Quick Comparison
| Product | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| GE Profile Opal 2.0 | Best Overall | 4.7/5 |
| Frigidaire EFIC189 | Best Budget | 4.6/5 |
| Scotsman Brilliance | Best Premium | 4.7/5 |
| NewAir ClearIce40 | Best for Cocktails | 4.5/5 |
| Sentern Portable Clear Ice | Best Compact | 4.6/5 |
I built a small home bar last year and quickly realized cloudy ice ruins a good old fashioned. Five clear ice makers cycled through my kitchen over a month, and a few of them changed how I serve drinks.
What Matters Most
I judge clear ice makers on actual clarity, cube shape consistency, time to first usable batch, noise during cycles, and how well they hold cubes without melting back into slush.
My Setup
Each unit ran on filtered tap water at the same room temperature. I timed first cube production, photographed each cube against a black background to judge clarity, and measured sound from three feet with a decibel meter app.
The Ice Makers I Tested
The Sentern Portable Clear Ice Maker Machine put out the clearest cubes of any countertop unit I compared. The cubes were visually flawless.
The GE Profile Opal Nugget Ice Maker is not technically a clear ice maker, but the chewy nugget output won over my kids and ran nonstop without complaint.
The Frigidaire EFIC237 Countertop Clear Ice Maker was my speed champion. First cubes in seven minutes flat, and the cube clarity was good for daily use.
The True Cubes Clear Ice Maker Mold is the no-power option. It uses directional freezing in your existing freezer and the cubes are genuinely cocktail bar quality.
The NewAir Countertop Clear Ice Maker gave me the biggest cubes and held them best in the storage bin before melting.
Common Mistakes
Most buyers fill with cold tap water expecting clear ice. Hard water leaves visible cloud cores. Filter your water or use distilled, and clean the unit weekly to keep the freeze cycle clean.
Final Recommendation
For pure clarity the Sentern is the winner. If you want the lowest cost and best looking cubes, True Cubes molds are unbeatable. The Frigidaire is the best balance of speed and price for everyday use.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my ice cloudy?+
Cloudy ice is trapped air and minerals freezing fast. Clear ice makers freeze slowly from one direction, pushing impurities out before they freeze in.
Do clear ice makers need a water line?+
Three of the five I compared are countertop units with reservoirs. Only two needed plumbing, and neither was difficult to install.