Which Fridge?

Post by **Utemad** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:18 pm

I bought a Waeco CF-80 about 2yrs ago and it worked a treat in my ute. Although now I have a Disco and it takes up most of the rear cargo area.
However the Disco came with a Chescold 3 way that looks quite old. It works on 240v but yet to try it on either gas or 12v.

Post by **dirtyGQ** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:08 pm

Utemad wrote:I bought a Waeco CF-80 about 2yrs ago and it worked a treat in my ute. Although now I have a Disco and it takes up most of the rear cargo area.
However the Disco came with a Chescold 3 way that looks quite old. It works on 240v but yet to try it on either gas or 12v.

mate the reason i love eva kool is they are made in caloundra,some of the other fridges are over seas plastic junk And of course fibreglass cabinets are the best insulating you can get www.evakool.com.au
I really am quite amazed at some of the crap 4wd magazines come out with in there comparison tests. explorer fridges are great as they are dual dial fridges and also love the trail blazer as well, the last fridge i would ever buy would be a WAECO. personal choice and personal experiences sway me away from waeco.

Post by **foster_the_fat** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:08 pm

I had 1999 model 40 lt Engel which I sold to a mate when I left the NT (stupid). It was great but did chew some juice. Have a 40lt Waeco and it works fine and seems to use heaps less power. Doesn't loot as tough though!

Post by **Utemad** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:20 pm

dirtyGQ wrote:
Utemad wrote:I bought a Waeco CF-80 about 2yrs ago and it worked a treat in my ute. Although now I have a Disco and it takes up most of the rear cargo area.
However the Disco came with a Chescold 3 way that looks quite old. It works on 240v but yet to try it on either gas or 12v.
mate the reason i love eva kool is they are made in caloundra,some of the other fridges are over seas plastic junk And of course fibreglass cabinets are the best insulating you can get www.evakool.com.au
I really am quite amazed at some of the crap 4wd magazines come out with in there comparison tests. explorer fridges are great as they are dual dial fridges and also love the trail blazer as well, the last fridge i would ever buy would be a WAECO. personal choice and personal experiences sway me away from waeco.

I agree the Waeco does not appear as well built as some others. If it was to be used for more than a few times per year I would probably have bought something else with a more durable casing/controls however for the price it is great.. I was thinking of getting a small fridge such as a 40L Engel to put permanently in the back of the wagon before I bought one with a free Chescold. Although I might try and sell the Chescold to offset the price of a small Engel. I'll see how the Chescold goes first.

Post by **Vineboy** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:12 pm

Ever thought of building your own? Can be done.

Post by **G_loomis** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:27 pm

For your next question why not ask which is better out of Toyota or Patrol...Or do the Ford/Holden thing.

When it comes to something like this it all comes down to personal preference...any opinions WILL be biased!

Post by **baddboy** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:29 pm

I agree with G_Loomis.
The same could be said on Spot lights, dual battery systems and winches. It comes down to what you want to do with it, where your going to use it and how big your bank balance is.
If you need it once a year spend as little as possible. If you need to refrigerate life saving medical supplies in the sahara desert then spend a little more.
If money is no object give NASA a call, I hear the space shuttle fleet have some good refrigeration devices, that crap all over every fridge mentioned here but I think they come with a hefty price tag!

Post by **Vineboy** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:00 pm

Just another point, DON'T get just a fridge/cooler. I bought a 35l fridge (not compressor but thermoelectric) two years ago because I didn't think I would need the cooling capacity of a "proper" fridge/freezer. BIG mistake. Blew $250 bucks. Sits in the shed now as a home to wasps. For Sale One 12V cooler, best offer

Post by **beretta** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:52 pm

WAECO! I've got a 65ltr and my folks have got a 60ltr, they're up the Cape right now and reckon they wouldn't bother with anything else. They left their old Chescold at home because it just didn't perform well enough in the heat last trip. Mine has seen plenty of action and still works awesome! I wouldn't have anything else.

Post by **playtime 4x4** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:42 pm

choosing a fridge is a pain in the A#$%E. I finally chose to run a Trailblaza on the back of my ute, and dont regret it for a moment. Have also slipped oneinto the back of my GQ. Rain, hail,mud or shine they have not missed a beat(no i dont work for them).For a bit of public knowledge, the Aust. Army uses these units inside the leopard tanks, and other vehicles. Their 2mm ally construction takes a hell of a beating

Post by **zookjedi** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 9:48 am

i think its safe to say with good reports on all fridges you wont go wrong no matter what your choice

Post by **-Scott-** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:22 am

All those lovin' their Engels, can you also post up the age of your fridge? I believe they changed compressors in the last few years, to something which draws even less current - but I'm not sure the jury has reached a verdict on reliability yet.

Older Engels, and most other compressor fridges, use a Danfoss compressor - so reliability and current draw (while running) shouldn't make much difference. The big differences between fridges will be construction and insulation - how well it survives the knocks, and how well it keeps out the heat. Better insulation means the compressor doesn't run as often, so average current consumption over a longer period is lower.

Just tellin' y'all what ya probably know!

Scott

Post by **dirtyGQ** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:48 pm

yep insulation is the key 100% and waeo and eva kool both use a danfoss compressor but the evakool is the far supreme as far as insulation goes. if you can afford an explorer they are great fridges too with dual temp gauges so all can be freezer or fridge , or one side can be freezer and other side fridge very neat i thinks.

Post by **Rhett** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 6:39 pm

Any one know where I can get a new danfloss compressor for a auto fridge? And someone to put it in?

Post by **hdn177** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:15 am

I out sell waceo every month with engel and eva-kool, Waceo has roughly 2 or 3 a month come back for warrenty repairs. Getting a good waeco is like puttin $600 down the drain!

Enegel is tougher and more relible, eva-kool is starting to take over the whole lot in sales.

in syaing that waceo is a good cheap alternititve, but u get what u pay for in this area.

I had one of the 1st engels come in for a twozone last week, it was a off green colour, and still wokrin i belive to over 20yrs old. and still going strong

Post by **evil_hitman** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:25 am

I've only recently bought my fridge. ended up with an evakool.
Spoke to a lot of people and most people were of the opinion that Waeco had crappy hinges/catches that don't last, but other than that work well as a fridge.
Engel was nothing but good said about them.
And Evakool had a lot of possitives about them.
In the end I chose evakool as i could clearly see that the box was better insuated, was constructed well, and being a nice smooth fibreglass inside, would be very easy to clean. With the better insulation, IF something was to go wrong with it on my travels, then firstly things would stay colder longer, and i could use it as an ice box until i could get it fixed.

Only considered those 3 brands as i wanted to stick to something major for ease of repair should something go wrong (both warranty and non-warranty)

Cheers
Matt

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