The Best Ice Maker

Updated December 6th, 2019

Take a look at the two ice makers below. Notice anything interesting about them?

If you noticed that their exactly the same size and shape, you’d be correct.

Now take a look at a side view of the same two machines.

Notice the similarities? Both machines have exhaust fans of an almost identical size and located in almost exactly the same spot (one is slightly recessed while the other is not). Both machines also have drain plugs in almost exactly the same spot with almost exactly the same design (but in different colors, of course).

These two ice machines, the Newair AI-100 and Igloo ICE103, are not the only two machines on the market with this design. Look around online and you’re sure to find at least ten other ice makers with this exact same size, shape, and overall design. The only difference between them? Well, at a glance, only the name, logo and control panel.

So, what exactly is going on here? Are all ice machines clones of each other? Does it even matter if you buy one model over another if they all look the same?

We asked exactly the same question when we started our journey into finding the three best ice makers on the market. What we found (after extensive research and testing) was that while many units looked the same, they definitely didn’t make ice with equal efficiency. We also saw a lot of variance in build quality, cleaning difficulty, and portability, among other differentiating factors we’ll discuss at length later in this guide.

Interestingly, we found that while the design of the two units above is copied quite frequently, it’s copied for good reason. It’s a design that works very well and provides several benefits over other common designs.

In fact, the two best ice makers we tested feature this exact same design. They also happen to be the same two units in the photos above – the NewAir AI-100 and the Igloo ICE103.

The third best ice maker we tested, the RCA RIC102, is of a slightly different design but it’s also of a design common to many other units on the market (like the very popular Avalon Bay AB-ICE26S, for example) . This second design has benefits of its own, but lacks in those areas we found to be most important to most consumers, the most important of which is raw ice production. The end result? While the RCA was the best unit we tested with this particular design, it was only the third best ice maker we tested, overall.

ice maker designs — Almost all ice machines on the market have one of these two designs. Design 1 (left) is larger with a control panel on the front of the unit. Design 2 (right) is smaller and lighter with the control panel on the top lid of the unit.

Analysis

Critical steps to take before you buy.

Before we get to our reviews of the best models we tested, let’s first go over the most important features you need to look out for when buying an ice maker. These same features served as the criteria for selecting the top three models we recommend you buy. For example, the best model we tested, the NewAir AI-100, provided the best output (the first feature we’ll cover) of all the ice makers we tested. It also did very well in terms of durability (the second feature on the list below) and cleaning difficulty (the fourth feature below). Let’s get to it.

Output

We define an ice maker’s output as the quantity of ice it’s capable of producing every day (every 24 hours). Most machines on the market are capable of producing either 26 or 28 lb. of ice per day. These are the machines we tested for this review, most of which had either design 1 or design 2, as outlined above.

Now, just because a machine is capable of producing a certain quantity of ice every day doesn’t mean that it will actually hit that exact manufacturer specified target - 26 or 28 lb. – every day or on any day, for that matter. How much ice the machine will actually produce in a real world setting can differ quite dramatically from the manufacturer specified 26 or 28 lb. per day.

Our testing showed that output varies depending on the following factors:

The build quality of the unit’s internal parts

All of the ice machines we tested were rated (by the manufacturer) to be able to remove either 26 or 28 lb. of ice per day. In our real world testing some of them actually did slightly better than the manufacturer specified output rate while others did much worse. The only difference between them? Their internal parts.

An ice machine, like a refrigerator, has a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and refrigerant lines filled with highly compressed refrigerant. The quality of these parts and the care with which they’re put together affect the machine’s actual output compared to its manufacturer specified output.

Naturally, we selected the three models with the best tested (actual) output rates (and therefore with the highest quality and most efficient internal parts) as the top three models we recommend you purchase.

Downtime

Another major factor that affects how much ice you can expect an ice maker to realistically make in a day is the length of time between when the ice machine automatically shuts off and when it is manually turned back on again.

The less this downtime, the greater the production per hour

So when and how does an ice maker automatically shut itself off?

First, it can happen when the unit’s ice collection basket fills up. Near the top of the machine’s reservoir is a small sensor that detects when the basket is full. When activated, the sensor, shuts off ice production automatically. You’ll have to empty the basket and manually power off, then power the machine back on before it will resume normal operation.

