Rocks or Ice?

[fastabenj]

Which is most profitable, for empire-based mining, mining ore or mining ice? Currently I'm mining in a .9 system, getting veld, scordite, and plag and I'm averaging a little over 60 million a day. I tried going to a .6 system to add omber to the mix, but with the current mineral prices I didn't seem to be making more ISK.

But I was wondering how ice mining would compare, again in empire. Is it more profitable, and if so how much? I don't currently have ice mining skills, so are they worth training? And, what about ice refining? It seems like that has a lot of pre-requisites. Do you refine yourself, or just sell the raw ice?

[lagmonster]

First I thought someone who asks before he tries, but then I read you don't have the ice miner skill.

Well here's your answer; Icemining sucks

With 2 Macks and perfect skills and timing (not using the iceminers/shield trick) I get 48 cubes per hour.

Let's keep the calc simple, 1 cube of white glaze is 70k
48 x 70K = 3.36 million isk.

With 2 Hulks I do 17.199m3 x 2 per 818 seconds. Again let's keep it simple 100.000m3 per hour x 70 isk/m3 = 7 million isk per hour.

Icemining cashwise will be profitable again when prices reach 200% of current (140k/cube).

I said cashwhise, as mining Ice has one huge pro... it takes 14.3 minutes to complete a cycle which is enough to do the following things (got the proof!)

- controlling boss wife agro (absolutely nr1)
- watching TV
- doing the household stuff
- taking/getting the kids from school
- have visitors
- wash the car in cycles of 14.3 minutes)
- taking a shower

Oke, have to be fair, I was still dripping from the shower but I had also shaved.

So Icemining is ideally in certain situations where roidmining is far more profitable.


For those who ask why so little when doing roids... roids means a lot more docking, finished roids, uncomplete cycles, docking/undocking, belts out of reach, etc etc..

[burningbids]

I personally prefer to mine ice since I dont have to warp from belt to belt looking for roids and wasting precious mining laser cycle time.

Yes mining roids is more profitable but lets take it another step.

I have 3 computers loaded with 2 toons on each for a total of 6 ice mining toons. I average around 40 blocks per hour per toon so 40 x 6 = 240 cubes per hour x 22 hours = 5,280 blocks per day x 75,000 isk = 396 Million Isk per day I am making

So in about 12 days I have enough ISK to buy 6 x 60 Day GTCs for my toons. Then the rest of the 45 days I save up my ISK to buy my toys

[fastabenj]

Thanks for the replies!

Sounds like ice mining would be a good idea if I was manually mining, but with the macro it doesn't seem to be worth the skill investment to switch. Would probably be better to use the training time to get into datacore farming or something.

Anyway, thanks again for the info.

[lagmonster]

It's not good to do what burningbids says; 6 toons 22hrs a day in ice belt unless you want to wave a flag and shout I AM A MM!

Even if you would use 3 different systems in one day time, you would still have 6 toons all owned by the same IP/owner running 22hrs a day for weeks and week on.

Take atleast a 'normal' nite rest I suggest. Use different systems (even during the same day and in the same run give the belts time to grow back a littlle) and use every toon now and then manually to change patterns.

Interact!

[burningbids]

Lagmonster brings up a point dont do what I do. Start at different times. Move around, Take days off.

For as the IP goes no biggie I am an Internet Cafe which CCP knows about and have over 40-60 accounts logging in over the course of the day at my place.

Use TM smart and you will never get busted.

[rstark]

This guy said he's mining in .9. Unless the eve landscape changed in the last year or so .9 usually has little pebbles the pop after 5 seconds of mining them. It's super hard to find a good roid belt in a .5 system let alone anything higher. Those who know where the good roid belts are will keep the secret until their dead and perhaps will put in in their wills.

This is why, in hi sec, ice mining is really the only consistent way to make money.

Now, if you do happen to find a juicy roid belt in hi sec and you can hold on to it or them then by all means mine roids. You will make more money for as long as the roids are there.

[lagmonster]

yeah well nothing more fun then necro postings

ice mining is currently hot again.

Prices have raised to acceptable form and currently doing 115k a piece in the forge (not bad, could be better )

So whatever said can change rapidly and that's why I like EVE market so much

In the months before ice pricing went up, I did roidmining and now when ice pricing is up, I am producing my ass of (30 production slots constantly full) using the roids/minerals mined in the previous period.

Can't say I would not mind ice pricing going down again in summertime, but I guess coz everyone going on holidays it will not be before end of august, september before they drop again (long after I have run out of my minerals )

[lazyghost]

hi guys i been Mineing Ice for a while now selling at 100k a cube

what i want to know is what u guys think is better to mine with full skills and Orca booster Ice or ore in high sec that is cheers

Lazy

[Sazabi101]

Ok i know this has been asked before but i havent really seen a clear cut answer.

Is there more isk to be made mining high sec ore or mining hi sec ice?

[dampdream]

well just do some simple calculations and work out for your self, i think its rock atm.

[kematian]

Rocks if you want somewhat more but possibly unreliable income, ice if you want healthy and steady but slightly lower income.