Fridges - Which one should i get?

[mangoat Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mangoat]

Hey guys and girls,

I am looking at purchasing a 12v fridge. Being in the auto parts industry, ive been exposed heavily to waeco. And as life has it, what you sell, you see the warranty repairs for ...... the CFX range for the most part has been very minimal, the CF range was horrendouly bad.

But, opening my eyes and looking around, i am confused as to what to purchase.

Waeco CFX65
Primus Mammoth 64l Dual Zone
Primus Mammoth 74l
Engel?

Has anyone had any experience with the Primus fridges?

Should i consider a dual zone fridge or is it just stupidity pointing me that way?

Reason for the fridge......... going north with the family on a 2 week road trip, 8 days on the road and 7 in a hotel up north. Will be way out west on the trip north so want to take the basics to still be able to eat and be happy with the kids. Long term, obviously, there will be day trips to places and more road trips.

Thanks for any advice.

Regards,
Goat

[CamJam Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CamJam]

I don't own any of these, instead have another brand which I won't mention (it was expensive!). But Engel will be my next purchase. I've researched these to death and it's motor just simply appears to be the best available, along with metal sides for scratch prevention and to stop melting in the heat with plastic (as mine has slightly). I would liken the Engel to the Toyota - it's expensive, you don't see what it is you're paying extra for, but it's one of, if not the, best.

FWIW, ARB are about to release a new Fridge model on the market - metal sides. So there may be a discount on the 'run-out' models. Have a look at the ARB website.

[REN470 Member Find all posts View Profile Close REN470]

Hi,


Ive got an Engel MR40F and use it much in the way you describe, day trips and longer runs to our Holiday house and it has been great. We've had it for 3 years now and not an issue with it.

Cheers
R

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Definitely include the ARB fridge on the list. Never had an issue with ours since they were released.

[Auscanclan Member Find all posts View Profile Close Auscanclan]

I HAVE BEEN USING THE Waeco 65. which is about to go up for sale as i am looking to move up to the 95 . my boys eat too much. cannot fault it and will run 3 days plus with the 92 amphour battery which it runs from

[nanbar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanbar]

I would liken the Engel to the Toyota - it's expensive, you don't see what it is you're paying extra for, but it's one of, if not the, best.

I was going to say the same thing as that's what I have been told countless times when I have asked people. They always say, if you can afford it, spend the money and buy an Engel. You get what you pay for.

[oceanracer Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close oceanracer]

Ive an ARB 60 ltr. About 18 mths old no issues. I like the drain plug in the bottom for cleaning

[HugoStiglitz Member Find all posts View Profile Close HugoStiglitz]

forget the rest. get yourself a Trailblaza.

http://www.norcoast.com.au/

the website is from the 2000's but their fridges are top notch. fully hand built and uses custom piping. danfos compressors, sizes from 20L to 200L
standard fridges use 75mm of insulation and can opt for upto 175mm of insulation.

large range of finishes and option as well

I have a 80L VM Special with upgraded lid and all the fruit and love it.
you get a Fridge Freezer seperator so your not locked in to a dedicated section of the fridge being only for freezer space.
love it when your on a boys weekend, mine gets used as a dedicated drinks fridge.

Cost is definatly up there. I only got dollar coins change from $2000 but its the first and last fridge i'll buy.

EDIT: Bonus for me is they are made 30 mins down the road.

[Stu Balls Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Stu Balls]

Ive got 2 Engels, one 80ltr that lives in the Prado, the other 40ktr that lives in the camper trailer, the smaller is years old, neither have missed a beat. Engel is my choice. Like CamJam has said, the motors are simply up to the job.

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

For the top fridge brands this is a bit like petrol vs diesel, Ford vs Holden and a lot of the other brand comparisons. For my annual camping trip up north, with pretty hot conditions for two to three weeks there are an assortment of fridges in use and you would be hard pressed to find a definitive advantage for Engel vs Waeco. My mate uses Engels and I use Waecos and each has it pros and cons. Interestingly we have both had a fridge fail, and both turned out to be simple repairs.

I would say look at the one that best suits your needs in terms of layout.

For the question about fridge/freezer, my mate uses one Engel as a fridge and the other as a freezer. He has also recently put a Dometic (Waeco) 12v fridge in his camper. I use my Waeco as a fridge/freezer using the small fridge area and it's never been a problem and I have a Dometic gas fridge in the camper. I don't think I would ever get the fridge/freezer model as it really limits how you can use it, but horses for course.

Whatever you choose someone will tell you it was the wrong choice so like I said, go for the one with the layout that you like best.

