The best ice makers you can buy

• An ice maker can be a useful purchase if your fridge doesn't have one built-in. They're also great in RVs and on boats.
• Countertop ice makers are inexpensive, efficient, and easy to store (we have other, larger picks below, too).
• We've found that the best ice maker on the market right now is the compact Frigidaire EFIC108. Unlike many others within its price range, it can produce two different sizes of ice cubes.
• You may also want to consider a nugget ice maker if you're looking to make smoothies or cocktails that can be easily diluted by adding regular crescent ice.
• Read more: This ice shaver is a hit with my kids and makes dessert inexpensive, easy, and maybe even a little healthier

While many modern freezers come equipped with built-in ice makers, those of us who are working with older or more streamlined refrigerators typically have to rely on ice cube trays. And while this method is perfectly fine for chilling a pitcher of lemonade or whipping up two or three frozen margaritas, anything that requires a larger amount of ice — like packing a cooler, filling a champagne bucket, or whipping up two or three batches of frozen margaritas — requires a run to the grocery store, where a 7-pound bag of ice costs about $3.

So, with small countertop ice machines running about $100, investing in one isn't a half-bad idea — especially if you like having multiple options when it comes to ice cube sizes. A portable ice maker is also a solid investment if you own an RV or boat (even more so if you fish and need to keep those catches cold). Before you buy, here are the main types of ice makers to consider:

It's worth pointing out that nearly all countertop ice makers are remarkably similar, and often come from the same manufacturer, regardless of the brand. Most have the same guts, the same design, and they all make the same ice, more or less. They're rudimentary machines, and you probably can't go wrong.

Standalone — commonly referred to as "commercial" — ice makers are the biggest and best ones you can get. They're pricey, but they last with a bit of servicing, and they're what hotels, restaurants, and bars rely on for a reason.

Full-size standalone ice makers are a bit much for most private users. For the home, an "under-counter" version will offer the same quality at about half the size, tucking under your countertop. It's still spendy, but it's worth the initial investment since cheaping out on an ice machine can often be a lot more costly in the end (think poor drainage, mold, and having to repair your kitchen floor). If your budget is limited, either buy a simpler countertop machine or stick with ice trays for the time being.

We're currently working on testing more ice machines here at Business Insider, but below you'll find the results of hours of online research, and some degree of testing.

• Best ice maker overall: Magic Chef MCIM22W
• Best high-output countertop ice maker: NewAir Portable Ice Maker
• Best portable nugget ice maker: FirstBuild Opal Nugget Countertop Ice Maker

Updated 6/18/20 by Owen Burke: Our former top pick, the Vremi Ice Maker, is unavailable, so we swapped it with the Magic Chef MCIM22W, which has the same components on the inside and makes slightly more ice (27 pounds within a 24-hour period, compared the Vremi's 26). We're also testing the Igloo ICEB26BK to see if it serves us better and is worth the extra money, but we stand by the Magic Chef for now. Prices and links are up to date at the time of publishing.