Best Under Counter Ice Maker (Buying Guide )

If you are fond of having homemade cocktails, beer, or icy cold drinks, then an under counter ice maker for a home bar makes a perfect choice for your kitchen. An under counter ice maker can make a lot of ice for serving cold drinks and beverages to your friends and family without any hassle. However, getting the best under counter ice maker is pretty challenging as there are many manufacturers that use low-quality Voltage thus sacrificing the durability of the ice maker. 

But now you don’t need to fret as our team of experts has reviewed the ice maker in the market and compiled a list of the top 10 best under counter ice makers for your home bar. We have also enlisted the important factors that our reviewer considers when checking the durability of the ice maker. So, if you want to buy a best-rated under counter ice maker, carefully read the below guide to make a perfect choice.

Top 10 Best Rated Undercounter Ice Makers

Buying Guide – How to Choose the Best Under counter Ice Maker for Home Bar?

Choosing the best ice counter doesn’t require any rocket science or complex stat formulas; you only need to consider a few features in the icemaker before making the final decision. Here is the list of these important  factors:

Type of Ice

Before jumping to any conclusion or considering any other feature, the first thing you need is to choose what kind of ice you need your ice maker to produce. There are ice makers that produce different shapes of ice for your beverages. So carefully decide what kind of ice shape you wanted. Here are some of the most popular ice shapes: 

• Nugget shape:  Just like real nuggets, this type of ice is soft and small in size. Since, it is soft it perfectly into your drink making it a perfect choice for fountain drinks, blended cocktails, and soft drinks. The softer consistency also makes the ice easily chewable. That’s the reason, it is mostly preferred by ice drinkers. 
• Crescent ice: This is another ideal ice for soft and blended drinks. Due to its extremely soft consistency, it quickly melted down in the drink and made it icy cold. However, it is not a good choice for cocktails and whiskey. 
• Dice ice: For slow melting ice no one is better than the dice ice. It has a little harder consistency and thus melting slowly and steadily changes the flavor of your drink. 
• Gourmet Ice: This ice has a more slow and steady melting rate than dice ice. It is most preferred to make high-end liquor and upscale drinks. 
• Nugget Ice: This ice is even softer than crescent ice. It melts instantly and is highly used in margaritas, blended drinks, soft drinks, and iced tea.  

Production & Storage Capacity

After making the choice about ice type, the next thing is to check the capacity of the ice maker. It is highly important to consider how much ice your ice produces and stores over the course of 24 hours. This can give you a better idea if the ice maker is beneficial or not. Because if the ice maker can’t produce and store enough ice according to your need, you will probably end up buying extra ice from the market. Most ice makers come with a production and storage rate of 20-100 pounds and 15-50 pounds respectively.  So, carefully consider the capacity of the ice maker before buying it.

Reading the Kitchenaid undercounter ice maker review will help you know its features if you are going to buy it.

Cooling System

This is another important factor that ensures the durability and longevity as well as the performance and cost of the ice maker. Most ice makers come with air cooling systems and water cooling systems. 

In a water cooling system, the machine uses water to cool down the machine. On the contrary, in the air cooling system, the ice maker cycles air through the internal fans to cold down the machine. 

Most home ice makers usually come with an air cooling system. They are not only efficient but also have a compact structure. However, under cabinet ice makers, it can be highly influenced by internal temperature, resulting in a decrease in productivity.  On the contrary, water cooling systems work better under cabinets and aren’t influenced by indoor room temperature. 

Placement

Next comes the installation and placement of the ice maker. Since you are going to install the ice maker under the cabinet of your kitchen you need to have enough space for the effective installation of the ice maker. There are various sizes of ice makers in the market from large to medium and small. So carefully keep in mind the space in your kitchen when buying the ice maker so it can easily fit into your cabinet. 