The ice machine will also automatically shut off when its reservoir’s almost empty. You’ll have to add water, power down the machine, then power it back on before it will start making ice again.

Downtime is up to you but also the design of the ice maker

We said earlier that the less the downtime, the greater the ice machine’s output. Of course, the biggest factor affecting your ice machine’s downtime will be you. If you leave the machine unattended for several hours it’s sure to make less ice than if you were to keep a close eye on it and empty it when it fills up with ice or fill it with water when its water level gets low.

That being said, some machines will make your life easier by filling up with ice less often and running low on water less often. Those same machines have bigger ice collection baskets and larger reservoirs. The top two units we recommend have the largest collections baskets and the largest reservoirs of all of the ice machines we tested. This is one of the main benefits of design 1.

ice maker reservoir — A comparison of reservoir sizes. Design 1 (left) vs design 2 (right).

Finally, the three factors listed below also affect output:

The temperature of the water you pour into the machine

The temperature of the room in which the machine is used

The higher the temperature (of both the air in the room and the water poured into the machine), the lower the production per hour

The cube size selected when first turning on the machine

The larger the cube size selected, the lower the production per hour

Note that while the first two factors (build quality and downtime as it relates to ice collection box and reservoir size) helped us distinguish between the best and the worst units, these last three factors did not. All machines were tested in the same space using the same temperature water and with the same ice cube size selected. All machines did not have the same build quality and downtime.

Durability

Ice maker consumer reviews are littered with users complaining that their machines don’t work anymore – sometimes after just a few days of use. Why do consumer reviews seem to indicate that ice machines are inherently flawed in their design? Why, when reading these reviews, does almost every ice machine on the market appear to have extremely low durability and almost nonexistent reliability?

Well, the answer is simple really. Most consumers fail to use their ice maker properly.

Proper use and care of an ice machine is absolutely crucial to ensure its longevity. Using it incorrectly will break it. And yes, sometimes it’ll break it even after just a few days of use.

So, how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you?

First and foremost it’s imperative that you realize that an ice machine contains all of the same parts as a refrigerator, just on a much smaller scale and used in a different way.

Your refrigerator is a large heavy machine that, because of its large size and weight, is rarely moved around and is always kept on a flat surface. This ensures that its internal parts work correctly at all times. A portable ice maker, by contrast, is a small, light machine. It can easily be picked up and moved around and doesn’t look odd sitting on a surface that isn’t perfectly level (more on this later). If it is mishandled or misused, it’s internal parts are likely to malfunction, just the same as if you tried to run your refrigerator while it was turned on its side, for example.

It is our firm belief that the vast majority of negative consumer experiences involving ice makers (as documented by negative consumer reviews) are due to their mishandling and misuse. We believe that if these same consumers were more informed about how their machines work and were better made aware of the five precautions we list below (with a more complete user manual), they would have nothing but positive things to say about their machine’s durability.

Ice Maker Precautions

Follow these five guidelines to ensure your ice maker’s longevity (and that of its internal parts

Wait at least 24 hours after receiving your ice maker and having it in a fully upright position before turning it on for the first time. Most manufacturers recommend you wait only an hour or two but we advise that you wait a full 24 hours just to be sure the refrigerant inside the unit has settled properly for its first use.
Make sure you only use the machine on a level surface.
Be careful not to fill the machine’s reservoir past maximum capacity – doing so puts extra strain on the unit’s internal pump – a recipe for early pump failure.
Be careful not to leave the unit unattended for several hours. When an ice maker runs out of water (in its reservoir), the Add Water LED will illuminate and the machine will stop making ice. But, it will still continue to try pumping water every 20 minutes or so. This puts a tremendous strain on the unit’s internal pump and is another cause of early pump failure.
Be careful to wait at least 3 minutes before turning the unit back on after turning it off. When the unit fills up with ice or runs out of water it will automatically stop making ice. But it will not automatically turn off. You will need to manually power it down. Only power it back on after waiting a minimum of 3 minutes. This allows the unit to properly reset so it can start at the beginning of the ice making cycle when it resumes operation.

