Community Forums

TriumphDriver · 10-06-2005, 12:59 AM

I purchased the Portable Stainless Steel Icemaker (product #27399) which Camping World sells for $349.00. Frankly I was pursuaded by the overall favorable "reviews"* at the Camping World website which discussed the fact that you could have ice without the hassle and gas expense of going to the store for bag ice. First the good news: Yes, it does make ice from bottle water (even if the cubes are small and soft) and it is fairly quick, making ice within the hour. Now the bad news: It would take at least 12 to 24 hours to have a decent (small bag size) amount of ice. The ice maker is heavy (50 lbs.) and bulky so it is not exactly portable in the sense that it is easy to pick up and move around. I found out that locating this icemaker in my 30' class A motorhome was going to be tough. If your RV is 32' or less, where are you going to put it? I thought about under the bench dining table but what a hassle it would be to get to. Worse news: this icemaker is loud! Just about the time you get used to the moderately loud whirling noise of the motors, you will hear a "crash" as the icemaker dumps a small amount of ice cubes into the holding tray. This occurs about every 45 minutes to an hour, so don't plan on running the machine at night. If the sound of crashing ice cubes in the tray does not wake you up every hour, your dogs barking at the startling noise will. About the third time this happens, you will be turning off the machine. Frankly, after considering the cost, bulk, weight and noise of this icemaker, I returned the icemaker and happily went back to bag ice in my trusty Igloo cooler.

*P.S. After returning the icemaker to Camping World, I wrote a review similar to the review above on the Camping World website. It was acknowledged received but never posted to their website. I was left to wonder how much you could rely on the "Customer Reviews" of a product on the Camping World website.

TriumphDriver · 10-06-2005, 12:59 AM

I purchased the Portable Stainless Steel Icemaker (product #27399) which Camping World sells for $349.00. Frankly I was pursuaded by the overall favorable "reviews"* at the Camping World website which discussed the fact that you could have ice without the hassle and gas expense of going to the store for bag ice. First the good news: Yes, it does make ice from bottle water (even if the cubes are small and soft) and it is fairly quick, making ice within the hour. Now the bad news: It would take at least 12 to 24 hours to have a decent (small bag size) amount of ice. The ice maker is heavy (50 lbs.) and bulky so it is not exactly portable in the sense that it is easy to pick up and move around. I found out that locating this icemaker in my 30' class A motorhome was going to be tough. If your RV is 32' or less, where are you going to put it? I thought about under the bench dining table but what a hassle it would be to get to. Worse news: this icemaker is loud! Just about the time you get used to the moderately loud whirling noise of the motors, you will hear a "crash" as the icemaker dumps a small amount of ice cubes into the holding tray. This occurs about every 45 minutes to an hour, so don't plan on running the machine at night. If the sound of crashing ice cubes in the tray does not wake you up every hour, your dogs barking at the startling noise will. About the third time this happens, you will be turning off the machine. Frankly, after considering the cost, bulk, weight and noise of this icemaker, I returned the icemaker and happily went back to bag ice in my trusty Igloo cooler.

*P.S. After returning the icemaker to Camping World, I wrote a review similar to the review above on the Camping World website. It was acknowledged received but never posted to their website. I was left to wonder how much you could rely on the "Customer Reviews" of a product on the Camping World website.

Joe-K · 10-07-2005, 11:25 AM

Thanks for posting your opinion on the icemaker. You've provided other with valuble information so they can make an educated decision whether to purchase or not.

RV Wizard · 10-08-2005, 01:30 AM

You can buy a lot of ice for what it cost to purchase an ice machine. I'd rather have a freezer

.

