Originally Posted by
Redback
Well I don't care about reputations (wouldn't have bought a Land Rover if that worried me)and from what we have seen when out and about they all keep your beer cold and your choice of fridge is excactly that, "your choice"
Our choice was a Waeco and we looked long and hard before deciding, the main points for our choice were.
1) lighter (wife needs to carry it too)
Not by much, take the bag and transit base off the Engel and there is little difference between them. I can lift the 60 lt Engel with bag and base empty easily. 40lt Engel24kgs, 38 lt Engel 22kgs, Waeco 37lt (not actually 40) 17kg. Engel 40 is 3litres bigger and holds 13 extra cans for size and is not plastic. However there is a lighter plastic version available now I believe
2) smaller for the same internal capacity.
Look at some of the newer Engels.
3) battery protection
Is available for Engels as well. People with Waecos I know have had major issues with the Waeco battery protection system, leaving them with a hot fridge as it kicks out when it should not.
4) better insulated doesn't NEED a bag.
Neither does the Engel. It is an option to protect the Engel and provide additional insulation when in really hot areas which means better battery life.
5) uses less power than all 12v fridges(40lt)
WAECO 40lt PowerAve. Power Consumption: 0.87 amps/hr (@ 12V, 5°C interior, 32°C ambient temperature
Engel 40lt DC Power Consumption: Variable from 0.5 to 2.5 AMPS Maximum
The Waeco data states average, no peak or min. The Engel shows peak and min and the average would be very similar.
6) that stupid gap between the cooling element and the wall of the fridge in the Engel:eek:
I agree, but it also allows easy reapair and replacement of the element.
7) has a dairy section
So do a lot of the new Engels, depends what you want and whatt you buy. Engel also has a two compartment deck option and various dividers.
8) price, even with an insulation bag the Waeco was cheaper.
Granted and for their price the Waeco is a good alternative, but you get what you pay for .
This was why we chose the Waeco over the Engel, as for the other fridges we looked at, it was price and comparable overall size verses internal capacity.
Glad you love yours and a lot of it is personal choice. Most work well but as with any machine some fail and some are lemons.
I really liked the EverKool but the dealers would not discount there fridges no matter how much we begged:cool:
Yep and we all need to stay within our budget. By no means having a go but just clarifying some of the things you mentioned. The ARB fridges seem an awfull lot like Engels.:D:D
We are happy with our choice, 5yrs now and still going well, it goes 24/7 not only is it a camping fridge, we use it as a beer fridge at home as well;)
As said we have had our Engel 13 years and it has probablly run solid for 8 of those 13 years and not missed a beat.:p:angel:
Cheers
Craig
Baz.
