Portable Ice Maker

[mthds]

Does anyone own a portable ice maker? I searched this thread and there was some discussion back in 2010 but I was looking for some more recent reviews.

Target has one by Emerson for about $150. Walmart has one by Igloo for about $100. Do these ice makers really make enough ice for 4 people to use each day?

Was wondering if anyone has a portable icemaker they use when they camp. If so what brand, etc.

Thanks for any info you can give. Would love to know if they really work as it would save so much freezer space to not have ice trays.

 

[time for Tink]

MTHDS, DW has been asking for one for years as she likes her tall glasses of iced tea. This Christmas I gifted her with the icemaker you are asking about. We haven't had it out camping yet but I did turn it on in the house and it kept up with our usage with no problem. Hard to say what it will do while camping in 90 + temps this summer but we will find out soon enough. It is 20lbs. if weight is an issue for you.

 

[Fort Mad Man]

I have a Emerson from Target. It is great and continously puts out ice. We are 6 and have no problems running out, even in the summertime.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

my grandson's daycare just got one from Target. i do not know brand but they are quite happywith theirs. it does more than 4 people

 

[MommaluvsDis]

My friend has the Emerson from Target and it makes restaurant quality ice. She uses it for parties and it makes ice very quickly. She loves it!

 

[dalspot]

We got the Emerson on sale from Target. It takes a while to start making usable ice (thicker cubes), but once it gets going, it's fine. One thing that no one has mentioned is that it does not keep the ice cold, you need to transfer to a cooler or freezer as it's made. And the ice is "wet" and will stick together when first put in a freezer. We have a really thick plastic container that we transfer ours to and I just bang it on the counter to break the ice apart.

 

[jbrostek]

A friend has the dometic ice maker, it churns out all day long. The only thing we found out was the ice wasnt all that great for making blended drinks, thats when the disney ice machine was useful.

 

[retired and happy]

We had one. Used it once in 100 degree heat in TX. It produced one batch of ice which pretty well melted before the next batch was ready. Parked it in the garage for a couple years. Gave it to a daughter who entertains a good bit. She used it last Thanksgiving in her kitchen, but also had a cooler of ice on the floor. Between the two we had enough ice for about 12 people for the weekend. Not impressed as I had hoped to be.

 

[Southern Bell]

We have one! It makes ice great! My husband purchased ours from campers world. I think on sell we payed 250 dollars for ours. Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't sound like we got much of a deal and that was a few yrs ago! LOL! It says Wind Chaser on it, what ever that is! You all may know! But.. someone has to be willing to keep filling it with water! LOL! Then when it makes empty it to the fridge or it will melt! We were afraid to keep it outside because of rain and have found that it puts off just a little heat and makes the camper a little hotter. It is great if you run out of ice and need some quickly right then, or when you first arrive somewhere and don't have any. I found that I still filled my ice trays(after they are filled you can forget about them) and still bought ice, especially if I had alot of friends or family at the lake.