Thread: OMG! Here we go.... Which fridge to buy :-)

Originally Posted by waynep

Engel or Waeco ... for all the reasons mentioned but also because there are plenty of places that will service them.
Dimensions are another consideration - that's the main reason we got the Waeco over an Engel- it fits better lengthways in a Disco. Measure your available space before you go out and buy one.
With the Waecos it's easy to remove the handles and replace them with flat bar to give yourself a bit more space, but still have tie down points. ( that's what I did )
Some of the fridges I've seen which are basically an Esky with a compressor unit bolted on the side can take up a fair amount of room.

X2, a D1 issue.

I've never had any dramas with mine except for the insulation bag, the zipping is rubbish. But looking at my friends engle bag, its not much better either....

Our 40l Engel came with us on our around Oz trip - the hammering that thing took was beyond belief - and the Engel didn't miss a beat. I'm sure other brands might be fine and do the job - but Engels have a great reputation and there is a reason for that.

We could run it for 3 days without driving from a 105Amp hour Commander deep cycle gel battery.

I have it mounted on an Engel Slide Lock on my Outback draws.

Anything with:
Danfoss compressor
and local backup for any repairs etc if needed,

will be a good unit.

I have an Engel (Mum and Dad's) but if I was buying I;d get a Waeco.

I have a 40l Engel, which I purchased to replace the one stolen from the back of my Defender. Where the first one was so quiet, that I had to look and see if the power light was on to see if it was running, this one I can hear running at freeway speeds in the TD5 Defender. Have had it back to see what can be done, and have been told by their service repairman, that the noise is within "normal limits"
The fridge does work well, but I don't like to listen to it while I'm camping. If you do purchase one, TURN IT ON IN THE STORE BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!! This will eliminate the hastles, and unwillingness of Engel to do anything about it. Would I buy an other one?? Probably not, but if I did, I would certainly check it out before I laid my hard earned down.

Good luck,

Ken

i too can here the compressors on my engels but only in the still of the night.....no way while i am driving

a question re: noise, how noisey are the fans on weaco's in the still of the night

Ive got a CF50 Weaco and next time I would buy an Engle and put up with the arrogant sales man as it......

a. Needs the 12v side of things repaired, runs fine while engine is running but as soon as it drops to 11.99v on the aux battery (10mins or so after stopping), even on the lowest setting the fridge cuts out.

Apparently this is common.

b. Has started to not regulate the temp properly when plugged into 240v, it just freezes everything which was fine for the meat but the cans of beer and coke didnt like it too much.

c. Has crapped part of the LED display which is annoying but seems its not regulationg the temp anyway isnt much of a problem.

This is our second one, the first didnt work out of the box.

Get an Engle, I know of plenty which have lasted for 30 years and even the more recent ones seem to operate faultlessly.

I also have one of the small 6ltr Weaco fridges in the back seat for the drinks and snacks which I was given as part of a Wurth promotion which works very well and doesnt suck too much power.

Again, buy an Engle, set and forget.

The best fridge is a LUNA but the price is way out there..mudnut if that Engel is that noissssy take it back as an Engel is quite as.. unless it is on the way out.. or was out of balance from day one, in that case its life will be a short one..Waceo do have the best motor but the worst elect.low voltage cutout fault. Engel have that happy in between thing.. and the old Engels are the best ..I have 5 Engel's and 1 Waceo..you can get a low voltage watch biso for your Engel..$18 on ebay..If Waceo fitted a Dixell controller to their box it would be a plastic Luna..and a better fridge.. Well thats what I think anyway..
Good luck...Robert42

I just bought a Waeco 80 Lt.
Was a good price at $1450.00 including insulation cover and 90 Lt Waeco esky.
Fits into the Discovery, but not much room for anything else, which suits me as all gear is packed into camper for travelling.
Keep an eye on Waeco website as they often have specials that dealers aren't aware of.
When I saw it at that price BCF wouldn't sell it, so ended up at Ranger camping, who wasn't aware of the Waeco deal but honoured it after looking on web.

Greg