Some ice makers are still more durable than others

With all of the above being said (about following precautions to greatly increase reliability), some ice makers do absolutely last longer than others. So what did we look at when evaluating the units we tested to determine whether one unit was more durable than another?

To evaluate each unit’s durability and potential reliability we looked at the following:

The build quality of

the control panel, including buttons and LEDs
the hinge that supports the top lid of each unit
the internal components including the compressor and fan
the chassis that holds all of the internal parts

In addition, we also took a very close look at consumer reviews. Yes, we do believe that a large percentage of consumer reviews for this particular product do not accurately reflect its durability because they come from the perspective of a consumer that didn’t handle the product properly. However, consumer reviews still give us insight into specific problems unique to each model we evaluated. Consumer reviews also give us insight into how each manufacturer deals with troubleshooting problems and servicing defective units. We talk about that next.

Warranty and Customer Support

Our criteria for scoring each of the units we tested in this category are the following:

Warranty length

Units with longer warranties receive a better score

Warranty guidelines

Points subtracted for unreasonable requirements (such as requiring the customer to pay for shipping)

Customer support

Not only when dealing with warranty claims but also when troubleshooting common problems

A warning about third party warranties

Because of the supposedly poor durability of most ice machines on the market (a myth we dispelled earlier but one that still affects the thousands of consumers that won’t read this guide), it’s common practice for consumers to purchase a third party warranty in addition to the manufacturer’s warranty included with product itself. Unfortunately, many if not most of these warranties don’t become active until after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired. This means that while the manufacturer’s warranty is active, you’ll need to depend on the manufacturer to provide good and proper service under the guidelines of the given warranty.

Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to find an ice maker manufacturer with good customer support. After spending countless hours researching all major brands on the market we found only one such manufacturer- NewAir. NewAir is also the manufacturer that makes the overall best ice maker we tested.

Claiming a warranty can be expensive

You might be surprised to hear that almost every manufacturer’s warranty for almost every ice maker on the market requires that you, the consumer, pay for shipping, not only to return the defective machine to the manufacturer, but also for the manufacturer to ship a replacement back to you. Because of the large size and heavy weight of these appliances, it can be cost prohibitive to see a warranty claim through – that is if the warranty requires you to pay for these shipping costs.

So, how do you combat this potential liability?

Make sure you purchase a unit with above average durability and reliability (the three top units we tested are also the three most durable units we tested)
Take these extra potential costs into account when budgeting for your ice maker purchase

Cleaning Difficulty

After you’re done using your ice maker you’re going to need to clean it. Yes, you’re only running water through it, but water very often contains calcium and trace amounts of other minerals that can accumulate inside the machine and affect its performance (in a negative way) over time. So, even if you use it every day try to clean it at least once every few weeks. If you don’t use it every day clean it after you’re done using it.

To clean an ice maker most manufacturers recommend the following procedure:

Drain the unit by unplugging the drain plug
Wipe the inside of the machine down with a soft cloth (using warm water and a diluted detergent)
Dry the interior of the unit
Wipe the outside of the machine down with a soft cloth as well

Three things make this process more or less difficult. In other words, these three things make an ice machine more or less difficult to clean:

Interior size
Drain plug assembly and location
Exterior color and/or finish

Two of the top three models we recommend are larger than most other ice machines on the market. Their larger size gives them a larger interior. This larger interior makes cleaning them easier because it’s easier to reach all of their interior compartments and little nooks and crannies, especially for people with larger hands.

The top two models also have a drain plug located on the side of the machine, as opposed to the bottom. As we noted earlier, it’s very important that you use your ice machine on a level surface. It’s also crucial to its longevity that you don’t tilt it on its side and try to keep it upright as much as possible, even when it’s unplugged and you’re cleaning it.

In our testing, we found that units with a drain plug located on the side of the unit allowed us to drain them without tilting them. On the other hand, it was extremely difficult to drain units with bottom mounted drain plugs without tilting them.

Finally, the color and/or finish of the machine also makes a big difference as to the cleaning difficulty of the machine. A machine with an easy to clean finish and a color that doesn’t pick up smudges easily was scored better in our tests.

