There’s nothing more embarrassing than running out of ice, when you are playing bartender at your own party. No matter how many bags of ice you stowed away in the freezer in preparation for the party, you can’t judge how hot it will be on the day of your party or how much you’d use exactly. Freezers are notoriously slow when you need ice quickly. That’s where a portable ice maker comes in handy. Picking up ice bags at the convenience store down the road is not an option if you are finicky about the quality of the water that is used to make the ice. Portable ice makers can make ice in less than ten minutes with the clean filtered water or tap water that you use to fill the trays.