Best COSTWAY Portable/Countertop Ice Makers (Review)

COSTWAY makes so many different models of portable/countertop ice cube makers it can be hard to choose which one to buy. To make this choice easier today we will find out which ones are the best!

#1 COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP Ice maker

COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP ice maker is capable of making up to 48 lbs of ice cubes in a day – almost twice as much as most other countertop ice machines. It makes square shaped ice cubes which is another thing that differentiates it from other ice makers as most make bullet shaped ice cubes with hollow inside.

COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP makes 24 ice cubes per batch. How long it takes to make a single batch? It depends since batch time is adjustable for different size/thickness options. You can increase or decrease ice making time. Ice seems best at “+4” setting (4 minutes longer than default) but it might vary depending on personal preferences.

Overall ice cube quality is good. They are a bit soft and somewhat chewable. If you want them to be properly frozen hard you will have to put them in freezer for a bit. Only complaint is that a batch of 24 ice cubes tend to come out as a single sheet but it easily breaks apart.

Control panel

Control panel of COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP features 4 buttons and LCD displays that shows multitude of information including warnings, batch time setting, water temperature etc. The 4 buttons are:

• “Timer” button: Press to set up timer.
• “On/Off” button: Press to turn ice maker on or off.
• “+” button: Used for adjusting timer and increasing time per batch. Longer batch times will increase size and thickness of ice cubes.
• “–” button: Used for adjusting timer and decreasing time per batch. Shorter batch times will decrease size and thickness of ice cubes.

Features

COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP has sensors that detect when ice basket is full or water reservoir empty and pauses ice production when necessary. Sometimes ice cubes can get stuck in a way they cause false positive for ice basket sensor – not a huge issue but it’s a slight inconvenience. It usually happens when ice basket is already half full. Ice basket is removable.

COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP is made of stainless steel and has large plastic and transparent lid so you can see how many ice cubes are in the ice basket without opening the lid. Not only it’s convenient but also prevents you from letting warm air inside the ice maker.

Conclusions

COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP ice maker is capable of making up to 2 pounds of good quality ice cubes every hour. It also feels well made and has more features than most other models. It does have some flaws though as well – ice cubes usually come out as a single sheet (which is easy to break apart) and ice cubes can sometimes get stuck in a way they cause false positive for the ice basket sensor but overall it’s a great ice maker.

COSTWAY 24525US-CYEP 48LBS/24H Ice Maker Specifications:

• Voltage/Frequency: 115V/60 HZ
• Model: 24525US-CYEP / EP24525US
• Ice output: up to 48 lbs per 24 hours
• Ice cubes per batch: 24
• Ice cube shape: Square
• Time per batch: 13-25 minutes
• Ice cube size options: Many
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 11.5″ x 15″ x 14″
• Weight: 23.5 pounds
• Refrigerant: R600a (1.13 Oz / 32 g)
• Housing material: Stainless steel

#2 COSTWAY EP22769BK Countertop Ice Maker

COSTWAY EP22769BK is one of the least expensive ice makers you can buy. It’s very basic but it does make decent ice cubes which is all some need.

COSTWAY EP22769BK makes up to 26 lbs of ice cubes in 24 hours and makes 9 bullet shaped ice cubes with hollow inside per batch. Each batch usually takes 8-10 minutes to make but can range from 6 to 13 minutes depending on multiple factors like selected ice cube size and water as well air temperature.

Ice cube quality is pretty good. Only complaint is they come out a bit wet but they are soft, chewable and crunchy.

Ice basket is not refrigerated – if you need ice maker that’s also refrigerated you will have to spend a lot more since least expensive units with refrigerated basket start at around $300.

Control panel

COSTWAY EP22769BK has only two buttons (“On/Off’’ button for turning ice maker on or off and “Select” button for selecting ice cube size) and 5 indicator lights:

• “Add water” indicator: Illuminates when water reservoir lacks water.
• “Ice full” indicator: Illuminates when ice basket is full with ice cubes.
• “Power” indicator: Illuminates when ice maker is turned on.
• “S” indicator: Illuminates when small ice cube size is selected.
• “L” indicator: Illuminates when large ice cube size is selected.

Features

COSTWAY EP22769BK is a pretty basic ice maker but it does have some features. It has sensors that detect when water reservoir is empty or ice basket full. Water reservoir capacity is 74 oz (2.2 liters) whereas ice basket holds up to 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg) of ice cubes.

