmed to answer voice instructions. (It additionally has a UV gentle for sanitizing, although we didn’t check the machine’s purported antimicrobial know-how.)
The machine is giant; it takes up about as a lot room as an espresso machine. It’s additionally costly, usually costing practically 5 occasions the worth of the bullet-ice makers we advocate. However if in case you have a factor for nugget ice, it’s a terrific selection.
