Cheap Fridge <$400 shipped
- Thread starter teotwaki
- Start date
interested to see how to change out the 12v plugs, as i think i might be having a voltage drop issue, compounded by crappy nissan factory battery
HMR
Rendezvous Conspiracy
+1. We're very happy with our "cheap" fridge.
when mine works, it seems to work great, when its not working, however, its annoying. i found the 12v wires going to the compressor not pushed all the way on when i looked under the cover, but i am waiting to try it out on 12v again, but since it killed the battery once, i want to make sure i have the g/f's car around in case it needs a jump.
i didn't test the battery before it died, but since then, its only been making 12.5v, and nissan is known for crappy batteries.
i didn't test the battery before it died, but since then, its only been making 12.5v, and nissan is known for crappy batteries.
kenallwine
Adventurer
I just replaced my battery with a DieHard Platinum Marine battery (group 34). It is the same as the Odyssey battery. No dead battery anymore. We are about to put the fridge through a three week test on our trip.
yeah, i have a feeling that when i start the truck while the fridge is running, it trips the low voltage cutoff, and doesn't run the compressor. on my last trip, i started the truck, then plugged it in, and it ran fine until we stopped and then i started the truck again and i guess shut it off. what i don't want to do is replace the battery and still have the same problem, as the truck is only 10 months old. i plan to do some further testing before biting the bullet and replacing it. i'll be buying a duralast gold from autozone though, can't justify double the price for die hard platinum. i just wish there was more room for/ the xterra came with a bigger battery to begin with. group 35 or 24f is what i'm limited to in the stock location.
Yeah; the review is disingenuous, at best. I love the quote about money is no object if it justifies the cost--basically the review concludes that expensive stuff is good (IOW you get what you pay for) -- yeah well duh if I had the money I'd actually buy that fridge that's even better than the $1500 Nat. Luna -- you know, that one that costs about $5294???...I mean, why didn't they review that one???
Frankly I was expecting a lot more. And too bad they were reviewing a "$650" (whatever!) Whynter and not my $350 Edgestar, which probably would've won the "best value" prize. Seriously, I think the average price people have paid for their Edgestars here on Expiditionportal is probably around $425. Consider, they list the Engel as $805 and the ARB at $855...and I'm pretty sure they can't ever be found for $575 or $625, respectively.
Some other crazy stuff from the review...they claim their Whynter had a Danfoss BD35F compressor; while most likely it's a chinese knock-off that uses twice the amperage for the same compressor RPM like in my Edgestar (if not, I'm VERY curious if all Whynter's have the Danfoss, or just the one they reviewed (which would be very odd)). Hence the higher power consumption is most likely not just due to inadequate insulation but also reflects the less efficient (and less expensive) compressor.
Oh, and check out this dandy quote about the Whynter's battery protection: "No voltage cutout is built in, though the manual states that the fridge will switch off at 10.4VDC." Frankly, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Shutting off at 10.4V IS a voltage cutout, as far as I can tell. My Edgestar perfectly protects the battery by shutting of the fridge when battery voltage is too low (10.4V); and then restarting it when battery shows >11.5V. If their fridge didn't function properly with this feature, they should have said so; as it stands their statement quoted is extremely ambiguous and confusing.
And lastly, they list the refrigerant for all fridges tested as R-136A....should be R-134A. Not a big deal, but exhibits lack of attention to detail and does not instill confidence.
Overally, a bit of a letdown. But, then again, comparing this review to my personal experience...maybe the Whynters and Edgestars really AREN'T identical fridges; in which case, I look forward to the next fridge review that includes the Edgestar.
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Photog
Explorer
I find it interesting, how they would downgrade a piece of equipment that works well, when it works. These fridges are less expensive and easy to modify. And it seems that the modifications make them very reliable.
Hmmm... That description sounds just like a Land Rover. The first thing you do after buying a Land Rover, is replace a bunch of parts, just to make it reliable. The parts to make a LR more capable come later.
OJ does not seem to have a problem with LR's.:smiley_drive:
Edit:
Save $200+, add $25 in upgrades, give the electrical connections a tune up, and you have a great fridge.
I have never owned a LR, the info is gleaned solely from threads in this forum, such as the OJ LR buildup.
Hmmm... That description sounds just like a Land Rover. The first thing you do after buying a Land Rover, is replace a bunch of parts, just to make it reliable. The parts to make a LR more capable come later.
OJ does not seem to have a problem with LR's.:smiley_drive:
Edit:
Save $200+, add $25 in upgrades, give the electrical connections a tune up, and you have a great fridge.
I have never owned a LR, the info is gleaned solely from threads in this forum, such as the OJ LR buildup.
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I haven't read the review yet, so can't comment on it, but so far after my first trip it seems to be just fine. All I've done so far is change the plug to connect it to my cart battery. Only seen about 15 miles of washboard so far but plenty of dust and seems to be working fine. Lasted about 5 days and the low voltage cut off at a little less than 11V before I had to charge the battery.
For now I'll give one thumb up...gotta wait for a few years to give it the 2nd thumbs up. I can't afford to spend $450-500 on a fridge every couple years, this has gotta last at least 5 years for me to feel like I got a good deal. So far it's promising though
For now I'll give one thumb up...gotta wait for a few years to give it the 2nd thumbs up. I can't afford to spend $450-500 on a fridge every couple years, this has gotta last at least 5 years for me to feel like I got a good deal. So far it's promising though
mtnbike28
Expedition Leader
OJ review
as someone who tried twice to get a working Edgestar, I felt the review was fair.
The bottom line is lots of people receiving brand new fridges are getting ones that don't work. For a $400 plus piece of equipment the review should warn you, and it did.
I REALLY wished mine worked!
as someone who tried twice to get a working Edgestar, I felt the review was fair.
The bottom line is lots of people receiving brand new fridges are getting ones that don't work. For a $400 plus piece of equipment the review should warn you, and it did.
I REALLY wished mine worked!
Yeah but if your edgestar lasts 3 years and your engel lasts 15? I'm willing to chance it because I'm broke right now and can't afford a more expensive fridge, but in the long run, if the edgestar has durability issues, the engel will end up being $1000 better (or maybe even $2000 better). Funny thing is, none of us know the answer to that question, but we keep bringing it up :coffeedrink: