Fridges....

[MudRunnerTD]

I have an 80lt Waeco and a 40lt Engel. The engel is great and I now use it the most as t suits my needs and is a better size. I bought the 80 when I first started 4wdriving thinking is bigger is better but they are very big.

If I was spending my money again I would buy an ARB fridge in a blink. I have used one for a few days and it is soooo easy to live with, very well thought out. Great fridge. Yes but a bag. Make a big difference when things start getting warm.

[BigRAWesty]

I'm a weaco man but know heaps of people with Engal and no one seems to have issues.
It's the cheap ones that you see fail but not so much mechanically.. like clips breaking off of outter cases pulling apart etc..
I use a cover.. they say it adds a little insulation.. and imo a little is better than nothing..

[Rossco]

I've got an old engie that runs 24 7 & never missed a beat. ARB fridges look good, they used to be rebadged engels but now make their own which are supposed to be tailored to 4wd's (power use toughness ect)

Been more than happy with Engel, love it, but lots of happy Waeco people out there too. Bit of personal choice really, engie for me but. . .

[the evil twin]

National Luna is the God of portable fridges (bloody south africans) and,
Engel is his prophet (bloody japs).
Any of the Danfoss jobbies are the disciples (bloody krauts).

National Luna win because of the construction and insulation and are the Rolls Royce.
Engel (owned by Sawafuji) come second because of construction and the unique compressor setup which uses a tad more power but is incredibly reliable.Sawafuji flatly refuse to sell their gear to any other company and bought out Engel 30 odd years ago
The Danfoss brigade come third because of lower power consumption of the compressor and either stand or fall due to the cabinet construction, insulation or features

[Clunk]

And not forgetting Evacool, they appear to have a good reputation too

[threedogs]

Evercool are rebadged Bailey's, I paid $350 in '92 for one of their
85 ltr ice boxes and it shites on any Ice box/esky out there today.
It holds 96 cans plus ice. I have put a false lid on it with 25mm polystyrene
to further insulate it. Oh plus I put a small LED light in the lid on a tilt reed switch
for night time drinks lol,

[Cuppa]

I reckon the best fridges have BOTH good compressors (Danfoss) & plenty of insulation, the more the better. Problem is everyone wants more space inside the fridge but with the smallest possible footprint. If you can handle the footprint (& the price) I reckon you can’t go past the Trailblaza fridges. http://www.norcoast.com.au You certainly won’t find any commercially made items which are more efficient. I reckon they are a step above National Luna.

The larger the capacity the more power needed to run it. The thinner the insulation the more power needed to run it. Most commonly available fridges are pretty light on in their insulation. e.g. check out the thickness of many Waeco lids. The most efficient size compromise among most of the affordable market offerings is 40 litres.

All that said I have two ARB fridges , a 60 litre & a 35 litre which I’m happy with, but I have plenty of solar to keep them going. Their insulation is a tad thicker than the likes of Waeco, but even with the canvas ‘transit covers’ fitted, I still see condensation on the outer skin of the fridges at times (loss of cold). They do however have a couple of features which make them easier to live with (drain plugs & easily removeable lids).

Of the commonly available fridges the Evakool ones that are essentially ice boxes with a compressor stuck on the side look to have thicker insulation & a Danfoss compressor, & would have been my choice if I had been able to accommodate the shape, but the extra ‘lump’ on the end just didn’t fit for me. I think ‘DX Grunt’ here has one & is very happy with it.

[threedogs]

When I put the extra fan on my Engel I cant remember seeing any insulation.
from memory its just a tin outer with the plastic liner, could be wrong but pretty sure
I didnt see any insulation though.
@ Cuppa yes Trail blaza and National Luna are the pick of the bunch I think the ADF use
Trail Blaza fridges.

[Patrol'n]

I have a 40 litre Engel, it works extremely well, even on a hot day (38-40 degrees), and with my truck parked in full sun it holds temp perfectly.

Where one of my mates fridges temperature will vary slightly, say between 0-5 degrees mine will stay within a degree of where I set it.

It does seem a little power hungry to me, (battery tends to wear down pretty fast), but I haven't tried other brands in my truck to compare apples with apples, so it might be quite normal. I also like the metal case and transit bag that came with it.

I know a few blokes who all have had Engels for a long time with no issues, that was one of the things that lead me to pick an Engel.

All that said, another mate recently got a Waeco CFX 65 litre, it has good features and seems pretty well made, he loves it and has had no issues either. Both keep the beer nice and cold :-)

[threedogs]

I fitted a digital temp controller and now it works better than ever,
best mod ever

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OZ-Digita...8AAOSwBahU9Q3Z