'I'm a shopping writer and Amazon's ice maker is my most useful summer purchase'

There’s little better than an ice cold drink on a clammy summer’s day, but trying to find ice in the supermarkets and get it home before it melts can be a real faff. It’s no surprise then that when a friend introduced me to the Amazon Silonn Portable Countertop Ice Maker, it turned out to be the kitchen gadget I never knew I needed.

At £65.99, the ice maker is a great warm weather investment, but I use mine year-round for hosting, homemade iced coffees, smoothies, cocktails, and to elevate my evening Diet Coke fix. I also think it’s a great gift for someone who’s hard to buy for as it’s practical but won’t break the bank. With BBQ season in full swing, I’d say now is the perfect time to snap one up.

It seems I’m not the only one who loves this nifty gadget either, as the Silonn Portable Countertop Ice Maker has an average 4.3 star rating on Amazon from over 20,000 reviews. One happy shopper said: “You will be delighted you bought this! Life changing!”

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Another reviewer also heaped praise on the gadget saying: “Great machine, really easy to set up and use. Really quick ice cubes, if you set it to large ice cubes and leave it 30 minutes you get a full tray. Highly recommended.”

Personally, I find the ice maker handy as you simply add water to the reservoir, turn it on, and your ice tips into a tray where you can use the provided scoop to serve. It starts making ice in just six minutes, which is great if you have last minute plans. You’ll hear the ice drop once it’s ready, and a light on the machine indicates when the water tank needs refilling.

Also available is the Debenhams Pro Breeze Countertop Ice Cube Maker at £68 which one reviewer described as the 'best thing I have ever bought', and the Cookworks 1.8L Ice Cube Maker which can be purchased at Argos for £120. It holds around 100 ice cubes making it ideal if you often host.

One of the downsides of the Amazon ice maker is that it needs to be cleaned regularly and it can be a little fiddly to do. It does boast a self-cleaning function, but I find mine needs a manual wipe round too. However, if you empty the water tank when you turn the machine off it helps, and I personally feel it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of ice on tap.

Some reviewers agreed, with one noting: “It's great, it works well and it's everything you'd want, but it requires a lot of maintenance.” Another said “self cleaning doesn’t mean ‘no cleaning.’”

Maintenance aside, the portable ice machine also won’t look out of place in your kitchen thanks to the sleek black design. It also doesn’t take up a huge amount of space making it ideal for smaller countertops.

It’s no surprise then that most of the product’s reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with one happy shopper who titled their review ‘It’s worth the money’ saying: “I have found the ice making machine fantastic. It makes plenty of ice. If water runs out it stops, gives indication then starts up again. If the internal ice bucket is full, again it stops automatically. Empty the bucket and it starts up again automatically.”