Thoughts on the Bushman Original 35-52L fridge freezer?

[alittlebitconcerned]

Hi folks. I hope this is the right place to post this question.

Does anyone have any experience good or bad, with the Bushman Original 35-52L fridge freezer?

Cheers

[de7158]

Purchased one in June when our "other" brand of frig/freezer was unrepairable and still under warranty. Their free replacement was not going to fit in the existing space, so got them to send it home and we purchased the Bushman whilst in Broome.

I use it as a freezer only and set at -18C, but you can set it at -6C and put the frozen food right at the bottom and less cold stuff at the very top.

The Bushman sits in the Disco and the highest temp (was set on -18C) I observed was -15C. Happy with that as the ambient temp would of had to be in the low to high 40's throughout the day.

I reckon the power consumption would be pretty close to their published specs and it was noticeably lower in power usage than the "other" brand. Although to it's defence in retrospect the "other" brand was gradually failing.

By their specs, if you set it on 4C and used it only as a frig, a single 80/100 amp hour battery would last for at least 3/4 days before you would be at that safe 50% DOD.

The nesting baskets are a great idea for food accessibly, so happy with that.

Most net reviews were positive, and it seems any issues are promptly dealt with by Bushman

Not cheap, but it's a quality bit of gear and the best bit...... It's made in Aus!

Peter

[alittlebitconcerned]

Great response. Cheers Peter :twobeers:

Having called them today, I particularly like that any component can be easily swapped out for replacement if need be. I'm also impressed with their customer service as you mentioned.

Matt

[SimmAus]

I've had mine for about 3 years now.
Can't compare to any other brand I'm afraid.

Excellent customer service:
I tried to purchase some spare closure hooks (as I stupidly ripped one apart by sliding the fridge back with the hook "up"); was told sorry they can't sell them to me...but gave me 4 free!
Also saw another guy get a new electrical cord free as he cut his by accident.
I had to also buy a new basket (it didn't withstand my D4 driving over it)....cost about $10 IIRC
All small things really, but says a lot about a company / product when they don't rip people off.

Use whilst touring:
Excellent. The flexibility with the various baskets is great. I set mine at -8; freezer at bottom, fridge at top. Never had a battery issue, and the reported battery use is apparently one of the best.

I also liked the "separate" component design: electrical cords interchangeable, separate external 240v transformer, and the control panel for the compressor being easily accessible / removable should it ever fail.


Yes, I'm a fan.

Cheers

[de7158]

A lot of brands are using the Danfoss BD35F compressor, but I think Bushman differ (in a good way) in how they do the the rest.

Full size fridge condenser... which is massive compared to our last frig.
120mm fan..other brands have had to add additional internal fans for heat removal.
Superior ventilation & airflow......definately a function over form with Bushman.
360? surround internal roll bond evaporator.
Serviceability of all parts.....which was why our last frig could not be repaired.

Gives you the impression it was designed and built by someone with a both a bit of experience and understanding in the issue of long term equipment maintenance, and making things get/stay cold efficiently.

I understand everything will break down one day, it's how easy and cost effective it is repair/replace parts that'll determine how long you have it for. E.g the exorbitant prices LRA charge for parts.

So good on Bushman for building a proper little frig/freezer.

Peter

[123rover50]

I had never heard of them so looked it up.
Seems to be the only one with no negative reviews.
Bushman Original SC35-52 Reviews - ProductReview.com.au (http://www.productreview.com.au/p/bushman-freezer.html)

I had always thought the Trailblazer was the best.

Keith

[weeds]

I had never heard of them so looked it up.
Seems to be the only one with no negative reviews.
Bushman Original SC35-52 Reviews - ProductReview.com.au (http://www.productreview.com.au/p/bushman-freezer.html)

I had always thought the Trailblazer was the best.

Keith

Trailblazer are good but the sheer size is there downfall...........for fitting into wagons. Alright for a ute, boat etc. For touring when you are on the move you don't need massive insulation.

[dfendr]

Have 2 of these
Both have been faultless

[Ranga]

Wish I still had mine - great fridge. I love how they sell them with the 2 lids and extra collar, and the baskets are handy.

Apparently on request you can get the circuit board altered to whatever cutout voltage you want (IIRC the standard is a bit low at 10.5V).

[AnD3rew]

I've got one and love it. It has been going strong now for about 4 years, very cold, works great as fridge or freezer and in fact as long as you don't go too low you can even manage to keep stuff frozen at the bottom and fridge for stuff at the top. The collars and multiple sizes are awesome.

