Is there a buyers guide or FAQ for refrigerators?

[HillbillyfromAL]

Yeah the 50qt ARB is just about the perfect size. I never thought I'd use one that much, I carried a cooler once every blue moon. Now it sits in the truck half filled with ICE cold drinks all the time. It's much nicer than having to mess with ice and cool drinks. I even keep a pack of hot dogs and string cheese for the little guys. They don't like sandwiches very much right now. It also means if we need something from the grocery store we can throw it in there and it doesn't mean we have to head straight home. Good luck with the one you bought. I didn't pay 1/2 of the price for my ARB so I definitely understand not wanting to drop 700$ on something your not sure is going to work out right for you. If/when your ready for a bigger one keep an eye on CL. I got mine dirt cheap from a friend at Carson because he was told they were broke, and had 7 of them. The fuse just needed replaced.

 

[4x4junkie]

I can carry the same amount of food in my 43 qt fridge as I did in a big 100 qt Coleman cooler. Not having all that ice in there means it's entire capacity is available for your food items (plus the fact you also don't need to carry your entire stash of beverages in it from the beginning). Between the weight of the fridge itself or the weight of the ice, it's almost a wash there too.

FWIW, between myself & friends, we've bought four Edgestar units (three in 2010, one in 2011) and so far each one of them has functioned flawlessly. To me the Edgestar's issues seem to be primarily centered around it's DC power cord (losing connection, plug breaking, etc.), it's carrying handles, and occasionally the hinges. Unless attaching some metal replacements from Lowe's or Home Depot & redoing the cigarette-lighter plug / changing of it's DC socket for something better is not something you're up for (things each one of us has had to do to some degree or another), I wouldn't necessarily discount the Edgestar. Aside from the items above, it seems to be a pretty sturdy unit.

 

[Xterabl]

Well, Truckfridge.com claims to use Danfoss compressors, which is the thing to look for. The Edgestar has a Chinese made knock-off (along with other Chinese made electronics & probably assembly too). Roughly speaking, a Danfoss compressor will generally give you 2-3 days of operation and still allow starting the rig whereas Edgestar is limited to 1-1.5 days before battery drains too low.

Here is a link to one of their portable units:
http://www.truckfridge.com/tf51.html

So, if truly they use Danfoss compressor, this is probably best price for large Danfoss compressor fridge.

 

[MarcFJ60]

Those boxes from Truckfridge appear to be the same as the IndelB boxes sold by Equipt (for quite a bit more money). Also reviewed here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/70116-Indel-B-Travel-Box-Fridge-Test-and-Comparison

 

[CodyY]

Two of my buddies are truckers and have said nothing but good things about em. I've seen them mentioned on SMB

 

[perkj]

The TruckFridge and Ironman fridge appear to be exactly the same:

 

[teotwaki]

and similar to Waeco which also uses the Danfoss compressor

 

[Xterabl]

Heh, seems now we have a new category of price/performance: Danfoss compressor & everything else Chinese.
Probably a good option for a lot of folk.
In the meantime, my 2YO $349 Edgestar 43 quart is still ticking...knock on veneer.

 

[4x4junkie]

Well, Truckfridge.com claims to use Danfoss compressors, which is the thing to look for. The Edgestar has a Chinese made knock-off (along with other Chinese made electronics & probably assembly too). Roughly speaking, a Danfoss compressor will generally give you 2-3 days of operation and still allow starting the rig whereas Edgestar is limited to 1-1.5 days before battery drains too low.

Here is a link to one of their portable units:
http://www.truckfridge.com/tf51.html

So, if truly they use Danfoss compressor, this is probably best price for large Danfoss compressor fridge.

I did some thorough testing on my Edgestar some months back... It used an average of 1.87 amps of current (or 44.8 AH over 24 hours) to maintain an internal temperature of 30° while in a 80° environment. That surpasses the Waeco unit (also appears quite similar to the Truckfridge) that was tested here by a wide margin.
I think how well insulated a fridge is is far more important than what compressor it uses, which the Edgestar is apparently insulated pretty well.

I probably should add however that I had previously put some foam insulation into the gap around the Edgestar's condenser & fan so it would draw more air in from the outside (rather than a portion of air recirculating around it within the cabinet), which I'm sure may have helped it's numbers. I didn't think to try retesting it without just to see what difference it made.

 

[Xterabl]

Many factors can affect amp hours over a 24 hour period. The fact remains the Danfoss compressor has proven reliability and has 45W vs. 65W power consumption compared to the Edgestar Liyoung Chinese knock-off.
Good insulation is honestly childs play compared to an energy efficient compressor. If by some miraculous coincidence your comparison is equivalent to the Overland Journal test method, then Waeco really screwed the pooch with respect to insulation. (but another question is why didn't you check the more recent 2010 study instead of the 2007 study in which they found Edgestar performance just a bit lacking????????)
Bottom line: with reasonable effort made at fridge insulation, Danfoss-based unit will last ~40-45% longer before draining battery.

