Fridge Help: National Luna or Engel
- Thread starter ChaoticSquare
- Start date
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That’s disappointing but good on Equipt.
I’m not completely sold on my NL yet over my Engel. Mine had trouble keeping food cold on the White Rim last month but I suspect it was a battery/charging issue. Haven’t been able to fully track it down. Headed out this afternoon to set up a weekend Elk camp. See what happens granted ambient temps should be about 60-70° lower.
I’m definitely enjoying the extra 15 liters of volume. Hauled 40lbs of frozen salmon fillets home couple weeks ago. It swallowed those up with room to spare.
I do know that right in the middle of development of the dual zone fridges National Luna entire research building burnt down.
Left them in a real bad way for a while. They got it back together pretty quick, but it was a setback. On severe bounces backroad
I can hear mine rattle sometimes, but its' still working fine. It's been worth every penny, and more
I've been using the National Luna 60L Legacy Fridge/Freezer for just over 2 years. It's my favorite piece of gear we own. It's beautiful, solid, and performs flawlessly. Having ice cream and popsicles in the middle of the desert just can't be beat for the wife and kid. And I agree with the buy once/cry once ethos, I think the compressor has a 9 year warranty on it?
I've had two Engels, great chests. I have now a Dometic, the ARB Zero, an Iceco dual zone 65 and two inexpensive Chinese brands. All work well.
The Engels lasted 21 and 22 years before failing, running constant either in the shop or in a truck. I doubt any others I have will match that. The one with the most
glitches of the five I currently own is the Dometic. My favorite is the Iceco. the construction quality matches the ARB but it draws noticeably less power.
Surprisingly the 300.00 Chinese units do the job as well as any . I just have to see how log they last. One stays in the shop , plugged in with drinks. The second
stays plugged in at 8 degrees as a backup freezer for the Costco overflow frozen items. You have to have extra room when chicken pot pies come in 8 packs.
The freezer unit has been plugged in for just over two years with no issues. I recently took the other unit ,a Vevor branded, on a two week trip through Utah.
It ran seven days on my ECOFLOW Delta max before I connected a solar panel to it for recharge. It drew 45 watts while running which seems a little lower than my Dometic
or ARB units
I'll add that the thermal bags are a joke. I wouldn't recommend anyone adding them in a fridge that's installed in a wagon.
The issue is in the way the thermal bags seal around the fridge vent. Most fridges i've seen including Engel do not seal well in that area. Causing heat to be trapped between the fridge body and the insulator. I have tried adding double sided tape around these areas on my Engel but It really didn't do much help.
The compressor cycles more WITH the thermal insulation than it did WITHOUT.
I'm refrencing Engel fridges here. Not sure about Dometic and others.
On National Luna. You can get two compressor types. I'm not sure why in the US you can only get 1 type from Equipt.
There is a Secop/Danfoos compressor option on the South Africa site for NL. Those compressors are extremely efficient. they sip energy! I think this option was kept alive for WHO organization missions in Africa.
The issue is in the way the thermal bags seal around the fridge vent. Most fridges i've seen including Engel do not seal well in that area. Causing heat to be trapped between the fridge body and the insulator. I have tried adding double sided tape around these areas on my Engel but It really didn't do much help.
The compressor cycles more WITH the thermal insulation than it did WITHOUT.
I'm refrencing Engel fridges here. Not sure about Dometic and others.
On National Luna. You can get two compressor types. I'm not sure why in the US you can only get 1 type from Equipt.
There is a Secop/Danfoos compressor option on the South Africa site for NL. Those compressors are extremely efficient. they sip energy! I think this option was kept alive for WHO organization missions in Africa.
I agree on the transit bags, not helpful. The Engel motor is quieter than the seacop/danfoss and use less power in my experience. I also have a $300 dollar Aspenora that works and sat in the back of an uncovered fj40, the plastic case started to warp and the sun curled the lid, just not made for that location but works and it shows system voltage where as my engel does not. The engel I prefer because the case holds up where anything with a polymer case doesnt. I now have a covered bed area and the fridge stays shaded always.
