I Tried 7 Different Ice Makers From Amazon!

[@azazelthedark1]

Directional freezing is a technique for making clear ice, and the reason you'd want clear ice is for both aethstetics and slower melting. Particularily popular for bartending. The larger molds with the holes on top and bottom are insulated and freeze directionally.

[@coreytaggart128]

but wouldn't you then just leave the ice in the bottom when refilling it? yes it would be less effective but that is how I would see most home users using it. also like he said put the mold in then fill with water would be faster and less splashy.

[@Guy_de_Loimbard]

​@@coreytaggart128 the idea is to pull it out of the freezer before the ice freezes all the way to the bottom. Then you can basically chip and melt the remaining ice off of the molds, leaving clear spheres inside the mold. And you have to put the water in first, that's the only way to ensure that the spheres get filled all the way to the top with water. Otherwise you will have partial spheres with flat tops.

[@Cowmanisgood]

I need ice cream

[@captnkirksmoviequeue8294]

Only Tyler could get me to watch a 23 minute video about ice cube trays on a Saturday night

[@davidmiller-px9fu]

Sunday night for me but I couldn't agree more 😂😂

[@BermPeakClips]

Bro same

[@maromz2540]

Facts😂

[@nemysantos]

TylerTube is the only channel I watch honestly.

[@dakotareid1566]

@@nemysantosyou need to get out more

[@dakotadennett6979]

The ice mold is definitely the reason why the ice is crystal clear

[@AnItalianGuyOnYT]

if the mold was only the silicon part the ice would be opaque, but with the rub, the ice is clear. don't really know the science behind this but i think it has to do with air. same for the sphere one

[@alaricchen5979]

@@AnItalianGuyOnYT it depends on the direction that it freezes. I think if it freezes bottom up, then air is able to get pushed out and the ice is clear. There are some youtube bartenders that have made videos explaining it well.

[@jakefitzgerald6056]

The clear ice is formed when there is an opening on top and the ice can freeze from the top down. That forces all of the particulates in the water to the bottom as it freezes further down because, science. So the water at the top is crystal clear while all the particulates in the water that would make it cloudy get stuck in the bottom of the container. Hope that helps! :)

[@j.a.r.family2576]

The freeze and oxygen in the water/purity depends on clarity.

[@balorth]

​@@j.a.r.family2576 nope,directional freezing

[@scottmacs]

The clear ice makers have reservoirs beneath the molds to collect impurities that make ice cloudy. As the water freezes from the top down, the impurities are pushed into the liquid water, leaving the ice pure (more or less) and the water at the bottom full of whatever particulates that are in your water source.

[@bryancampbell4604]

It's an ice tray...

[@scottmacs]

@@bryancampbell4604 Some folks want clear ice.

[@cookiesandpudding8485]

@@bryancampbell4604 Congratulations! You have eyes!

[@bryancampbell4604]

@cookiesandpudding8485 Oh, is that what the circular things are that produce upside down images are called.

[@bryancampbell4604]

@@scottmacs What does that have to do with you calling it an ice maker?

[@MsGail61]

The metal one is an old school design but this one seems flimsier than the ones from 50 years ago.

[@NiqScott]

My Nan had one very similar when I was a kid. That would've been 55+ years ago, and it was probably old even then. I can remember how hard it was to get the ice out, which is why I haven't seen another one until now. Plastics technology wasn't great back then, so this was probably a solution to overcome the fact that we couldn't manufacture bendy trays that wouldn't shatter. I can't think of a good reason to make them this way in the 21st Century, unless they're going after the Hipster market.

[@sirreus3003]

Hint: Run them under the faucet for a moment to separate it from the metal. I grew up with these.

[@benreagan1]

Water expands when it freezing due to air pocket! For the metal trays to work properly you need to only fill it up about 80% so the cubes are not touching, then the handle works to break open the ice cubes and separate them very easily. Also, those trays are excellent for Jello molds!

[@casteanpreswyn7528]

That's actually not why water expands when in a solid state. It has to do with hydrogen bonds forming.

[@Ian-the-real-person]

Dear Tyler, The reason that the trays have holes in the bottom and notice all of the ones that had holes on the bottom are both insulated, is because it allows the water to de gas and is slower to freeze to make the ice as clear as possible.

