best esky

[nick1971]

What do you people think is the best esky for the dollar????????
:)

[philip_thomson]

depends what your price range is the ice kool or evakool are both top quality boxes

fiberglass boxes will hold your ice longer than the plastic boxes.

fiberglass boxes do not obsorb as much heat as the plastic boxes
fiberglass does not retain the smell of fish
fiberglass tends to be heavier.

plastic boxes (ice kools) do not reflect the heat as well as the fiberglass boxes
plastic boxes can hold the smell more than fiberglass
i have heard reports of plastic boxes lids warping in the heat.

hope that helps you out a bit

[uripper]

What do you people think is the best esky for the dollar????????
:)

absolutely, positively, no contest, best bang for the buck is .....
Icemate by Evakool - see http://www.icemate.com.au/index1.html
its the Falcon / Commodore equivalent with a few extras like
#locally made (SEQ) #parts readily available (yeah.. parts like hinges, latches, baskets, bungs) #5 year warranty etc etc ... and the bloody thing stays cold too!!!

The critisisms re non-glass boxes smelling are grossly overstated - when a glass icebox develops scratches & cracks thru the outer layer then they can be harder to clean - anyways with a proper soapy/antibacterial clean, rinse & dry there should be no smells with any icebox.

if you want a BMW or Daihatsu icebox then thats another story

[Sportfish_5]

Nick - if you happen to be in Brisbane around the time the tinnie and tackle show is on check out the eva-kool stand as they sell factory seconds that have very little wrong for bargains. I picked up a E85 two years ago for 200 bucks that had a scratch on the corner and a chip in the front.


Cheers

Greg

[charleville]

absolutely, positively, no contest, best bang for the buck is .....
Icemate by Evakool -

I bought an Icemate (yellow ones) at Christmas and have not been as impressed as Uripper. I bought the 88l model which is a long esky and I am not sure if the sides bow a bit but the wire basket slips down in pretty regular fashion, especially if the basket is sitting in the middle of the esky. Also, the main part of the esky also seems a little too wide for the lid and the seal does not sit well at all.

I have been intending to go back to Evakool about it and must do that pretty soon.

However, apart from the construction quality, the functional design is terrific. I did not want the expense and brittleness of a fibreglass model and did not want the inconvenience of the elastic fasteners that you get on the cheaper ones. I have a smaller IceCool (blue ones - also made by Evakool) which I use as a bait esky and it keeps stuff very cool but it is a damn nuisance to undo the elastic loop fasteners especially one handed when holding a fish or rod in the other hand and with cold fingers on a winter's night. The IceMate has a hinged lid which can also lift off very easily from the hinge and the fasteners are easy to use non rusting types. The metal clip that holds on the fabric tape handle on the cheaper IceKool is also starting to corrode after less than a year. It does get a fair bit of exposure to the weather and salt air when I am in the boat though.

Bottom line is that I think that the IceMate is very well designed functionally but I suggest that you have a good close look at the one that you buy to see that the lid fits well and that the wire basket is secure. The Icemates have a five year warranty and the blurb on the website suggests that they are tested to be pretty tough.

BTW the wire basket is a great thing to have. I used to carry my lunch in a bag outside of an esky and it naturally got warm as the day wore on but now I slip it into the basket and assuming that it stays in place, my lunch is nice and cool when I want it and does not have to get moist from the ice slurry below it that the fish sit in. Really nice to have cool fruit especially.

The lid of my esky gets featured in pictures here pretty regularly... http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfish/yabb2/YaBB.cgi?num=1139891735 http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfish/yabb2/YaBB.cgi?num=1141714053 http://www.ausfish.com.au/cgi-ausfish/yabb2/YaBB.cgi?num=1140996249 ;D ;D ;D ;D

It might not be a major thing but I do find that the height of the IceMate is perfect for use as a table in my little runabout. It almost becomes a damn nuisance to have to take all of the stuff off it so that I can open it to put in another caught fish. ;D ;D ;D

[trout3030]

Charleville,
On your esky that has the elastic loops for hold downs just half hitch a length of brown twine to them. Then you can just pull down on them one handed to release. Even easy in winter. Not sure if this makes sense so let me know and I can post a pic.

