The great fridge debate

[brett62]

One point to note was backflow from low drain electronics

When I installed my 2 x Victron charges to manage the 2 x LiFePO$ batteries (leccy) I made sure that each charger connected through their own breaker ..... this way when not in use (plugged in to 240 volt) - I trip the breaker & there is no backflow to the charger .

I cant remember the exact figure but it's something like 0.5amps ..... that's 12 amps / day In my case - just over 9 days my chargers could flatten my Batteries & another couple of days we could permanently damage them

Certainly food for thought.

Chris

What model Victron charges are you using. I wouldn't have thought you would get back flow as this could damage the chargers ? I actually thought the chargers would have protection built in for this.

[NAGG]

I see that National Luna fridges are being sold by Anaconda now - worth having a look if you are in the market for a new fridge .


http://www.anacondastores.com/campin...zer/BP90174202

[NAGG]

What model Victron charges are you using. I wouldn't have thought you would get back flow as this could damage the chargers ? I actually thought the chargers would have protection built in for this.

Bluesmart 12/25

I just had a look at the data sheet ...... I thought that the power draw was 0.5amps - its actually in watts so it's around 0.042 amps (1 amp / day) - This power is used for the LEDs & bluetooth monitoring .

Chris

[NAGG]

Well the National Luna fridge arrived this morning & it's certainly an impressive piece of kit - Attachment 124164 Nicely finished & the stainless steel used will certainly not show marks easily . fitting are stainless steel with glass filled polyamide (Nylon) corners ,handles & hinges - good solid plastic baskets Attachment 124165

For 40lts it's certainly looks much bigger than an Engel ... confirmed (footprint 0.240 sqm vs 0.227 sqm) - no Waeco / Dometic 40lt these days - but the CFX3 45lt is bigger at 0.276sqm (to be expected)

Good layout in the interior & as you can see from the photo - takes my 10lt jerry can which I freeze for my Esky . Attachment 124163

OK what is really impressed me was the turbo boost which took the fridge from ambient 18 deg to Zero in 20 mins - dropping it to -20 deg C took 13 mins (without the boost) ..... power consumption when running is about 3.5 amps ( boost is 5 amps)

It's reasonably quiet ..... a little louder than my old CFX40 but much quieter (without the vibration) of the Engel .

I'm now testing how long it will take to freeze a 1.5lt freezer gel filled bottle which I generally take on camping trips . (6 hours )

Anyhow ... lets see if it proves itself over time - but I plan to run it continuously for the next month on a mixture of 240 & 12 volt (probably let it spend some time in the canopy to get bumped around - once the cover arrives.

Looks to be a good buy

Over a year in now with the National Luna & I'm impressed .

This thing has run 24/7 since it arrived - I've done a few trips away with it & it hasn't missed a beat .
The fridge hasn't been defrosted since early January & has been set at - 30 Deg C ...... this is what the icing looks like today National luna.jpg

By Comparison - My Engel has been defrosted twice .

It's much quieter than my Engel or Waeco was & the compressor seems to run less frequently .

Finally - I did have a mishap where it fell (long story ) around 70cm on it's side ....... There were plastic containers inside that shattered but nothing happened to the fridge - didn't miss a beat .

So a year in & I'm very happy ....... certainly no hesitation in recommending them as an alternative to a Engel or Dometic .

Chris

[ronmac]

Iv'e had my engel since 1980 flogged the living daylights out of it, About to invest in a 2nd. Both 40lt . cheers Ron.

[Lovey80]

I see that National Luna fridges are being sold by Anaconda now - worth having a look if you are in the market for a new fridge .


www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/power-cooling/fridges/national-luna-50l-legacy-dual-zone-fridge-freezer/BP90174202

$1495 for a 50L fridge? Does it make fresh filtered ice and make you a drink too?

[NAGG]

$1495 for a 50L fridge? Does it make fresh filtered ice and make you a drink too?

That's not much more than an Engel 40lt which retails at around $1440

What you are getting though is a fridge with a stainless steel case & internal lining ..... which is a big plus when using it on my boat.

Minus 30 freezing with a boost setting

So it certainly does come with benefits when compared to all the others in the market & National Luna have been around a long time with a strong reputation ( designed & made for transporting medicines in Africa) .

I bought mine on the back of what I was told by probably the leading 12v fridge repairer in Sydney - A bloke that does all the warranty work for pretty well all the leading brands ....... So in my mind that's a pretty rock solid recommendation .

Chris

[Lovey80]

I think I paid the same amount for my Dometic CFX 3 95L fridge. I’d back that fridge to do everything the Luna does and I’d expect it to use less power too.

[Dignity]

Last year I bought a 50l Brass Monkey as a backup for around $300 on special. Now I figured I wouldn't get much for that amount of money but it has a separtor panel that allows fridge one side , freezer the other or fridge both sides or freezer both sides or remove the panel and have one big fridge or one big freezer.
1st thing I noticed was how quickly it pulled down to freezing, next was the amount of power used was ridiculously less than my Trailblazer and my Evakool as the first few times I had an inline meter running.

