What fridge to buy???

Michael,

I was in the same position a while back. After talking to various club members and really thinking about what I wanted for the long term I ended up with a 50 l Waeco and remote power supply. It worked out about $500 less than a smaller 40 l Engel and dual battery setup. So far I am more than happy with my choice. The power supply is portable so the fridge can be set up in the tent over night and I can also plug in the light.

I guess it is one of those situations like the Tojo Nissan choice, everyone has an opinion on what is best. Best advice I got was do your homework based on what you expect to do longterm.

Cheers

Buggerlux

Hi Michael,
I have an EvaKool ED40 40L which I took on my recent trip.
It is a fridge freezer and t performed well for the 10 days I was on the road.
It has a 240 adapter which is an extra $99.50
Draws 3.6 amps
can be used as a freezer or fridge or fridge/freezer

I bought it based on opinions expressed on this forum about EvaKool plus the dealer was able to offer me a great deal which saw me get $100 off the price of the fridge and the 240 adapter was thrown in free. Effectively $200 off.

Total cost was $850 after a marked price of $949 plus $99.50 for the 240v thing.

It served me as storage for milk, marge, eggs, meat and a cupla tinnies at a time. I even managed to stop freezing the milk after some trial and error. :)

I also took an Esky along for the kids' softdrinks and rest of the tinnies.
Hope this helps

Cheers
waynepd
%
%:-)
%

And I have an Engel 40ltr that rocks.

So 4 replies and 4 different answers...

they are all that close..

Michael,
I also have a Trailblazer in a 70l model which I have had for about 9 years now and I can thoroughly recommend them. I did have a problem but it was my fault and norcoast's aftersales service was fantastic. They can be hard to reach on the phone but a fax will get a return call the same day. They are very robust but the penalty you pay is the weight. It works very well in very hot climates and you will always get a cold beer at the end of the day. I can't say I would buy another one as I don't expect to have to buy another one for a very long time.Alpaca

We have just sold our 60L model to upgrade to a 70L to give us a little more room. The 60L has been around oz and on several gulf trips as well as the usual short breaks and has never let us down. There is very little that can wrong with them. They are heavier than some of the other brands on the market and aren't the most handsome...but they do the job they were designed to do very well.

We recently spent 10 days away on the road in central Q and relied solely on a 70 amp/hr battery. It kept the fridge going for near 36hrs without the car going for a run to top the battery up. Figures supplied by Norcoast suggest 32amp hrs for 24 hrs @ 35C constant. When looking at getting a larger model they suggested the consumption would be 10%more for each 10L in size (as a guide).

I haven't had experience with other brands but am confident that the Trailblazer can take some rough treatment without breaking or letting me down.

Hello Michael,
I think you will attract a lot of debate regarding portable fridges & which is the best
About 3 years ago we were in the same position as yourself, could not make up our mind. We have had a 3 way Chescold for long base camping for 15 years and a compressor fridge in the Vehicle hooked up to the 2nd battery system.
Electrolux & Vitrifrigo are the up-market people in carvan fridges.
We picked up a 40 Ltr Vitrifrigo compressor fridge/freezer (Italian Made) for $900 back 3 years ago and are extremely happy with it.
At the time when we bought it I compared energy use and storage flexability with Engel & many other styles & makes..
I know I will get a bit of flak from the Engel users but our reasons we bought the Vitrifrigo at that point in time. It used minimal power as it has a revolutionary Danfoss compressor fitted & electronic current draw to optimise use & life of 2nd battery. We could run the fridge for 4 days and still keep down to 4 degC without re-charging deep cycle battery.
It was lighter, the inside allowed storage of very tall bottles & large 2ltr milk etc.
It had very cold areas which I demanded for beer and we kept the perishable food just right.
There are traps in older less efficient designs which may be tempting if 2nd hand,
Nothing is free, if you go for large capacity it takes energy to pump out the heat.
You need to decide 1st on the size (no less than 40 ltr) and compare energy demand (current) As mentioned anything with a Danfoss compressor fitted will come up good, Some units are built for boats and the ambient temperature outside affects the efficiency also. Depends if you are going to have it in a trailer where it gets hot or in the back of a 4wd where the air cond is helping out also.
A 3 way fridge (Gas 240 /12V) needs a good supply of power to operate as it has a resistance electric heater just like the 240volt element.
Without a lot of tech detail the refrigeration process is a mixture of 2 gas/liquid elements which have different flash points hence during the cycling process there is an evaporative cooling effect & it becomes a fridge. To operate correctly an evaporative refridgeration system performs best when stationary and stable: Not climbing sand dunes or movement on the highway.
A compressor unit is the way to go but include in your budget an option for a 2nd /dual battery system if you don't already have it. It is a must out there.

Experience using lots of different fridges indicates:

1. An Engel 40 litre is best bet cause it uses least power of all fridges and is the most efficient. Now, if you are going to be remote for days without a generator or solar panel then you will want a 3 way 12/240/gas type fridge and Chesscold (spelling right?) is the way to go so you can use gas and not leave yourself stranded without power for the vehicle!

2. Don't buy, RENT! We rent ours for $35 per week in Perth. Beauty is I don't have to outlay $1300 or whatever. I don't have to worry about maintenance. I don't have to woory about new models superceeding my own. And, I calculated that I'd probably only use it a few times year anayway - say 4 weeks per year x $35 per week = $140 per year = 10 years use!

Hope this helps.

We have a 40L ED40 Evakool Phil and I use for camping and holidays
Phil has 4 ED50 50L Evakool fridges the workers use everyday on the earthmoving sites. Phil will now only buy Evakool. Phil says other brands do not have enough insulation and the battery is flat after 10 hours. I bought the first Evakool 3 years ago when we had 2 Engel fridges fail in one week

Go the Eva-kool I bought the 60litre retro- fit that way you get all fridge and freezer, no space taken up by motor. Most of the new fridges all run danfos compressors, so power useage should be about the same. Thats where Eva-kool shines because of superior insulation. Like everyone says research & go through the archives. Oh and I love being able to make ice cubes for my cordial!!!!!!

Wife and I bought 110lt Waeco, probably the 80lt would have been ample but only the two of us in the vehile so space is not really a concern. Has worked really well, enjoyed FROZEN ice cream in the Simpson after a few cold ales. Also has a variable voltage cut out fitted to fridge so you cant flatten the battery that low that you cant start, ideal for our style of touring.
Cheers Peter

I recon these days its where ever you can get the best deal.

They are so close in performance that you really cant go wrong with any of the mainstream fridge makers.

Play em off against each other, especially at a camping show, to see what deal they will make.

I have the Waeco 50L, it works perfect but the compressor rattles. This is a standard Waeco Feature (according to the service department). Bottom line if you hate rattles DON'T buy the Waeco 50L.

Michael,

No answer to your fridge question, however I am sure you have enough info to digest on that subject. My question is "what did you think of the flys?" My wife and I spent about 2 weeks in the same area in early June and the flys drove us mad.

The fridge we had was an Autofridge and worked brilliantly.

Regards

JDLife is to good to be dead.

Thanks heaps for all the replies. This is an AWESOME website for sharing knowledge and ideas.

We went for the engel 40L, bag, thermometer and slidelock for $1350. Big plug for Boots Adventure store at Penrith, great service!!!