[@shabadooshabadoo4918]

i think the hole in the bottom is something to do with the ice being clear at the end. like the water has to freeze from the bottom to the top so that impurities get pushed upwards or something. or maybe the exact opposite and it pushes them into the hole in the bottom.

[@UpperCumberlandGamers]

Water expands around 10 percent going from liquid to solid. It's the reason why you don't put a soda can in the freezer. In my opinion, that's why.

[@coverton]

Directional freezing. Water freezes top down. Think a frozen lake, ice on top water below. The directional freezing does push the air and impurities down to the lower level leaving clear ice on top

[@notmyname2089]

First of all, love the video! You keep postin I"ll keep watchin! However, Im glad others have said why there were holes in the bottoms of the trays. I was scraeming at my tv when he couldn't get it lol its not a diss i love this channel and what tyler does. It can be really frusterating at times haha.

[@Christackleberry]

The reason for filling the reservoir and pushing the mold down is to get the air bubbles all out. Then, directional freezing like everyone else said.

[@paulghignon4092]

It's also about the quantity of water, as the more water there is the longer it takes to freeze, and thus forms less ice crystals.

[@Chas0967]

I have the last one (orange) but in Blue and love it, it perfect size for my freezer and i can keep the ice stored there too. have the scoop but don't use it much. the directions say that if it too frozen to let the tray rest for a minute or so before pressing down.

[@america1403]

Dang.. I really thought this was about ice MAKERS, not ice cube trays

[@Floofie_boi]

Ice cube trays also make ice from water technically.

[@maxwellcunningham8908]

@@Floofie_boi they dont make ice they form it into a shape

[@mastahc411]

Same here. Ive been wanting a countertop Nugget ice maker for a while lol

[@mathew00]

Me too!

[@sikksotoo]

Same. I was hoping for Sonic ice 🤣

[@MyDirtydan]

That last one is absolutely genius. It's also super retro looking with the color scheme. I could easily see it coming out in the 70s just as much as today.

[@ConnorHenn]

I’m so curious where Tyler puts all this stuff 😂😂😂 the amount of stuff he orders is insane

[@monhi64]

He bought a second house ~10 months ago to store most of it

[@TheBodgybrothers]

Buries it with his self respect

[@BradTheSugarDad]

id say he gives most of it away to family, and friends or some shit. i know i would. or take it to goodwill donations.

[@KawaiiCat2]

@@BradTheSugarDad 😂 I can just imagine Tyler driving up to Goodwill with all this stuff and they are like wth this guy has so many duplicates of one thing 😂

[@DH-xw6jp]

Lots and lots of yard sales.

[@shsd7579]

science about the clear ice molds is basically something called directional freezing, ice with impurities has a harder time freezing so in a normal ice cube all of that stuff gets pushed to the center, with a mold like this all sides are isolated except the top so the ice will freeze from the bottom down pushing all the impurities down into the bottom water resovoir

[@GPandzik]

That's exactly the reason. When I want clear ice in a round-ish shape, I use a Yeti mug and only let it freeze for about 12 hours (about halfway), which does exactly what Tyler sees. The Yeti mug is almost exactly the size of my round whiskey glasses, so I can have a chunk of ice that will chill, but not water-down (as much), my whiskey or scotch. It has to do with surface area exposed for melting -- a solid chunk has less surface area to melt back into liquid water. As for why it produces clear ice, you don't have normal impurities/solutes in the water that we have in our tap water. The impurities can't fit into the lattice of the water ice as it solidifies, so as the top layer of water molecules form a layer, the impurities get pushed out of the way, and as more and more water molecules join the ice-lattice, the impurities get shoved farther and farther down into the vessel, which is why you need space below the ice you want to make and use.

