Reasonable Portable fridge alternative?

[george_tlc]

Don't want to say anything negative. I will say though that all the Aussies who trek to the outback I've ever talked to won't touch anything but Engel, and it seems to me that if anyone knows what they're doing its them.

The Sawafuji compressors were designed specifically for portable fridges, have only one moving part and draw a max amperage of 2.5 amps/hr (47L at freeze). And they're made in Japan not China.

Well, you haven't talked to too many then. Engels are good fridges, I ran one for many many years and still own it.

A LOT of folk over there run ARB fridges and they have an excellent reputation. I purchased a 47L that I used this past trip back to oz, daytime temps often 110F in the vehicle while camped. The ARB ran flawlessly AND efficiently. The 80W solar panel would keep up with the daytime demands of the fridge (set to -5C to ensure COLD beer etc). The ONLY time the fridge couldn't maintain -5C was when some of the gear in the back moved and was covering the compressor condensor radiator vents - got up to 2C. As soon as the vents were cleared the temp dropped back to -5C.

The ARB is quieter than the Engel (maybe newer Engels are quieter? The older Engels draw about 4.5A, new ones are down around 2.5A). I love the ARB's display, always know what is going on in the fridge and how it is coping with the job. Efficiency of the ARB is fantastic, though the newer Engels have improved a lot too. The one thing I did notice is that the ARB has a different power cycling characteristic, it would run for ~10 minutes and then stay off for ~minutes (at night) while the Engel tends to run much shorter on/off cycles - presumably the way the thermostat cycles is very different.

Mate had a new style Engel on this past trip while another mate & I both had ARBs (me with the 47L and mate with the 60L). They all worked, though the ARB units were more functional and easier to access.

I absolutely love the ARB lid, so easy to remove and a positive lock. Great handle design. The Engel no so good.

Lots of folk in oz run other brands, Waeco is popular as are some of the other Danfoss based products.

So, a blanket statement that the oz folk only run Engels is stretching things a bit

cheers,
george.

 

[Adventure Ready]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I wouldn't know to say every person down there runs an Engel, just those that I've talked to.

 

[george_tlc]

No worries, just clearing up that there are lots of good fridges out there these days that are well proven in the field. Efficiencies have improved dramatically due in part to better motors (powerful rare earth magnets).

cheers,
george.

 

[fyrfytr704]

My ARB definitely doesn't qualify as an alternative, but I can say that it's been a huge plus when it comes to getting out and camping for a while. Not only was it great for vehicle camping, but it was great on my boat as well. Now that we've just had our first kid, well need the ARB to ensure that our little one has her milk stored safely (if mama doesn't come with) and her teethers frozen. I figure that if her teethers stay next to the beer, theyll be cold enough and we'll both be happy!

 

[Tigerstripe40]

I am curious as to why there aren't any consumer level Free Piston Stirling Compressor fridges available.
They are super efficient and work very well. I think that those fridges, in 50 qt capacities would sell very very well in our market...