Engel or Waeco...

[red t ute]

Ive got a CF60 Waeco same price as a 40L engle.
CF60 has heaps more room and you dont have to dig to find the marg as it sits on top of the compressor
We rolled our patrol it went over 6 times and all that broke was the latch.And a few spilt rum cans.
I was in hospital for 2 months.
I fixed the Weaco in a week the local waeco dealer replaced the latch for free.

My old man got the last of the ARB Engle it died took 2 months to fix and had have the complete compressor and condenser unit repleced and then told him you carn't run it of a non sin wave generator.
What bull shit

 

[knot_gillty]

Ive got a CF60 Waeco same price as a 40L engle.
CF60 has heaps more room and you dont have to dig to find the marg as it sits on top of the compressor
We rolled our patrol it went over 6 times and all that broke was the latch.And a few spilt rum cans.
I was in hospital for 2 months.
I fixed the Weaco in a week the local waeco dealer replaced the latch for free.

My old man got the last of the ARB Engle it died took 2 months to fix and had have the complete compressor and condenser unit repleced and then told him you carn't run it of a non sin wave generator.
What bull shit

Ahh, see, theres your problem right there.....

Both fridges are great. I personally prefer Waeco. If they cost the same i might be swayed but i don't think that will be happening any time soon.

If anyone is after a Waeco or Engel give me a call and i'll see how i can compare to any price out there!!

 

[red hilux]

slight jacking of a thread,

Im just started looking for a fridge freezer, from what the salesperson told me today, the evakool is one of easiest to look after, doesnt mind a hosing of the inside, also she said evakool is one of the only portable units that will freeze ice cream on a hot day, unlike the others.

This is sorta sold me on it, plus its a strong looking unit that should hopefully handle my abuse from the van

Personally, I like the evakool due to its physical size. The 47 litre is just about perfect for what I need, and the physical size is no where near the engle or waeco in comparason

 

[frosty]

The evercool is a good unit. However, I've seen a few of their units crack. They are made from fibreglass, therefore, no flex in the material. Evercool esky's are the BEST when it comes to insulation properties and the fridge's are made the same. I don't know much about their refridge units. I reckon they would be a good unit. My only concern may be body durability.

Before anyone *****es at me, I've seen literally hundreds come through my place. AND they are the BEST esky's.

 

[omvanders]

Frosty wrote:

The evercool is a good unit. However, I've seen a few of their units crack. They are made from fibreglass, therefore, no flex in the material.

Some Evakools are made of fibreglass. Others like the one I've got (Evakool Fridgemate 55L) are made of the same gear as their eskies. Great units... hardy as.

 

[phs]

bang for buck the weaco wins over the engle in my books

 

[phs]

either one you buy it will work much better in the back of a cruiser!

 

[y0di]

i cant offer any help with which one is better, i have a 45 lt engle, had it for 3 years, gets used once a year for our big camping trip. i take a yamaha 1 kw pure sine generator, and a 60 ah deep cycle battery with me.

usually i run the fridge off the battery all day, start the genny at 6-ish, run for 2 hours charging the battery, and freezing the fridge. shut off genny when kids go to bed, disconnect fridge from genny and battery, do not open till morning. at which point (morning) fridge is re-connected to battery. never had a flat battery, nor spoilt food.

however, this year the fridge ran off the battery for 5 days solid, still freezing for 2 hours at night, then disconnecting over night. didnt start the genny once, still no flat battery, or spoilt food.

why did i choose the engle?? place i bought from , sold both, but salesman said they have a lot of warranty concerns with the waeco, and next to none with the engle.

stress HIS WORDS, NOT MINE. needless to say, im happy with my engle.

will.

 

[daweclan]

either one you buy it will work much better in the back of a cruiser!

NAH ! PATROL!!! More room to slide around.lol

 

[Split pin]

Ahh, see, theres your problem right there.....

Both fridges are great. I personally prefer Waeco. If they cost the same i might be swayed but i don't think that will be happening any time soon.

If anyone is after a Waeco or Engel give me a call and i'll see how i can compare to any price out there!!

Hey Knotty
Do you sell an 80ltr fridge or similiar that will fit in the side draw of a Johnno,s Deluxe camper?.

 

[knot_gillty]

Hey Knotty
Do you sell an 80ltr fridge or similiar that will fit in the side draw of a Johnno,s Deluxe camper?.

YEP!! Got one in stock too. It's brand new but i've taken it out of the box to show a customer the interior size. I've got the travel bag with it too. I'll PM you the price. 80lt fits perfectly, it's what we had in our Deluxe and we will be getting another for the Limited.

 

[Split pin]

YEP!! Got one in stock too. It's brand new but i've taken it out of the box to show a customer the interior size. I've got the travel bag with it too. I'll PM you the price. 80lt fits perfectly, it's what we had in our Deluxe and we will be getting another for the Limited.

Cheers thanks Knotty. That would be great.