[@jessicababb7187]

This right here is what i was trying to say but said in a much more elegant way.😂😂

[@ash.ton998]

Everybody just seems to forget about the more important part of why ice is cloudy. It's a lot less to do with impurities and more to do with the crystalline structure of the ice. Ice that freezes normally/fast has a LOT of very SMALL ice crystals, which when visible light passes through it, refracts a lot more, leaving it looking cloudy to the eye. Directional freezing drastically slows down the freezing process, forming much LARGER and LESS crystals, meaning visible light refracts far less, leaving the ice looking more translucent to the eye. Sure, fast freezing ice ALSO causes impurities to be trapped in it because of how fast it freezes, and slow freezing allows the crystals to push those impurities out of the way, but they have a lot less to do with the cloudiness than the actual structure of the ice itself

[@GrandSamurai69]

Tyler, you actually have to run water over that steel tray to thaw it a little bit so the ice breaks off easily and since it’s steel you actually have to put it for 3-4 hours to freeze, and then it would work great.

[@Texterword128]

These ice trays are to fancy for me I just put ice in an average tray love your vids tyler😂

[@Blalack77]

9:01 - "Abadee abadee abadee. That's all folks"

[@thomasleedunkley4792]

9:02 i never laughed so hard in my life. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@1971kona]

Any1 else who group up in the 70s laughed their butts off watching Tyler with the metal ice cube trays? 🤣🤣🤣

[@sunflarestar4470]

I might not have grew up in the 70's, but I did have one and it was a pain to get the ice out of it ever time. 😅

[@66edoug]

If he wants to become a professional arm wrestler.

[@michaellong4897]

Also if you didn’t over fill them the pieces were smaller and easy to break. I don’t know how many times I’ve bent a finger nail backwards because of these. Lots of Kool-Aid went in those in my house. Or the knock off brand Flav Or Aid.

[@thaisstone5192]

I was born in 1956, so yeah. We would under-fill and set the tray out for 10 minutes before wrecking your wrist pulling the lever. Would still wind up with some munted cubes.

[@rhen5686]

That's funny, we use to run hot water on the bottom of the tray first and then crack the ice.

[@cypresscustoms]

Watching Tyler with the metal trays was like watching a 12 year old with a rotary phone. Entertaining!

[@jttech44]

Tyler man, I love your reviews. You're every man's man, not an ounce of subtext in ya.

[@xgamer34_94]

Hay everyone, upvote if y’all agree. (Tyler should get an ice maker that actually makes ice, and put different liquids in it). He should make another video on it.

[@americansmark]

The holes allow for the clear ice. It's a freezing technique. Also, that big block of ice would work great in a Yeti cooler. I'm totally gonna order that big ice ball mold for my whiskey.

[@gerrymichaud3851]

We always had the metal ice trays with the handle all through the 60s and 70's. They are great

[@glitterkitten93]

We need an every flavor taste test for Air Up like you did for the Cirkul ones!

[@shailenleverett5522]

Silicone ice cube trays with lids 🙌

[@possim6870]

My brother got me this whiskey gift set for Christmas. It comes with 2 ice molds that make big ice cubes that are shaped like roses. It's hard to get the ice out of them, but when you do it looks awesome

[@ruthiehammond9384]

I was hoping you would demonstrate the table icemaker although I got a good laugh from this video. Suggestion .The steel ice tray is like the ones from the fifties and sixties. We always ran the tray under water a few seconds before pulling the release and dumping the ice. Same with the other trays. 😊

[@rodafowa1279]

People don't use their brains today. Why someone would think a handle made of metal in contact with frozen water would work flawlessly is just a sign of the times, I guess. On those ice trays, they usually made 18 cubes, although some models could make 36 smaller cubes, and there was even a "double" version of the normal size tray that made 28 cubes. Thing is, a single cube from the normal size tray is all you would need to keep most drinks cold until you finished it. But, that's not good enough now. People want a handful of tiny cubes in their drinks now for whatever reason.

[@thegumbadealer]

10:25 my guys gotta water pitcher right but decides the floor was the better option I love it

[@CameronSalazar2113]

I want to say {Air Up} the Sponsor for this video, it sounds like a great idea to get water in you but in a very smart and fun way. My reason for not getting them is they seem like a gimmick where yes you may try it for the life of the pods you get at the start but after idk, if I would take the time or money to order more and more when needed. I compare it right now to a Newton's cradle I say this because the Newton's cradle is a smart device and will sit on your desk near you; it is cool at first but after a while, it becomes junk in a drawer. Lastly, The reason I get drinks like juice or energy drinks is for what's in them and not for the taste( but good doesn't hurt) but to me that can be a weak argument I bring it up because you mentioned it is all. TBH I may get one to support the channel because I really like what you do and you are a genuinely amazing content creator and person well your channel is addictive and fun and show the average consumer experience in my opinion and that is rarer than the in-depth reviews we see on here and to me that makes what you do valuable!! Keep up the great work and ill think about what I said above!!