COSTWAY EP22769BK also has transparent lid and is made of food grade material. It’s also ETL certified meaning it has been tested by Intertek’s Electrical Testing Labs which is OSHA Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory and meets set safety standards.

Conclusions

COSTWAY EP22769BK perhaps isn’t the best COSTWAY ice maker if we take price out of consideration but since it’s one of the least expensive ice makers you can buy yet performs decently well it likely be the top choice for many.

COSTWAY EP22769BK Countertop Ice Maker Specifications:

• Type: Freestanding / Portable / Countertop
• Voltage/Frequency: 115V/60Hz
• Refrigerant: R134a 2.25oz/0.14
• Ice output: up to 26.5 lbs per 24 hours
• Ice cubes per batch: 9
• Time per batch: 6-13 minutes
• Ice cube size options: 2
• Ice cube shape: Bullet with hollow inside
• Ice basket capacity: 1.5 lbs
• Water reservoir capacity: 74 oz / 0.58 gallons / 2.2 liters
• Housing material: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (thermoplastic polymer)
• Dimensions (D x W x H): 14” x 10” x 13”
• Certifications:
  • ETL Certified
• Package contents:
  • 1 x COSTWAY EP22769BK ice maker
  • 1 x Ice scoop
  • 1 x User manual

#3 COSTWAY 24744-CYEP Countertop Ice Maker

COSTWAY 24744-CYEP is quite similar to EP22769BK. Both of them are capable of making up to 26 lbs of ice cubes in a day and both make bullet shaped ice cubes with hollow middle – they cool drinks better than classic square shaped ice cubes due to increases contact area with your drink but also melt faster for that same reason. COSTWAY 24744-CYEP however uses R600a refrigerant whereas EP22769BK uses R134a.

It makes 9 ice cubes per batch with each batch taking 8-11 minutes to be made. Ice cubes are soft and chewable. It only has 1 ice cube size setting.

Control panel

Control panel features 2 buttons (‘’On/Off’’ and ‘’Clean’’) as well 3 indicator lights: 2 of them are warning indicators when either water reservoir is empty or ice basket is full. The third indicator simply illuminates when ice maker is turned on and making ice cubes.

Features

COSTWAY 24744-CYEP has sensors to detect when ice basket is full or water reservoir empty. Both water reservoir and ice basket are a bit smaller than usual. Ice basket holds only up to 1.3 lbs (0.6 kg) of ice cubes whereas water reservoir capacity is 54 oz (1.6 liters).

COSTWAY 24744-CYEP is ETL certified.

Conclusions

COSTWAY 24744-CYEP is very similar to EP22769BK with some minor differences.

COSTWAY 24744-CYEP Specifications:

• Type: Freestanding / Portable / Countertop
• Voltage/Frequency: 120V/60HZ
• Ice output: up to 26 lbs per 24 hours
• Ice cube shape: Bullet with hollow inside
• Ice cubes per batch: 9
• Ice cube size options: 1
• Water reservoir capacity: 54 oz (1.6 liters)
• Ice basket capacity: up to 1.3 lbs (0.63 kg)
• Refrigerant: R600a
• Dimensions: 9″ x 12″ x 12″ (W x D x H)
• Weight: 17 lbs (7.7 kg)
• Certifications:
  • ETL Certified
• Package contents:
  • 1 x COSTWAY 24744-CYEP Ice Maker
  • 1 x Ice Scoop
  • 1 x Ice Basket
  • 1 x Instructions

#4 COSTWAY 24228BK-CYEP 44lb Ice Maker

COSTWAY 24228BK-CYEP can make up to 44 pounds of bullet shaped ice cubes in a day.

It makes 12 ice cubes per batch with each batch taking ~9 minutes to be made. Ice cube quality is pretty good – they are clear but come out a bit wet meaning they will freeze together if you put them in freezer.

It can make ice cubes in two different sizes – small and large. The difference in size between is almost unnoticeable but the larger ones seem to melt slower.

Control panel

COSTWAY 24228BK-CYEP has 3 buttons – “Power”, “Clean“ and “Select“. “Power” button is for turning ice maker on or off, “Clean“ button is for starting cleaning mode and “Select“ is for selecting ice cube size setting.

It also had 4 indicator lights: Two of them are the same warning indicators you will find on other ice makers – one for water reservoir and the other one for ice basket. Other two indicators are for displaying which ice cube size has been selected – either small or large (each has its own indicator).

Features

COSTWAY 24228BK-CYEP from food grade ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PP (polypropylene) materials which are basically plastic.

It features self-cleaning mode and ice basket/water reservoir sensors like most other ice makers.

