Off Road 12v Fridges/ Freezers/ Combos! BS thread, Cus were never serious...

Disclaimer: The OP of this thread has since been banned. I've volunteered to take over the OP duties and will continue to update this post with information. The subsequent posts are form the original OP and I will leave those posts as they are.

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Brands

ARB
Available Sizes: 37QT, 50QT, 63QT, 82QT
Special features: Zinc steel walls (corrosion resistance), Removable Lid


Whytner/Edgestar (Same thing)
Available sizes: 45, 65, 85 (Whytner); 43, 63, 80 (Edgestar)
Special features: "Fast Freeze" or "Flash Freeze" option - rapidly cools to -6*F




Indel B
Available sizes: 30L, 40L, 50L
Special features: MAX Turbo function - Cools the contents as quickly as it can when the fridges senses that either the vehicle is running or you are hooked to house power


National Luna
Available sizes(Aluminum or Stainless Steel): 40L, 52L, 60L, 72L, 80L, 90L, 125L
Special features: Interior Light, lockable latch, Turbo Mode (when surplus power available)



Engel
Available Sizes: 16QT, 22QT, 34QT, 40QT, 43QT, 84QT
Removable Hinged lid, Vibration Resistant, Removable Handles



Other important tidbits:
- These fridges run off of either 12/24V DC or 120V AC (meaning you can plug into your truck or in your home)
- Some people have found the stock wiring for the cig outlets not adequate enough to power the fridges, therefore running a 10AWG wire to the battery has been a more reliable solution
- Each of the fridges have a built-in battery protection system where if it doesn't sense enough voltage coming from the battery, the cooling compressor will not turn on.
- A packed fridge will be more efficient because the contents will stay cooler longer, and the fridge won't have to turn on its cooling compressor as often

 

Whitecloud, I had plans to do the same with this one wireing harness related. Was even considering some hot glue or heat shrink tubing for vibrations sake.

 

I agree that ANY 12V fridge is worth the investment.

 

All that crap I just read .......... When does this review process start!?

 

On a side note. I just started re reading the specs on the ARB, ENGEL, NATIONAL LUNA, and WHYNTER fridges/ freezers.

From a cooling aspect, From warmest to coolest.

ENGEL Does 0°F (-17.78°C) to 40°F (4.44°C)
ARB Does -0.4°F (-18°C) to ???? No data on max
WHYNTER Does -8°F (-22.22°C) to 50°F (10°C)
NATIONAL LUNA Does -22°F (-30°C) to 68°F (20°C)

Again, I think the rating on the WHYNTER might be because of the Fast Freeze option. where you click the FF button and then it goes full steam ahead in the cooling area. Thus pushing the motor in MAX.

No it is not the DAN FOSS compressor, but I would imaging that everyone is using a similar style.

None of these are a the style that blows air around the chamber. From what I have read in the past, those are the most effective type and the reason our full sized fridge freezers in the house are so effective.

I believe I saw a version that had circulating air for sale on Expedition portal last year. MSRP was +$6000 and the guy was selling for maybe half that. Was rated for Medical use and might even have been one of the type they use for transporting blood in the military.

 

When I get mine on Thursday night, I will do an Unboxing Vid. After that I will start the rest of the process.

Mine is shipped from a storage warehouse in CA. Since it is 75#, I'm sure they sent it freight and not expedited.

Also, this is a "BS" thread for now.

 

So far, there are not any sites that have a "COMPARE" feature for an accurate specs comparison. I would LIKE to get my hands on as many brands as possible for review, but I doubt anyone would "spot" me on 1 of each.

I will check with the LOCALs and see if anyone has examples of each of the other brands.

Then I could also do noise level tests, etc.

That article I posted in the OP was from December 2012 - And should be up to date. Then again there are other things I would like tested.

Like when it IS running, what the actual draw is using a meter in the different settings.

 

Looks nice! How is the heat coming off of it when it is running? That is something I wanted to measure.

 

@Gideon, you looking to get one in the near future? What is the budget looking like? That, like all the MODS we do, should be everyones starting point.

 

Actually, YES, that would be great. Set it to MAX then pull a reading. Then back to a normal temp that you usually run it at, swipe another reading. Hopefully a couple hours between the readings to allow an accurate change of temp.

You have an AMP/ Watt meter? HomeDepot sells a couple http://www.homedepot.com/p/P3-International-Kill-A-Watt-EZ-Meter/202196388



I would be interested to see what the readings at different intervals would be

Like -
Sat for a day - then on to MAX
Sat for a day - on to normal temp
normal temp - then set to MAX

Also, Internal TEMP readings with a Digital or analog VS what the screen says

I am looking for one that could go inline on the 12v also. vs using a multi meter.

 

Yes sir. And I don't have a budget. I'm kinda a spontaneous spender so no matter how much something costs, if I want it in the moment then ill buy it! Lol but for real though, I been thinkin about buying one for a few years now but I only looked at the arbs and DAMN are they expensive!!!

 

I'm the same way when it comes to something I want. But I was looking at the features between all of these before and decided, for the price, and features, the WHYNTER looked promising.


Temperature was one of the biggest things for me. and based on those specs I posted above. WOW, the difference in pricing from -8°F to -22°F was $1500!

I then looked at what type of cooling they were all using. None were the moving AIR like our house hold appliances. That would have been the next biggest thing I looked at. HOWEVER, in a vehicle, that could be a huge negative if there was a spill in the compartment.

I agree though, these things in general are pricy. As much, if not more than, a full sized house hold appliance/

 

I had another theory on the temp ratings vs performance, i mentioned earlier. how cold they get vs how fast they get that cold. That could be the whole difference in amps all together.

 

this LUNA pdf is very informitive too
http://www.nationalluna.com/Datasheets/Luna_Manual_2011.pdf

 

In for the testing results.

@skygear I am curious where you got an 85 qt (Whynter FM-85G) for $550. Best I am able to find it for is $750 (free shipping) from Amazon

 

Home Depot minus Armed forces/ Military/ Gov't discounts.
You need to call in and ask for it.

 

HD has fathers day specials and sales going on right now. Here is the screen shot. Keep in mind, You have to ask for the "Military/ Armed Forces/ Gov't (any Verticle Badge)" discount of 10% that you would get if you showed your ID in Store.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Whynter-85-qt-Portable-Fridge-Freezer-FM-85G/202555700

Discount for the $50 is apply'd when you add to cart. The discount applys to ALL the WHYNTER line also!.\

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/cat...tpc=1&selectedCatgry=Search+All#/?c=1&6r2=6r2

Search criteria was "Portable Freezer"

 

Yeah, so --- take any of these, subtract the instant $50 off, then subtract the 10%. Might be other discounts people are aware of that I am not. I searched and came up blank.

I was considering the DZ version, but being out of stock online really made my decision easy.

 

If anyone else has bomber deals or sites for any of the Portable fridges, by all means, Post them for the benefit of the community.

 

Good info buddy. I got mine on Amazon about 4-5 months ago when they had a sale on them and got the 65qt for about 380.00ish. But I watched it go up and down for about a month.