Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Opinions?


Experiences?


Best size?

It's like asking Nissan or Yota, I'm about to buy a Waeco CF40 because the lower height suited my storage system better.

From what I`ve seen and heared the engel has much better reliability.
I`ll be buying a 40Ltr very soon

i have a 40L engel and wouldnt buy anything else its been dropped ,bumped and smashed around and it still works and also keeps things like JIMMY very cold

Krawla on this site has his smashed by a 37" mtr bouncing of the back his truck( kinda my fault ) put a massive crater in the mesh end of the fridge and it still works


thats my 2cents worth

Go for the engal if u can spend the extra $$$

i sell both brands...with fridges the $$$ are worth it.
Waceo fridges have shitty seals and they have to be sitting as flat as possible to work effictnly.... also waceo needs a ac adaptor for 240volt(excpet the new waceo 40lt) and they draw bout 4 - 6amps/hr for a 40ltr at worse conditions(open close all the time)

Engal 40 usue 2.7amps/phr at worse!!

i had 3 waeco's returned that are all less than 2 - 5yrs old with broken fans just last month.

Never had a engal returned...also engal gives u the choise of a twozone wich adds 20ish ltrs to exisiting fridge. i think from 32ltr up

also as bogan said they are tuff as bricks!

i have a 42ltr anniverys engal and a 15ltr engal both work awsome
engal is the superior of the both for sure.

My 2 centrs worth

I have 60 litre waeco, havn't had any problems.
I'm sure the engal are better but there nearly twice the price so I don't think it's worth it personally. Mine was $1000. From memory the engal was over $2000 in the same size.

Steve

GO THE ENGEL. Engel been around for over 25 years and some of the first Engel's ever made are still running without having any work done to em. Waec have still got a long way to go to prove as good as an engel. 've got an engel 60ltr fridge/freezer

bruiser wrote:I have 60 litre waeco, havn't had any problems.
I'm sure the engal are better but there nearly twice the price so I don't think it's worth it personally. Mine was $1200. From memory the engal was over $2000 in the same size.

Steve

waceo is still ok and is a cheaper alternitve but 2k for engal 60 is expensive we sell em for $1800ish

at 4wd fishn/campin type shows u get even better deals than that !

Engel have the name for reliability so they charge the $$$ for it.

They have better latches, seals and stronger body etc. Swing compressor aswell.
They run 12v / 24v/ 240v


Waeco have crapper seals / latches, plastic body (lighter) but have built in Voltage monitor and cutoff and and emergency electrical bypass.
Waeco are now releasing AC versions so you dont need a trasformer to run 240 volt.

If buying waeco, make sure is is a CFXXAC - for AC version.

I work for a comping store, an this is most of the info i give to people to make a decision.
Both very similar but the extras are included in waeco, wereas engel you need to but ect but available like the voltage cut off.

Both sell bags and slides which are similar sizes. The engel slides (40/35) suit a waeco 35 / 40 /50 / 60 better than the waeco fridge slide to.

Just some useless info for you.

Dave.

PS - Engle power draw is generally slightly lower when comparing similar sizes.

when we were lookin at 40 ltr's, we went to Rays in Frankston.
walked in, SWMBO, opened the Waeco, and the lid BROKE OFF! No, not came off like they are meant to, it BROKE>
The sales dude grabbed it and ran out the back to .. hide it? We waited for him to bring another out to us, but he never came back

Went with the Engel

www.fridgeshop.com.au have good prices.

if your lookin for GREAT prices in Melb on Wackos try Andrew at Blackburn Nissan Spares Dept.. His price would be hard to beat.

For work we have a 32L and an 80L Combo both Engel. Both seem to be pretty indestructable. The 80L is stainless steel and has copped a serious amount of abuse including being hit repeatedly by a full 200L drum of diesel that had fallen over and was rolling into the fridge in the back of the ute. Only very minor dents in the fridge.

I personally have an 80L Waeco. The reasons I went for the Waeco follow:
You have the choice of 80L fridge or freezer or having a small freezer and large fridge section. The 80L Engel has a large freezer and small fridge section which is unchangeable and a real pita.
The Engel cost $1999 and the Waeco was $930 on a very good special (normally $1279 I think).
Waeco not as strong but half the weight.
Waeco is shorter but wider and longer than the Engel which equates to more flat floor space in the fridge so you don't have to stack the contents as much. Engel is real pita as you need to unpack the fridge contents nearly every time you want something.

Waeco has a cool interior light

I love the versatility of the Waeco over the Engel in the 80L size. Strength of the casing isn't everything.

bogged wrote:when we were lookin at 40 ltr's, we went to Rays in Frankston.
walked in, SWMBO, opened the Waeco, and the lid BROKE OFF! No, not came off like they are meant to, it BROKE>
The sales dude grabbed it and ran out the back to .. hide it? We waited for him to bring another out to us, but he never came back

Went with the Engel

www.fridgeshop.com.au have good prices.

if your lookin for GREAT prices in Melb on Wackos try Andrew at Blackburn Nissan Spares Dept.. His price would be hard to beat.

