Waceo v Trailblazer

Neither !!

Well I have had my Trailblazer since 1989 with no problems and heavy use when away - Bill

Trailblazer are about twice the price of the waeco. Bit of a strange comparison.

I don't have any thoughts on this, but brace yourself - can of worms opened - by the time you go thru all the responses you'll get, you'll likely be more 'informed' on these brands of fridge, as well as all the others out there, but still no clearer on what one to recommend to ya mate!!
Now, where's my popcorn? Time to sit back & watch the show!

It's not even close, Trailblazer.

Trailblazer

All I can say is my Trailblazer is 15yrs old and never been any trouble.

Trailblaza without doubt, especially in the tropics. WD

I am in Wayne S's camp a bit, wheres the popcorn. It's a bit like the Holden and Ford argument, it just does not end.

Everyone has a particular one that they have had for years, given no trouble and heard a bad storey about another brand.

Apart from longevity another important aspect to consider is efficiency. 4WD Action recently did a Fridge comparo (issue 136) and rated the ARB unit the best with Waeco runner up. Engle a fair way down the list from an energy efficiency point of view. Trailblazer was not included in the range tested.


Now pass the popcorn!

I've had my Trailblaza since 1995 and it's been everywhere. I was living in the Isa at the time (when I bought it) working for MIM and noticed that our mining exploration people used Trailblazas out in the field. You'd see them in the back of work utes along with drill core and everything else...out in Sun and with drill core hitting them as it rolled around. It was enough for me. Anything that can handle mining applications has to be good... and it has been.

Do all Waceo's now come with a spare lid?? :)

Personally speaking, I love my Trailblaza! It has been with us for 6 years and has not let us down, even though it was strapped in the back the day that SWMBO parked the GQ on it's roof! When we got it back on it's wheels, I switched it back on (I had switched it off after I got SWMBO out of the truck...) and it hasn't missed a beat since. Built tough!!

Having said that, the Engel and Waeco are good units as well, they're all fridges after all, but it's a horses for courses kinda thing. I like the toughness and reliability of the Trailblaza, but they are a big fridge and also quite heavy.

Just my opinion, no affiliation with the company at all....

Cheers

Brian

I can not give the Trailblazer fridge & service a big enough rap. My Trailblazer is around 30year's young goes like a dream.

Cheers David

In my game I see a lot of fridges and talk to a lot of owners.

I've personally owned a Waeco and an Engel. Would never buy either again.

My next will be an Evakool. Excellent insulation, very robust construction and great value for money.

Disclaimer: I don't sell them.

Cheers,

Jim.

Hickson


Trailblazer is the more rugged fridge.

Depends on what your mate intends to use it for.

Corregated roads in the back of a tray - trailblazer

Bitumen roads in a soft roader - waceo



Tjilpi

If your mate has the space, the extra dollars will be well invested in the Trailblazer being far more efficient, sturdy & reliable.
As has already been mentioned it's an unusual comparison as rarely do people choose between these two. Normally the Waeco is bought on price & being compact for it's capacity. The Trailblazer on the other hand is bought for use in high temperatures, for low power consumption, & being very rugged.

Cheers Craig............

I think you have to state something about the values important to the user and there situation Hickson.

For me it was easy , I want efficentcy and access on the move in a small size fridge , and that is determined more by where the fridge sits than its make.

So mine had to fit between the cars front seats , not in the heat of the back of a wagon , so I choose the 21 lt Waeco which takes on average about 800ma
to operate it.

Given a choice of Waeco or Trailblaza in similar size I would go for Trailblaza every time. But I have a trayback and have actually ordered an Explorer for it.

This is one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions. For example Trailblaza cost more so depending on budget it could be Waeco or no fridge and any fridge is better than no fridge.

I have a 25 litre Waeco and it has worked reliably for years. Not exactly fair to relate experiences with it as the larger Waecos have some differences but the world is not fair and I will give my view of it anyway.

The lid - every time, as in every time, it is opened the lid falls off. Doesn't break but is infuriating. I believe the larger and later models have better design.

Temperature - holds low temperature really well. I usually set it to about 0 degrees and it locks on to that. Perfect for beer. Good when used as a freezer as well (rarely).

Insulation - a bit light but does the job as a car fridge quite well where the increased bulk of good insulation could make a larger fridge, for the same inside volume, an inferior choice.

Is it on? Found it difficult to be sure if it was on or not. The leds can be hard to see in bright sunlight. Only a small issue.

The Waeco experience heavily influenced what I was looking for in a bigger fridge to go on a tray and of the products presently on the market (I did consider each and every one) the Explorer and the Trailblaza dead heated a little ahead of the Autofridge (I wanted a metal case construction) and way ahead of all the others. Funny thing that the three finalists are all locally made.

If I had not had so much problem with techno gadgets on recent trip I may have looked for another brand. Reliability and serviceability became very important in my choice.

Each to his or own on this never ending topic.

Go an ice box, most people dont go camping any longer than 4 days very often. A block of ice cost around $3.50. No need for an expensive dual battery or solar, nor do you have to carry around a 100lt box that can only fit 60lt of drinks/food. And theres nothing better than beer on ice. On the other hand if your doing a lot of travelling for long periods then the whole frige thing is a good thing. Oh and the arb and evakool fridge got the big thumbs up recently over the rest in 4wd monthly.

Hickson,

Can we ask what fridge you use ??


Tell your mate to have a closer look at these too
National Luna Fridge Link :Image Could Not Be FoundMaîneÿ . . .

This post has been read by the moderation team and has been moderated due to a breach of The Chit Chat Rule .

Forum Moderation Team

Well,,,, I have never heard so much bias inf in all my life....


If your mate wants a good reliable fridge that has the flexibility to be a large or small fridge by changing the lid then BUSHMAN is the way to go.

I recently packed ours with fish fillets, put the Bushman on -18 and nearly 3 days later eveything was still frozen.

It's basically left on all the time and draws very little power.

There now please use this reply as an example of being non- bias!

This post has been read by the moderation team and has been moderated due to a breach of The Chit Chat Rule .

Forum Moderation Team

Latest frdige comparison in 4wd monthly

12v fridge comparo