The Best Portable Ice Makers in Canada

In this article, I will give you a buyer’s guide for finding the best portable ice maker for your home or business in Canada. A portable ice maker is an excellent investment, and having an ice maker around will soon prove to be a great decision.

It’s frustrating to have to wait for ice from the freezer; a portable ice maker allows you to have ice available exactly when you need it. Most portable ice makers produce between 28-50 pounds of ice each day. This is plenty of ice for your entire family.

I know that our summers are shortened by winter, but having an ice maker isn’t just a summer thing. I use my portable ice maker all year round! In the summer, we keep our portable ice maker outside on our deck, and when fall rolls around, we keep our portable inside the house.

The Top 6 Portable Ice Makers Available in Canada.

Why Do You Need a Portable Ice Maker in Canada?

Before I began reviewing the best portable ice makers in Canada, I wanted to explain why owning a portable ice maker in Canada is a great idea.

• They are great for camping or hosting social events
• They are perfect for your home bar or outside kitchen
• They make awesome summer drinks such as iced coffee
• You can keep your beverages cool by filling a cooler with ice
• Use the portable ice maker in your office or small business

There are fewer options available to us in Canada for purchasing an ice maker, and there are more garbage brands that you’ll have to weed through before you find a unit that’s worth the money.

That’s why I’m here, to give you a hand. I have selected the top units based on reviews, my own experience, and the manufacturer’s information. It’s my goal to give you the required information to make a proper decision.

⭐️ The NewAir Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker – The Best Overall Portable Ice Maker in Canada

The NewAir portable ice maker offers a sleek stainless-steel finish (several other colours are available as well). With its great performance, it’s sure to deliver great ice whenever you need it.

I love this ice maker! It’s so convenient and makes ice so fast, and lasts for days. The amount of ice it’s not too much, but I pack them in the ziplock and leave them in the freezer. I really recommend it.

Terri

I love this ice maker! It’s so convenient and makes ice so fast, and lasts for days. The amount of ice it’s not too much, but I pack them in the ziplock and leave them in the freezer. I really recommend it.

This ice maker is easy to set up, and within minutes, you’re ready to start making bullet-shaped ice. It’s going to take a little longer for your first batch of ice to form (which is typical for portable ice makers), about 15 mins for things to get rolling. After the first batch of ice is complete, you’re looking at waiting about 6 minutes for each ice cycle.

There are a few features that I want to focus on that really got my attention.

This portable ice maker gives you an automatic shut-off, so it will automatically shut off when the water bin is empty and the ice storage bin is full.

This ice maker weighs 24 pounds, which makes it harder to carry around.

Makes ice like crazy; we never run out of ice.

Big Red

If you are looking for a portable ice maker to take on your RV or camping, then I strongly suggest that you consider purchasing the RCA-Igloo Ice Maker using our best price chart at the beginning of this article.

This ice maker has excellent options and comes in a variety of sizes to meet your needs.

The NewAir AI-100SS, AI-100R, and AI-100BK all produce 28 lbs of Ice in 24 hours while the AI-215R, AI-215SS portable ice maker will produce 50 pounds of ice 24 hours.

Depending on your needs (lots of ice or small quantities of ice), these ice makers will work perfectly for you.

⭐️ NewAir Clear Ice Cube Maker

If you are looking for a portable ice maker that produces clear ice, then the NewAir Clear40 is your best choice.

Everything I hoped for! Very happy with my portable ICE maker; much needed

awvera

Clear ice is better than bullet-shaped ice because it doesn’t have any bubbles. Without the bubbles, your carbonated beverage isn’t going to fizz as much as when you pour it over bullet ice, and it’s not going to melt as fast so your beverage won’t be watered down.

Clear ice is probably the most popular choice at restaurants and stores. It’s a more premium option, but with any premium product, the price also becomes premium. This unit will probably cost you about $400 in Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7778gZ2NAo

This portable ice maker is wrapped in stainless steel, and has a plastic lid where you’ll find simple user controls. You’ll find a water cap at the top of the unit; this is where you’ll fill up the water reservoir.

This portable ice maker is not just a pretty face.

I bought and received the item very quickly. Setup was easy. I filled the water tank and had CLEAR ICE within 30 minutes. It’s been a few hours, and the ice basket is filled with clear ice. This is an awesome clear ice machine.