[McCod]

Evakool.... full stop. Got a 120 ltr Evakool in 1995.... $325 back then and would of saved 3 times that amount over the years in $ for ice.

Cheers Les

[Punkin]

Nick - if you happen to be in Brisbane around the time the tinnie and tackle show is on check out the eva-kool stand as they sell factory seconds that have very little wrong for bargains. I picked up a E85 two years ago for 200 bucks that had a scratch on the corner and a chip in the front.


Cheers

Greg


Did ya eat the chip? ;)

[griz066]

Tropical ice box mate you cant beat them for the price 105ltr under $300

[Gbanger]

the plastic lids do warp a little in the heat, but i have 2 blue ones that are rock solid, and dont retain too much smell...

i had one full of maggots once and a bit of disinfectant sorted it out fine..

[Gutsy]

I use a Waeco 65lt fibreglass model and works well in the boat with a removable cushion. Ice lasts a couple of days no problems.

Cheers.

[Seahorse]

got a 120 lit and 65 lit evakool. fantastic. put bag ice in morning, go fishing for the day, come home unload esky, still half bag a least next day.bloody great esky

[Huggy_B]

mate has a tropical and it works well, havent actually used any others so I cant compare really, except to the old Colemans etc which it flogs hands down.

[Feral]

Value for money - cant go past a $4.50 coolite box from your local greengrocer or butcher, might even score it for nothing.

[griz066]

Not sure that the coolite box will hold the block ice for 4 days like the Tropical ice box, but they certainly are affordable ;D

[DR]

how long is a piece of string????
it's a bit ford, holden, chrysler :)
everyone thinks the one they own is the best one...
truth is they are probably all equal.
plastic are cheaper , take more rough treatment keep ice for a couple of days.
fibreglass are prettier, will damage easier than plastic ( but how rough are you) more expensive & hold ice longer.

my opinion is if you are only in the boat a plastic one is heaps, how often do you spend up to 3 days in the boat without being able to get more ice??

i'm not rough on my gear so i went for fibreglass. i have a 'Downunder', cannot fault it. has held ice for 6 days.
cheers

[snakecatcher]

I recently got one of the 110litre downunder 5 star coolers for $265 (price guarantee deal from the store that can't be named). Although made of plastic the blurb states it will hold ice for up to 10 days and I can personally confirm that it held a bag of drink ice from the servo for 3 days. Great design, marine grade fittings and has a basket (that doesn't slip down) to keep your lunch out of the ice slurry. Just as tough as the tropical but doesn't look as cheap.

Cheers

Mike

[baldyhead]

If you wipe the inside of the box out with vinegar you will get rid of any fishy smell

[nick1971]

Cheers for the replys, and clarification on a few points. At this stage though I may have to go with the $4.50 coolite box, as the only thing I seem to bring home is my lunch. LOL

Nick.

[charleville]

Charleville,
On your esky that has the elastic loops for hold downs just half hitch a length of brown twine to them. Then you can just pull down on them one handed to release. Even easy in winter.


Thanks Stuie. I have just been talking to the Evakool rep at the Sundown Marine weekend sale today and he suggested bootlaces. Either way, it sounds like a good idea.

BTW, he said that Evakool are now using the latches off the Icemates for the fibreglass Evakools. In my experience, they are very good latches - very easy to use.

Regards............Charlie

[StevenM]

If you are chasing a cheap glass jobby, waeco have a factory outlet at their premises at burleigh heads on the goldy.

You can pay as little as half the normal retail on second's that have a scratch etc here and there

[Shooter]

Try looking up Techniice.com.au
For the price you carn't go past them I think.

[seatime]

For the pull down loop straps.

I put cable ties looped thru the pull down straps on the blue Icecool box. U can put your hand in the loop and pull on and off the straps. Easy on the fingers. cheers

[seatime]

Another idea I had with the bigger eskies is using a milk crate inside the esky. Take out 2 sides and trim it up to fit as a table or shelf at one end of your esky.
It's good for keeping an ice slurry in the bottom and bait or other perishables on the shelf up out of the water. It works in my 100l anyway.