Other Features

Apart from size, types of ice, or storage size, you also need to consider a few other features like noise level, Power level, maintenance requirements, and interior lighting. Choose an ice maker that has adequate internal lighting so that you can clearly see inside when using the maker at night time. A self-cleaning cycle is also important for the effective maintenance of the ice maker. Moreover, you also need to consider the noise level of the ice maker, so that it can’t produce a loud noise to disrupt you during your kitchen work. [1]

Our Reviews for The Best Under Counter Ice Maker

If you’re looking for a commercial ice maker that can produce a bulk amount of clear restaurant-quality ice at your home, then the VEVOR ice maker is your best choice. Though it is a little pricey still you can’t deny the fact that now there are only a few ice makers in the market that can make 500-550 lbs of ice per day and VEVOR is one of them. That’s also the reason it is our top pick for the best under counter ice maker. It can not only produce an excellent amount of ice per day but also keep up with your demands for reliable functioning and durability. 

It comes with a thickened foam insulation layer that can efficiently provide aid against the external heat and thus prevent the ice from melting for up to 5-7 hours. Also, the ice maker is highly versatile which means you can choose between different ice thicknesses (thin, middle, thick) according to your need and desire. The smart LCD panel precisely gives alerts when the ice bin is full and when you need to add water, making it more convenient and reliable to use. 

It is no only masters in reliability but also offers durability with premium quality stainless steel that promises the longevity of the ice maker making it a good investment of your money and efforts.

If you’re looking for an ice maker with an affordable price option then Costway commercial Ice Machine is the ideal choice for you. This under-counter ice maker is not only cheapest in price but also highly durable with heavy duty metal construction. What’s more, the metal is UL certified for health and safety, highly insulated to ensure better ice production and accompany water supply hose and draining hose for more convenience. 

It is simple in design but well equipped with a bright LCD operational control panel that enables you to adjust the ice making time and cube thickness as you like. The automatic cleaning functions periodically clean the machines and keep them free from bacterial growth. It even has add water and ice full indicators that immediately alert you when to add water and when to take out the ice cubes.  

Most importantly, it produces 88 lb of ice at a time meeting the commercial ice making need to make large amounts of crystal clear ice in limited time. So whether you want to buy the ice maker for home, restaurant, bar, hotel, grocery store, or even supermarket it is one of the best choices for you.

Scotsman is another one of the best under cabinet ice makers on our list with premium quality stainless steel construction and vibrant silver color to enhance the esthetic beauty of your kitchen. It has an excellent production rate of 64 lb and a storage capacity of 26 pounds. This amazing ice maker produces gourmet ice, making it the perfect choice for scotch and other high-end drinks. 

One of the significant features that make it one of the best under-counter ice makers is its WaterSense technology. The water quality sensor immediately detects the hard water conditioning and purges the mineral-laden water with every harvest cycle. This not only protects the flavor of your beverages from contamination but also extends the cleaning time for more convenience. 

Moreover, it has an efficient and user-friendly control panel that provides detailed alerts about its functioning. It displays the information about water conditioning and also gives regular alerts about cleaning. You also get notified about the daily ice production as well as any technical or mechanical problem in the machine. 

This ice maker is not only highly durable and productive but also comes with the lowest noise level to provide a peaceful and calm environment. So, if you want to get uniquely shaped, crystal clear, odorless, colorless, taste-free, and slow-melting ice to enjoy your favorite beverages at home, Scotsman is the best Under counter ice maker for you. [2]

This is another popular ice maker with revolutionizing technology and a high appraisal from the customers. It has an amazing ice-making rate of 53 pounds per day with a storage bin of 25 pounds to store a significant amount of ice ahead of time. So, whether you want to host a party with your friends or place it in a bar, restaurant, or hotel, it can produce an efficient amount of ice to meet your daily need of a hundred drinks. 

This excellent ice maker is both convenient and durable. It is made with premium quality stainless steel that promises longevity. At the same time, the bright illuminating control panel offers precise and simple operation. It also provides an alert when the bin is full to take out the ice, only making it more convenient and useful. 

So, if you’re looking for a convenient and highly user-friendly ice maker with a promising customer stratification, Manitowoc SM-50A with its unique features is the ideal option for you.

If you’re looking for a small ice maker for a small kitchen, dorm, or office, then no one is better than Edgestar IB120SS built-in ice maker. It is not only highly durable and convenient to use but also affordable in price making it a perfect budget option for household ice making. 

The ice maker can make 12 lbs of crescent ice cubes in 24 hours, sufficient for serving a few friends and colleagues. It can also store up to 6 lbs of ice in advance for future use. What’s more, it is easy to install and you can use it as both an under counter ice maker as well as a freestanding unit.