[@dracomine1124]

Tyler is the only KZbinr who can make a video about ice entertaining

[@jim6214]

Tyler, the next time you use the metal tray, if you ever use it again, after you take the tray out of the freeze, turn it upside down and run a little water over the bottom of the tray, and then turn it right side up, and then pull the handle. Or you could run a little water over the handle to loosen it up a bit. Either way works. (The way you were pulling on the frozen handle, I was surprised you didn't bend it, which can happen.) Better luck next time.

[@michaellong4897]

12:30 I remember muscling thru those at age five. The trick is to under fill those slightly. Some of the cheaper ones break right away.

[@Zarithos]

The Metal device is actually overfilled and he had it "tilted" in the freezer. You can see the water level on one side is higher than the other, also the reason why some of the ice is nearly 2 inches thick. The device isn't great, and come with a learning curve. But they last a LOT longer than the plastic ones. I bought 5 nearly a decade ago, and I still have 3 completely working ones. And I've grown to "not mind" the hassle they come with. Some tips for those interested. With the lever mechanism in the tray, only fill it about 75%. Try and make sure it's as flat as possible in the freezer, or water will build up on one side. Making the lever action impossible to move. If the cubes get stuck like the way it did for him. Try and run the cube block under warm/hot water, put it back in the tray, and use the lever again while holding the block in place. Usually works, if the tray wasn't too over flooded. Have fun putting the device back together when it "falls apart" (if you know, you know.) It's not that bad, just annoying till you figure it out. Important note: If you know the ice isn't budging, don't force it. The lever can bend, completely breaking the device.

[@roninhood1027]

11:46 ‘I’m kinda scared that I’m gonna like jerk it and like bust something’ 😲🫢 ain’t we all Tyler 🤣

[@TheREALHelly]

20:55 watching that lightbulb turn on was the highlight of my day... I was cheering you on the entire time!! 🤣🤣

[@stevenkraus5785]

The steel ice maker might work better if you start the handle up so you can use your body weight to break the ice.

[@lolX9J]

The ones in 19:40 are really cool. I always prepare some for a good snowball fight

[@Elchopo21]

is no one gonna tailk about where tyler said fill it with ice at 4:00 lol love the video man lol

[@natesturm448]

I have one of the metal trays. It works fine when you don't absolutely over fill the crap out of the mechanism part. I'm subbed to this channel and support it all the way. Yet, there is always something in most videos that I look at and say "yeah, of course that didn't work".

[@robinnicole4466]

Its an entertainment channel it's really not that deep

[@chaddelong6795]

9:02 don’t worry tyler we all forget how to English sometimes your not the only one I find myself in this situation too around friends sometimes and everyone starts laughing with me 😂

[@ETC_Rohaly_USCG]

7:12 I’m 43, and my Grandparents had those. Not new, by any means. Fun though! ❤

[@spaceghost27]

this ranks up there as one of my favorite Tyler videos

[@Jawsbyte01]

Damn, Tylers brain just decided to crash at 9:00 lmao. Great vid as always dude!

[@ParallaxSound315]

5:40 that's how they make the ice clear. The impurities are supposed to be in the ice/water that's in the bottom of it, leaving clear ice up in the actual molds

[@Wallflowa]

Oh, the memories!! The steel one is what we used 55-60 YEARS ago!! They were a pain then too, but I think it was the only option.

[@wtfdff17]

Tyler had a mini-stroke at 9:02, I am over here ugly crying......HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@JJ-P92]

Anybody else actually laugh out loud when he said “ so the idea would be, whenever you need ice” then tilts over the blue pop out one and just got a pile of ice dust in his jar? Haha

[@joshuagardner894]

Look into clear ice, that will explain the holes on the bottom in the round ball ice and the huge cube ice molds.

[@twosometwosome3698]

Wow, love the steel tray. Haven't seen one in use for 50 years. They were the standard before plastic came around.

[@kentaroo.7759]

That metal one is a throwback before my time of course. My grandparents had those in their freezer.

