This compact and quiet $120 ice maker is a game changer in campers, cabins, and boats - here's how it works
- Small, portable, and quiet, the Vremi Countertop Ice Maker is what I'd have in my camper, boat, or kitchen.
- A production rate of 26 pounds in 24 hours (or a tray full in nine minutes) might not serve a whole party, but it will take care of your household.
- At $120, it's a good piece of technology if you're tired of buying ice or fiddling with trays in the freezer.
If you've ever spent extended time on a boat, a camper van, or a small off-the-grid cabin, chances are that you quickly came to realize that ice becomes a hot commodity.
It's a pretty simple little thing. Plug it in, load it with water (tap or bottled), and keep an ear out for when it beeps, which means the ice tray's full (every nine minutes) or it's time to add more water. This isn't an around-the-clock machine; you'll have to tend to it, but it produces very solid - and very cute - thimble-shaped ice cubes, which, I might add, have a very nice feel about them, especially in a drink.
What else can I say? It's small, stowable, quiet, and exceptionally easy to use.
Testing notes
The first thing you do when you plug the Vremi Ice Maker in is run a proof or test batch. I'm not really sure exactly what this does, but the ice is noticeably different from the first batch to the second, and I hear it's best to follow instructions. Here's trying, anyhow.
Every nine minutes or so, the machine will beep. Yes, that might be a nuisance, but at the very least you can think of this as a tool you'd use in your house in a pinch when hosting guests. It sure beats constantly refilling and keeping tabs on ice trays. On the road or the high seas, it is an absolute savior, so long as you have the space.
I think my favorite part of this machine, though, is that it recycles water that melts into the bottom. Although it's a pretty rudimentary mechanism, it's as logically built as anything. You pour water into a reservoir in the back, and the ice maker dispenses ice as it's made, sort of like a vending machine. The ice then sits and piles in a tray, and the little bit that seems to melt falls to the bottom where the machine collects it and makes more ice.
Specs
Measuring 9.5 x 12 x 13.5 inches and weighing 23.6 pounds, the Vremi Ice Maker is relatively compact. You might not fit it in a tiny camper or a smaller sailboat, but otherwise, it's not unreasonable to have in most places or situations, and making 26 pounds of ice within a 24-hour period certainly makes it worth its weight. Granted, it only holds 2.2 liters (.58 gallons) of water at a time, and you probably don't want to stand there and keep feeding it water every 30-45 minutes.
120 watts of power with a cooling fan keeps the Vremi Ice Maker pretty quiet, though, and there's plenty to be said for that. While the brand suggests not leaving ice in the 1.5-pound-capacity tray for too long, I've found it holds up relatively well if you happen to forget about it. And, again, what does melt just gets recycled back into fresh ice.
All in all, Vremi clearly had efficiency in mind, and it shows.
The bottom line
I tried using both tap water and distilled spring water. The distilled spring water made slightly better ice, but I really wasn't complaining about the tap water - even the slightly sulphuric well water at my mother's mostly off-the-grid home. Basically, you can make ice with anything.
Pros: Affordable, quiet, stainless steel, stowable, superb ice
Cons: You have to refill the water reservoir pretty regularly, so it's not something you can set overnight (but that's not exactly the point of it, anyhow)