ARB 50 vs Waeco 50 - Couple fridge freezer questions

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yoda-g3

yoda-g3

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From all my price checking it looks like a $150 difference between the two, shipped with bags. Not too bad. I'm willing to pay the extra for the ARB if its justified.

For context, this will see heavy weekend use on a fresh water boat June - Aug with mild off road use in my 80, and beer fridge / garage use in between.

So I have a couple question that I can't find answers for on ARB's site.

- Does the ARB have the 'boost' cool down feature like the Waeco? Important to me because a lot of our boat day trips are 3-4 hours long so I don't want an 80 minute cool down every time we get going.

- Does the ARB have an 'emergency bypass' feature like the Waeco that lets it run at 100% if the fancy digital crap breaks? Seems nice since you could just unplug it periodically but still have cooling. I hate the idea of it bricking out in the middle of a trip.

- Does the digital crap ever go out on the ARB's?

- Since it will be in the deck area on our boat It will be used as a chair occasionally. Any opinions on if one is too flimsy for that kind of use? Seating space can be a premium when we have a full load. :D

Thanks!
 
- Does the ARB have the 'boost' cool down feature like the Waeco? Important to me because a lot of our boat day trips are 3-4 hours long so I don't want an 80 minute cool down every time we get going.

My answer - plug it into your house or rig for a couple of hours before you set sail and you are set.

- Does the ARB have an 'emergency bypass' feature like the Waeco that lets it run at 100% if the fancy digital **** breaks? Seems nice since you could just unplug it periodically but still have cooling. I hate the idea of it bricking out in the middle of a trip.

I have no idea

- Does the digital **** ever go out on the ARB's? I have had mine since Aug, with a few weekend trips so far...no problems...

- Since it will be in the deck area on our boat It will be used as a chair occasionally. Any opinions on if one is too flimsy for that kind of use? Seating space can be a premium when we have a full load.

The ARB fridge is sturdy and i would imagine being able to support a 200-225 person, no problem
 
I've used both, and the new ARB works better and is a nicer unit than Dometic/Waeco.

Caveat: I have new ARB (last spring), and the Waeco is a couple of years old. Both are the same size. Both had the same cooling load (camping for about 10 days with meat, juice, veggies, etc. ).

No over-ride button on the ARB.

ARB has an LED light inside.

ARB has a voltage setting/battery minder doo-hicky in it.



~John
 
Hmmm, just stumbled across an Aussy forum where a member said specifically that the lid mechanism on the Waeco broke after he sit on it a couple times and is next to impossible to source.

I really like that "digital control bypass" feature, but maybe with some ingenuity something similar could be done to the ARB... :hhmm:
 
Hulsty said:
John,

The new Waecos also have a interior light and voltage setting/low battery cut out which is adjustable.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's why I put in my caveats. I haven't seen the newer Waeco units.

~John
 
Perhaps a consideration for you...

The Waeco 50 (49 liters/52 quarts) is slightly larger inside than the ARB 50 (47 liters/50 Quarts)... if the specs are accurate.

But if you calculate the external volume, the Waeco 50 is also smaller on the outside than the ARB 50... by about 20%. Sure, this says nothing about how well each insulates but when floorspace is at a premium, this might matter to you.

Both use the same Danfoss compressor. I could only guess ARB would have better customer service from what I hear. Can't go wrong with either though.
 
Have had the waeco for about 1.5 years. Runs 24/7 in the cruiser of 3rd. batt. and solar panel. No problems yet.
 
Thanks for the input.

I gave ARB a call to see what they had to say about my questions. I was so impressed with how friendly they were and with how well the guy knew his stuff that it sealed the deal for for me. The future tech support, stronger lid / sitting surface, and better (IMHO) tie down option for $150 difference was worth it.

I probably wouldn't have paid more than $200 more for the ARB as the Waeco did look like a pretty good unit.

FYI - TRDparts4u.com (forum sponsor) had the best price out there. $719 shipped.
 
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