The 10 Best Clear Ice Makers For Home – 2020 Reviews

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Welcome to the new, in-depth review on our blog. Today, we’re going to take a deep dive into the world of clear ice makers and molds. We've done a lot of work here so you could choose the best clear ice maker for your home ice making needs.

Clear ice has many advantages over conventional ice, including the fact that it does not dilute drinks, melts slower, and so keeps our drink cold for longer, and also just looks better overall.

In fact, many high-end restaurants prefer to use clear ice over normal ice, leading to it popularly being known as gourmet ice. 

With so many options in the market, it is quite possible to get overwhelmed. Not all the products on the market offer what they claim to offer, and an inferior clear ice maker, while more expensive than a regular one, will give you pretty much the same ice.

Not to mention that not all gourmet ice makers will be good for home use.

To help you avoid all of this, we did A LOT of research, testing, exchanges with both experts and actual users. Based on that, we eventually picked the top 10 best clear ice makers for our ultimate review. 

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Clear Ice Maker Reviews – Our Approach And Goals

Now, there is a lot to digest here, so, after careful consideration, we decided to have 2 different categories for ice makers, with a winner in each: portable clear ice makers and undercounter clear ice makers. Plus, as we already mentioned, we’ll also do clear ice molds, for those on a budget, with the best in that category as well.

Also, we’ll be focusing purely on ice machines for the home in this clear ice maker review. These are the kinds you are likely to use in the indoor kitchen, outdoor kitchen, or home bar.

We’ve talked in-depth about commercial ice makers (another whole world of its own) in a separate review.

In case you want to know more, like what the fuss is all about when it comes to clear ice, we have included a detailed buyer’s guide at the end to try and answer all the questions you might have.

So, are you ready for a cool ride? Let’s go!

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Countertop Clear Ice Machine Reviews

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Freestanding & Undercounter Clear Ice Machines

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Best Clear Ice Molds You Can Get

In case you find clear ice makers too pricey, or just overkill, especially if you want clear ice cubes but don’t want to make that many at a time, then clear ice making molds are for you.

They’re like regular ice molds, except they’re designed for making clear ice cubes. They have an insulated bottom to force the water to freeze from the top down, and they also typically have little holes in the bottom where the water with the impurities can leak through to the bottom.

Here are the top rated clear ice molds we're recommending:

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Gourmet Ice Makers – Things to Know Before Buying

If you go out a lot, then you may have noticed that your favorite restaurants, particularly the high-end ones, use perfectly clear ice cubes when chilling your drinks.

I know I certainly did, and this got me very curious because all the ice cubes I ever made at home were cloudy right to their core.

Now, this didn’t sit well with me, because I wanted my home ice to be as clear as what the restaurants could produce. At the very least, I wanted to know how to make that kind of ice, even if I wasn’t likely to make it.

Even before thinking too hard about what advantages cool ice may have over regular ice, there’s already the cool factor to consider. Clear ice looks way cooler than regular cloudy ice. It certainly looks more ‘refined’ and elegant as it sits in your glass.

But, of course, as you might expect, the cool factor isn’t the only reason high ticket commercial outfits love clear ice (and why some even charged for it in the past). There’s a lot more to this story.

Clear Ice Advantages 

First of all, the clear ice is denser than the regular, cloudy ice. It is because there is no air (or very little air) inside the clear ice cube, as compared to regular, white one.

How is that possible? The simple answer is that the clear ice is formed in layers.

Not only it's denser because of this, but it also tastes better and is neutral in smell. Perhaps even more importantly, however, the lack of air trapped inside means that it melts way slower than the regular ice.

Restaurants love this fact about clear ice. Since it melts slower, you can use less ice than when you use regular ice. That’s less ice per customer, which means you’ll consume less water than you otherwise would, and you will also consume far less power.

Also, since the server is spending less time doing top-ups for customers who need more ice, they can use that time doing other things, such as making sure all customers are better served.

So, just to wrap up the benefits of gourmet ice:

• It looks great, is crystal-clear
• It doesn't smell
• It melts slower than white ice
• It doesn't dillute or change the taste of drinks
• It's denser – it's 100% water, with no air in it

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A Note on How a Clear Ice Maker Works

So now that we have a good understanding of all the clear ice advantages, does a clear ice maker work?

Remember we said that clear ice is formed in layers? Well, what happens in most clear ice makers is that a metal grid or plate is cooled down via the refrigeration cycle (we talk about this in-depth in our article on best countertop ice makers).

The plate is typically cooled down to 0 degrees Celsius, which is the freezing point of pure water. Cold water is then continuously run over the plate or grid, such as by spraying, allowing it to freeze in layers and form ice cubes of various shapes, depending on the design of the ice making machine.

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What About Clear Ice Molds?

A clear ice mold is well insulated so that the water is forced to freeze from the top down.

They also typically have holes in the bottom of the molds and a reservoir underneath to collect all the impure water that is forced to the bottom.

The resulting ice cubes are quite clear as a result. They do, however, benefit from slow freezing.

Something that should be noted about clear ice molds is that:

• They may not work perfectly.
  The design of the ice mold needs to be a good one or you might not get what you were hoping for. While they’ll all generally give you clearer ice than regular ice, they may not give you 100% clear ice. 
• They are slow.
  Because they need you to freeze the water slowly to prevent trapping air and impurities in it, they all require slow freezing which can extend to a whole day. This isn’t good when you need ice on demand.

