Portable refrigerator freezer

[TBW]

Any recent experiences with portable 12/24 v portable refrigeration. (looking at dometic cf110). Some older dometic posters are not happy with reliability / quality of build. Looking for extra capacity for 2 to 3 month bahamas trip. Keep in cockpit; fairly protected. Run on 24 V.
Would not be helpful to have quick breakdown.

[Pete7]

For 5 years I cruised on a rib (camping) with the smaller CF18. Brilliant bit of kit re-branded Waeco.

Initial problem was caused by me not using heavy enough wiring to run the fridge. Once that was sorted out and I switched to 24v rather than 12v it worked really well, indeed froze my sandwiches solid the first time I used it. Used about 3AH in bursts of cooling during a UK summer.

It went from the rib to sandy beaches for BBQ's on a regular basis, traveled in the car and stored in the garage.

Sold it after 5 years for 60% of the purchase price because the yacht has a cool box so need for portable fridge freezer. Buyer was delighted.

If we were ever travelling off the beaten track I would consider another to use as a second fridge or freezer.

There is a quilted jacket which improves the insulation, available as an expensive accessory if you live in a hot climate.

Pete

[PDScott]

Have used an Engel portable as a freezer for 5 years. Great product. Runs on 12 volt or 110.

[ohdrinkboy]

I read good things about Engel portable units. Although I have no personal experience/connection with them.

[john61ct]

Engels are famous for longevity, resisting damage from abuse, and also very efficient.

ARB next maybe.

But after that, the whole product niche is pretty solid, service availability, getting spare parts in your locale should be considered.

[Kokanee]

Dometec / Waeco are generally well built and fairly efficient. The weak point seems to be their thermistor. I had to replace mine after about 5 years. The replacement part is only about $30 but a fair bit of labour. It seems to be a fairly common problem.
The other issue with any non fan forced fridge is the temperature varies considerably from top to bottom, so keep your lettuce on the top.

[laika]

Another for engle. We've had ours for 5 years now and have nothing but praise for it. Very efficient, quiet and reliable.

[Cheechako]

Dometic units left a bad taste in my mouth due to unreliability. Not portable units though and older ones. But they were terrible, I just couldn't get myself to buy one unless it was dirt cheap.
Engel is the way to go for quality.

[john61ct]

Dometic is like a global conglomerate, the non-portables division may as well be a separate company.

But yes, they are not at the top for reliability / longevity.

[Davy J]

At one time we had both a Dometic 35 and an Engel MT45. The Dometic was a power hog and gave us a few problems. Sold it and now have two Engel MT45's. Engel is much more efficient.

[CaptainMurph]

Engel MT45 as well.

On 110V mostly but my solar system, secondary battery bank allows permanent off the grid use.

Have never found a better value.

I recommend them highly to all my West Marine customers.

[grecko]

We have the EdgeStar FP430 for 5 years now and still works great

[ed91e]

Check out Snomaster.
Really solid quality.

[TassieBloke]

Engel all the way.

They have a solid reputation here in OZ. They are the default fridge/freezer for the Outback/4WD crowd, with pretty serious abuse/use.

The swing type compressor draws quite low current, and my 45lt held -21C even on 40C days...albeit it ran most of the time. They call them transit covers here, so it is like a insulated cover over the unit with mesh openings for airflow.

They are not cheap, but when they run for years without problem, what price do you put on that.

One thing that I found annoying was due to being a single zone, so either a fridge or freezer, I sorta forgot that when I bought it. There are now dual zone Engels out that have the same reliability records.

I am sure others will chime in as well, but the Waeco/Dometic brand here is like a cheaper cousin, with most installations being in caravans.

Hope this helps,

Bloke

[Fore and Aft]

We have a Waeco that gets used whenever we are camping/travelling and it has lasted 6 or 7 years of getting knocked around. For the yacht we have a Trail Blazer that I built into the galley. The Trail Blazer are made here on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

So many boats I survey now use portable fridges. I think mainly becuase they are easy to install and can be taken out to be repaired.
Cheers