Igloo 12V Cooler - want Engel 45

[jelag]

I've got one of those Igloo 12 v. coolers. . and its about 2 weeks old...



I find its blowing fuses, and I've upgraded the fuse from 5 amps to 7 amps... .



It runs 24/7 plugged into my truck... . I'm not really happy with it... . It just never gets cold enough to keep things really cool and comfortable to drink... .



I want to upgrade to the Engel 45..... a $650 electric cooler that runs on 2. 7 amps and has a thermostat... ... . it has a small pump and runs on 134A refergerent like the AC on the truck... . it will freeze and hold Ice Cream and designed for handling human organs at specific temperatures.....



Do any of you used one of these 134A coolers and would you share your thoughts.....

 

[jwduke]

Jim, check out the coolers made by ARB (The people that make air lockers for drive axles).



You can get a pretty good size one for $450, and it even makes ice! It doesn't need a inverter to work either. I don't remember where online I saw them at, but do a search on Yahoo or Google, and you should be able to find them.



They come in 3 different sizes too. I think the $450 one was for the giggest one they had. And it was very good sized.



I had one of those igloo coolers, when I trucked over the road, and I wasn't impressed with it either. I think I was buying a new one every year.

 

[jwduke]

I did a quick check, here is one I found http://www.truckaddons.com/Catalog/subpages/ARB_freezer_fridges.asp I know you can do much better on price!



Here is one on Ebay, guy has 3 of them (new)http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ARB-...Z6763QQitemZ7989676233QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW



Hope this is of some help! Good luck!!

 

[EricBu12]

I will give you a good review on the ARB or the Engel cooler... . The cooler is a refrig/freezer and you dial in what you want... . Def. Worth the money!!



I drive truck for a living and it runs almost continuous every week and it goes down to freezing... . Mine is over 4 years old and still runs strong.



It has 2 cords that clug into the side of the fridge... one is the 12V cord, one is the A/C cord plug in... you use either one no other things needed...

 

[jkalchik]

Jim, the thing to remember is that the Igloo, Coleman and all the other economy (read: CHEAP) coolers will only cool to about 40 degrees below ambient. If they're sitting in 90 degrees, the insides will only get down to around 50. They work on the Peltier effect and not really efficient, but cheap to build.

 

[Cigar John]

http://http://www.compactappliance.com/xq/JSP.jump/itemType.CATEGORY/itemID.493/qx/Engel.htm

I've been using an Engle in my Freightliner for almost 2 years.

100 degrees outside,who knows inside,water bottle has ice in it.

BTW Engle makes the ARB, just different color.

 

[Paychk]

This works better:



http://www.compactappliance.com/xq/JSP.jump/itemType.CATEGORY/itemID.493/qx/Engel.htm