Outer Limits 4x4 Board

hey guys, just wondering about your opinions on waecos?
i'de only proberly use it about half a dozen times a year, mostly just for w/ends at 4x4 comps.
any advise or opinions would be great thanx guys.

Buy an ENGEL! the little bit extra is worth it. I sell both fridges and i have nothing to gain by telling you to buy an engel. The 40l is a nice size and the most economical to run. Far more so than the waeco. despite the figures they quote.

i've got a 39l engel and love it

money well spent

I had a Waeco and sold it to buy a Engel. Spend a few more bucks and buy a Engel.

Waeco have good extra features such as: Emergency bypass, Turbo Fan etc...

BUT

Engel are proven to work (3 year warranty) and continue to work many years down the track... They have been around in the portable market for a lot longer!

Dave

yeah most people i know have engels, waeco have 5yr warranty on motor and 3yr on everything else. ive been to a few camping shops and 4x4 shops near home and am getting mixed opinions, i do like the 40th annivers 40L engel and love how u can buy the add on section for the top of it, so far my best price for it is $995 for the fridge and $345 for the add on section, not sure how much for the transit bag though.

I have the 40l Waeco and it is great. On;y cost $800 new with the power convertor. It draws very little power, I have had the patrol parked for a couple of days with 1 battery and been able to start the car. it maintains the temp well even in mid 30s ambient temperature, although i do also have an insulated bag too. In the past I would have said Engel but the quality of the Waeco and it's way better price changes that. For my mind go with the Waeco.

My brother uses a 110l (or similar size can't remember) Waeco in his worktroopy for outback desert touring and it hasn't missed a beat.

i did a heap of research on the fridges cause i just got one the other week for my 21st birthday present. overlander ( forums.overlander.com.au ) has some good threads about the two different brands (engel & waeco)......and some stories about people who've owned both for years.

in the end i got the 40th anniversary engel (like you've looked at) mainly because i have never really read a bad word said about the engels........sure they are more $$$'s than the waeco, but guys i know and have spoken to have been running them non-stop in trucks or at home for 10-15 almost 20 years without drama's.......thats why i ended up going with the engel.

the temp gauge that comes on the 40th anniversary model is an awesome feature that really helps to set the temp correctly. i had mine setup (full of beer) to cycle between -1 and 2 degress, and the beer was perfect

ZUK-16V wrote:yeah most people i know have engels, waeco have 5yr warranty on motor and 3yr on everything else. ive been to a few camping shops and 4x4 shops near home and am getting mixed opinions, i do like the 40th annivers 40L engel and love how u can buy the add on section for the top of it, so far my best price for it is $995 for the fridge and $345 for the add on section, not sure how much for the transit bag though.

also, where are you getting the add on section for $345? i'm interested in getting one of these

The add on section might seem like a good idea but you are asking the fridge to perform in a way it wasn't designed to. If you want the bigger capacity buy the bigger fridge. You will find it takes longer to get to the right temp, the temp will fluctuate alot more when the door is opened and contents changed around and the stuff in the top won't get as cold as the rest. Also makes it alot harder to get to stuff at the bottom. Another thing to consider is clearance issues if you are using roller drawers etc you may find you won't be able to access the contents or even get the fridge out on the rollers

Quizzed a fridge technician about Waecos a while ago and he seemed to prefer Engels for a bunch of other reasons that most people wouldn't generally ask about....parts back-up, ease of repair, etc.

ZUK-16V wrote:So far my best price for it is $995 for the fridge and $345 for the add on section, not sure how much for the transit bag though.

For the fridge man that is an awsome price....They retail pretty much everywhere in vic fpr $1199, then you may be able to talk them down...

At my work, Engel bags for the 40th model are $160, so most will probably be around that!

Good Luck

Dave

Engels draw less amps than Waeco's. Or any other brand that uses a Danfoss compressor. If you're only going to use the fridge a few times a year just try to get the best deal you can on either brand

In reguards to these add on sections to go ontop of the engel, I think you'll find they're not made by 'engel.' Not sure if this will have any effect on the fridge, or it's warranty!!!