Phil

The NewAir Clear40 produces 40 pounds of clear ice each day. This portable ice maker produces ice every 15 minutes,

⭐️ RCA-Igloo Portable Ice Maker – The Best Light, Compact Portable Ice Maker in Canada

The RCA-Igloo Ice maker is a small, compact unit perfect for camping trips or your RV. This is by far my pick for the best compact portable ice maker in Canada.

This ice maker produces bullet-shaped ice in as little as 6 mins and will make 26 pounds of Ice each day. It has LED indicators that will tell you when the ice maker needs more water or if the ice bucket is full.

Not only is this ice maker compact, but it also runs quietly. A quiet ice maker is important if you are planning on using it in your RV at night. You don’t want it running loudly if you’re trying to sleep. It comes with standard features and is loved by those that purchase it.

Because this ice maker is smaller, it’s only going to hold 1.5 pounds of bullet-shaped ice at one time (normally portable ice makers will hold from 2-4 pounds of ice at one time), but when the ice melts, it does return into the water reservoir where it is used to produce more Ice.

That’s what makes portable ice maker so great, they run efficient by reusing the melted ice water.

This ice maker only weighs 17 pounds, so it’s easier to move around in your kitchen or take it with you on the road. If a family member wants you to bring your ice maker for a party that they’re hosting, it’s no trouble at all to throw it into the car and give them a helping hand.

If you are looking for a more eloquent finish, I suggest you look at the Igloo ICE102ST. This portable ice maker has the same features as the one above but comes with a classy stainless-steel finish instead of the grey-plastic design.

The price is outstanding. You’re going to love how much this ice maker is going to cost you.

⭐️ Danby Portable Ice Maker – The Best Budget Portable Ice Maker in Canada

The Danby stainless steel portable ice maker is a great portable ice maker for many reasons. It’s small and compact, and it’s affordable so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of a portable ice maker.

A great-looking ice maker will a stainless-steel finish, a black lid, with simple controls on the front of the unit. I found that this ice maker was very light and easy to transport around my house.

I don’t have a fridge that makes ice for me, and in my house ( like other things… ), I’m seemingly the only one that knows how to make ice. So this lovely machine sits on my counter tucked into a corner, and I make ice on the weekends. It’s fast! Before you know it, you have ice!

Verified Buyer

The Danby ice maker can produce 26 pounds of ice in 24 hours and will store 2 pounds of ice at one time. This ice maker isn’t made with the most durable materials, but it’s going to do the job, and for under $150, it’s a super great deal.

One of the features that separate this ice maker from all the rest in its class is that it comes with a self-cleaning function. This makes keeping this portable ice maker clean and your ice tasting great a whole lot easier. You always want to make sure that you clean your ice maker every 3-6 months to ensure that your ice tastes the very best. Having the self-cleaning feature is going to save you a ton of time.

This ice maker comes with an alarm to let you know when your ice maker is full so that you can empty the ice storage bin. This is great when you are working on other things and forget about the ice maker; you’ll always remember to empty the ice bin and make as much ice as possible.

Danby is a great company, and I’ve been using their products for a long time. My first Daby product was a 7 cubit freezer that I purchased when I first got married (that’s 16 years ago), and it’s still working well today. I recommend this product as it comes with a 12-month warranty from a reliable company.

This ice maker fits into any decor with its sleek stainless-steel design. It also only weighs 19 pounds, so you can carry it around your house or use it in your RV.

⭐️ Whynter IMC-270MS

There are several reasons why I choose the Whynter IMC-270MS as one of the best portable ice makers in Canada. The first reason is it’s affordable. This ice maker will set you back about $200, but it’s a well-designed unit that produces enough ice for most families.

Second, this ice maker has a rating online.

A convenience that once you have it, you can’t go without.

Verified Buyer

This ice maker is comparable to the Danby Portable Ice Maker I listed above. You may have heard of other Whynter products. They make really nice ice cream makers that are perfect for home use. They are a trusted brand that makes several different types of small appliances.

This ice maker produces 27 pounds of bullet-shaped ice each day, gives you ice in two different sizes, and you’ll get the ice in about 10 minutes.

