Hi, surfing for fridges, ended up finding this website, and this offer sounds quite attractive! I'm looking at either the VL60 or VL65 dual-zone with covers.
But I can't find any answers on their website to a few questions. Any info appreciated!
1) Insulation and current draw
What's the insulation thickness? A friend highly recommended snomaster, which look amazing but are ~$1200. They brag of their 55mm, 60mm, or even 70mm insulation depending on the model. I'm trying to get a sense of current consumption over 24 hours in hot Texas weather, and of course, insulation will affect that.
Arb says its
Zero only consumes "0.8 Ah (DC12V set at 5C, 32C ambient temp)". How do I get an "equivalent" comparison to the IceCo? Or does the IceCo cost much less because even if the compressor is a Secop, poor insulation makes it that much less efficient over an entire day?
Amazon user reports are conflicting:
Good:
* been running it 24/7 in the Phoenix heat. No issues whatsoever
* a VL45 inside a hot Jeep Grand Cherokee at well over 100F (engine off/in sun) in the summer and it works, but without the insulated cover the steel case will be very hot on the outside.
* My VL 65 draws about 1 amp per hour after it is at set temperatures (but does not mention outside temp)
* Over a time period of 24 hours it pulled 0.26Khw through my watt meter so it averages 10.8 watts continuous power draw using ECO mode (ambient temperature of 79 degrees F)
Bad:
* "... the info is NOT on the web site. Nor does the company respond when you email them. I asked for amperage on eco mode at 12V, AND what proportion of the time is it on versus off (at ambient temp of 70F = 22 ). No response "
* "Unit has really hard time working in vehicles in warmer climate. I live in Texas and now have a $500 ice chest that I buy ice for Avery other day."
* unable to keep 40F with outside temp of 100F
I also found their latest product, which they crowd funded. I wonder why the felt they needed a "cooler" concept -- thicker insulation?
New IceCo Cooler
In short, I am really concerned about it being able to keep up in the Texas summer.
2) I'm interested in the bigger VL65, but I THINK that you can't set the temperature of both compartments to be either frig or freezer independently, unlike the VL60. Is that correct?
The reason I think that:
* The
VL60 title says "ICECO VL60 Portable Refrigerator Freezer FLEXIBLE Dual Zone design" but the
VL65 title does not have the word "FLEXIBLE".
* The
VL60 amazon description says " You can set the same temperature for the freezer on both sides or set be cooler than the other. Moreover, you can choose to turn off one zone for the purpose of energy-saving or capacity requirements "
* The
VL65 amazon description does not say that.
3) Is there a combo with cover for the VL65? Could not find it. Actually, could not even find the cover by itself on their website.
I'm going to submit these same questions to the company and will report here if they respond.
Best!
Hello there. I've been busy running errands and finally get a chance to sit down and hopefully get some work done that will clear up some questions. Hope you are doing well and thank you for the interest. I will try my best to answer what i can.
1. Most fridges are measured in watts, so it's hard to compare Wattage when compressor is on, to AHs at a specific temperature. We are missing information from both sides to be able to make a fair comparison; like temperatures, how long compressor is on per hour at each temp, how much continuous wattage when it is on and etc.. This is something we can tackle in the long run together and really do a fair comparison. Even without the information, i can tell you that unless there is some significant upgrade in compressor technology and insulation in the new ARBs, that the power consumption and capability will be similar between models with similar compressors.
Do you know what the draw is in watts, when the compressor is on for the ARB Zero; i could not find it? For the ARB models where they do measure it in Watts (when compressor is on), the draw is similar (around 50-65W average across most models). I highly doubt that there is that much of a difference in insulation, that it justifies spending more than twice as much, at least not for people who can't shell out $1400+ for a fridge. 2+ inches is pretty thick, so to be noticibly thicker, is going to be very thick. I don't see the Zero being that thick.
I think that if you are concerned, then go with a model with insulating bag. If that isn't enough for you, then like Ratchey said, just know that any fridge will struggle in that temperature/draw a lot of power. You will need to do little things like run the AC for a few hours a day, park in the shade, keep it mostly stocked so compressor is more efficient, and etc to help it in any way you can, with any fridge you decide to go with. You can always consider adding extra insulation yourself.
As far as the Kickstarter Cooler, i actually considered grabbing that one as a middle-ground solution until i could afford something more permanent. I doubt it's as much a "need for cooler concept/more insulation", but rather to cater to a different crowd, namely the kickstarter crowd (which is mostly budget-conscious buyers). I highly doubt that thing is durable enough for most of the members here, but most people don't put their fridges through the same trials as the average mudder. The kickstarter project seems more catered to the beachgoers, rather than the 4wheelers and overlanders. You can interpret in different ways i suppose, but i don't see the insulation part being the driving force behind the kickstarter cooler project.
As far as reviews go, every fridge on Amazon has mixed reviews. That includes ARB, Engel, Dometic and etc. There are things such as bad batches and user errors and outright sabotage from competitors, so as long as the vast majority of people are happy, then chances are it is a good product. ICECO reviews are very consistent across every selling platform and every model, and vast majority of people have been happy so far. I'm not saying all the bad reviews are illegitimate, but i am saying that good products can get mixed reviews as well, as is often the case. The ARB line is a great example of that; just wished we could afford them!
Regarding their website and email response, i have said earlier that they sometimes outright miss emails. My first email took 2 weeks no response then 2nd email got response within hours. Remember they are chinese, so there is a good chance your message went right over their heads in terms of comprehension. They are used to watts and you are asking for amperage. Before you factor in the language barrier, that's a tough question for the average rep to answer without more context. One example of context is the amazon review you mentioned, at ambient temp of 79 degrees, the amazon user reported 10.8 continuous watts draw. 10.8 watts for an hour is 10.8 Watt hours, which translates to .9aH at 12Volts. Thats a tough question even for someeone who speaks fluent english to answer, so forgive them if they skipped yours to move onto one they know how to answer/have the required information. If i recall correctly, my long email got ignored, and my short email got a quick response. Anyways, I will be stepping in and doing what I can for members who have trouble reaching IceCo. You can ask here and I will ask on your behalf, and hopefully that will get you quicker responses.
They do try their best, given that they are a small business, relatively speaking, to provide you with what they think is relevant information. If it draws 25 Watts when compressor is on in Eco mode, and normal mode is 60 W, or 2.4 times as much, and it is .9AH at 79 degrees Fahrenheight in ECO mode, then .9 * 2.4 = about 2.2 aHs at 79 degrees fahrenheit in normal mode. That is based off an amazon review, so we really need more context and data to know. My point is the lack of email, and the ugly website i can live with, as long as the product is good bang for my bucks. I'd rather them focus their efforts on the products and keeping costs down, than to focus on making the site pretty or having good email response rate.
2. I would not get hung up on the word Flexible. English is not their first language so don't get too caught up on the language. They don't even have matching add to cart buttons across different models, but as long as the button works and the coupon works, then i can live with it knowing i am getting a good value. If it says Dual Zone, then both sides can be adjusted independently of each other; otherwise it would not be a true dual zone.
I think if you tried to imagine yourself as a Chinese-native with broken english, then you'd understand why your email might just be too hard for them to understand. Even the rep they assigned me is hard for me to understand at times, but we make it work when we learn to look past the little things and focus on the bigger picture.
3. Thanks again Ratchey, for linking that for him.
I hope this clears up a few things. When i get my VL45 i will do some very thorough testing for you guys. It's been 90 degrees here in NC and about to get hotter in July, and i will be using mine a ton.
