ICECO VL45 Ref/Freez.....$374!

[Rbertalotto]

Well, at about midnight last night I decided I needed to buy a portable refrigerator/freezer for my big three month trip this winter in the Southwest. Looking at the Aplicool and all the good reviews, and just about ready to order, ....But I saw this unit
ICECO VL45 Portable Refrigerator 12V Fridge Freezer with SECOP Compressor, 48 Quarts/45Liters
on AMAZON with Black Friday Pricing......Quickly looked up some reviews and this took me past 12pm Eastern Time......DARN, I though I lost the Black Friday Deal they had....But it seems AMAZON runs on a different time zone!

It was regularly $511.00....I got it for $374 with my 5% AMAZON credit card rebate......

I like the "military" old school look and I hear those SECOP compressors are the real deal.

We shall see!

 

[Mpl1978]

how is the unit? I am considering it also.

 

[Rbertalotto]

I just got an email from UPS that it will be delivered this evening. I'll hook it up and give a full initial review this week.

 

[Mpl1978]

It was tough to find numbers on how efficient the unit is, plus it is all greek to me anyway. How do the stated numbers, if you found any, compare in terms of efficiency...

 

[86scotty]

There is lots of rebranding going on in these budget 12v fridges lately. Not a bad thing. This one looks like a deal. I believe it is a rebranded Vitrifrigo. I have had one for many years and it looks the exact same in every way, latches, controls, color, style, etc. Mine says Vitrifrigo on it but it was sold to me as a Truckfridge by Truckfridge. They no longer have them.

 

[Rbertalotto]

"How do the stated numbers, if you found any, compare in terms of efficiency... "

I'm simply not well versed enough to understand all this efficiency stuff. I simply went by reviews and price and the fact it had a highly regarded compressor with a great warrantee.

 

[Rbertalotto]

My ICECO refrigerator just showed up.......DAMAGED!!!! One of the bottom corners is dented and the plastic foot destroyed

I plugged it in and it is running great. Very quiet! I contacted Amazon and spoke to a customer service rep and sent them pictures.

 

[Rbertalotto]

Thank God they msake these things out of crappy metal. Very easy to put back into shape. It's running, super quiet, cooled down unbelievebly fast. Watch for a full review after it runs a bit.

My repair:

 

[Rbertalotto]

I had a plastic corner protector from some furniture my wife ordered. Cut it down to fit, bent the metal back....Done! I don't want to hassle sending it back and waiting for another one. Amazon is going to call me tomorrow AM to see if it was working and what I want to do. I'll ask for a credit of some amount.

 

[Mpl1978]

Nice, how long did it take to ship. If I buy, I think for the extra 75 bones, I’ll get a 5 year warranty from amazon

 

[Rbertalotto]

I ordered on Black Friday........November 29.....arrived December 9....Shipped from West Coast to East Coast.
Might be a good idea for the warrantee. I might see if they will give it to me for the damage. Thanks for the idea!

Right now, in 11 minutes, it went from 60degrees to a set 39 degrees.....Then I set it to 11 degrees (strange, there is no 10 degree setting) and it took 15 minutes to get there. FAST! On high compressor, quick cool, it draws 4A +/- .15A .

I put a bottle of water and a plastic cup with one inch of water in it. Let's see how fast it can freeze them.

I started with a 100Ah AGM battery fully charged. My battery monitor is now reading 98.5%.......

Stay tuned for an in depth review

 

[Mpl1978]

I just bough the Dometic plb40 and 120watt solar panel package. After I get to camp, then I plan on using plb40 and solar. After it gets to temp, let me know what the resting power it is drawing. I wonder if it it worth investing the 1k for the national Luna that draws 2.5a

 

[Rbertalotto]

Resting draw is .048A

 

[Rbertalotto]

I sent an email to iceco requesting a replacement rubber corner. They got back to me within 20 minutes. Asking for my shipping address so they could send me a replacement. Received an email about a half hour later saying the part had been shipped. I would call this great customer service.

 

[Mpl1978]

That is good to hear. How insulated does the unit appear? How does it compare in build quality to the others you have had