Waeco vs Engel

Serious dude, it has been asked a thousand times, try a search.

Ohn no. I'm keeping my head down and right out of this.

John

You sure you're not related to a fella goes by the name of Johnno1 or something similar ....... ;-))

have a look at what all hard core exploration cos use not just those that go for the occasional picnic but those that depend on them- there is only 1 ENGAL

Sorry fellas if I didn't make it clear enough, I wasn't looking for any comical responses nor trying to re-hash old posts, but asking if anybody knows WHY there's such a difference in the current draws. I've done the search and found many questions related to "which one shall I buy" or "which one will last longer on battery" etc, none of which answer what I'm after...Keith

They use different motors... The 40L Engel will set you back around $1200.
You can get 40L Waeco for around $650-750.... I don't really care for the max
power draw with such difference in the price. It is cheaper to get a more powerfull deep circle battery...
Will give a new 40L Waeco a run in July in the Simpson Desert.

"They use different motors... The 40L Engel will set you back around $1200.
You can get 40L Waeco for around $650-750"....

but why not get the waeco 50L for less than a grand !!

Greetings Keith

The Engel uses its own design swing motor. The Waeco uses a Danfross motor. Hence the difference in current draw.

The Engel swing motor does not appear to interfere with HF radio systems. The danfross compessors/motors can.

My engel has survived the Kimberley's and Cape York without any problems ( held down with straps and no spring base). It is now 10 years old and going strong.

I have no experience with Waeco fridges.

http://www waeco .com.au

http://www.engelaustralia.com.au/

Regards

Paul P

Another point worth considering is the warrenty /support offered eg are you satisfied with a 12 month warrenty on a $1000 fridge ?? there is another brand with a danfoss motor with a 5 year warrenty,also some companies use secondhand parts to do warrenty repairs and then offer no warrenty on repaired unit.When i took mine in for repairs the workshop was covered in various fridges awaiting repairs,i have seen this in three workshops now which leads me to believe that there is a huge number of repairs to these fridges,
I am not bagging any particular fridge just trying to prompt people to investigate more thouroughly before you buy,I dont think my next fridge will be one with a twelve month warrenty.

I my self have a waeco 80 as i wanted seperate fridge & freezer if needed
But for under 1000 dollars look @ the Reefer brand a friend has one
his is 60 litres paid 800 for it new from the factory here in south oz
if id wanted a single compartment fridge thats the one i would have gone for
also look @ the waeco fridge shop online they always have specials
ask jimbo & brew69 they both bought good deals from there And i also think the engle is way over priced but my opinion only
warren

Since we are on fridges, at Rosehill a mate bought one of the new "Downunder" fridge/freezers, a 50L. Like an EvaKool (esky type) but with an ABS exterior. The main interior comaprtment is SS and there are no elements exposed anywhere. Danfoss compressor and 5yr warranty. Transit bag, AC adapter etc for $1099. It's made by the Downunder Icebox people. New to the market it seems.

Funny, over at the EvaKool stand they had a fax on the wall with an enquiry from Rex Hunt asking where he could get a "Downunder" fridge he had just experienced on a recent trip because he was so impressed with it. Hmmm.

Gee, my decision was much easier.

Went to a Camping Store 2-3 years ago and they had two brands, Waeco and Engel in the 40 litre size I was looking at.

The Waeco was $840. Plastic body. Looked OK. Separate transformer required to run it on 240v. (included in price)

The Engel was $870. Metal Body. Included a digital thermometer and transit base.

Decided there was value in the extra $30 outlay.

I'm still grinning:-)))

I don't know about anyone else but I one of each, my engel is about 8yr and the waeco is 3yr. I'm not saying that 1 is better than the other, they are both very a good fridge/freezer. Each has their pros and cons. One thing that I noticed is that the waeco has a high as well as a low amp draw (depends on which setting you want to use), also it has a built in cut-out so that when the battery level drops to a set level the fridge will cut out (can still start my car, [I use the High setting]). Handy if you only have one battery in vehicle. My engel doesn't, but you can purchase an optional cut-out switch for them (so the rep tells me).

Thats my 2 bobs worth

Keith
have a look at this thread, as it talks about the factory setting for Australia for the Danfross and how it can be changed
http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Archive/2005_1/20656.asp

Other then that, I use both and really havnt a preference

Not a direct answer to your question, but....

I was working in a remote NP in Qld in 1995 and bought an Auto Fridge. It was expensive $1200 at the time. It used to keep icecream frozen in summer after 5 hours sitting in the sun in the back of a ute returning from a ration run.

I was in the park in 2004 and the fridge is still going with zero problems. This is a government owned fridge and looked like a couple of roadtrains had run over it, it was constantly used. During longer camps it only had to be run a couple of hours a day to keep everything ice cold.

If you are looking at serious dollars then this is a very good option.(In my opinion)

I didn't want to get into this again, but here goes.

I've owned both.

I went from an Engel 39L that had served me very well for six years to a Waeco 80L because I needed a bigger fridge (perhaps my liver didn't but that's another story).

Here's the verdict......

.............

...........

..........

wait for it,

..........

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they both keep things cold.

Buy a fridge according to the layout/design/budget etc that suits you.

Of all the reputable brands, and there are many, I don't believe there is a dud out there.

Cheers,

Jim.

As long as it keeps things cold...who cares?

Saying that...I have 2 Engels. One is a 1985 model and still going strong(never even been serviced) and the other is a 2002 model. No problems from either.

Horses for courses I guess

Have 3 fridges/freezers , 1x40lt chescold draws 10amps constant , 1x15lt engle draws 3.3amps per hr average over 24hr , 1x80lt waeco draws 3.5 amps per hr over 24 hr average ,,,,
now to answer your question ,
chescold lots of amps ,best on gas, long camps,infrequent opening,
baby engle ,used as drinks[beer] frequent opening + restocking = amps
mega waeco, icecream wherever you go, BIG fridge + freezer = amps

as Jimbo and Willem put it, "only a fridge" ,,the only thing that matters is that you have the $ to supply the power / batt / gen / solar / gas / to keep the overpriced toys running and the beer cold.

To all, Thanks very much for the constructive info. Much appreciated on the design differences between the two brands and feedback on experiences.

Cheers..Keith