Everyone has their favorite drink, but one thing is standard across the board – everyone likes their cold drink. That’s why having an ice machine in your home bar is an excellent way of ensuring everybody’s needs are sorted. Using ice molds or keeping a bag of ice is a thing of the past. Ice makers eliminate the burden, because you want to enjoy drinks with friends and family.
Ice makers for home bar use are available in two categories – the countertop and under-counter models. The countertop types are small, lightweight, and built-in, while the under-counter ice makers fit alongside wine coolers and other home appliances.
Why do you need an Ice Maker?
Ice gives your drink a smooth, satisfying taste, and having a quick and efficient way of producing the ice in your home bar guarantees hassle-free enjoyment.
If you like to entertain family or guests, an ice maker gives you the freedom to have ice anytime you need it. That eliminates lots of stress in buying bags of ice from outlets and storing them in freezers for as long as required.
They also occupy very little space, leaving you with plenty of room to keep other appliances. It is a great lifesaver if space is a luxury you can’t afford.
In the long run, the ice maker saves you the electricity bills that go into keeping a freezer running for days.
Our Best 5 Ice Makers for the Home Bar
With so many models and types of ice makers available, finding one that perfectly fits your home bar needs can be daunting. Our five best ice makers for home bars can help you narrow down your options to find something that serves the purpose right without breaking the bank.
1. NewAir 50 Pound Portable Ice Maker
- Note : Please check the dimension and item weight of the product and confirm it fits your space
- Compact And Powerful - Our Portable Ice Maker Is Small And Compact And Makes The First Batch Of Ice In A Little Under 10 Minutes And Up To 50 Pounds Of Ice A Day In 3 Different Sizes, Perfect For The House, Kitchen, Counter Top, Office, Bar, And Rv
- 3 Ice Sizes - Create Different Sizes Of Ice With The Portable Ice Maker As It Can Produce Three Different Sizes Of Ice Based On Your Choice Small, Medium, Or Large Letting You Decide The Size Of Ice For Your Beverage
NewAir also allows you to choose from three sizes of ice and set an 18-hour time scheduler to produce ice when you want. The indicator lights notify the user when ice fills the detachable ice bin or when more water is needed.
Pros
- It takes a shorter time
- Produces large ice capacity, up to 50 pounds per day
- It’s silent
- Self-cleaning with a timer
Cons
- Bulky and heavy
2. Frigidaire EFIC189-Silver Compact Ice Maker
- Note : Please check the dimension and item weight of the product and confirm it fits your space
- MODERN DESIGN: Ice Maker with a large transparent window so you can always see your ice being made and the level.
- COMPACT & EASY: Frigidaire's countertop portable ice maker offers a wide range of uses with a compact dimension of 15 x 11 x 14.5 inches. Our countertop ice maker is portable and compact, making it simple to transport and use.
Frigidaire can produce 9 ice cube batches with a bullet shape in 6 minutes only, ideal for three simple cold drinks. This ice maker can make 1 lb of ice in an hour, making it a great and efficient choice.
This ice maker is also ETL certified and offers two options of ice sizes: small and medium, giving you a choice of options for your favorite drinks. With its 2-liter water tank capacity, you’ll get up to 1.5 pounds.
Pros
- High efficiency, making 1 lb of ice in an hour
- Compact and lightweight
- Feature-packed
- Convenient and easy-to-use drain plug
Cons
- Body made of plastic
3. Vremi VRM010636N Ice Maker
- Build A Better Beverage: Ditch annoying ice cube trays and clunky freezer ice, and treat yourself to beautiful bullet-shaped cubes with Vremi’s Very Nice Countertop Ice Maker.
- Quick Ice, And Lots Of It: Cool cubes are ready in just 8 to 10 minutes. This slick small kitchen appliance produces a whopping 26 pounds of ice per day, and holds up to 1.5 pounds of ice in its included bucket. Can’t use it all at once? No worries: Store the extra cubes in your freezer till it’s time for your next drink.
- Compact With Killer Design: Measures 9.5 x 12 x 13.5 inches and fits nicely on most countertops, with a 2.2 liter water reservoir that recycles water from melted ice to produce more cubes. Runs at an energy-efficient 120 watts with a quiet cooling compressor.
Apart from the auto-shutdown feature, Vremi also has a drain plug on its underside to allow easy and quick draining of unused water. This ice maker is also made more convenient with the front control panel to check and monitor ice making process. The dashboard has indicator lights to notify users when more water is needed or when the ice bin is full.
Vremi is a little slower, producing 9 bullet-shaped cubes in about 8 to 10 minutes. Also, it offers only a single option of ice size, but that doesn’t matter as much, considering its simple and easy-to-use design.
