About that 12v DC Refrigerator......

[abnorm]

^^Agreed

 

[Roland P]

I bought a bougerv 34 qt ref/freezer in December of 2020 and it's still going strong with daily use. It's 300 bucks now but I paid less I remember because I got it in sale. As far as powering it goes I use a solar panel and 2 100 ah agm batteries.

 

[RV411]

I still haven't bought one.
Keep looking at them and reading the reviews and all. So many choices.
I keep thinking that it's not worth pluinking down the gold for a cheaper (less than $700) fridge.
Seems the ones under $500 just don't last.

So I've been using my Igloo 28Qt (yep, too small) thermoelectric cooler and a small Galanz 1.7 cu ft office fridge.
The latter does really good and I'm not sure I need anything else.

Anyone out there have a sub $500 DC fridge that has been used regularly that is still going after a year?
Seems most fail right at the 1 year mark or at best by the 2 year mark.
I'm not interested in buying a $300-$400 disposable fridge every year or two. That's really hard on the environment ya know.

Look on Amazon for a "Renewed " one. I got mine for $110 last year. ...You really can't beat that price. This winter I took a month long trip & used it mainly as a freezer. I'm not full time, but for the price paid I feel it's done a wonderful job!
(Fridge: Linsion 19 Quart)

 

[JDub]

I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Whynter-FM-452SG-Portable-Freezer-Refrigerator/dp/B01F88ANYQ
I really like it, decent price on sale too. I paid about that a while back. They've really gone up pricewise. Don't bother with the freezer version. The regular does a great job and runs for almost 48 hours off my GOLAB battery @38F. Very quiet and my impression is, it's almost built to military specs. high quality, very durable, heavy duty body construction, and accoutrements. It has a light and an "open" warning tone that sounds if the door isn't fully shut. I like it especially because it's slimmer than most reefers and fits better in my Jeep. The only complaint I have is the door opens lengthwise vs widthwise which would be handier. I keep it on my creeper so it's easy to move around... It's also HDR recommended (big reason I got it)...

As with all of these, make sure you have plenty of room around the vents to allow air circulation. It exchanges quite a bit of heat...

Cheers@

 

[John in Montreal]

IMO it is more economical to purchase a regular 120v fridge and put the savings towards increasing your electrical capacity.

 

[user 423]

^That may work OK in moderate weather but not so well when it's really hot. There's a thread on the forum here somewhere by a member who did quite a bit of testing on dorm-type fridges in hot weather and found them to be lacking.

 

[afblangley]

IMO it is more economical to purchase a regular 120v fridge and put the savings towards increasing your electrical capacity.

That may have been the case a few years ago. The price point of 12v fridges has dropped dramatically. Smaller ones start at less than $200.

https://smile.amazon.com/Protable-Freezer-Refrigerator-Camping-110-240V/dp/B09HGY4GQM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L0WSZA36P6Q&keywords=Protable+Fridge+Freezer%2C+16+Quarts+Car+Refrigerator+for+Camping%2C+12+Volt+Cooler%2C+-4℉-68℉%2C+AC+110-240V%2C&qid=1649565439&sprefix=protable+fridge+freezer%2C+16+quarts+car+refrigerator+for+camping%2C+12+volt+cooler%2C+-4+-68+%2C+ac+110-240v%2C+%2Caps%2C326&sr=8-1

 

[jacqueg]

Which size/model?

35 or 40 qt.

 

[AmargosaWayne]

^That may work OK in moderate weather but not so well when it's really hot. There's a thread on the forum here somewhere by a member who did quite a bit of testing on dorm-type fridges in hot weather and found them to be lacking.

The warranty on those refrigerators is voided by use in temps over 85F. Designed for use in 68-72F dwellings.

Reason being is that they cool by releasing heat. Above 85F they cannot release heat and they will run themselves to death on a continuously on duty cycle.

If one can keep the interior temp below 85F without aircon, they should work okay, still they aren't as efficient electrically as a good 12VDC compressor fridge.

Also, I doubt that HighDesertRanger recommended a Whynter 45, since he ran Engel 40's exclusively. The Engels are more efficient. The Engel also opens like a trunk. Current price on Amazon is a staggering $999. A Whynter 45 runs $498.

 

[Freelander]

I think these have a built in inverter so they are running on 12v anyway.

 

[Catalyst1]

If you carefully read the Amazon reviews, you will see a pattern.... it goes like this......

A review is posted that says the fridge failed in under 1 year.
The Amazon customer tried to reach Alpicool support to no avail. (This was my experience when I tried to contact Alpicool and mainly why I never bought one)

Following this review you will see a half dozen to a dozen abbreviated reviews making a rather bland "vanilla" "Great fridge" or "Completely satisfied" etc etc etc rebuttals and praises. After hearing quite a few stories on this problem at Amazon, I don't have much faith in the reviews.
Amazon was found last year to have a serious problem with foreign vendors either placing fake reviews, paying off customers to change poor reviews to 5 star reviews and other such things. I won't specifically mention any particular country....but most products do come from one of them.

The Wall Street Journal​

Fake Reviews and Inflated Ratings Are Still a Problem for Amazon ​

Sellers are taking advantage of the online-shopping frenzy, using old and new methods to boost ratings on products​

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fake-r...gs-are-still-a-problem-for-amazon-11623587313

I would place my trust in those at forums like this who have been actively participating members for some time. People who come here frequently discussing forum related topics and being involved. Keep in mind that foreign vendors are also known to have many accounts at most every forum to post fake positive posts about their products. If a member only pops in once in a blue moon to post their support of certain products.....even if they include an avatar with a very average looking American citizen (or especially if they do), take it with a grain of salt and be aware.



Just my 2 cents.
And as always....your mileage may vary....even drastically

Peter, I agree with your sentiments about Amazon. I always check the 1 star ratings first to see what the real customers are saying about the item. I also look at the shape of the ratings profile. If it is shaped like a "C", really not a good sign. If it is shaped like an upside down triangle, then I feel better about the veracity of the ratings. Also, how many ratings total? If there are over 500, the veracity is likely to be better. The other thing that I have seen lately on Amazon is people selling counterfeit items. For that reason, and others, I try to purchase things locally, or from a well-known vendor with bricks and mortar stores. The product is far less likely to be counterfeit if you can walk into a bricks and mortar and return or exchange it. I also avoid buying anything electronic on Amazon, because it isn't easy to return electronics, especially if they are counterfeit. That is my 2 cents.

 

[bebewanna]

I bought a $230 Vevor 32gallon 12v fridge... Clearly on the lower end of prices. I chose it because of the metal case...

That said 12 months later still works like a charm. It survived 125f (compressor) weather last summer for days. 45 watts, yes much more than a Dometic. 2 Walmart 29 series deep cells and 250 watts.

Maybe I just got lucky but...