Dometic vs Off Brand

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Fivealive said:
Lets try not to get so attached to someones random blog post that was thrown together to make a buck. 
Good grief...it's just a list.  Like yours, an opinion.  If you recall, the OP was interested in Dometic vs "off brand".  What better way to educate that share a compiled list of fridges with their specs?
 
Sheesh this forum has really declined in value.
 
We just purchased a 20L Alpicool after watching a YouTube video where he monitored the performance. I’ve read so many reviews on so many brands and all seem to have happy and unhappy customers. I’m hoping that even though the Alpicool isn’t as popular we will have good luck with it.

We are currently testing it in the house to see how it does...so far so good.

We don’t plan on storing meat, just condiments and beverages at this junction, and even though it can freeze I doubt we use that function...
 
Yes it's a rare market segment, most are just fine.

Engel and ARB's advantages are a bit greater efficiency, and longevity, standing up to mobile use's rough treatment for longer.
 
Maggie Flinn said:
     I know that the Dan Foss (?)compressor is what Dometic has, but is that in all Dometics?  
     The least expensive Dometic runs about $500 with tax. Does it have the right compressor?
     Has anyone had any luck with the off brands?  I’d appreciate any and all suggestions and feedback.  


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I don’t think all Dometic fridges use Danfoss anymore. I have been watching to purchase one of the smaller models  for some time and where they used to brag about having Danfoss compressors they now say it has a high tech compressor or something like that  and don’t mention any manufacturer, When I look at some of the other models they still mention the famous Danfoss compressors so my guess is that they have changed compressors in some models. So look carefully at the product description if you are wanting a Danfoss.
 
Waeco / Dometic developed their own compressor years ago, Chinese made of course.

Danfoss are made there too nowadays.

There's still a Euro made compressor company out of Italy.

Quality is good on all of them, the compressor itself is not a critical part of much quality difference between brands, they all pretty much last forever.

Needing to fix / replace the electronic control boards is more common, but often makes more sense to just buy another whole unit.
 
KathyC said:
The attitude from a handful of people here has ruined the experience.  Over and out.

It's unfortunate tone, syntax and intention do not translate well in writing. emoji's tried to compensate for this but even they more often than not get misinterpreted. 

I like to read everything from the perspective of zero emotion, just information and make my own conclusions without assumption. 

FWIW, A friend of mine recently made the analogy that I loved:

Any form of online communication (forum, twitter, chat room, etc) is like entering into a room where everyone in that room is given a megaphone. Everyone automatically has the power to speak, not the ability. Enter accordingly.  
 
to the OP's point, I purchased a second hand dometic cf35 and have found it to work great for my purposes.

Purchased for less than 1/2 price of a new one and have been using it pretty much 24/7 for the last 2 years.

One thing I learned over time...it uses LESS power when it's actually filled up vs having less then half full.
 
Choosing compressors. Here is the thing about compressors, they have patents on them. Eventually those patents expire and other people can then begin making what are essentially clones of things such as the Danfoss compressor. When the original Dan Foss patent expired there were suddenly lots more choices of lower priced fridge/freezers. But of course the compressor itself is just one part of a system of components that make a fridge freezer operate. There is a power supply, logic boards, temperature controller, insulation, housing and lots more stuff in the package. Even reputable companies can end up with a bad batch of components. But the well known reputable companies are pretty reliable for being accountable for correcting the equipment if it does turn out to be defective.

As a lot of the new explosion of units has only been around a year or two there is not yet enough historical data around to prove which ones are the best in that lower price range grouping. Part of that historical data is the record of customer service. Some of the new units may well turn out to be decent value for the money but that remains to be seen since they have not been around long enough to establish a record of reliable longevity.

So at present you can save up your money for a more sure bet or you can take a chance on one of the newer, lower priced units. But you can't fault people who have are themselves just now trying them out for not being able to provide you with long term data about the quality and performance. They can only tell you how well they have worked for the length of time they have owned them. So don't get upset if you can't get a full answer to your question because answers don't yet exist, those less expensive units are just too new. Of course it is frustrating that you can't find an answer to what seems like a simple question but sometimes that is just how it turns out when you go seeking information.
 
hahahaha, the Chinese waiting for a patent to expire, hahahaha that's to funny. if they want a design they will just take it. highdesertranger
 
I think the fact those huge global corporations source most of their manufacturing in China gives them a bit more leverage.

The government there doesn't mess around with legal niceties enforcing their laws when they want to, even billionaires get disappeared.
 
Re Secop vs Danfoss. Some may be interesed. https://www.secop.com/about-us/heritage/

I way I heard it, long ago, Secop bought the rights to build a compressor to the Danfoss specs and design.

First time I used Danfoss was long ago and to build an off grid fridge system. Danfoss supplied already charged units. Screwing the connecting piping together pierced diaphragms in the connectors so no need of a fridge mechanic to charge anything up.
 
Danfoss Household Compressors, originally a division of Danish Danfoss Group.

Spun off as subsidiary Danfoss Compressors GmbH, sold to German co Aurelius in 2010, who then renamed it "Secop".

Nidec bought Secop including the Chinese Secop Compressors (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. through Nidec Europe B.V.,

and Secop Inc. through Nidec Americas Holding Corporation.

Operate now as part of Nidec Global Appliance Division.

Which all has as much to do with the price of fish, to choosing mobile refrigeration.
 
I would take a look at the Costway fridge as well. I’ve seen good reviews and they are significantly cheaper than Dometic.
 
I'd almost guarantee made by Dometic anyway, Costco makes nothing.

Great warranty though, anywhere you travel!
 
Same bet.

Dometic is OEM for most brands.

Except the trucking market, they use Indel-B, better quality IMO
 
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