Best place to buy a fridge?

inexplorata

Member
I rolled the dice on an Amazon return of a Dometic 60, it hasn't let me down. Set a "used" price alert at CamelCamelCamel.com and was patient until it paid off. I mean, so far. I also keep in in the back full-time, not having to go to the grocery store last has been an errand-running game changer.
 
i have a ton of fridges. oldest is an old metal case ARB thats about20 years old. still running stong ( but very inefficent) All the others use the same nidec compressor , bd-35f ( fromerly secop, formerly danfoss). so far i have an ironman, two smittybilts, new arb, indel-b, and a few china brands im testing. All preform about the same.. only major differences is the dimensions of each and what will fit your needs. The condenser and insulation of the body is what makes up the performance differences.

working with a few overseas companies , you will soon find out that 20 companies might sell the same looking fridge. Some are re-sellers and some actual manufactures. The big differences in the QC and testing that they do before the fridge is packaged,,and what after purchase support is available. almost all fridges can be repaired in minutes for most faults, with the exception of a freon leak.

the other big differences is the programming circuitry from company to company. I see some using relays to control the settings and some using mosfets. many are transitioning over to mosfets from relays. I can tell you the smittybilt i got this year has mosfets and the 4 year old one is relays. my arb is about 3 years old and has relays. ironman was also relays. Indel-b was mosfets.

there are other compressors is some of the brands i dont own yet with a swing style compressor which uses less moving parts and should be more reliable.

Just find somethign that fits your saize requirements and that you know will be around in years to come. also take a lok at warranty, if you have to ship it back for repair on your dime , it might not be worth it, some companies will walk you thru diagnostics and then ship you a repair part that can be changed in 1-2 minutes.
 

vartz04

Adventurer
I got a Della freezer a couple years ago. It’s a 50L. It’s been running for most of that two years inside and on a couple trips. It’s just a Chinese no namer but it works. I did have to take it apart and reinstall the fridge temp sensor. It must have came loose during shipping and the fridge display would show ambient temp and never stop running. No issues since that fix.


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Della-Por...LED-Adjustable-temperature-50-Liter/101061863

It must have been a single run under that brand name because no one has it in stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

fire_strom

Adventurer
I think I have a rough idea but when it comes to fridge circuitry, what are the pros and cons of relay vs mosfet?
-G
 

ouachitaadventure

New member
Picked up a Hema Cool military fridge recently. not good on space, but if you have a truck it works pretty well. Runs off DC, AC, Solar, and has two rechargeable batteries that will power if for two days.

 

SportsmanJake

Adventurer
Best place is craigslist. "Overlanding" is so popular these days that used stuff is readily available.
I got my ARB 50l like-new for $400 an hour away from me.
 
I think I have a rough idea but when it comes to fridge circuitry, what are the pros and cons of relay vs mosfet?
-G


relays can leak and fail more readily than a mosfet since it uses no moving parts and is not effected by vibration or when you drop a 85 lb fridge out of your vehicle.
 

Lykos

Super Trucker
I found mine right here in the Expo Classifieds.

Beware! This gets expensive.

I'll have almost $2000 tied up in fridge, wiring, batteries and solar just to avoid buying ice at music festivals.

?
 

WJ-Jeeper

New member
I Bought a Costway 100quart fridge direct from their website this last Christmas, was on sale for around $500 shipped.

Hooked it up and tested it inside for a couple weeks, ran it off of a 100AH battery from walmart, and 100W solar panel(Amazon Kit).

it is very large, and worked great once I moved the battery closer. havent got to use it camping yet as we haven't been this year yet due to weather.

So far though, I like it a lot, and as long as it continues to work, im glad i got it.
 

Wallygator

Adventurer
Came across this the other day and thought it was pretty interesting. Self powered and the batteries can be swapped out. Also excepts solar, 12V, and AC at a pretty reasonable price. It seems as long as you buy from the company or Amazon you will avoid the knockoff that people have issue with. Right now it's between this one or Dometic 50 come May when REI has their 30% sale. Both will be the same price then.

https://www.acopower.com/acopower-r...MIxsmnrsSI4QIVUwOGCh2psgaSEAQYAiABEgIUDfD_BwE
 

billiebob

Well-known member

dreadlocks

Well-known member
Front loaders loose all the cold air when you open em up, they also tend to dump everything onto the ground when opened up after a drive.. 65W is pretty high too.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,538
Messages
2,875,656
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top