Best value in 12V fridges, Indel B vs Dometic

[krax]

Just as the title says, I'm looking for the best value, not just the cheapest, in portable fridges. I think 50-ish quarts is the right size.

I'm ruling out Edgestar and the like as they don't have the voltage cutoff and maybe spotty reliability. So it's down to The Indel B Travel Box 50L and the Dometic CFX-50 that ExPo gave a favorable review of recently.

Thoughts?

 

[ViperNL]

My edgestar has a voltage cut off and a voltage readout

 

[captwoody]

I have the Indel b 50 and its a great fridge no issues other than operator error. The 50's are big and bulky when loaded and hard to get into and out of back seats of jeeps if you want to reach drinks on the road. For that reason I bought the 18L DOMETIC easy to get in and out and now I can run 18L as freezer and 50 as fridge. I run both off an yellow top group 27 odyssey battery and a 100 watt solar when stopped and camping no issues. both are great units and I may be wrong but I thought Dometic made Indels. at the very least they are clones

 

[4x4junkie]

My edgestar has a voltage cut off and a voltage readout

Yep.
And not too long ago they made the cutoff voltage adjustable.

I bought my Edgestar 43qt in 2010. It's been one of the best purchases I've made. No problems with temperature uniformity either, things are just as cold up above the compressor unit as they are down in the bottom.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

I have one Indel 50-ish and two Whynter 45s. I think the Whynter is the same as the Edgestar. The Whynters are not built as well as the Indel, but they are steel exterior vs plastic. The Whynters are heavier and much louder when running, but they work just fine. The Indel has been great for the last couple of years. It stays strapped down in the rear seat area of my truck and only gets plugged in when in use. These things are all bulky and fairly heavy, so I try not to move them around much. No experience with the Dometic, but I have not seen them for the price of the Indel. My Indel was $540, delivered from Westy Ventures, but drop shipped from Truck Fridge. 4WP and one of its sister companies just had a one-day Christmas sale on ARB 50s for $599 with free shipping. That was THE deal, but it's the only time I have ever seen ARBs that cheap. I would not hesitate to get another Indel.

 

[Leibbrand]

I will be getting a other dometic

 

[crusaderJK]

I was pretty happy with my Waeco (Dometic) until it stopped working after 3 years of occasional use.
Compressor still runs but doesn't cool anymore.

 

[1Louder]

Here are some comparison numbers for you. I own an Indel B 51 and am happy with it. My previous fridge was a ARB 37. I am considering getting a Dometic CFX-65DZ or the SnoMaster 60D and that's one of the reasons I took the time to do this review.

https://www.4xoverlandadventures.com/2017-winter-fridge-shootout/

 

[krax]

Here are some comparison numbers for you. I own an Indel B 51 and am happy with it. My previous fridge was a ARB 37. I am considering getting a Dometic CFX-65DZ or the SnoMaster 60D and that's one of the reasons I took the time to do this review.

https://www.4xoverlandadventures.com/2017-winter-fridge-shootout/

I literally read that article an hour ago. I think it's steering me slightly towards the Dometic, but it's still close.

Thank you all for your input so far.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

If you are new to the fridge market and having a hard time with cost justification purchase and needs, a scratch and dent Edgestar are available for <$300. A easy price to get your feet wet and see what fits your needs. If you feel you need more or less you will be able to recoup close to your Edgestar cost if not 100%.

Having owned 4 manufactures over the years I settled with a Waeco (Dometic) in my remote travel vehicle and an Edgestar for running back and forth to the vacation home. Happy with both given there need.

 

[dddonkey]

I have the indel B and it has been running for just over 2 years with no issues. I use it as my beer fridge at home so I never turn it off. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

 

[VacMan1]

I have 2 indel B truckfridges, one of which I have used for work every day for 4+ years. For the price you cannot beat them imo. I had an edge star and sold it to buy the truckfridges and never looked back.

 

[krax]

I'm convinced that the fridges are worth it to the point that I want to skip the Edgestar step, but stop short of the National Luna. Buy once, cry once, but still only spend around $600.

 

[DCH109]

If $600 is your limiting factor then start looking at Dometic for new and look for a used Engel for used.
While the ARB's of the world are nice, I find they are over prices (like much of ARB's stuff) for what you get. Engel's are much more simplistic, but that is the attraction. Lots of people who have these that have last years and years. if you have ever taken the panel off, there is not very much to the wiring.

 

[krax]

$600 is a round number. The Dometic CFX50 is $640 and it's an option.