Buy Commercial Ice Cube Makers Online

Ice machines are rated by kilos in twenty-four hours, and that figure is the one to buy on. A bar, a juice counter or a restaurant does not use ice evenly through the day; it uses most of it in a few hours. Size for the peak and let the machine catch up overnight.

The two machines here

The mini bullet maker produces 10 to 12 kg in twenty-four hours, nine cubes a cycle, from a 1.5 litre tank on 120 W. It fills from bottled water, so it needs no plumbing at all, which is why it works on a counter in a small cafe, an office pantry or a stall.

The automatic 45 kg machine is a different class. It holds 45 kg, makes 22 x 22 x 22 mm cubes in a 15 to 18 minute freezing cycle on 600 W, runs an automatic control system, and offers water or air cooling. At 500 x 590 x 800 mm it sits under a counter. This is the machine for a working bar or a restaurant.

Water cooled or air cooled

Air cooled units need clear space around them to throw heat, and they struggle in a hot, enclosed corner, which is exactly where ice machines get pushed. Water cooled units cope better with heat but need a drain and use water to do it. In an Ahmedabad summer, in a kitchen that is already warm, this choice affects output more than the rating on the label. Tell us where the machine will stand and we will tell you which to take.

Cube size, and why it matters

A 22 mm cube is the general-purpose size: slow enough to melt that a drink is not watered down, small enough to pack a glass. Bullet ice from the mini machine is softer and melts faster, which suits blended drinks and short-serve juice more than a spirit on the rocks.

Before ordering

• Water supply and drain. The 45 kg unit needs both. The mini needs neither.
• Ambient heat. Output falls in a hot room. Do not box it in.
• Storage against production. Storage is what gets you through the rush; production is what refills it overnight.

Tell us kilos on your busiest day and where it will stand, and we will size it properly.