My only complaint is that the lid hooks in by sliding onto two pins sideways the upside is that it is easy to remove the lid entirely and that's what makes it easy to add the extra collars, and different lid sizes etc. the downside is that when it is in the back of the car and you are reaching in to get stuff out it is easy to slide it off the pins and then you spend 5 mins stuffing around and swearing in the dark in the back of your truck trying to line the pins back up again to slide it back on.

But that's minor really for a really tough and reliable and flexible fridge.

[weeds]

Trailblazer are good but the sheer size is there downfall...........for fitting into wagons. Alright for a ute, boat etc. For touring when you are on the move you don't need massive insulation.



I notice trailblazer now have a U Bute Ute range which might suit my needs.

Bushman is also the height I am chasing.

[LRD414]

We have had one for about two years now, used for extended trips and long weekends in either the back of the D4 or in the camper trailer.

I agree with all the other positive feedback about its operation and relatively low power draw. We typically set it at approx -5 or -6 and keep meat frozen in the bottom, drinks cold in the middle and smaller stuff like cheese at a good cool temperature towards the top. Meat gets rotated daily upwards and slowly thaws ready for dinner.

One issue so far: the white plastic internal tub/liner has suffered a few cracks. We got the first one replaced without difficulty but the 2nd one has also cracked. This doesn't affect the operation and we still use it happily. I've not seen this issue mentioned anywhere. Haven't bothered replacing the tub/liner this time because the fridge still works well.

I don't believe we overload it and I even put some foam in the bottom between the tub and bottom basket.But even with that issue, I would still buy another one.

Regards,
Scott

[alittlebitconcerned]

Two bushman fridge sold for $400 for the pair last night on gumtree. Damn it!

[AnD3rew]

Two bushman fridge sold for $400 for the pair last night on gumtree. Damn it!

Someone got a great deal if they were both working.

[alittlebitconcerned]

In answer to my own thread question, I've had one now for about two months and am very impressed. It is very fast at pulling the temp down and is the most versatile fridge I've owned because of the adjustable volume and configurable baskets

[apom]

Yep..same for me. Very impressed however that said they should update this to bring it into the current century. Small improvements like better clips on the front, hinges that don't slide apart if you are not careful. A better integrated cover system, adjustable tie down points, and something that looks like it wasn't designed in the 80s would all be small but good improvements.

Would I buy it again...yes

[alittlebitconcerned]

It definitely looks very 80's.

[Ranga]

I was disappointed mine didn't have a bung, a light, or reversible lid. Having said that, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

I notice some of the other brands are now including a wireless (Bluetooth I presume) connection to monitor the fridge, which I think is a great feature. I can't imagine Bushman will do that soon, but would rather quality refrigeration over that :)

[nismine01]

I bought one of the original Bushman fridges many many years ago, to say it has been treated badly would be an understatement.
The computer setting panel f'd up, probably cause it got left outside in the rain etc.
Took it to a fridge mechanic, he put in a manual switch, (copper bulb sensor and rotating knob) and it has just kept on going.
I was told that it would fridge or freeze but there wasn't enough variance in the adjustment but I found that by setting the depth of the sensor in the cabinet lowest setting would not freeze but turn the knob and it freezes very well.

Very robust unit.

Mike

[AnD3rew]

I've got one and love it. It has been going strong now for about 4 years, very cold, works great as fridge or freezer and in fact as long as you don't go too low you can even manage to keep stuff frozen at the bottom and fridge for stuff at the top. The collars and multiple sizes are awesome.

My only complaint is that the lid hooks in by sliding onto two pins sideways the upside is that it is easy to remove the lid entirely and that's what makes it easy to add the extra collars, and different lid sizes etc. the downside is that when it is in the back of the car and you are reaching in to get stuff out it is easy to slide it off the pins and then you spend 5 mins stuffing around and swearing in the dark in the back of your truck trying to line the pins back up again to slide it back on.

But that's minor really for a really tough and reliable and flexible fridge.

update to this. Last week I was despairing because the on off switch on mine failed and I thought maybe it might be the end of my beloved tough Bushman. I called the head office to ask if it was possible to buy a new control unit with the switches. The guy just said that shouldn’t fail I’ll send you new one no charge. Arrived a couple of days later with very clear instructions. Unscrewed the cover removed the spade connectors plugged in the new one and all fixed.

not often you get service and support for a 5 year old product like that these days. I also have a Weaco that came with my camper trailer it has been fine too, but it is no where near as flexible as the Bushman and I’m pretty sure if ai had a similar problem with it, it would be either all over or an expensive and inconvenient repair at a service agent.