Engel Fridge / Freezer Combi

[NAGG]

Hi All

I'm looking for a little advice on an Engel .
I know their reputation is second to none ...... So i'm going to stick with em rather than a Waeco (or others)

Now ....... Does size matter ?
To me , unless you buy a 75 or 80lt ....... the others seem a tad small than for any more than a weekend away ( I want 4-5 days)........ Am I right ?

Now the new 80lt Combi (Fridge & separate Freezer) looks good ..... plenty of room to keep steaks frozen or freeze some fish fillets) though you loose some considerable fridge space.

Anyway ..... just interested to hear your thoughts & experiences


Cheers

Chris

[freddofrog]

I wouldn't discount Waeco too quickly. I haven't heard to many bad things about them and they are a lot cheaper. Engel in my mind are banking on brand loyalty and charging a whole heap for the privilage.

My father has a 60L Waeco and it chills your beer to artic temperatures pretty quick.

I personally have 2 engels, a 32L and a 40L in the older style, both bought 2nd hand. One serves as a fridge and the other a freezer. In true engel fashion, neither has missed a beat and they would be at least 10-15yrs old. One however is noisy as but bugger me if I can stop it. The new models have more plastic and more electronics so more to break and/or go wrong. But they are more quite and draw half as much amps as mine do.

At one stage, I would have been dead set against getting anything else but if I had to replace them then the difference in price might sway me.

btw, those two engels will be good for me and the misses for a 1-2weeks depending on where we are going.

[NAGG]

I wouldn't discount Waeco too quickly. I haven't heard to many bad things about them and they are a lot cheaper. Engel in my mind are banking on brand loyalty and charging a whole heap for the privilage.

My father has a 60L Waeco and it chills your beer to artic temperatures pretty quick.

I personally have 2 engels, a 32L and a 40L in the older style, both bought 2nd hand. One serves as a fridge and the other a freezer. In true engel fashion, neither has missed a beat and they would be at least 10-15yrs old. One however is noisy as but bugger me if I can stop it. The new models have more plastic and more electronics so more to break and/or go wrong. But they are more quite and draw half as much amps as mine do.

At one stage, I would have been dead set against getting anything else but if I had to replace them then the difference in price might sway me.

btw, those two engels will be good for me and the misses for a 1-2weeks depending on where we are going.

Thanks freddo

Most people that I know (or have spoken to around camps) - who own a 12V fridge have Waecos - But most admit buying on price only & a couple said they have had performance issues........ Generally happy though.
No one has said a bad word about the Engles...... & the construction does seem better

From where I'm sitting ....... Its a hell of a lot of money to spend & I only want to do it once - so do you go $1900 for a top of the range Engle or $1500 for the similar sized Waeco?
I just wanna get it right

Chris

[Wahoo]

Nagg, for the extra 400 might as well go top shelf and get the Engel, you wont go wrong with it

Daz

[NAGG]

Nagg, for the extra 400 might as well go top shelf and get the Engel, you wont go wrong with it

Daz

Yeh Daz ....... $400 buys me a new barra reel
Nah ..... I guess I'm looking for reaffirmation - or some bit of info that might sway me between say the 75lt fridge/ freezer - or the 80lt combi ( separate freezer compartment) ........ These are pretty new , so not much info available

Chris

[FNQCairns]

Well for me and as long as the combi works as one would think it should and the proportions of each compartment are sensible, I would go with that. It would be nice to not have to make ice in the engle each night to supply daytime an esky which contains the milk,cheese, thawed ham, fruit/veg etc etc.

80L is lots of room, 40L being adequate for a family of 4 being sensible on any trip that still sees some civilisation once a week - as long as they also have an esky with engle ice or servo ice.

The 80 with a proper fridge is a luxury i would love to have over my 40 with the only drawback being finding space for it during travel and possibly the amp draw for anything above short stays??.

cheers fnq

[NAGG]

Well for me and as long as the combi works as one would think it should and the proportions of each compartment are sensible, I would go with that. It would be nice to not have to make ice in the engle each night to supply daytime an esky which contains the milk,cheese, thawed ham, fruit/veg etc etc.

80L is lots of room, 40L being adequate for a family of 4 being sensible on any trip that still sees some civilisation once a week - as long as they also have an esky with engle ice or servo ice.

The 80 with a proper fridge is a luxury i would love to have over my 40 with the only drawback being finding space for it during travel and possibly the amp draw for anything above short stays??.

cheers fnq

ta FnQ

I was a little concerned about the size of the fridge compartment ........ though it is only going to hold stuff for sangas / milk , cheese etc ..... thawed meat ..... While the freezer is there for frozen meat & maybe fish fillets....... The boat ice box takes care of the drinks
Usually we relocate after 4 days ..... so we should be right before restocking.
We will run it on 240 volt & 12V while in transit - one camp site to the next ...... I might save some coin & do a duel battery set up in the fourby - though it
may not be necessary

I guess the price difference between a 60l & the 80l really makes you take notice

Thanks for that practical input

Chris

[TheRealAndy]

I picked up a 50l waeco for i think $800. Got a price from caravan services but they were closed on Sat so asked anaconda to match it and they did. 2 * $800 50l waeco = $1600, that 100l fridge/freezer for less than any engel. Not sure if it were 800 or 900, but even at 900 its still cheaper. I have no brand loyalty. The waeco still works, it copped a flogging on my boat one day and salt water in the keypad that I had to fix, but still going. It does me for a week for food, but I normally have an esky for beer and food that does not get frozen. When I do long weekend it becomes a fridge. I can run it for nearly a week on 100ah bat at 0degC, about 3 days at -20degC.

