Over the last few years the market has been flooded with different options of fridges all offering something which they claim you cannot live without.
Do you need a digital thermostat? What size will suit your needs? Do you need a freezer section?
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| 40l Engel |
Being a family of four we basically steered away for the popular 40l straight away. Having used a friends 40 Engel (when our esky didnt hold up to the task) I was not overly happy with the deep bottom which meant you must dig around to find things which in turn kept the lid open for longer. I also found the optional transit bag a pain to keep out of the way of the lid and latch which meant you needed two hands at all times to open and close the thing! A few things the Engel has going for it is claimed reliability and tough build. The transit bag definitely protects the fridge and you can see yourself pulling the fridge out of the bag a few years later and it still looking brand new. Lastly, I didn't particularly like the heaviness of the fridge and the cost for something with no digital thermostat and no fridge/freezer option. No sale!
My research then took me to the Australian Direct Website. Klaeton who runs the show up in QLD has really got his act together. The guy offers a wide range of 12v fridges (and numerous other camping products) with a 24/7 phone support hotline! Klaeton and his team were more than willing to handle my questions with unbiased and experienced opinions.
I have always been a fan of decent ice boxes - tough as nails, easy to clean, great to stand on to load up the roof and the ice lasts days! Evakool are a market leader in ice boxes and with a German made Danfoss compressor strapped to the side and simple, reliable electronics provide a great option for portable fridge/freezers.
Evakool offer two main models and recently a range of cheaper models. The two standouts are a fibreglass option and a poly option - the fridgemate. Both options are tough, Australian made and offer a 5 year warranty. There are service centres throughout Australia.
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| 60l Evakool Fibreglass |
The fibreglass is sexy. I love the clean white and non porous finish. From what I gather the benefits are great for not holding stains and smells (especially suited to fishing), light, reflects sunlight and hand made in Australia. Claimed negatives are it may be a little less robust than the tough poly fridgmate and the hand making of the unit definitely adds to the cost.
Evakool make the fibreglass model in a 40l, 47l, 60l, 85l, 110l and a whopping 150l!!!
The 60l should be ideal for most small families and my pick of the lot.
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| 60l Fridgemate Poly |
In keeping costs down, Evakool sourced a range of Evakool designed poly ice boxes from China and offered the new range as cost effective versions of their popular fridge/freezer.
They come in the sizes 55l, 60l, 70l and 95l. The new model is a good looking 60l which has a molded body around the compressor. This means you have two great handles to tie down off and a cover over the temperature switch.
For the same price you can opt for the 70l but i found it a bit long and bulky for my needs. I have heard they are popular though as you get an extra 10 litres for your hard earned.
The poly to me was a great option too being tough as nails just like a normal poly icebox and fitted with the same famous Danfoss compressor.
Both units have removable internal dividers which convert the fridge/freezer to either all fridge or all freezer.
Now the interesting bit. Australian Direct have added an industrial grade Carel Digital Thermostat option to all of these models. This gives uses the option to set and forget the temperature - so no waking up in the morning with frozen lettuce or even worse - beer!
The last model I seriously considered is the Waeco CF-50DZ dual zone. This fridge is a 49l dual zone fridge freezer with a removable divider to make it either all fridge or all freezer. I really like the look of this fridge and found out recently my neighbour has one and it looks great. Waeco has a great reputation and warranty (5 years on compressor and 3 years on everything else) and it comes with a standard digital thermostat.
For the price i think this fridge is a ripper. The only thing that turned me away is the slightly smaller footprint which meant you have to dig down to get to things. The compressor is built in which does make the footprint smaller (which is a good thing for space) and you then have a butter section above the compressor. Evakool claim this makes them more inefficient but i wouldnt personally worry too much about that as the butter section is fairly practical.
There are alot of different cheaper models out there (and some more expensive!) and im sure most will do the job. A recent contender are the waeco copies being advertised with a danfoss compressor and great warranty.
You just have to make up your mind on what will suit your purposes best.
Stay tuned for our decision and review on the new purchase!
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