My Engel transit bag cover whatever has always given me an extra days use on the same battery. So I guess results may vary? As the NL cover is just a canvas condom it’s pretty worthless. I might just remove it.
My fridge is starting to struggle in the Aussie heat and while my dual zone fridge has proven a worthwhile investment I am considering spending proper money for a proper fridge.
My big caveat though is my fridge lives in the tray of my ute. Partially exposed to the elements. Does anyone have any first hand experience on how the NL go with that?
We all know Engels will survive that beating, but I'm put off by two things, noise (my camping setup has my head next to my fridge) and the Engel isn't a proper dual zone fridge. I would hate to think they couldn't design a good product, but Im nervous they wont get it right.
So I'm leaning toward NL, but nobody from their team answers my enquiries.
My big caveat though is my fridge lives in the tray of my ute. Partially exposed to the elements. Does anyone have any first hand experience on how the NL go with that?
We all know Engels will survive that beating, but I'm put off by two things, noise (my camping setup has my head next to my fridge) and the Engel isn't a proper dual zone fridge. I would hate to think they couldn't design a good product, but Im nervous they wont get it right.
So I'm leaning toward NL, but nobody from their team answers my enquiries.
@Karate Chopped
My NL came with an insulated fitted cover. That was 10 yrs ago, so not sure if they're still availble as standard or optional. I don't use my cover and haven't in years because it was inconvenient to use being as my fridge is mounted inside my rig and I figured isn't needed. But, for your use, I think it might just be the trick to give the fridge the help it needs exposed to the elements.
My NL came with an insulated fitted cover. That was 10 yrs ago, so not sure if they're still availble as standard or optional. I don't use my cover and haven't in years because it was inconvenient to use being as my fridge is mounted inside my rig and I figured isn't needed. But, for your use, I think it might just be the trick to give the fridge the help it needs exposed to the elements.
Lots of people talk poorly of the cover from NL, and I do wonder if the bulk of my heat load is from radiant heat, would it be better to be shiny rather than canvas?
What is the major complaint from others with their covers? The problems I had were , 1. Inconvenient to open cover, fridge latches and lid instead of just latches and lid. And 2. With cover in place, it would catch on adjacent items in the tightly packed luggage area of my 80 series Land Cruiser. If I was carrying it exposed to elements I'd be using the cover. Even though the cover is black canvas, IMHO it still provides both thermal and physical protection, when carrying it exposed. I do think a shiny cover would be better protection from the Sun's radiant heat, but to what degree? I have no idea and would be interested in a study that would include examples and data.
Personally I don’t find the covers inconvenient. I leave both unzipped nearly full time. The Engel has some Velcro on the lid side keeping it in place. The NL is a little more sloppy in that regard but stays in place pretty good. Just wish the NL had actual insulation like the Engel cover. My fridges are all inside utes so can’t comment on exposure to elements. Pretty sure I’d want one if outside.
How old is your NL cover? Mine is about 10 yrs old and is an insulated cover, not just canvas.
This is what people were saying. That the cover is just a canvas cover to protect against scratches, not an insulated cover to reflect heat.
I would be judging if the canvas absorbs direct sunlight heat and gets hotter than the reflective stainless surface.
My NL is just canvas, new from spring 2022, my Engel cover is old and insulated from 2007.
NL must be cutting corners with their newer products. My cover is not only insulated, but has a zippered pocket on one end to hold whichever power cord is not being used. Also, the top can be zippered off to allow just the sides to be covered. I'd say it's at least 13 mm or 1/2 inch thick. The lining I think is nylon and you can feel the insulation between lining and canvas cover. This cover was not optional, it came with it, regardless. Back in 2012, this model (Weekender 50L) had a choice of either aluminum or stainless steel skin. I went with the cheaper aluminum and figured this cover would help protect it. A couple pics:
(I put a sleeping bag and mat inside to hold it up and removed top cover.) Here's the pocket end.
The other end
(I put a sleeping bag and mat inside to hold it up and removed top cover.) Here's the pocket end.
The other end
That’s a proper cover.