Thats Rays Frankston for you dude.

The clip comes off but it is easily fixed, you just need to know how to do it as it is a PITA.

Dave

good info guys, can anyone recommend a cheap dealer in qld.

need around a 50L and was thinking of looking at a 2nd hand one but there arent any around....

bill_ wrote:good info guys, can anyone recommend a cheap dealer in qld.
..

www.fridgeshop.com.au

Only had an Engel, 9 yrs now and still works like we bought it. So I've never had to deal with a Waeco. Maybe thats saying something.

Alec

I Have a Waeco CF-50 , was oringinaly in the market for an Engel( Years of brain washing) a waeco can up at a great price (hundreds of dollars cheaper) so i thought give it a go!
It has been a great fridge and i would buy waeco again.
Great internal light feature and has a battery protection circuit that wont drain your battery if you dont have duel batteries.

I have had a 40ltr for about 2 years. Its never been turned off since i bought it unless im moving it from the house to the car. It has worked faultlessly. I did buy it very cheap out of the 4sale section here but it was new in the box(Thanks Dan ) Even if i had to pay full retail i would never have bought a Waeco. These are realy nothing more than a cheap esky with a fridge stuck on one end. I want to know that after 10-15 years in the sun its not going to break down and fall apart.

I have seen Engle fridges that are over 15 years old and are still going strong.

Snatch has a post in for sale section offering Huge! specials on Engel & Waeco fridges, making room in his shop for more Hardcore Gear, Fridges will be going for almost cost, great bargins for cash!

go the engel

i went through a number of different fridges and in the end the engle hasnt stuffed up... so reliable.

u can try cheap which i did but it just cost more in the end to get an engel.

We bought our engel (ARB) 40lt because of our neighbours having had an engel for over 15 years, & it has survived numerous trips to the cape, canning stock route & general 4 wheeling. We mainly use ours on our little yacht & find it very good with battery consumption.

Go & talk to to a coldroom manufacturer. My mate had one custom made, about 80L for under 1k. The best part it was manufactured from 100mm coldroom insulation, so it doubles as an esky. The compressor doesn't work that hard as the insulation does a great job. The only downside is the weight of the thing, but his is permantly mounted to the tray of his 75.

The compressor was a marine one, designed for built-in fridge/freezers in luxury yachts. It is 12VDC / 240VAC, & has been put through years of abuse out hunting & camping.

I have a 40l Waeco and have had no problems with it. It was cheap, it is reliable, it is robust, it has a very low current draw. It is not a glorifed esky with a fridge in it. My brother has the 110l Waeco and it is awesome. Went camping last w/end and he pulled out of the freezer 2 cheesecakes! The best thing it cost him $1200 new. I say go the Waeco

I was just thinking that lots of people have stated that you should buy an Engel because they are so tough. Then we buy a bag for it and strap it down and perhaps even pack soft stuff around it so it can't get scratched or damaged in any other way. Perhaps even build a box around the fridge to keep it safe.

Isn't that akin to buying a Patrol/Cruiser and then only taking the kids to school in it? We pay out on those people don't we

I got an engel because my old man has one. He bought his second hand and took it to the cape, uses it camping all the time too. It lasted and is like 8 years old now. Never a problem.

Mine, I got from Mini Fridge Repairs in Helidon, between Toowoomba and Gatton. His details are


MINI FRIDGE REPAIRS
Mark Pennington
Lot 31, Helendale Drive
Helidon, QLD. 4344

He was cheaper than OLBIS and ARB and all them and supplies Engels and Waeco's to the trucking industry. He was telling me that the Waeco's are crap. They honour warranty claims however once the warranty was over, even he was hard pressed to get latches and other components for them (and he was a dealer for them).

Anyway, I bought a 40ltr engel from him.

i've got an engel 40th anniversary model. have only had it 6 months but i got it after seeing a friends fridge survive a rollover and launching off dunes on the beach. it kept our stuff at -16c all week at fraser which is good enough for me

I've got a 29 litre hand me down engel from my parents. Its probably close to 20 years old now and has performed faultlessly in this time. I couldn't recommend them enough!

Waeco is ok but it is a cheaply built fridge compared to Engal... engal are just the best.....simple:) and as i said b4 only ever had waeco's returne for faults... never a engal:)

If you can afford the extra $$, go for an engel

Buying Engel over Waeco is like buying a HSV over an SS

Why waste your money*

* I'd never buy a dunnydore anyway

I sell both and allways recommend engel over waeco.
The engel has the swing motor which has no real moving parts and take hardly any power to start up. The waeco has a piston compressor and takes a lot of power to start up and uses way more on regular running esspesially during cycling on and off