Now Chris probably uses his a hell of a lot more than I do and suits his purpose but I'm happy with my cheapie.

The other thing is my freezer at home only pulls down to -23°C maximum, or is that minimum so -30°C is some serious power there.

[NAGG]

I think I paid the same amount for my Dometic CFX 3 95L fridge. I’d back that fridge to do everything the Luna does and I’d expect it to use less power too.

I hope it does for you

I've owned a Dometic CFX 40 & it didn't miss a beat it the time I owned it ....... I've also seen how many were on the service bench

I'm not here to poo poo peoples purchases ...... I'm just sharing my experiences on the NL

Chris

[NAGG]

Ok ..... It's been a while since we've spoken about 12 volt fridges ( typically a ford vs holden thing ... ie Waeco vs Engel)

My situation is that I need to buy a 40-50lt fridge for my boat based camping . Unfortunately my Waeco CFX40 was stolen & I replaced it with a permanently mounted Evakool drawer fridge in the back of the Navara . I have a Engel 80lt which has served me well for 14 years but at around 40kgs empty its just to big / heavy .
14 years for the Engel is a good run & except for the temp display - awesome . I only had the Waeco for about 4 years & it was faultless .... plus nice & light

So my experiences with holden & ford have both been good

Let me say - Evakool lasted 8 months before it died & was repaired ..... The bloke who did the fix specializes in refrigeration - specially 12 volt & it was here that we spoke about purchase options
Even before I posed the question - I could see that Dometic (Waeco) had issues (over represented)..... there were a few there being repaired including newer ones. It was an Engel free zone & then a mix incl a couple of others incl Evakool .... Apparently Evakool are problematic

Back to the question ..... what would you buy ?

If on a budget - Brass Monkey ( RTM / Jaycar) ..... He said that these were well made & he has seen little in the way of issues but that may be limited by how long they have been on the market.
I specifically asked about Waeco vs Engel ...... Engel hands down (look around) - Interestingly he then made a comment . " If you are cashed up & going to spend $1400-$1500 on a Engel - spend a little more - take a look at National Luna"


I had heard about National luna & knew of their heritage ( built in South Africa for the transportation of medical supplies) but had never seen one or knew of anyone with one- On paper they look good (stainless steel) - 70 mm insulation ....... Anyhow i'm going to check them out.

Finally I asked about "Trailblaza" ..... Ugly but quality - If the Australian army use them , they must be decent .

You dont hear of issues or see them come in (National Luna / Trailblaza) ...... all the others Kings , Bushman , Evakool etc have their issues. With Engel when they do let go the cost of repair can warrant buying a new fridge - parts are expensive.

Anyhoo - I thought this was an interesting discussion & am interested in what others have experienced.

Cheers

Chris

Hi All

I just dug this old thread up as frustration has got the better of me

Let me say - Evakool lasted 8 months before it died & was repaired

Well it died & was repaired 3 more times over the 3 years of ownership ..... The last repair back in Feb was a major one with pretty well all the electronics replaced (only the compressor remained) - while Evakool supplied the parts - it still cost me $250.
So literally days before my recent Kinchant trip - it died again ...... so I ripped the unit out of the car & used my old 80lt Engel for the trip.

On my return - I noticed that Kings have a 60lt drawer fridge for $540 & after having a good look at one - bit the bullet & bought it . Being 60lts it now has the capacity to pretty well do the job without a supplementary fridge needed on all but the bigger road trips. A 5 year warranty was the deal breaker.
It's only been in for a week or so - but I'm impressed with the temperature regulation holding fairly steady . I also added one of the Kings wireless thermometers which is a a great addition . Now to see how reliable it will be.

PS - the 40lt National Luna fridge is going great .

Chris

[Lovey80]

Great stuff Nagg. Posts like this are what make ausfish great. MAKE AUSFISH GREAT AGAIN!

[Dignity]

I must admit I'm really happy with my 60 litre Dual Zone Brass Monkey (paid just over $300 when they were first put on the market), pulls down quickly and easy to use. My Evakool (Malaysian import- they did/do a few) has had 2 returns under waranty, now it works well but every now and then goes into error. Switch it off, turn it back on and it works again. When it dies I'll probably get another Brass Monkey when they're on special.

[NAGG]

Great stuff Nagg. Posts like this are what make ausfish great. MAKE AUSFISH GREAT AGAIN!

All good - worth sharing experiences especially to avoid seeing others get burnt

Chris

[Lucky_Phill]

Update on my stuff. My 65ltr Kings has been going well for a number of years now, as eluded to in my post here back in 2021. Took it on my WA / NT / FNQ 2 month trip in 2022 and never failed.

I also have an " Arctic " 85ltr dual zone in the camper trailer ( Austrack ). Which once I understood the ins and outs, worked perfectly.

Just recently I watched a Youtube video on solar and 12v systems, including fridges and now have a much better understanding of all this.

My recent trip to remote Cape Melville put pressure on my in car 12v / solar system and now I know why. I took the 85ltr. I have now upgraded a couple of things and we are good to go.

The Kings 65ltr is still going strong and good enough for my shorter trips and to be used as a back up, when towing the camper.

LP