[Mr ok Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Mr ok]

I have a CFX50 since 2011. Never had a problem with it, keeps at 3 degrees all the time and has lasted over 2 days on an 80ah battery without cutting out, i do have the insulating cover though. The 50L size suits what i need to put in it. Generally, drinks give way to food until all the food is loaded in. I can't suggest any particular brand from experience but i have a couple of suggestions that may help with the decision making process.
1) In my opinion the extra cost of fridge freezer may not be worth it if you are not going to use it for long trips. Dairy/meat should last a week at 3 degrees, freezing is for long term storage. Fresh supplies can be bought in towns when passing through so it may be better to look at a smaller size to allow room for luggage. Smaller also means lower cost and uses less power but depends on how much you drink.
2) Ensure the height and lid opening direction is suitable for the car it will go into. With the 3rd row seats in the Prado, i can just open the lid on the CFX50 to get access without having to slide it out. A taller CFX65 may have to be on a fridge slide just to be able to open it fully. The Engel design where the lid opens on the edge may provide better access if you don't plan to put it on a fridge slide. One thing i do like about the CFX is the ability to change the lid opening direction giving mounting location options.
3) This is very OCD but use plastic fridge containers for storage of supplies. They stack easier than retail packaging and therefore use up the space in the fridge better. You don't have to worry about sealing half open retail packages and they keep the cold air in when the fridge is opened and items are removed to access the stuff at the bottom. Look at getting cheap containers from big w then look at which fridge they stack better in. You will be surprised how small the fridge needs to be when you stack it with containers.
4) Just a tip, if you are mounting the fridge on a slide in a Prado with the 3rd row seats in, watch out for the upper part of the rear door on the hinge side. The top of the fridge may contact the open rear door if it is mounted all the way over on the drivers side. Either mount on passenger side or ensure the fridge you choose is not too high.

[Zygarti Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Zygarti]

As Krypto says, I believe most of the top brands will do what they are supposed to do. I have a Waeco CFX50, and have used both Engel and Waeco a fair bit for work trips over the years. Our CFX50 ran with no dramas for 2 months non stop as we crossed Oz, and we use it all the time for days on the beach, or as an extra drinks fridge here and there. Comes in handy during extended blackouts too (which SA is getting good at these days!).
A few other things to consider which have not been mentioned above:
- some fridges may not fit in camper trailers as they are too high (particularly if you're using a slide)
- some (e.g. the CFX45) will not fit a white wine bottle standing up
- if you set the temp low, the bottom portion tends to act as a freezer anyway, without the fridge/freezer option.

[nanbar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanbar]

This thread is extremely informative, great posts guys.

[Joe Lighty Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joe Lighty]

I have the CFX-65 DUAL ZONE, which I nearly always use as a fridge only. For this, I remove the insulated separator and use the two baskets, which now, with the separator removed, fit poorly and there is wasted space. Further, I don't think it does a good job of circulating the cold air - one end freezes up (and frosts after about 48 hours use and then runs inefficiently) and the other end is disturbingly warm(well, not cold). Obviously, this was a significant purchase and, given it "still works", not one I'll be replacing in the short term. Wish I bought something else...
Happy to take tips from more learned Waeco owners!

[jaco150 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jaco150]

a comment I added from a previous post - some good advice there also.
-- http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...ccessory/page2

Bcf has a 60L fridge freezer for 699 down from 999.
Model: companion 60L xero fridge freezer.

Good deal?

One thing - do not skip on quality/industry expert stuff when you get a fridge... check the battery consumption and try to find out what compressor it runs.
the ACTUAL size vs. Usable size is a KEY property to look out for.
- Waeco, ARB, ENGEL are expensive - but for a reason (brand, yes - but 100% reliability is the other side of their promise)
-- Check the specials over December

I have a 150 prado -
- ARB has a long(ish), slim - but TALL fridge (47l)
- Waeco - their fridges are same length (+/-), is WIDER - but shorter (in height)....
-- I have a waeco (50l) and prefer it - as you can pack more and see more in the fridge - but uses approx 7-10 cm more in width...
-- when I had drawers installed (ORS) - because I have a waeco, I could only get 400mm (internal) drawers, not the 500mm
-- but... because of this - I was able to mount a Solar Panel (or Table) above the fridge (I have an ORS FridgePack System)
-- http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/ja...a5hnd.jpg.html
--http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/ja...zdejm.jpg.html

- ENGEL - cannot comment...

Chooose Wisely - you only buy a Fridge ONCE (maybe twice)