Pros
- High energy efficiency
- Quiet
- FDA and ETL certified
- Sleek stainless steel body
- Compact and portable
Cons
- Has only one option of ice size
4. GE Profile Opal Countertop Ice Maker
- OPAL NUGGET ICE, THE GOOD ICE - Serve up chewable, crunchable, craveable nugget ice that's ready fast and retains its flavor, unlike traditional hard cubes; Refreshing nugget ice is made from compacted ice flakes and is perfect for cocktails, sodas and other beverages
- 24 POUNDS OF ICE PER DAY - Never run out of nugget ice; This ice maker produces one pound of fresh ice per hour and has a large-capacity bin that holds up to 3lbs of crunchable nugget ice
- SMART - Built-In Bluetooth Connectivity: Schedule fresh ice, monitor your ice makers status and order accessories, all through the app on your smartphone
This ice maker can produce 1 lb of nugget ice in an hour, while its bin can carry up to 1.36 liters, about 3 pounds. It comes with a clear container to monitor how much of the nugget ice remains and offers an easy forward pulling when you need to scoop some ice.
The Bluetooth feature lets you control the ice maker with your smartphone via the FirstBuild app. Also, the app allows you to schedule ice-making and monitor the progress on the minute. GE Profile Opal Countertop Ice Maker is excellent for producing ice for all types of drinks.
Pros
- Quick at making nugget ice
- Sleek modern design
- Bluetooth functionality for control with a phone
- Easy to clean
- Simple control panel
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy
- Non-ergonomic buttons
5. Crownful Ice Maker for Countertops
- [Efficient & Quiet] The ice maker can produce up to 9 pieces of ice cubes in just 7 minutes and 26 pounds of ice per day. The quiet cooling system requires very less energy to cool, so that you will no longer need to worry about running out ice during your parties.
- [2 Ice Sizes & Portability] The ice machine can make both large and small size ice cubes, where the large ice cubes are not easy to melt and small ice cubes are perfect to cool drinks quickly, so that you can easily choose the size of the ice cubes as per your needs for drinks, smoothies, seafood. The machine is small enough so that you can carry it around for your house parties, RV, office and many more.
- [Easy to Use] The ice maker is just a simple one touch operation and is equipped with infrared sensor technology, where the add water indicator turns on when there is less water and the 'Ice full' indicator turns on when the ice basket is full, for an hassle free experience.
It can produce up to 26 pounds a day with a fast ice-making process like the expensive options. Crownful makes nine large bullet shape ice cubes in up to 10 minutes. However, the lack of an ice cube size option is a con to its features.
On average, this ice maker can produce up to 80 ice cubes in one hour. The ice maker sits above a 1.8-liter water tank, which is ideal in allowing melting ice to drain back to the reservoir without making a mess. It also has a drain plug on the underside allowing to drain unused water from the ice maker.
Pros
- Fast and efficient
- Easy drainage of unused water
- Comes with a BPA-free ice scoop
- Quiet
- Offers an insulated storage bucket to keep ice for longer
Cons
- Plastic body construction
What are the Key Elements to Consider when Buying an Ice Maker?
Finding the best ice maker for home bar use can be hectic, considering the many brands available in the market. Bear in mind the following aspects when researching for an ice maker.
Size/Capacity
Ice makers are available in different sizes, from the small countertop types to the large and bulky models. Consider how many people you’ll be serving and the location where the ice maker will mainly be used when looking at size.
On capacity, go for a machine that offers ample storage with proper insulation so you won’t have to unload regularly to create room for more ice.
Budget
How much are you willing to spend? Which features can you let go of to slash down the cost? Don’t sacrifice essential features like speed, volume, and material construction to save a few dollars when making budget decisions.
Speed
How fast and often will you require ice? You can choose to make lots of ice in batches ahead of time or constantly produce to meet the demand. Ensure that your choice of ice maker can efficiently produce large volumes in a shorter time. If you don’t have a proper ice storage mechanism, look for a faster ice maker to meet your demands by the hour.
Construction
Ice makers made of plastic are the least expensive, which can be less durable, especially if put to constant use or with rough handling. Those made of stainless steel offer durability and an elegant look. If planning to use your ice maker very often, you’re better off getting one with a metallic build. Otherwise, a plastic-made one can serve the purpose.
Final Thoughts
The best ice maker for home bar use should offer a quick performance to serve a high demand by the hour. Also, it needs to store the ice for longer before melting so you won’t have to drain the reservoir and make more ice constantly. Be sure to stock your home bar with all the necessary bar accessories.