Get Ice in Minutes with the Sleek and Stylish NewAir AI-200SS Portable Ice Maker!

Summer is already here, and besides sitting in an air conditioned room or in front of a fan at full blast, blistering days are usually tamed by icy chilled drinks. Our refrigerator ice makers can be one of our best friends in the sweltering summer, but like many home appliances, freezer ice makers are prone to malfunctions. Problems can arise from plugged water filters, kinks in the water line, or even expanding/contracting coils, and when such issues occur, we’re usually forced to run to the supermarket to fetch heavy bags of ice. This scenario is especially frustrating during a party or gathering. Thankfully, home ice makers can solve this problem.

Most restaurants use huge commercial-sized ice makers that produce hundreds of pounds of ice per day, but this isn't necessary if you simply want to enjoy a cold drink or need to fill an ice cooler. Instead, a portable countertop ice maker can do the job. Portable ice makers are nothing like commercial icemakers because they’re compact, easy to use, and usually don’t require permanent installation or any type of direct line connection. Water is simply poured into the unit’s tank and ice is made within minutes.

With that in mind, there are several different portable icemaker manufacturers on the market today, and some of the most popular brands are Amcor and Franklin Chef. Our product team has been busy testing some of the newest portable icemakers on the market, and we recently came across the NewAir AI-200SS countertop icemaker.

Perfect for home, RV, or boats; and ideal for parties and get-togethers, the NewAir AI-200SS is affordable and boasts a handful of advanced features as well. Here is what we especially liked about this value-priced portable ice maker:

Design and Style:
The first thing we noticed about the AI-200SS ice maker was its appearance. Constructed of heavy-duty stainless steel, this unit was sleek, stylish, and looked great in our kitchen. Although it weighed about 46 pounds, its unique cubic shape made it idea for countertop use. We liked the fact that it only required a standard household outlet and did not need to be continually drained or hooked up to a direct water line. Instead, we simply filled the water reservoir with one gallon of bottled water, placed the ice basket back into the unit, and closed the cover. Furthermore, the soft touch controls made the AI-200SS incredibly easy to operate.

Ice Making Abilities:
After filling up the water tank, we were now ready to have a constant and ample supply of ice. Ice was produced in only 10 minutes (12 pieces per cycle), and we were even able to select from three ice cube sizes: large, medium, and small. Each ice making cycle lasted anywhere from 7 to 13 minutes, depending on the ice cube size, and the internal bin was able to hold 2.5 pounds of ice at a time. Over the course of one day, we were able to get approximately 35 pounds of ice from the AI-200SS.

Overall, we really enjoyed the NewAir AI-200SS portable ice maker. In fact, once we began to use it, we wondered how we ever got along without it. Also, at under $250, it was definitely more affordable (and effective) than some of the other models we tested.