Comments on: Unitasker Wednesday: Portable ice maker

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:56:33 +0000

Add me to the list of people with one of these (‘though I only paid $130 new for mine at Target). Why have one? Because I entertain frequently and it’s far more convenient to have the ice right where the guests are. No waiting hours for ice from the freezer. Contrary to what the article here states, it pumps out the first batch of ice cubes in about 8-10 minutes, with the subsequent batches coming out in 6-7 minutes. 12 cubes each time. The one I bought is rated for 35 lbs of ice per day and I’d certainly believe it.

For those wondering what else makes this much ice, many of the stand-alone ice makers only crank out 30 lbs of ice a day.

With it only drawing ~180 watts while it’s running (jumps up to ~220 during the 1-2 minute harvest cycle), I can (and have!) run it off my car. I’m waiting for the hurricanes to arrive. Then every single cent I spent on this unit will be worth its weight in gold. After a hurricane, ice, running water, and electricity are in short supply. I already have a small, ultra-efficient generator, so this just adds one more tool in my arsenal against having to “rough it” just because everyone else is.

By: Jerry Brito

Jerry Brito — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:08:49 +0000

Louise- Thanks so much for your comment. Finally! Someone who gets that the solutions and critiques we offer here will work for some and not for others. Louise’s situation is one where this ice maker makes perfect sense. For most people, though, it’s insane, and it’s funny how Sky Mall tries to make it sound so practical.

On another note, I think it’s incredibly cool you’re living in an RV. It’s a little fantasy of mine. I’ll certainly keep an eye on your blog.

By: Louise

Louise — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:29:15 +0000

We have one of these and it is absolutely the right item FOR US for making ice. We live full-time in our RV which is less than 300 square feet. In order to save space in our living area, we have a very small, under the counter, fridge. The freezer part is tiny and we don’t make ice in it. The portable ice maker lives in our storage bay underneath the living area. It takes up less space than a cooler and is much smaller than a mini-fridge. When we have parties way out in a campground, we then make ice. For our lifestyle (admittedly unique) it is just right.

Beats the heck out of me why OTHER people would buy one, though

By: Alan Thomas

Alan Thomas — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:55:34 +0000

According to Consumer Reports, the #1 thing that breaks in a fridge is the ice maker, and they recommend buying fridges without them.

So, following that advice, if you’ve gotta have ice, especially if you entertain often…

By: Marcus

Marcus — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:27:42 +0000

The jokes on me. I’m new to the site. Thanks for being nice to the newbie.

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:00:05 +0000

Marcus –

The Unitasker Wednesday posts are all jokes.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:55:53 +0000

If this isn’t a piece of clutter, I don’t know what is. Minus one point for unclutterer.com.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:48:40 +0000

Definitely the best Unitasker thus far.

By: nat

nat — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:47:15 +0000

HAHA! Who actually buys this stuff?

By: Lulu

Lulu — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:21:11 +0000

BwaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH

Good Post Dude!!

By: Erin

Erin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:55:05 +0000

I’ve been trying to figure out a time when someone would use this … just one single time … and I can’t do it. I can’t think of a single instance when someone would use this.

Riotous, Jerry. Love it.

By: A Tentative Personal Finance Blog

A Tentative Personal Finance Blog — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:25:31 +0000

You have to plug it in somewhere don’t you?

By: machei

machei — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:11:38 +0000

Ahahahaahaha!
OK, this is the best unitasker yet.

By: Betsbillabong

Betsbillabong — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:50:49 +0000

OK, that is really funny…

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:46:16 +0000

Is a bag or two of ice and a cooler really all that hard?