[@suzettefaircloth5037]

The aluminum trays with the handle were the only kind we had in the 60s. I thought they had stopped making them.

[@rp42069]

Here's to 1M subscribers by the end of 2023! 🎉🎉🎉

[@LordFalconsword]

Watching him try and figure out the metal tray, you know, the ones all of us over 50 grew up with, was both depressing and amusing at the same time.

[@geraldmcnally8411]

18:18 the extra water is for the directional freezing

[@DraftyDaftyHubertOHare]

Didn’t notice this upload and I’m watching it now at 2:25 AM. What a treat.

[@huntercrumbley2099]

The holes are at the bottom for directional freezing to freeze the ice from the top down to push all of the air and impurities down and out of the holes making perfectly clear ice that stays colder for longer and takes longer to melt because it’s more dense. It’s for whiskey primarily.

[@Aaron48219]

My grandma had that kind of metal tray growing up in the 80's. It was all aluminum though. She had them up until the day she died well into the 2000's. Worked great, as long as you didn't overfill them.

[@jpmitch7776]

I was getting bored rewatching the old videos 😂

[@Lovetheducks]

That first ice tray with lid is amazing idea. Where was that growing up before every fridge had an ice maker.

[@dillon4903]

I think the answers to your questions Tyler are that the holes are in the molds for 2 reasons. 1) water expands when it freezes and it allows for an overflow in a way. And 2) the molds are the reason for clear freezing because it is due to directional freezing. In order for it to be clear, the water will typically have to freeze from bottom to top to push the bubbles out. (But I also could be wrong)

[@stevek6425]

I love it. "Is there something I'm Missing" CHECK!

[@jeepwrangler22]

What do you think about testing different ice shaving machines. You could compare them to the Peanuts "Snoopy" ice shaver that many people may be familiar with from their childhood.

[@breakdancer31]

9:01 …. That’s called short circuiting 😂😂😂

[@channonlucas-desmond]

The holes are what makes the ice clear!

[@The_White]

The point of having holes in the bottoms of the molds is because it allows it to create clear ice by using something called Directional Freezing. IIRC it is when water freezes slowly from bottom-top or top-bottom (I don't remember exactly), and because of this the Air that is in the water gets pushed out, preventing air bubbles from getting trapped in the ice, because what makes ice foggy is the air bubbles inside it

[@burstagent2419]

I feel like Tyler wakes up at 4 AM in a cold sweat saying shit like "I need to test a buncha ice cube trays"

[@nomadiavan6560]

Definitely his favorite with the scoop and stacking trays is my favorite.

[@nomadiavan6560]

Hmm.. now where do I get one?

[@chevyb0195]

I'm happy with my 1950s V handle Fridgidaire along with the 1950s Aluminum ice cube makers. I enjoyed seeing this video,it was funny. Also,that steel ice cube maker needs hot water to break the cubes free.

[@JAGINTENSE]

The last one was the best and I think that's what I'll get. Thanks for doing this video.

[@coverton]

Clear ice has less to do with the water and more to do with directional freezing. The holes allow for a reservoir beneath the usable ice and that's why those are in insulated containers. If you honestly didn't know. Also yes it needs to be set flat and you only need to keep it in the freezer for like 18 - 20 hours depending on how much volume they have

[@Sixma-ej5vp]

Seeing that you really like one of the ice makers is genuily awesome.

[@Leatherman154]

The reason the silicon molds have holes and the extra water is so the ice can flow slightly. To get clear ice you either need to agitate it slightly, or have a slight flow so the particulates in the water can settle out.

[@darniataylor7749]

As a person who eats ice, the metal tray, the small round trays and the small cube trays are the best of the bunch.

[@Rebel9668]

When I was a kid those metal ice trays were all we had. The trick with them is to only fill the tray about halfway up. Yeah, the cubes are smaller, but they're a lot easier to break out too.

[@lanterna5338]

If anyone is wondering why the ice mold makes clear ice, it is because it is built so that the ice slowly cools so that all of the air escapes( air makes ice white).

[@Clay3613]

That large hollow ice block was pretty cool.

