Fridge/freezer Which one???

[Lundy]

Question for those who have 12 & 240 volt camp fridge/freezers.
Have looked at Engel, Waeco & Evacool. Which one do I get??
Can anyone give me any info on good/bad points on fridges they own
or have heard of.
Thanks Steve

[Daintreeboy]

I have been looking for a couple of years now but still haven't found the money to buy one. I've taken a good look at all the major brands and believe that Traiblazer is the best one. They are very tough on the outside so are good for having in the back of a ute (which I have). A bit dearer but worth it IMO.
Cheers, Mark.

[Lundy]

Hi Mark,
Mate at work has one and swears by it. They are very heavy compared to the rest.
Do the have a low voltage cut out?
Steve

[Daintreeboy]

Sorry Steve, having trouble now there's no notify of replies. I think they do but cannot say for sure. Just found this ;)

http://www.norcoast.com.au/

I like the checkerplate model

[adrian]

just make sure that if it does break that you can get it fixed anywhere
anzac

[Lundy]

Anzac,
will keep it in mind.
Steve

[porl]

After yeas of having pilchards defrost and leak onto cans a nd throwing away defrosted ones at end of trip i got a small waeco, first model, nothing digital - still use it as fridge or freezer, indestructible. But Pilchards etc leaking onto real food was worse than sucking on a can tasting of pilchards.

I then explored fridge and freezer combinations. At that time neither engel nor waeco had that option. i bought an explorer brand fridge freezer that has the same BDF35 motor as most waecos and has been excellent. A lot more sturdy than the waeco/engel equivalent and i think a lot better insulation - both internal and external. I have the DC45 model which is 30L fridge and 15L freezer. So the bait stays frozen as long as I am away until i remove it at up to -20C. When all the bait is gone (good for ice too) i turn the unit down and use the ice comparment as the beer and meat chiller (on about 1C) while the fridge can take the fruit, vegetable and bread stuff (more like 6 - 7C - but fine for that stuff).

I often now also take the waeco as a day only beer fridge. Only have to turn it on when i get up for the beer to be chilled by mid-morning.


I notice a lot of people getting a second small fridge to use as a freezer so worth considering the all in one unit for price.

[jethro6641]

Hi Steve,

I have both a Waeco and Evakool. I have found both fridges excellent. I use the small Waeco in the vehicle its self and it is great for keeping the drinks and bubs food cold whilst on the road. For a little long term travel and camping I prefer the Evakool. They are so well known for there eskies and how good there insulation is. Both Waeco and Evakool have the same compressors but I think the evakool has better insulation. I was going to buythe 80 ltr Stainless Engel but went for the Evakool 90 ltr in the end because it was half the weight and fits nicely onto the 60ltr Engel fridge slide.

I have had the Evakool for a few years and have done numerous trips to Fraser, NT, Birdsville, Simpson Desert and a heap of other corregated dirt road and it has never given me a day of trouble. "Touch Wood".

Anyway thats my two bobs worth. I am a big fan of the Evakool's.

Hope that helps.

Jamie

[goanna1]

do want want two way or three way

goanna

[Lundy]

Thanks for the comments and still looking.
Goanna, 2 ways only.

Steve

[SURF_SNIPER]

steve, theres a company at scarbrough boat harbour ( marine refrigeration and electronics ptyltd) who make snapper freezer. there is nothing around that can compete with these indestructable fully welded marine grade aluminium fridge freezers. i purchased one approx 2 years ago after spending months deciding and looking at all the brands. snapper freezers are fully custom built and can be made any size or shape.

i hade mine custom built to fit in the back seat area of my landrover defender as i do a lot of competition beach fishing i needed a fridge freezer set up that can hold a full weeks suppy of bonito, other bait all our food and drinks aswell. i had the guys make the fridge and freezer seperate with twin lids. it easily runs off my dual battery setup in my truck. its fantastic. i even use it to make my own ice to keep my fish good for weigh inn.

my unit is a 100L in total holding 60L freezer/40L fridge however they can make them any size, i think they make a 40L as well.

once you've seen them and how there made and talked to Les the owner, youll never look at a waeco again. they are slightly dearer then the likes of an engle, but these will last a lifetime of hardship. my unit runs 24/7 and lives in my truck.

hope this may help, Drew

[glenpandrews]

Hi There,

I am about to get an engel dual fridge freezer, 25LT freezer / 32 litre fridge. My second choice would be a 40LT engel used as a freezer and ice box used as fridge, rotating freezer packs between the engel and ice box daily.

Why engel? Because my old man has had his engel for 25 years. The thing has been dropped, dented, flipped, slammed, drawn on and scratched and it still runs perfectly. It looks like to anti christ from the gods must be crazy.

I havent had any experience with the other brands so this isnt exactly objectice, but if im going to fork out over a grand its going to be on an engel because I know that are bomb proof.

Glen

[glenpandrews]

Hi Again,

Just read the other posts on this topic and realised I didnt exactly make it easier for you. Sorry!

Glen

[StevenM]

Gday,

Glen would have to agree with you re the Engel. I have had mine for for about 15 years and has had no drama's. Would buy another anyday.

Tabs/ Steve

What ever ya do dont go to big, they get bloody heavy, even the 30-40 ltr models full of shit. Would hate to try and move a 60-80 or even bigger one around.

All that said, got the junk mail yesterday and Repco have got WAECO 35 ltr fridge freezer on sale till 19/6 for 599 dollars. Ya cant beat that price.

Cheers

Steven

[NeilD]

Just giving this post a bump to see if there are any different opinions. I am in the market for one at the moment after downsizing (County to Discovery) and finding there is little room for my usual Baileys and Colemans.

Neil

[Lundy]

Neil,

i decided on a Downunder Fridge, after checking them out they look pretty good.
I got a 70litre with a cover for $1200. Can't wait to take it camping.

Cheers
Steve

[NeilD]

Steve

Where did you get it?

Neil

[Lundy]

Horse,
From Downunder Camping at Capalaba in Brissy. They had a 50l for a $1000. I think they are well worth a look at.
Cheers
Steve

[reefraider_II]

Hello guys, I have a 80l Waeco ,I paid $1200 but I think they are normally around 1300 mark.I have used it for 3 months straight while travelling on my trip from brisbane to cooktown and back and have had no problems.
What I have found was that a lot of the older generation all swear by Engel because it has been around for donkeys and was the leader in the market. Then came Waeco who said "jeez these engels are expensive, lets see how much we can build one for" . They then understood why the directors of Engel were out on their million dollar boats fishing everyday. Hence the Waeco was born. It uses German compressor technology and is now becoming a popular fridge on the market that is trying to compete with the long history of Engel
I spoke to a few people on their travel while up north and after speaking to a couple who had both a waeco and an engel,they said to me this....Marty they are both great except we find the engel uses more power and they said they would rather another waeco. What makes this confusing is that they were of german origin :-/
My fridge has never let me down, the only thing that sort of upset me was that when I bought the waeco I had to pay an extra $80 ( i think) for the 240-24 volt transformer that you need if you want to run the fridge off 240v. That means the fridge is strictly 12/24 .
I hope this helps. regards Marty ( i am not german)

[adamleah]

I have a 70litre Evakool , Have used it only once for a few hours ,,, Id be willing to sell at a reasonable price,,, think they are 1599 new,, comes with a 240v tranny also ..

[snappa]

go engel had mine for many[20] years and lived on the back of the ute and now travels in the trailer... "no worries"