Guides

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Sizing

• How to size a commercial ice machine
  Updated 2026-08-30. Size a commercial ice machine in pounds per day by venue — cafe, bar, restaurant, food truck, church, hotel, office — then derate for a hot kitchen.

Types

• Air-cooled vs water-cooled ice machines
  Updated 2026-08-30. How air-cooled and water-cooled commercial ice machines differ — heat, water use, clearance, and when a remote condenser shows up on the spec sheet.
• Cube vs half-dice vs nugget vs flake ice
  Updated 2026-08-30. What commercial ice types are for — gourmet and crescent cubes, half-dice, nugget/cubelet, and flake — with current machine examples from spec sheets.
• Undercounter vs modular vs countertop ice machines
  Updated 2026-08-30. How commercial ice machine form factors differ — built-in bin, modular head plus bin, and countertop — with when each fits a cafe, bar, or office.

Brands

• Hoshizaki vs Manitowoc vs Scotsman vs Ice-O-Matic
  Updated 2026-08-30. Independent comparison of four commercial ice brands using public spec sheets — ice shape, undercounter vs modular, energy figures, and what the sheets actually say.

By venue

• Best ice for a cocktail bar (gourmet cube vs nugget)
  Updated 2026-08-30. Gourmet cube vs nugget vs half-dice vs sphere for cocktail bars — melt, dilution, machine size, and current models from public spec sheets.
• Best undercounter ice machine for a cafe
  Updated 2026-08-30. How to pick an undercounter ice machine for a cafe — iced-drink math, bin size, 115 V, and current Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, and Ice-O-Matic examples.
• Ice machine for a food truck (power, drain, water)
  Updated 2026-08-30. How to spec a food-truck ice machine — 115 V circuits, gravity vs pump drain, tanks, and current compact models from public spec sheets.
• Ice machine for a hotel (guest ice vs F&B)
  Updated 2026-08-30. How to spec hotel ice — guest-floor dispensers vs kitchen modular heads, the 5 lb per occupied room rule, hopper vs evening fill, and current models from public spec sheets.

Filters, care, replace

• Repair vs replace — used vs new ice machine checklist
  Updated 2026-08-30. A practical checklist for repairing or replacing a commercial ice machine — voltage, drain, clearance, ENERGY STAR, used equipment risks. Not a quote.
• Water filters and descalers for commercial ice machines
  Updated 2026-08-30. Ice machine filters, scale inhibitors, and nickel-safe descalers — Hoshizaki H9320, Everpure Insurice, change intervals, and what not to invent about chemistry.