I think this would have to be the best deal I have seen on 12v/camping fridges
$479 for the 60L or $460 with cash rewards, it's currently $1199 on BCF's website.
$399 for the 45L version or $386 with cash rewards, it's currently $899 at BCF
Link to the 45L one here http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Companion-Fridge-Free…
I'd buy one but already have an evakool fridge so really have no need for one, from what I can tell these are identical to a few other name brands that have very similar fridges, in general, they seem to have a good reputation from what I have seen.
So what are they identical to?
Evakool glacier, primus, the older Giant fridges.
@tryagain:
Companion, Mammoth, Primus are all the same company: http://outdoor.companionbrands.com.au/
But I'm still not sure I'd call them 'name brands' when it comes to portable fridges when you have Engel and Waeco to compare with.
I have tried several of these 12v fridges and can attest that they don't work as advertised. I've tried cheap Chinese copies (Sikelan compressors), Evakool, Anaconda and several others…they say they freeze but that is only if the items are at the very bottom of the unit, stuff midway or higher will thaw and refreeze.
We took an Engel around the top of WA.
Did everything you would expect all day long. Freezed/cooled, no worries.
Worked perfectly
I am guessing user error, no issues with our Evakool working the way it claimed.
Nope, not user error, after extensive testing and reporting to them they agreed they were not performing to spec and refunded money.
Some Chinese thing from ebay…no name clone looks like a rebadged Primus. Evakool 60l (th enew model), Anaconda 50l Mk2 model. Apart from none of them being the capacity that they advertise none of them managed to maintain, or even gain, the lowest temp they advertised. These things may be OK as fridges but are not freezers (except at the very bottom of the unit as I stated). I used digital thermometers over a 48h period, opening 3 times a day to inspect water jugs that were placed, pre frozen, into the units and none of them kept them frozen (except at the very bottom of the unit. I wanted them as freezers to make frozen jugs to put into a icebox that is used on the off-grid farm as a fridge but they all failed. Haven't tried Waeco or Engel so can't comment but I won't pay as much for a 60l Waeco\engel as I can for a 100l fridge freezer so I decided to just ramp up the solar and use an inverter fridge so I cna produce ice for when we drop a deer.
@Ben Kenobi:
Ahh OK, so you haven't tested this or any companion branded ones. I had heard of a few being a bit generous with their sizing but haven't had an issue with my Evakool keeping things frozen.
Evakool 60l (th enew model)
the TMX ?
Yes, the TMX…they sent me a replacement but it failed to maintain stated temps too…got a refund after wasting my time for several days testing and documenting. The evakool people were fine but the product was poor…like I said, OK as a fridge but useless as a freezer.
@Ben Kenobi:
I have their fridgemate so pretty sure that is a level up so that may explain the different experiences.
@tryagain: The yellow ones are plastic body? I think they too are a Chinese made EvaKool to compete. The Aus made white and blue fibreglass units are an awesome esky with a fridge on the side. Glad to hear the yellow ones do their job.
@Tuba: Yeah, they are Chinese made, (so are Engel and Waeco) but are a plastic moulded version of their fibreglass fridges made to their specifications, they changed from yellow to blue a few years back though.
That's an Engel, you would expect that and a Waeco to work correctly.
These use secop compressors, pretty sure they are a lot different to the copies you are talking about.
Might be better off spending the extra for one that won't land it self in landfill. The reviews I have come across aren't too great and some have said the power consumption is up to 5 times the amount of an equivalent waeco
I'd call BS on anyone calling anywhere near 5 times the power consumption of a Waeco. There are some fridges that aren't worth the money, this would probably sit between the old and new Waeco's in regards to quality but at way under half the price present much better value.
Bluetooth? Good lawd.
Temps. Its nice to be able to monitor temps without stopping, or looking at the fridge.
Talked to some veteran campers a while back… they would have steak for a weekend camping trip.
They'd just get and esky, put a slab of ice at the bottom, the steaks wrapped in butchers paper next then another 1-2 slab of ice.
The secret it the ice not melting, is to only open it when needed.
Apparently us normal people forget how much "cold" is released each time we open an iced esky/fridge/freezer… if you have kids who constantly open the fridge, your power bill for that fridge would be twice what it would normally be.
The point of this is, the people who currently have/had these portable fridges/freezers… how often did you open and close them over a day? It would take a while, with its limited power to refreeze/cool after you open it each time
Can these only be used though as either a fridge or a freezer but not both at the same time in dual sections?
Fridge or freezer only by the looks of things, not dual zones.
Depending on where it's coldest you can often turn it into a fridge/freezer with a divider.
Evakool fiberglass ones have a virtical divider.
You can get a horizontal divider for a trailblaza.
I made mine out of some marine ply with a door hinge so I can get to the frozen goods by removing half the contents.
reviews are terrible, after a recent experience with a bad evakool fridge. I would advise getting a model with less negative reviews
Reviews from where? As on the website product page their is only one.
I am guessing the product review website, but you really need to take ratings from that site with a grain of salt, ie bunnings who has cornered the hardware market in Aus gets 2.3/5
but you really need to take ratings from that site with a grain of salt, ie bunnings who has cornered the hardware market in Aus gets 2.3/5
Are you suggesting that because Bunnings has used illegal and unethical conduct to destroy competition that it should be given a 5/5 rating from all the customers it rips off with its shoddy overpriced merchandise and poor service?