 

[pinospatrol]

No ones suggested ARB,S new one good reports from what lve read

 

[BEERAD]

My personal opinion is Engels are awesome fridges and so are waecos I prefer waeco fridges as they are plastic/ lighter/ more room efficient/ have a separate dairy section the list goes on I believe waecos are heaps better for moving around as they come with handles and are taller and not so wide. Engels have a great reputation and are really good fridges but you are paying a lot of money for an old design and not really suited to portability .

 

[billolga]

My Engels is 15 years old & never missed a beat - I have seen several Engels over 20 years old (Ask @Nickj how much he paid for his Engles & how old it is) - I have never seen a Waeco that old - HOWEVER the Engles costs heaps more (Metal one).
There are a lot of fridges these days far cheaper than the Engles & Waeco & it depends how much you use the fridge & where you take it.
I had a talk with a Sydney guy that does warranty work for a lot of fridges - he had a definite opinion on the fridges that kept him in a job.

 

[fourocker]

+1 for Evakool, made in Queensland and work great !!

 

[ULost2]

get the best value/deal on the day of the purchase IMO. Have had an engel for 30 years; case is cracked and broken from rough trucks but it still works. Engel has just been around longer so more swear by them. There's BCF catalog coming out this week I believe and Aussie D have an engel (??) on special atm. There will be plenty of specials around for the next couple of months
There are other fridges around. http://www.kulkyne.com/au/Portable-Camping-Fridges. I noticed a caravan fridge in the back of a 4x4 the other day; 12/240 v and gas fridge wouldn't be too bad IMO

 

[Cuvier100]

I have been using Engels (32L, 40L and 60L units) for 40 years with great reliability. My first model (60L) stopped working after 35 years. So I wont shift to another brand. I have never had an issue with noise.
A few of my mates who also use Engels as a first choice have bought a 50l Waeco as in their view this model fits beer cans better (than the 40L Engel) and is not much bigger. They are heavy drinkers when cmaping so this is improtant for them.
We have never had any issues with the Engel or Waeco units. Different story for my mates who have the 80L Primus. The Primus often needs repair for either the 12V or 220V electronics failing.
I wonder how reliable the cheap units that Kambos now sell (1/3 of the price of an Engel).

 

[SPOD_Here]

The average power consumption for the fridges is as follows:

MT35FS SeriesII - 0.5-2.5amps/hr
CF-35 - 0.85amps/hr

MT60FS - 0.5-4.2amps/hr
CF-60 - 0.83amps/hr

MT80FS - 0.5-4.2amps/hr
CF-80 - 2.9amps/hr

Beware comparing published figures from manufactures Brochures. I own a 40 litre Engel and a 50 Lt Waeco, I thought i'd check into the figures quoted here because I don’t believe the Waeco is as efficient as claimed. From the instruction book the 35 litre fridge draws 6 amps at 12V under load. The figure quoted here of 0.83 must be the average current measured over the hour. Bear in mind the compressor cycles on and off as the until comes down to temperature so if it’s a cool day or in the shade, over half the time the compressor is on standby and is not drawing any current at all. The same for the Engel given the insulation on the fridge is about the same then it’s the running current that is the proper comparison.

My Engel is probably the first piece of camping gear we bought and is still going strong. I have a NASA NS-1 battery monitor to measure the current it draws, about 2.5 to 2.7 amps depending on the state of charge from the AGM orbital battery. About half of what the Waeco draws according to the specs in their instruction book. I have the Engel permanently installed in the 100 series on a slide, in a cage. It carries the food as operates ‘always on’ when we’re on the road.

I use the Waeco in the camper trailer; it’s much lighter and easier to lift. We have it on long trips to keep the beer cold. Because I think it draws a lot more power (and is 10 litres larger than the Engel) I tend to switch it off overnight and through the day to save battery. Mid-Afternoon I turn it on again and it quickly brings drinks to temperature in time for happy hour.

Don’t read the specs published on the brochure, the Engel swing motor efficient on 12v battery in my experience. If it’s a fridge for light weight use, keeping drinks cool then the Waeco is fine. If it’s for carrying food on remote travel then I’d go the Engel every time.

 

[dirvine]

Having been 4Wding for over 40 years, I resisted the outlandish cost of an Engel when it first arrive on Aus. After the Finch, the sheen , and electrolux all failed I bit the bullet and bought a 11/2 cubic ft Engel. From memory it cost me nearly $1000 at the time. which was double the price of anything else. It has been abused, in rollovers, not used for at least 10 years, and then it just started up and works. Sure it flattens batteries and id not as efficient as the new models it has stood the test of time. Nothing has broken, and when or should I say if it breaks down, I know what I would get again. It has been the best investment I have ever made in any camping equipment purchase. I read all the tests, I read all the specs etc, but as far as reliability, and lets face it thats what you want in the bush when the temp reaches 45C+, I reckon I can rely on my engel to give me a cold frothy every time. It might be heavy, but its ancored in the car so no need to move it. It can take a beating... I wonder how ell plastic will stnad up to that and perhaps even any UV light. Its Engel for me everytime.