Ice basket holds up to 2 lbs of ice cube and water reservoir capacity is ~88 oz (2.6 liters).

Dimensions and weight

COSTWAY 24228BK-CYEP weighs 21 lbs (10 kg) and measures 10.5’’ wide, 14.5’’ deep and 13.5’’ high.

Conclusions

Overall COSTWAY 24228BK-CYEP is a good ice maker that’s quite similar to EP22769BK and 24744-CYEP.

COSTWAY 44lb Countertop Ice Maker Machine Specs:

• Voltage/Frequency: 115V / 60HZ
• Ice output: up to 44 lbs/24 hours
• Ice cubes per batch: 12
• Time per batch: around 9 minutes on average
• Ice cube size options: 2
• Refrigerant: R600a
• Materials: ABS & PP
• Ice basket capacity: 2 lbs / 0.9 kg
• Water reservoir capacity: 2.6 liters / ~88 oz
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 10.5″ x 14.5″ x 13.5″ / 26.7 cm x 36.8 cm x 34.3 cm
• Certifications:
  • ETL
  • UL

#5 COSTWAY 23840-BKPE Portable Ice Maker

COSTWAY 23840-BKPE makes up to 26 lbs of bullet shaped ice cubes in 24 hours. It makes 9 ice cubes per batch with each taking 6-8 minutes to be made.

It can make ice cubes in two sizes and the larger size is thicker.

Control panel

COSTWAY 23840-BKPE has 3 buttons (“On/Off”, “Select” ice cube size and “Clean”) and an LCD display that displays multitude of things including ice making status, ice making time, warnings etc.

LCD display is a bit dim and can be slightly difficult to read during daytime.

Features

COSTWAY 23840-BKPE has features like sensors for water reservoir and ice bucket status and self-cleaning mode. It’s ETL certified.

Ice basket is a bit small – it holds only up to 1.3 lbs of ice cubes. Water tank capacity is decent at 2.1 liters or 71 oz.

Conclusions

COSTWAY 23840-BKPE is a decent ice maker but it’s slightly worse than EP22769BK. 24744-CYEP and 24228BK-CYEP.

COSTWAY 23840-BKPE Countertop Ice Maker Specs/Details:

• Type: Freestanding / Portable / Countertop
• Ice output: up to 26 lbs per 24 hours
• Ice cubes per batch: 9
• Time per batch: ~6-8 minutes
• Ice cube size options: 2
• Ice cube shape: Bullet with hollow inside
• Ice basket capacity: 1.3 lbs
• Water reservoir capacity: 2.1 liters / ~71 oz
• Dimensions (D x W x H): 14.5” x 10” x 12”
• Weight: 21 lbs
• Certifications:
  • ETL Certified

#6 COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE 2 in 1 Ice Maker/Water Dispenser

COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE is not only capable of making ice cubes but also dispenses water. Yet despite having feature that other ice makers don’t it’s the worst one, for making ice at least.

It makes up to 26 lbs of ice cubes yet actual output is less than other “up to 26 lbs” COSTWAY ice makers. Ice quality is not bad but they seem less dense than what other ice makers make as they melt a bit fast but they are crunchy and chewable.

Ice bin is really small (like 1-2 cups worth) and ice cubes melt rather fast. It also seems to be less reliable than other COSTWAY ice makers.

Ice dispenser feature is as basic as it gets. Water is not cooled so it pretty but dispenses water of room temperature.

COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE operates a bit loudly.

Control panel

COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE has LCD display that shows a lot of different information and 3 buttons.

Features

COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE has sensors that detect when ice bin is full or water reservoir empty (and will display warning on LCD screen). Water reservoir capacity is 2 liters (~67 oz).

Timer function allows you to postpone or end ice production in 30 minutes to 19 hours and 30 minutes.

Conclusions

COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE is less effective in ice making, less reliable and has a really small ice bin. That’s why it’s not as good as other COSTWAY ice makers. The basic water dispensing feature doesn’t justify choosing it over other units so whereas rest of COSTWAY ice makers are pretty good and can be recommended this one should be better avoided.

COSTWAY 24509US-BK-CYPE 2 in 1 Countertop Ice Maker Water Dispenser Specs/Details:

• Refrigerant: R-134a
• Ice output: up to 26 lbs per 24 hours
• Ice cubes per batch: 9
• Ice cube shape: bullet
• Time per batch: 7-15 minutes
• Ice cube size options: 2
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 10″ x 15.5″ x 14″
• Weight: 21 pounds