Kenny Powers

I'm looking for an ice maker for the garage. Nothing fancy, just something to fill the cooler with. The kitchen fridge doesn't cut it. I guess I'm looking for something in between the little counter-top deals and a full blown commercial Manitowoc, somewhere in the < $400 price range. I've never heard of Vevor, but this one seems to fit my needs. Anybody have any experience with this style of ice maker?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/VEVOR-60K...nter/134019684

mikefloyd

Not a bad deal. I have never heard of that brand but if it will make half of what it says it would work for here at the lake. It's not like going offshore and needing 10 bags or more.

Kenny Powers

Alternatively, I could probably find a used (name brand) under-counter ice maker for around the same price. Although they're designed for a kitchen (temperature controlled) I assume they would work in a garage environment as well.

mikefloyd

Last 3 ice makers I've owned have been in the garage and never had an issue. 2 of those were in FL.

autobaun70

How often do you need ice? I use a standard top/bottom fridge at the lake with a big Rubbermaid container in the freezer. It makes more than enough during the week to make it through most weekends. Pre-chilling the contents in the fridge really cuts down on ice needs. It replaced a Scotsman under counter unit. That one made ice ok, but couldn’t store very much, and it was 32 degree ice, not hard frozen. Hard frozen lasts much longer. Also uses a fraction of the power/water.

mikefloyd

We have a big family so we could have 14 or more people here at one time. I like to bag my ice and put it in a dedicated freezer. 0* ice works much better than 32* ice.

autobaun70

for sure. This is at my in-laws place where the wife and I stay every weekend.it’s defining sufficient for gatherings, but more than plenty for the beer cooler over the course of the average weekend. If going fishing or having a gathering (both fairly rare) it has to be supplemented. I have access to a pair of commercial machines if the need arises, but it’s rare.

Kenny Powers

I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is I've bought ice about 10 times in the last 2 months.

We moved over the summer; and are entertaining more in our new house, so demand is higher than previously. We now have a french door style fridge in the kitchen....which really sucks at making ice. I used to play the game where you ice down the cooler a day ahead of time, then let the fridge refill and top it off when needed, but this one won't keep up.

autobaun70

French door style suck for ice production in my experience. I’ll post a pic of the setup I’m using. Cheap and efficient. Not fancy cocktail ice, but does well.

johnboy114

I was in a similar position as you - I was just skeptical of those ice machines. I ended up with a chest freezer in the garage. I have access to big ice makers in a couple of locations. So I bought some ice bags online and now have a chest freezer full of ice ready to go. Also, bought a few bags of sonic ice to keep around for me and close friends!! haha

Twodown

Get a side by side for the garage with an ice maker. Take out the freezer side shelves add a plastic trash can inside and you will have all the ice you need.

WolpackVO

I just bought a very similar model. Installed in my garage and it fills him up completely in about 6hours...bought it off amazon for $349 and paid another $60 for a 4 year warranty

nuffaredy

The bin only holds 29 #, so if you need a lot of ice, say for a fishing trip, you’ll be emptying the bin 3 or 4 times a day, bagging ice and transferring it to a freezer.
I won’t leave the dock without 250# or so, so I’d be slaving at the ice machine for days prior to a trip!
makes the local price of $8 / 50# seem pretty reasonable.

Lemonbayboating

I thought about ice maker as well but with the large ice machines that are at gas stations and such i can fill a cooler or bag for $2 per 20lbs almost not worth the hassle and cost of something that could make enough ice to matter. For me its fishing ice

Kenny Powers

We have very different needs. I'm 600 miles from the nearest salt water, so I don't need 250# of ice for fishing..... 25 is plenty to keep the beer cold; and when I keep fish they just stay in the livewell until I'm home.


I read a lot of reviews on the one (and others like it) linked in the OP; and I wasn't impressed. It seems a lot of them don't work out of the box; and most start having problems after a year or so. I ended up finding a Kitchenaid under-counter ice maker on C-list that holds 25 pounds. Should be perfect for my needs; and far more reliable in the long run.

autobaun70

Here is the top/bottom setup. Super easy to set up...literally buy a fridge and put a big box in the freezer. I rake the ice to the right side a couple of times during the week.

autobaun70

If you have a deep freezer, pull out ice daily or every other day and put it in it in bags for use in the cooler. Will last a lot better. Also if you are installing in a garage, you very well may need to point a cheap box fan at it to keep the air close to it moving. They give off a lot of heat. Inside a house with constantly running HVAC not a big deal, but have to supplement it if its in a garage, especially in summer.