Moreover, it also doesn’t require any drain line and the door is reversible making it more convenient and user-friendly.

This is another excellent commercial ice maker on our list. Although it is not as spacious as VEVOR, it can still produce enough ice to serve hundreds of drinks per day. So, if you’re looking to buy a commercial ice maker at a low price then is Euhomy Commercial ice maker machine is the ideal option for you. 

This amazing ice maker can produce up to 100 lbs of crystal clear diamond-shaped ice per day to serve your favorite beverages. As well as, you can also store 33 lbs of ice in your ice maker for future use. Apart from spacious ice making, it is highly convenient to use with a smart LCD panel that allows you to efficiently set the ice cube size. It also displays information about the surrounding environment to remind you to pay attention to the environment temperature for efficient working of the ice maker. 

Another greatest advantage of this ice maker is its efficiency and quiet working. This means it can make a large amount of ice without any noise, maintaining the calm and comfortable environment of your room or kitchen. What’s more, it also has an energy-saving certificate to save your electricity bills.

If you’re looking for a small ice maker for your office, form, or small kitchen, then we will highly recommend this stainless steel ice maker from SPT. Since it is compact and tiny in size, it can make a perfect partner on your road trips for enjoying your favorite beverages. It can produce 12 lbs of crescent ice per day and save up to 6 lbs of ice to serve your whole family at a time. 

It is easily installed and efficiently fits into the small cabinet of your kitchen. Tasters also noted that it works quietly and doesn’t produce any noise while producing the ice. The only whirring sound that you hear comes from the fan, but it is not that loud to disrupt your kitchen environment. Moreover, it is highly affordable in price and can be a great investment due to its durability.

If you’re looking for the best outdoor under counter ice maker, then ULINE ice maker will be your best camping partner ever. This small and tiny size ice maker is easy to carry around and requires less than an inch of diameter water pipeline to start producing the ice. So, whether you’re at home, office, or on an outside adventure, you can always enjoy cold drinks with this exquisite ice maker. 

The greatest advantage of this ice maker is that it requires only a minimum amount of water and electricity to produce the ice. ULINE under counter ice makers can produce up to 23 lbs of crescent ice per day with less than three gallons of water. It is also highly durable with alloy steel build-up that ensures the longevity of the ice maker.

Undoubtedly, Maxx ice has an excellent reputation in the world of electric appliances, specifically kitchen appliances such as refrigerators and ice machines. This spacious ice maker from the Maxx ice brand is also an exquisite statement of its durability and convenience. Maxx ice premium ice maker is made with premium quality stainless steel that is rust resistant and highly durable. 

It produces up to 60 lbs of clear, tasteless restaurant-style slab ice cubes that can efficiently serve hundreds of drinks every day. The bin is removable and stores up to 25 lbs of ice for further convenience. It is simple and easy to install with front breathing that ensures your ice does not melt easily. For more convenience, it comes with an automatic on-off feature that shuts off the ice production once the bin is full. Also, It is cleaned automatically with a single push of a button.

This is another heavy-duty ice maker from the industrial workhouse Mantiowoc. With this ice maker, you can effortlessly make 132 lbs of ice per day with significant extra storage of 90 pounds. So, no matter whether you want to use this ice maker in your home, restaurant, hotel, or bar you will never get short of ice cubes even after serving hundreds of drinks. 

Additionally, the incredible ice maker is compact in size and takes only small space making it a perfect choice for small dorms, offices, and kitchens. Moreover, the unit vent from the front which means you can install it in the cabinet as well as use a freestanding unit. It also doesn’t require any drain line. The door is also reversible making its usage easier and more comfortable.

The Verdict

Undercounter ice makers are necessary tools for your kitchen and can cost a large sum of your money, so it is convenient to buy one that can run longer.

In the above section, we have reviewed some of the most durable and premium quality ice makers that our team of experts has tested so far. They are portable and can be a great investment of your money.

With these reviews, we hope you can get the one that is surely made for you. As for our recommendation, our top pick for the best under counter ice maker for home bar is VEVOR Commercial Ice Maker. It is highly durable, portable, and produces a spacious amount of ice to serve your friends and family.

However, if you’re short on budget we will highly recommend COSTWAY Commercial Ice Machine with its sleek design and durable build.