Thread: 12v fridges, You get what you pay for.

Originally Posted by donh54

Have had our 35 litre Waeco for ages. Spent 4 years sitting on the floor of a T650 Kenworth (bloody hot) doing everything from road trains to heavy haulage, and has done duty as the house fridge through a cotton season, as well as numerous trips to the inland. My only gripe with it is the super-sensitive slider control. About an eighth of a gnats whisker between cold, and frozen beer and sausages! I've been waiting for years for the slider to stop functioning, so I have the excuse to adapt a "proper" temp controller to it. I would buy another one (with a better temp controller) without hesitation.

Yep ive got 2 of these. Never had a prob with them except for one cord broke. Use one as a fridge and the other as a freezer. I agree with the super sensitive slider too. Great coz they were given to me when the PO bought an engel 80lt. The engel has been repaired twice under warranty so far...

I have had an Engel 40 l since 2000. It has had 2 repairs . One was the thermostat about 8 years ago and second was the cooling fan which I DIYd about 5 years ago. The case has lots of surface rust as I run an Engel cover which back then was insulated. I also replaced the lid gasket but that was voluntary.
The 2000 was the first to use 134A so needed the fan.
I met one bloke in Broome at the camping shop buying an Engel because his Waeco had quit in the Kimberley. That is what reliability is about. This bloke was faced with finding space for his dead Waeco as well as his new Engel and had paid full retail plus for the Engel.
I was also camping at Swampy Plains with the Range Rover club and one of the blokes had a fibreglass EverKool which had stopped. Checked the circuits right to the EverKool and it was something inside. Pulled off the cover and pulled off and replaced all the connectors and it started to work again. If I hadn't been around with my multimeter he would have lost all his cold stuff.
I often lust after a newer Engel to have reduced amp draw but will keep the old one until it or I die.

Regards Philip A