As mentioned above, the Whynter ice maker is built by a trusted brand in small appliances, and this particular unit comes with a powerful compressor that is CFC-free.

I found that the control panel on the front was easy to use, and to get set up and started making ice didn’t take me a long time. This ice maker has a 1.5-pound storage bin; you’ll find that you’ll have to empty it a lot.

This ice maker comes in three colours – red, grey and black.

⭐️ IKICH Portable Ice Maker

The IKICH portable ice maker gives you a simple design, easy operation and 26 pounds of ice each day. This ice maker is super light to transport, simple design and controls.

I found that this ice maker wasn’t made with high-quality materials. You could tell by holding it that it’s cheaper quality. I purchased this ice maker on Amazon and used it for months before reviewing it. You have to read my full review here for more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2zIqJ5WFnc

This ice maker gives you everything that you would expect from a portable unit. It has an LED indicator that tells you when the ice storage bin is full, or the unit needs more water, an easy-to-operate control, a simple design, and two ice sizes.

After using the unit for several weeks, I personally found that this ice maker was even smaller than what the pictures showed. Also, their website claimed that you’d have ice in about 6 minutes, but I found it took much longer than the 6 minutes they claimed – probably more like 10-15 minutes.

There isn’t anything really special about this portable ice maker. It worked well, and I was able to produce enough ice for my family of 5. It was a little loud running on our kitchen table (mostly the fan), but the ice was great when it was available. It sure did beat waiting for the ice trays to freeze.

This ice maker would be great for anyone looking for a simple portable ice maker that’s affordable and easy to move around. This unit will cost you about $200, which is very comparable to the Whynter and the Danby.

What You Should Look For In A Portable Ice Maker

There are several features and things that you should consider before purchasing a portable ice maker.

I’m going to cover them in this buyer’s guide for purchasing a portable ice maker in Canada.

Type of Ice

Most portable ice maker produce bullet-shaped ice. This ice is produced when a cylinder with freon is submerged into water and ice begins to form around it. The outcome of this is a piece of ice that looks like a bullet or hat.

This ice is normally pretty hard to bite, and has a cloudy colour. All of the ice makers above produce bullet-ice, except the Newair Clear Ice Maker.

This ice maker runs water over a metal square rack and freezes ice in layers. The outcome of this process is a cubed piece of ice that’s clear.

The type of ice that you would like will determine which portable ice maker you should purchase. The NewAir Clear Portable Ice Maker will cost you far more than portable ice makers that produce bullet-ice, but that’s just the price of doing business.

Size and Weight

The portable ice maker that I use every day is large, but it produces almost 50 pounds of ice each day. It’s so large and heavy that I don’t dare to more it around. I just found a place for it and that’s where it stays all summer long.

The type of Portable Ice Maker you purchase is dependant on where you want to put it, how much room you have available, and if you are going to be moving it around.

Portable ice makers for RVs or camping are normally compact units that only weigh 17-20 pounds. Just to give you perceptive, my portable ice maker weights almost 50 pounds.

I listed above great portable ice makers that are light and easy to transport. You can check them out at the top of the page.

Manufacturer

Not all portable ice makers are created equal. Most cheaper portable ice makers on my list are cheaper because they use less-than-stellar materials. At the end of the day, you do get what you pay for!

I really like manufacturers like NewAir and Dandy because they are trusted and tried over the years. These companies have a good reputation, and do their best to please their customer base.

Price

How much money are you willing to spend on a portable ice maker? This is what it all comes down to. If you would rather an affordable unit, then a Dandy or Ikich will be your best choice; if you want to spend a little more for a premium design and extra features, then you could lean more to the NewAir.

Conclusion

Our top ice maker for our Canadian shoppers is the NewAir AI-100SS Stainless Steel Portable, Ice Maker. You’ll be surprised by the price on Amazon. We love this portable ice maker because of its small, compact design and overall quality.

If you need a larger unit that produces more ice, you should purchase the NewAir AI-215R or AI-215SS unit. This portable ice maker produces 50 pounds of ice every day, and its red colour is a really cool feature. I own the NewAir AI-215SS, and I absolutely love it.

Let us know if you use any of these ice makers at home, and tell us what you love or hate about them. If you have any questions, then you can leave those comments in the comment section below.