The great fridge debate

[Brettoh]

Engel are not the same since the competition arrived. They are just over priced and work no better than the cheaper ones. My Engel lasted about 3 weeks out of warranty and something broke. The repair was almost twice as much as the same size fridge from Supercheap including the insulating bag. It has lasted 5 years bumping around in the front of a trailer every day on crap rural roads.
Ive had a 45 ltr Brass monkey just infront of the passenger seat of the boat for 18 months and its still going strong.

You can buy close to 3 or 4 brass monkeys for the same price as the engel and Im betting the Brass Monkey warranty is easier to use too,

[NAGG]

I've always been a "buy the best you can afford kind of guy" & I'm also pragmatic enough to realise that things break down / fail .
When it came to this Evakool fridge drawer - it was a case of enough is enough ..... multiple repairs & replacement parts is a clear indicator that the components used are not robust enough. I got to see enough Evakool fridges in for repair to scrub them forever.

People are mentioning Brass monkey ..... & as old mate (12 volt repair dude) said a couple of years back that he was pretty impressed & had seen bugger all come in for repair . Several trips to his repair shop & I cant recall seeing any either ( just the usual suspects)

I still have no doubts that the best bet is to go with an Engel - before stepping up to the likes of a National Luna or a Trailblaza (if the budget allows) . ..... specially if you ae doing the big trips / extended trips .
I know that for me buying the Kings drawer fridge was a relatively easy decision due to the size (60lts) the price $540 ...... but more importantly that I generally carry the National Luna as well - So there is that redundancy factor when I'm away on those longer trips .

It's always interesting to see how others are going with their choices & what the longevity is . I have to say my 80lt Engel has nearly 17 years under it's belt which works out at around $100 / year ....... Aside from changing the battery for the thermostat it's been faultless

Chris

[GBC]

I'm yet to see a drawer or upright fridge that competes with a dirty old chest fridge. They either don't seal properly and ice up badly, or seem to manage to make a standard secop compressor pull 6 plus amps. Yes, evakool damaged their brand when they started importing gear. It's a shame because their fibreglass ones are still made here and are still great.

[NAGG]

I'm yet to see a drawer or upright fridge that competes with a dirty old chest fridge. They either don't seal properly and ice up badly, or seem to manage to make a standard secop compressor pull 6 plus amps. Yes, evakool damaged their brand when they started importing gear. It's a shame because their fibreglass ones are still made here and are still great.

I have to say - when the Evakool drawer fridge was going it was pretty good ....... no icing up (at all) & the power usage would typically average out at around 1 amp / hr (set at 0 deg C) . I'm finding the Kings drawer fridge has similar Just checked & it pulled 11 amps overnight (set @ 0.)

I really like the drawer fridges - Access is second to none & this 60lt allows for bottles to be stood up - so the useable space in on par with a chest type. To get that level of convenience with a chest type fridge - you need a drop down fridge slide which costs significantly more than my 60lt Kings fridge & has a 35-40% bigger footprint .

Chris

[GBC]

Agree about the convenience/access of them both - great theory. A mate has an evakool drawer in his Golf Savannah caravan that he now uses as a cupboard unfortunately. Hopefully by gen 3 or 4 they'll have more bugs ironed out.