Waeco CF-80

[griz066]

NOT LOOKING TO START A PI$$ING CONTEST BETWEEN WAECO & ENGEL OWNERS

Looking at buying a Waeco CF-80, and just need honest advice re, pros & cons of the Waeco.

[Mr__Bean]

I have a CF80 that I bought just over 12 months ago, insulation bag and slider etc for camping trips.

Have used it once last XMAS for a week at Inskip Point and once in the back of the wagon for a motorbike weekend.

I reckon I bought one size too big, the CF50 would probably better suit my needs.

Works fine, just too big for my needs.

- Darren

[jimbamb]

we.ve got a really old cf80 has been across the simpson and everywhere else we have been... has taken a real beating in the back of the ute...has not given any problems and still works like a new one
would reccomend to anyone.
sometimes its a bit big but we can carry 2 weeks food and frozen goods easily as well as the beer and ice for the rum
jim
if you are doing a lot of miles over rough roads I would reccomend getting another power cord and cutting off the ciggy plug end. and hard wireing it into the system.this will eliviate the problems that can occur when the ciggy plug comes loose and does not make contact..the hard wired one can sit under the mat when the fridge is not in the vehicle.
jim

[shano]

i got the new model cf80 , love it , it is faultless, did a 6 week trip from brissie to the cape and back never missed a beat! stored both frozen and normal fridge side food for 2 adults and 3 kids! i love it! we used ours on average every 3 weeks! we also have the insulated bag and a slide!

[FNQCairns]

Do you really need the 80? Most I have seen actually don't unless it's fully a communal unit. It's worth a lot of thought, the bigger units use extra power, cost more and take up more space not to mention the weight penalty if tying to move it etc. Smaal is always better if you can swing it.

Also lots of people seem to opt for 2x 40s these days or even 1x40 +1x<40.

Just my thoughts.

cheers fnq

[chisel]

CF80 is big, but if you want a waeco and want fridge and freezer together it is either the 80 or the 50 (really about 45?).
I'd personally look at an evakool fridgemate 70L or the 60L fibreglass one perhaps. Similar in price to the waeco 80 but perhaps a better size with not quite the same current draw.
I have a CF50 which has been great, but I certainly do miss the convenience of having a freezer as well.

[griz066]

Thanks for the replies guys, I do need a freezer we usually go for the week (6 ppl) so we take all our meat frozen for the 7 days so I was thinking I would need the 80 to fit this in. The little fridge in the van just don't like being opened that much and really struggles. I have a small genny to charge the battery each night. Any comments on battery size and how long it would last before charging would be good as well.

[chisel]

Ok - for 6 people for a week I reckon you'd need at least the 80 and maybe even bigger (eg. a CF60 and a CF40 (as freezer))
I think they use about 2 to 3 amps on avg, maybe more in summer depending on conditions and how often opened etc.
A 100AH AGM (75AH usable) would last a day or maybe 1.5 days.

[shano]

i found i even ran out of room with our cf80 but you make do, i used to own a evacool fridge mate i had the 70ltr fridge freezer , but have since sold it and gone the waeco, the evacool was big, bulky, chewed the power, and was hard to keep temp where i wanted it! the cf80 waeco uses 2amps max, i run a 105ah aux battery and can run the fridge for 3 days without taking the car for a drive. our trip to the cape i never ever ran the battery flat, i kept the fridge in the car 24/7, so everytime we drove it got charge, but when camping at double island we went 3 days without driving and charging it.

[FNQCairns]

If you have got a 40L freezer and a fridge on gas and they both work properly 4 people can eat very well for up to 2 weeks....this assumes an decent esky for vegetables marginally chilled over the hottest parts of the day done with ice in a bottle made in the freezer.

Done exactly the above a few times before.

cheers fnq