[@tortoisetanker]

Hot summer day with a ice tray be hitting different

[@nathanialhoge9858]

The way the clear molds work is that pure water freezes before water with impurities and at upper levels. So, the impurities sink to the bottom while the clean water freezes at the top, resulting in the clear ice.

[@666silencioso]

Those little ice balls would make some great bio friendly slingshot ammo 😂

[@Valg5]

The metal ice tray needs to be ran under water before you pull the handle back. My grandmother had a bunch of them. I always ran to get her ice when she needed some. Loved to pull the handle back. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Odayian420]

Pushing water up allows all of the air to get out and it to be completely filled with water. It lets you get clearer ice. Which is what you want for the big ice balls and cubes.

[@boneyardcaptain1103]

Animal crossing villagers when you give them an ice maker 9:01

[@terrybressler4654]

Growing up we had one with the metal handle that you pulled up to make the cubes. The reason it didn't work for you is that you overfilled the tray with water. They make awesome cubes if you only add enough water to the very top edge of the metal.

[@neenmach]

Ha ha, that metal one was the one they used to sell with fridges when I was a kid. The plastic ones didn’t come out until mid late 70’s. My grandmother had hers for the longest time. You can’t fill them up to the top, is the trick.

[@anthonytaylor8672]

There are videos on this platform of people making clear ice and they sell it for like 25 dollars a cube. They put it in really expensive high end liquor drinks. You are making this look easy. That explains why the process are odd looking. Great video.

[@mikethedigitaldoctorjarvis]

It's easy ! if you have one of the old plastic type,put it level in the freezer first empty then fill it from a jug then shut the door !

[@doutlaw7806]

I was so proud he figured out how to use the lid to get the ice out on the last one

[@orionsector]

After getting one of those countertop ice makers, I'm never going back to the old way of making ice!

[@Darrell0403]

As said, the holes in the crystal clear ice mold are to allow the impurities in the water to drop to the bottom, allowing the clear pure water to form ice at the top

[@AverageReviewsYT]

Tyler tube: * overfills ice cube tray * Tyler tube: * proceeds to dump in floor where he walks instead on on table where can wipe it up or leave it to dry * 😆😆😆😆

[@Omnishredder]

Seeing Tyler realise he was being silly was like watching the first caveman that cooked a steak for the first time and getting it perfect... I genuinely smiled seeing our ledge of a caveman learning...

[@ByeTech]

The metal ice cube tray with the handle is old school because I grew up using them. The tray's with the empty space beneath it is for ice storage.

[@nyxionn]

The holes in the bottom is why the balls and cubes are clear, the gasses sink before the water freezes, and because ice expands as it freezes it causes the gas in it to expand as well which is why you get bubbles in ice.

[@irishheart4768]

I cut all that out and buy a bag of ready made ice. Lol great video. 😊

[@ShadowMagick1979]

According to some reviewers by having insulation on all but one side it forces it to freeze from the top down. By freezing from the top down the heavier minerals are forced to the bottom as they are heavier then the water. Then eventually the minerals are forced out the little hole in the bottom of the mold. Thus the cubes and spheres should be crystal clear. I haven’t seen the end of the video yet just responding to his questions prior to finishing the video

[@MrDrokkul]

We had those metal ones when I was a kid and many years and several refrigerators later my Mom still has them. Never had a problem with them. Our pans were textured though so that may have helped grip the ice while pulling the lever back.

[@OWG_official]

Since nobody has mentioned it, the ice trays (the ones with holes on the bottom) are overfilled with water, so the ice cubes, balls etc. freeze slower, which is what causes the ice to be clear. You can get a similar effect if you just take an ice mold and isolate it from heat (styrofoam, ice itself is also a decent insulator) and then freeze it, but the process does take a while. The bonus of having holes in the bottom is, that instead of just insulating it helps get rid of a small amount of impurities from the ice besides allowing it to freeze slower, although I've never personally seen the impurities making the ice cloudy (we do have very clean water where I come from).

[@contamminatedagain3626]

The little circle ice maker that came with a tray (the one that shot water in the air , had a lid that helped push the ice out.

[@Uzik0uchiha]

The reasoning for the holes is to help bring the 'white bubbles' you usually see to a different spot to let it be crystal clear.

[@Digital-Dan]

Use the big cubes for drink glasses, and the big chunk for the punch bowl.