These disadvantages work in favor or clear ice makers since they make high-quality clear ice cubes and do it fast enough to produce them on demand.

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Differences Between Undercounter Clear Ice Makers And Countertop Ones

Here the difference is pretty much the same as the one between regular undercounter and countertop ice makers.

Undercounter ones are larger, maybe water-cooled or air-cooled, and have greater production capacities and storage capabilities.

Undercounter ice makers require specialized installation, a dedicated water line to fill the reservoir, and a drainage line for both the melted water and the cooling water (in case they are water-cooled, but most are air-cooled).

The drainage may work by gravity alone or may include a drainage pump. If it includes a pump, even more, specialized installation work is required.

Countertop ice makers are smaller, lighter, and have less storage and production capacities. In fact, the very low storage capacities of countertop clear ice makers are perhaps their biggest drawback.

They are air-cooled and only require drainage for the melted water. They’re far easier to maintain as a result.

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What to Look For When Buying a Clear Ice Maker?

I’m hoping by now you’re totally sold on the merits of clear ice makers and why you should get on as soon as possible. But we still haven’t talked about what to look for when choosing one.

We’re going to briefly go through the main factors to consider so you can make the right choice when you’re on the market. These are the same factors we considered while choosing the ones on our selection.

The production capacity

This should be one of the main things to consider since you probably already know how much ice you’re likely to need and want an ice maker that can meet that need.

Are you buying a gourmet cube ice maker for regular home use, parties, and get-togethers or your home bar?

Each of these will have their own needs and so ice capacity is important to consider. The production capacity is measured in pounds per day under ideal conditions.

Of course, the ambient temperature will greatly affect this. For portable ice makers, you might also want to know how many ice cubes you can get in a single cycle and how long that cycle is.

The storage capacity

This is yet another important factor to consider. Depending on how much ice your ice maker makes, you’ll want to store it somewhere.

Ice machines are typically well insulated, and some of them even come with built-in freezers, so they can keep the ice cold for long.

However, storage capacity will determine how much of that ice is stored. Typically, storage capacity is about half of production capacity, so take that into account.

Does it have a built-in freezer?

This builds on the point above. A built-in freezer will keep your ice cold indefinitely, so, depending on your needs, you might want to consider this.

The size of the ice maker

Your clear ice maker needs to sit somewhere, and so it is important to consider its size in relation to how much space you have to accommodate it.

Undercounter units are larger and need more space, while countertop clear ice makers can fit on most counters. Whichever you buy, make sure there is extra space on the sides for easy maintenance.

The drainage type

This is important, especially for undercounter clear ice makers. If you have a drain right underneath the space where you will fit the ice maker, then you can get one with a gravity-powered drain. If not, then a pump-powered one is more appropriate.

Note, however, that the latter will be more expensive to buy and install, as well as more complex to install.

Maintenance required

Maintenance work is an important part of ensuring the longevity of your clear ice maker, no matter how good its build and design quality. You should, therefore, go for one that is easy to maintain or has great features to help you maintain it.

Undercounter units require more maintenance, often including you taking it entirely out from under the counter, or even completely dismantling it to maintain it. At most, you’ll need to do full maintenance about 2 – 3 times a year.

The noise level

This is particularly important since we’re talking about clear ice makers for home use. Freezing requires power and involves pumps, and so can be quite noisy.

Also, the ice cubes fall into the storage bin as they are made, adding to the noise factor. Smaller ice makers are quieter than large ones, and where you put the ice makers will factor into how much the noise level matters.

Some manufacturers also go the extra mile to ensure that their ice makers are as quiet as possible.

The quality of the ice

Since you’re buying a clear ice maker, you’ll want only the clearest of ice to justify your investment. You don’t want cloudy ice from a clear ice maker, or ice that melts too quickly.

For this, you should read the ice maker reviews to find out if others are satisfied with the ice quality before you make your decision.

The clear ice makers we have included in this review produce high-quality ice, and so can be trusted. 

The shape and size of the ice

Some clear ice makers allow you to make ice of different shapes and sizes. If you want this capability, check if the ice maker can provide that kind of variety.

Extra features

As with any product sometimes the manufacturers add extra bells and whistles to make their product more attractive. While most ice makers will involve the most basic features, such as single button operation and auto-shutoff, and water filters, others will include extras.

Auto-defrost melts away the extra ice and keeps the ice maker clean. Some also have auto-clean for extra maintenance while others allow you to choose different shapes and sizes for your ice.

Others also have an indicator to tell you about the quality of your water, or a built-in freezer.

All of these extras typically mean a more expensive clear ice maker, so be sure to buy something with the features you absolutely need.

The price

Building upon the previous point, the price of the clear ice maker is another important factor to consider, since your budget will determine what you can afford.

The most basic clear ice makers are quite affordable but may have lower production and storage capacity or may not have that many features.

Ultimately, you will have to go for something with all the features you need, based on your budget.

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Best Clear Ice Maker – The Bottom Line

And with that, we come to the end of our best clear ice maker and best clear ice mold reviews. As you can see, there are lots of great products in these categories that you can consider.

We covered what we think are the best picks in their respective categories, but there are other clear ice makers at Amazon which you can check to have an even better picture of what's available.

We hope that once you’ve got one in your home, you’ll never see ice the same way again, and those drinks will be much more enjoyable.

Until next time, stay cool!

Last update on 2025-01-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API