@Maverick-au: wow, that's reading a lot between the lines. No I am saying that Bunnings generally does well it customer satisfaction surveys but rates poorly on the whinge product review website and therefore ratings on it aren't that reliable.
wow, that's reading a lot between the lines. No I am saying that Bunnings generally does well it customer satisfaction surveys but rates poorly on the whinge product review website and therefore ratings on it aren't that reliable.
That's not reading between the lines but saying it as it is. You may think that Bunnings are the be all and end all of hardware stores but the truth is they sell overpriced rubbish, have a limited range and offer poor service.
If you want to see a real hardware store visit Europe, what we have in Australia is nothing in comparison. Bunnings entry into the UK so far has not been well received, let's see how they go pushing their Australian model onto a foreign market.
That's not reading between the lines
You are right it's not even reading between the lines, it just totally making stuff up I didn't even come close to alluding too, whether you or I like or dislike bunnings is totally irrelevant. The point I was making its that Bunnings generally has good levels of customer satisfaction like here http://www.canstarblue.com.au/home-garden/hardware/hardware-… and here http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6179-new-customer-satisfac… but get's a bad rating on the product review website which means as I said
you really need to take ratings from that site with a grain of salt
You are right it's not even reading between the lines, it just totally making stuff up I didn't even come close to alluding too, whether you or I like or dislike bunnings is totally irrelevant.
The fact is that Bunnings is rubbish. Anyone who had spent anytime there and knows what they are doing knows how rubbish they are.
The point I was making its that Bunnings generally has good levels of customer satisfaction like here http://www.canstarblue.com.au/home-garden/hardware/hardware-… and here http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6179-new-customer-satisfac…
CanStar Blue and similar sites are rubbish that sell their results to companies that subscribe to their services and give all winners 5 stars. How can you trust them when they only award prizes to their customers which are only a small subset of the companies in that category.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/firm-fury-how-our-…
but get's a bad rating on the product review website which means as I said you really need to take ratings from that site with a grain of salt
So you want to take the ratings from a paid site with questionable methods as gospel but a site where anyone can provide feedback is wrong! Sheesh.
@Maverick-au: Please actually read what I wrote,
you really need to take ratings from that site with a grain of salt
No where did I say
a site where anyone can provide feedback is wrong!
Just also curious as you seem to place more stock in the product review website you agree Masters was really bad as it only got 2 stars out of 5.
Stick to engel or anything with decent insulation and the Danfoss / Secorp compressor. I have a national luna which runs the Danfoss. Very very energy efficient but it costs the earth. Wish I bought am engel instead.
You do realise these are really well insulated and use a secop compressor?
I've had one for years (60L model before this) and its still going strong.
I think there is a lot of misinformation being thrown around here relating these to the cheap Chinese eBay clones.
Even states on their website they run secop (formerly danfoss) compressors.
where do you find this info on the compressor mate?
Then all good to go and buy it. Extremely cheap!!!
this thing cools using bluetooth ?
Observe and probably control the temp using Bluetooth.
Even has USB!
Bluetooth and USB — more electronics to break down
Simple is best in the bush
Too an extent yes, but if it is designed (don't know if it is) too be able to run independent of these it's not a big issue.
My family needs to buy a camping fridge, thanks OP.
Ok I was just checking all of the models out & found these two both 60L one for $479.88 http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Companion-Fridge-Free… and the other for $879.20 http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Companion-Fridge-Free… Both are called the same name & I dont see anythng different apart from the colour or am I missing something.. apart from the bluetooth.. but $300 difference for the one without this seems a lot.
Yeah I saw that too. Seems quite weird, especially since it looks like the entire Companion like of fridges is being discontinued
My guess is that the one with Bluetooth has been on clearance for longer and therefore had more price drop's, it also looks like the one with Bluetooth was only made for Rays/BCF so that may come into play.
Bought 2 x 45l fridges on Friday on our way out on a camping trip and am currently sitting here next to them. Bought 2 to run 1 as a fridge and 1 as a freezer on our extended trips or to run 2 as fridges so we can have 1 for food and 1 for drinks.
Pretty happy so far. Quiet as and not too power hungry. Have 200ah of batteries and a 180w portable solar panel in the camper so not too worried about power. I would expect anyone running a fridge would have at least a 100ah battery and a solar panel to top it off with during the day.
The supplied dc cord with a cigarette plug on the end is crap and thin so will replace that with thicker gauge wire and an Anderson plug.
They are both set to 2oC and get down to about 0 before the compressor stops and kicks back in at about 5oC which is quite similar to waeco. The suppied bags are pretty good quality. No complaints there. 12 month warranty is a lot less than the 5 or so years other brands are offering. Bought on the credit card that offers warranty extension so all good there. Seals are really good and thick. Latches seems sturdy.
I'm really happy so far for the price. Time will tell I guess but will have a couple of years of warranty to return them if they fail.
Mount on rubber mats and tie down if in a 4b, as copper,alloy refrigerator tubing will fatigue and break
As seen in 90ltr national Luna's that they mounted in Conqueror camper trailers a while back
Get the longest warranty and run it on 240 when off the 12V then it's worth the risk at this price, but don't expect a replacement if it breaks
Off to refrigerator mechanical universe it will go, when you see it again, nobody knows …
Deal ends today, but they let you pay it off
4 x $120 online?
I think
Good price on what I think idea discontinued model.
It's hard to tell if these are reliable or not. Quote a few people whining about these failing on product review but then, that's where they would be, right