Portability

Larger ice makers are easier to clean but they are slightly less portable. In addition to size we also looked at weight to distinguish between the portability of the ice machines we tested. Smaller, lighter machines were scored better in this category than larger, heavier machines.

Top 3

Our reviews for the three best ice makers on the market.

#1 The best overall

NewAir AI-100

SEE PRICE ON AMAZON

Output

The AI-100 has a manufacturer specified output of 28 lb. per day. But how did it do in our tests?

For you to better understand its test results, we first have to quickly explain how the machine actually works.

The process by which an ice machine actually makes ice consists of the following four steps:

Water is pumped from the bottom of the machine’s reservoir up to a holding basket at the top of the unit.
Nine ice cold evaporator “fingers” dip into this holding basket filled with water
Nine ice cubes slowly form around these cold “fingers” for a period of about 7 to 10 minutes
Ice is released from the “fingers” into a perforated ice collection basket. At the same time the excess water that didn’t get frozen is also released back down into the unit’s reservoir

ice maker evaporator fingers — Evaporator "fingers".

This whole process, which we define as one cycle of making ice, takes about 7 to 15 minutes. Whether it takes closer to 7 or closer to 15 minutes depends on the following three factors:

The model ice maker

Some models have shorter or longer cycles than others

The ice cube size selected

The larger the ice cube that needs to be made, the longer the cycle

Whether it’s the first cycle or whether it’s subsequent cycles

When the machine is first powered on, the first cycle takes longer than any subsequent cycles

During testing, the AI-100 required about 12 cycles, on average, to fill up its ice collection basket. The basket would fill up about 3 times per fill-up (reservoir filled to Max line). Each basket contained about 2 lb. of ice. Thus, total output per reservoir was 6 lb. of ice.

Applying some math to the data listed above we find the total tested output for the AI-100 to be:

1.2 lb. of ice per hour
28.8 lb. of ice per 24 hours (per day)

Note that these rates do not take into account downtime. Earlier, we defined downtime as the time period from the moment the machine automatically shuts off (when full of ice or out of water) to the moment it’s turned back on.

The rates above assume that the machine never turns off; which, in a real world setting, simply isn’t realistic. The machine will turn off when it’s full of ice. And, several minutes will go by before you realize it’s full, empty it, and turn it back on. The machine will also turn off when it runs out of water. And, once again, at least several minutes will go by before you see the ADD WATER light go on and refill it with water before powering it back on. Depending on how closely you’re monitoring the machine, this can add up to a lot of downtime, in which the machine isn’t actively making ice.

The AI-100 limits downtime compared to other models by limiting the frequency with which it occurs. It does so providing you with a larger ice collection box and a larger reservoir.

The larger the box, the more time goes by before the box fills up, the less frequently the machine stops when full of ice.

The larger the reservoir, the more time goes by before it empties, the less frequently the machine stops for lack of water.

ice maker ice box comparison — The AI-100 ice box (left) vs the smaller RCA ice box (right).

Most other ice makers we tested were much smaller than the AI-100 with much smaller ice collection boxes and reservoirs. These units require a much more hands-on approach when making ice because they constantly fill up with ice and run out of water, requiring the user to empty the ice and refill it with water much more frequently than what is required with the AI-100.

Durability

The NewAir AI-100 was by far one of the most well-built ice machines we tested. Both its internal refrigeration components and its external chassis were of a noticeably higher quality than that of comparable parts on most other models we tested.

In addition to visually inspecting each unit’s internals and all of its exterior components (chassis, control panel, etc.), we also carefully noted each unit’s noise output, specifically noting fan noise and compressor noise. The AI-100 was by far one of the most quiet ice machines we tested.

ai-100 control panel — The AI-100's control panel.

Finally, we also carefully inspected consumer reviews for this unit. We found no common thread of one specific part being problematic and/or being susceptible to breaking over time. We believe that most negative consumer reviews indicating poor durability were likely the result of mishandling and/or misuse of the product.

Warranty and Customer Support

We looked over countless consumer reviews for each ice maker we tested, and even for some we didn’t. And what struck us about many of these reviews more than anything else was the alarmingly high rate of complaints about poor customer support.