[freddofrog]

Definately get a dual battery or equivalent. You don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with warm beer.

btw, I find two smaller ones much more convinient. It does take up more room (sort of) but as they are seperate you have more options on where to place them rather than having to find room for one big one. You can also keep one at camp site and keep one in the car. One can be used as a dedicated freezer which is important for fishing trips. When you are not camping but just going on picnics etc, taking a small fridge is a practical alternative to an esky full of ice. You actually end up getting better value for money cause you use it more often. I know my fathers mamoth one rarely sees the light of day cause it is so huge. We also use the small ones as a beer fridge for bbqs and the like. It's small enough not to be a hassle bringing it out and using it. Really big ones tend to be "put away" and pulling them out for a picnic or ad hoc bbq doesn't happen.

[NAGG]

Thanks guys for your ideas

I actually considered a two (Engel) unit option but there are some isues

..............*80 lt.............. 40 lt....2x 40lt

Weight .......40kgs ...........24kgs (48kgs)

Size......... 790x 490...... 631x 360 (1262 x720)

power max. 4.2amp .........2.5amp (5amp)
min........... .0.5amp.......... 0.5amp

Cost RRP ..$1900 ............$1200 ($2400)

Other things like Transit bag $200 (80lt) & $150 (40Lt) .....

so as you can see , the two smaller fridges compared to a single large unit doesn't quite cut it! ........ Eventually I'd like to get a slide for it - which is difficult with 2 units
I totally agree with having the portability of a small unit ....... but as this will only be really used for trips away ..... dragging it out will be as per the tent etc

Chris

PS I will eventually go a duel battey set up in the fouby

[TimiBoy]

I have an Engel 40 litre, and it's nearly faultless...

What really p!sses me about it is that the temperature gauge is run by a battery. When that goes flat, you have no temperature reading, and it is a bastard to change, as you have to unscrew several screws and remove the top of the "box".

Mostly I use it as a backup bait freezer or beer cooler if we entertain, and it runs like a dream.

Cheers,

Tim

[kind_cir]

Waeco CF 50 here, and if I had my chance again I would not go the same. Had it for4 years and lives in the back of the 4B. Replaced 2 lids, one under Warranty. 2 baskets, one under Warranty. Control pannel under warranty, and some other thing electronic that cost me $100. It's had a hard life in a leaf sprung Hilux, shacken to S#!t in EXTREME 4X4 situations at least once a month. Been to the top of Cape York and back, had house paint spilt in around the compressor ect.
Insulation on it is crap and the lid never seals properly, and you got to have a top notch power supply, so I hard wired it to the deep cycle battery. Good but I would go an Engle for my next cause I'm rough on fridges.
Good size for food for camping for a 3-5 days. Drinks go in the ice

[manchild]

Engel 40 and cannot fault it.They are the only fridge that you can turn upside down ,or flip upside down while 4wd ing and its still works.Try that with a waeco .Good luck.We only keep frozen food in it and 2 hours on the gennie or on the 12v carplug is enough to keep it frozen .
cheers
George

[NAGG]

Waeco CF 50 here, and if I had my chance again I would not go the same. Had it for4 years and lives in the back of the 4B. Replaced 2 lids, one under Warranty. 2 baskets, one under Warranty. Control pannel under warranty, and some other thing electronic that cost me $100. It's had a hard life in a leaf sprung Hilux, shacken to S#!t in EXTREME 4X4 situations at least once a month. Been to the top of Cape York and back, had house paint spilt in around the compressor ect.
Insulation on it is crap and the lid never seals properly, and you got to have a top notch power supply, so I hard wired it to the deep cycle battery. Good but I would go an Engle for my next cause I'm rough on fridges.
Good size for food for camping for a 3-5 days. Drinks go in the ice

Thanks Noboat ..... I kept my mouth shut ... but 1 issue that was mentioned Waeco ....... was the polypopylene lid
Without the travel cover the Waecos suffered !!!!

Chris

[oldboot]

My big brother is a windmill doctor ( among other things) and travels extensivly arround NQ. he has an engel that runs 24/7 in his patrol. ( he has worn a couple out... fair cop worn out)( by the time he's finished with em they look it)
He travels very rough roads in very hot conditions and lives out of the truck for weeks at a time.....he would not have anything else but an engel.
He did have a waranty claim on fridge #2 quite early. no problems since.

he has a mate that runs asome sort of " outback store" he has a waeco account and waeco's on the shelf in the shop...... BUT he has an engel in the truck.

they go up the gulf once or twice a year ( as blokes do up that way)..... thay pack both engels and a serious esky or two.....one engel makes the ice and the other as a fridge.

before they carried two they would have one making the ice and freezing the fillets and the esky for the cool stuff.

cheers