Vette Racer · 10-10-2005, 10:33 AM

Well, just to throw out a different opinion. I bought one, just cheaper than yours ($180) but still the same unit. Yes, its heavy but I can lift and carry it, and yes, it makes some noise when it dumps ice which doesn't bother me. Since I have a toyhauler it sits way back in the rear which makes the noise a lot less of a problem. Mine dumps ice every 12-15 minutes with the cube setting on large. The first dump, the ice cubes are not worth using but after that they are great. The main reason I bought it was so I WOULD have a freezer. With a bag of ice in the freezer there wasn't any room left for much of anything, not to mention $1.25 or more per day. This way I plug it in, throw some water in, and 30 minutes later, ice is ready. I measured the ice output on battery power (Inverter) and it put out 7 lbs of ice in 6 hours. And, the ice cubes are really cute with that little hole in the center.

Works great for our use, we like it.

LandHo · 10-11-2005, 10:09 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TriumphDriver:
*P.S. After returning the icemaker to Camping World, I wrote a review similar to the review above on the Camping World website. It was acknowledged received but never posted to their website. I was left to wonder how much you could rely on the "Customer Reviews" of a product on the Camping World website. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I too have written a less than favorable review of a fairly expensive product that CW sells...It has been 4 months and the review still have not been posted...I even wrote the CEO about this and no response either. At least at the Store level...the custmer service is way better than the Executive/back room level... My 2 cents worth... I agree, sometimes, the low tech (bags of ice) is way better (and cheaper) than new tech...

Besides, here in MI, in a couple of months...the whole outdoors is a giant freezer...

seizetheday · 11-20-2005, 10:50 AM

We too purchased this icemaker. On a scale of 1-10 I would give it an 8. It makes more than enough ice to keep the big & little cooler full, ours doesn't have a loud noise and after the 1st dump of ice which hits the metal basket there isn't much sound at all when the other dumps hit ice on ice. It does slow down on production when really hot but still makes enough ice. We have ours in the basement of the rv. I noticed the earlier post saying they used bottled water, which will need a pinch of salt added to it because the sensors need the salt to function correctly. We always us tap water but if that had a nasty taste we would go the bottled water route with added salt. We were buying 1-2 bags of ice per day so this has more than paid for itself. JMHO

Jumbo Jet · 01-17-2006, 11:58 AM

Always willing to add my 2 cents - We purchased one - eBay bargain compared to CW. It makes more ice than we can use. We store some of the ice in the freezer. We use bottled water - the cheap gallons from WM. Haven't added any salt though.

The hole through the middle helps to cool down your beverage quicker.

Wife won't leave home without it!

Acker1 · 01-17-2006, 03:39 PM

Jumbo Jet--
What brand/model# did you buy?

slabman · 01-19-2006, 01:05 AM

What brand is this we are talking about? How much water does it hold at a time?

Retired and Happy · 01-19-2006, 04:20 AM

Just got back from three weeks in WDW's Ft Wilderness. During the second week I asked my DW if we were spending enough on ice to justify one of these portable ice makers. She said she had kept track of both ice and laundry. $18 for ice and $108 for laundry. Everything takes eight quarters at a time down there. Some time ago we had removed our too-small washer/dryer in favor of a second fridge. We might still consider the ice maker. Opinions seem to vary wildly about the noise factor and the amount of usable ice these things make. I might try one for $160, but probably not for $350.

Vette Racer · 01-19-2006, 06:16 AM

Here is the ice maker I have. Didn't buy from this place, just an ad to show you which one I have. If you had to run it while sitting next to it the noise would be a problem. I have the advantage of being able to relocate it out of the way. I've even put it outside at times so ice is available without going inside the trailer.
ice maker

Jumbo Jet · 01-19-2006, 09:51 AM

Same one that Vette Racer is showing. Holds about a gallon of water. Will fill the ice bin up on just a little less than 1/2 gallon of water.

seizetheday · 02-19-2006, 07:49 PM

JUMBO JET - if the bottled water you're using has sodium in it then all should be ok.

The brand we have is a Windchaser from CW at around $300. When we purchased ours we could not find one anywhere else.

Home Depot now sells the Magic Chef for $199.

We have an ice maker in the fridge but it just keeps up with my use inside. We use the portable one for ice in the cooler and it has more than paid for itself.