Having said all that, I have for 2 years loved my Edgestar fridge and its 1.5 days of refrigeration before draining my battery....

 

[CodyY]

Generally speaking, if my rig is sitting for 1.5 days without firing up, i'm broke down

 

[4x4junkie]

but another question is why didn't you check the more recent 2010 study instead of the 2007 study in which they found Edgestar performance just a bit lacking????????)

lol...
You wanna show me a link where I can READ the 2010 one????????? (<lots of silly little question marks like yours ) Believe me, I have looked for it.

You must be saying the performance of numerous fridges in that '07 report are also lacking (or are now obsolete?) too? Because all except the ARB & Engel units used more energy than my Edgestar when put under (yes) the exact same controlled conditions described in that article too...(incidentally that ARB model has been superseded though I do believe the Engel is still available).

FWIW, I get 4 days + even running my stereo with mine and she fires right up (I do have dual batts, but even halving that still beats 1.5 days with no mention of a stereo playing and a drained batt). Of course statements like that are all entirely subjective because with the complete lack of any controlled environment whatsoever, "many factors can affect" how much power it will use. The tests I conducted inside of a thermostatically-controlled room (and of course OJ's tests too) however are not.




Edit:
Looking over my notes again I made a mistake, the figure they had for the NL fridge is also better than my result with the Edgestar, however we're talking about a pretty small margin here... (120 milliamperes, or 2.88Ah over 24 hours). However it's stated the two units faring worse have (genuine?) Danfoss compressors. Again I say it's much more about a fridge's insulation than anything else (which the Edgestar also did well when I performed the "Warm up" test in the same fashion on it).

 

[MarcFJ60]

I did some thorough testing on my Edgestar some months back... It used an average of 1.87 amps of current (or 44.8 AH over 24 hours) to maintain an internal temperature of 30° while in a 80° environment.

I actually think mine (Edgestar) tested a bit better, although my fridge was set at 38 degrees with a 80 degree outside temp. That being said, drawing 44.8AH over a 24 hour period might very well kill many smaller car batteries. You're pushing the 50% limit of even a big 100AH deep cycle battery. I can see people getting a couple days out of their Edgestars, but I can just a easily see somebody being stranded after 24 hours depending upon the very wide variety of conditions that effect performance. The same could be said for all the other fridges as well.

I still am only comfortable using a separate battery for my fridge. But I would feel that way regardless what fridge I have.

 

[4x4junkie]

I actually think mine (Edgestar) tested a bit better, although my fridge was set at 38 degrees with a 80 degree outside temp. That being said, drawing 44.8AH over a 24 hour period might very well kill many smaller car batteries. You're pushing the 50% limit of even a big 100AH deep cycle battery. I can see people getting a couple days out of their Edgestars, but I can just a easily see somebody being stranded after 24 hours depending upon the very wide variety of conditions that effect performance. The same could be said for all the other fridges as well.

I still am only comfortable using a separate battery for my fridge. But I would feel that way regardless what fridge I have.

Very true, no doubt.
Fortunately the temperature usually drops well below 80° during the night/morning hours in a majority of outdoor settings, which typically lessens the power consumption of a fridge.
However getting objective measurements for a comparison requires you have stable (controlled) conditions. 80° certainly does seem like a good temperature for testing the efficiency of a fridge.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Update: Got the Dometic...

the Dometic CF18 was delivered just over a week ago.

On Sunday I decided to work off half my work-bond at the shooting range where I am a member by working the gate. It was a hot day and I stocked the fridge with drinks and a sandwich. It cooled down nicely during the 1 hr 20 minute drive to the range, then I shut the engine off (my 4runner does not have retained power - if the ignition is off, the 12v power outlets are off, too.)

Despite that, by lunchtime my sandwich was still cold (and dry!) I'm definitely sold on the concept, although I am glad the wife and I didn't have the fridge on Saturday when we ran a very, very, very bumpy/rocky 4wd trail in her Jeep. I'm not sure it would have survived!

I went with the smaller fridge and will be using a "two box" system: The fridge will hold meat, eggs, dairy, and anything else that might spoil or be ruined by getting wet. After that stuff is in there, thee remainder of the fridge will have water or other drinks if they fit. The rest of the water and other drinks will go into a cooler filled with ice.

We've got a trip to the San Juans coming up next month, that will be the acid test for the fridge.