As we’ll talk about later, many ice machines on the market are not actually manufactured by the company that sells them. The end result is that the brand with its name on the box and on the ice machine itself, isn’t the same brand that offers customer support or processes warranty claims.

Thankfully, this isn’t the case with NewAir ice machines. NewAir themselves, not a third party, will deal with you directly should you have any problems with the machine or need to file a warranty claim. They provide several means of contact including a phone number and email support. The AI-100 comes with a one year manufacturer’s warranty, a fairly standard length compared to the warranties included with the other machines we tested.

Cleaning Difficulty

The NewAir AI-100 was one of the largest portable ice makers we tested. This makes its interior very easy to clean. All of its interior compartments are easy to access to wipe down and dry. The unit features a drain plug on its side, which is much better than having it on the bottom of the unit like some other units we tested.

The side drain plug allows you to place the unit next to a sink and drain the water left over in its reservoir into a sink quite easily. You don’t have to tilt the unit to access the drain plug or drain the reservoir. On bottom drain plug units you have to tilt the unit to access the drain plug. It’s also more tricky to drain such units once you’ve removed the plug as you have to hang them over a sink to drain them.

NOTE

A small volume of water will always stay behind in the reservoir even if you run your unit until it stops automatically when the Add Water LED lights up. This makes using the unit’s drain plug a requirement when cleaning it and/or before storing it (you can’t flip the unit upside down to remove the leftover water).

Finally, the unit’s silver plastic finish was easier to clean and much easier to keep clean than the exterior of most other ice machines we tested. The silver finish not only cleans very easily but was also much more resistant to picking up smudges and other residues during our testing.

Portability

The NewAir’s large size provides for several benefits including a larger ice collection box and a larger reservoir. However, it also reduces the unit’s portability, at least compared to some other units we tested.

Conclusion

The NewAir AI-100 was the best ice maker we tested. Yes, its design is common to a lot of other ice makers on the market, but, with good reason. The large oversized interior of this unit allows for a large oversized ice collection basket and a much larger than average reservoir. Both of these design features limit the number of times you’ll have to check in with this unit when making ice. They also allow for minimal downtime which maximizes the unit’s ice production over the course of your average day. The unit is also easy to clean with large interior compartments and a conveniently located drain plug. We give the AI-100 nothing but our highest recommendation if you’re looking to purchase a portable ice maker in 2020.

FAQ

This particular model has a well above average size reservoir with a maximum capacity of exactly 1 gallon. Technically, you should be able to fill it right up to the max. line with a full gallon of water but we recommend that you err on the side of caution and use slightly less than a gallon instead. Overfilling the reservoir puts extra strain on the unit’s built-in pump and filling it with exactly 1 gallon is cutting things a little too close, in our view at least.

Yes, absolutely. It’s common practice to remove the ice collection basket to add water to the machine while it’s running. Just make sure that you do so well before an ice making cycle ends. If a cycle ends while you’re adding water, the freshly made ice will drop right back down to the reservoir (instead of the collection box that has to be removed to add water) where it will have to melt before being pumped back up to be made into ice again.

This particular machine goes through a full tank in about 5 to 6 hours. If you don’t want it running out of water you’ll need to fill it at least once every 4 hours or so.

This particular machine makes slightly more than 1 lb. of ice per hour. Its ice collection basket has a maximum capacity of about 2 lb. and fills up about three times before the unit runs out of water. That equates to about 6 lb. of ice per reservoir.

Yes, all three recommended units come with a plastic ice scoop.

If you make ice with any ice maker straight out of the box then there is certainly a chance of it having a plastic taste. However, we strongly recommend that you clean your machine before using it for the first time. After a quick wipe down the ice the machine makes shouldn’t have any taste added from the machine itself. The ice will taste exactly like the water it was made from.

Yes, absolutely. All of the machines we tested can be used outside. Do note that if you use them outside ice production rate will go down. Most of our tests were conducted indoors at around 70 degrees F. We did perform minimal testing outdoors in 90 degree weather and saw about a 20% decrease in output rate.

Since all of the ice machines we tested work by the same mechanism – nine evaporator fingers dipping into a box of water - the ice cubes they make all have the same hollow cylinder shape. Some models do make smaller or larger cubes on the same setting.

#2 The second best overall