Chinese made fridges
Submitted: Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 18:55
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Derek J
My wife and I already own an Engel Combie fridge/freezer but when we go to the Cape in August we will be taking another couple and will therefore need more fridge space. As this is a one-off situation we are reluctant to spend a lot of money on quality fridge that may never get used again. We have been looking at cheap Chinese brands in the 40 litre range, in particular the 'RV' sold by Evakool. Has anyone out there had any experiences with these makes of fridge? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Deejay.
Reply By: Keith H7 - Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 19:40
Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 19:40
We bought a three way fridge from ALDI..... Love it. Watch for the specials.
AnswerID:
508350
Follow Up By: garrycol - Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 20:24
Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 20:24
The OP was not about 3 ways and 3ways will not work real good in hot conditions like the Cape.
FollowupID:
785860
Reply By: garrycol - Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 20:22
Saturday, Apr 06, 2013 at 20:22
I have a 25l Evacool RV that I bought from BCF - the insulation is a bit thin so the compressor runs a fair bit - as a result the current draw is a bit more than my 55 litre Ebay Fridge Freezer. I bought the Rv to use on weekends rather than long trips where I use the larger ebay cheapy.
If you have the ability to provide adequate power then they are Ok but my cheap ebay fridge is better and matches Engels an Weacos for a third of the price.
Garry
AnswerID:
508358
Reply By: Member - MUZBRY(Vic) - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 07:18
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 07:18
Gday Derek
If you are in
Melbourne, go and look at the fridges in the show room of Patterson Cheneye , Kirkham rd West. Truck division.
I am not connected with them in any way , but i do buy parts from them.
AnswerID:
508379
Reply By: kinder1960 - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 08:45
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 08:45
Hi Deejay. Can't speak of experience with Evacool but can tell you if you are in
Melbourne we have a 39 litre Autofridge going for $750. It's a cracker of a fridge (proven capability in the outback) and I'm happy to answer any questions on it if you aren't familiar with the brand. We have changed all of our off road accessories and replaced the 39 litre with an 80 litre Engel. It's around 10 years old but still works as good as the day we bought it.
AnswerID:
508387
Follow Up By: Shaker - Wednesday, Apr 10, 2013 at 08:22
Wednesday, Apr 10, 2013 at 08:22
I could be interested in it, please send contact details to patrol6atnetspacedotnetdotau
Thanks
FollowupID:
786169
Reply By: Member - John and Val - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 09:25
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 09:25
Hi Derek,
Before you get any second fridge make sure that you have the battery and recharging capacity to run it without flattening your batteries.
I think I would be considering a decent esky/ice box to carry those items that just need to be kept cool, rather than really cold. You could freeze bottles of water in your freezer, use the freezers at
camp kitchens, and rotate food and drinks between your fridge and esky to achieve a satisfactory result.
Cheers,
Val
| J and V
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AnswerID:
508393
Follow Up By: Member - Robert R1 (SA) - Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 11:50
Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 11:50
Hello Derek,
I agree with Val. A good quality esky would be a lot easier to manage than two fridges. I run two Waecos and in similar conditions to the Cape I used up to 117 Ah a day. Too many days of that and things can get crazy.
Regards,
Bob
FollowupID:
786019
Reply By: rooster350 - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 10:21
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 10:21
We have 2 of these fridges , both 30 litre , one is Evakool branded and is being used as a freezer...can connect to 12v and 240v at the same time. The other we got from Techni Ice and is being used as a drinks fridge...it has a 240v to 12v switching supply...they both look very much like a Waeco. Power usage is about 2amps and they run very, very quietly and are not to heavy...we are very pleased with the both of them...cheers
AnswerID:
508398
Follow Up By: garrycol - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 10:27
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 10:27
The RV range is not the same as the standard Evakool range. The RV is very much a lower quality fridge aimed at the weekend market rather than the longer term use market like the main Evakool range targets.
Garry
FollowupID:
785914
Reply By: veight - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 12:25
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 12:25
if you live in
Darwin you can borrow my 40L fridge. I don't use it much since purchasing the 60L.
Regards Matthew
AnswerID:
508409
Follow Up By: Deejay - Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 07:49
Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 07:49
Thanks Matthew for your very kind offer but unfortunately I live in
Brisbane. DJ
FollowupID:
785995
Reply By: member - mazcan - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 13:04
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 13:04
hi deejay
imho having had over 30yrs of trouble free use from engels I would buy a s/hand 40ltr
fr/frzr and use that they have low power draw and are reliable
then after the trip if you don't need it
it would still be a very sale-able item
cheers
AnswerID:
508413
Follow Up By: Member - eighty matey - Tuesday, Apr 09, 2013 at 11:19
Tuesday, Apr 09, 2013 at 11:19
I bought a second hand Engel on Ebay for $350.
We use it mainly for short trips but we've had no trouble with it at all.
Steve
FollowupID:
786088
Reply By: Member - Andrew W14 - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 20:26
Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 20:26
I bought a 55 litre from Aussie Direct for less than $700, basically to back up the useless 3 way (Dometic RM7851)fitted in my van from new.
Whilst the Waeco, Engle etc purists won't like it this fridge has performed brilliantly as either a freezer (maintaining -18'C in 36' ambient) and around 2'C at 40'C ambient.
Sure the temp varies about 3-4'C but so what?
I run it off a 100AH battery charged via a 160 watt dedicated solar and it has never got less than 60% charge.
I'm not sure if this is the same fridge as you refer to as the 'RV" sold by Evacool but the fridge is fully covered by Evacool guarantee and service network so i guess it is.
AnswerID:
508437
Reply By: Member - Salt grinder - Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 20:50
Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 20:50
I'm familiar with a lot of the fridges the guys & gals are talking about but can't make a specific recommendation as have not used them. I have something else.
But I make this point . . . . . if you by something too cheap it's going to have shortcomings of some kind and it'll be a pain in the proverbial and cause more problems than it solves. If you want to sell it when you get back you'll probable get stuck with it as nobody wants a dog.
However with something with a bit more quality should have the converse to the above. If you buy second hand you could probably get all your money back. Maybe even a bit more.
The big secret with good fridge power management is getting rid of the heat they produce, by what ever means.
I must say I liked Val's comments also. That's experience talking.
Ciao
Cocka
AnswerID:
508494
Reply By: robert s4 - Saturday, Apr 13, 2013 at 02:42
Saturday, Apr 13, 2013 at 02:42
what size engle do u have r really going to have to put that much food in the fridge
AnswerID:
508907