UPDATE : I lost power this summer for 5.5 hours & it was in freezer mode. Things were still frozen on that 73 degree day. It has been running straight for months & works like a charmI have looked at these for years but the first generation from the top companies were so much money & my need was not that great that it was considered a toy in my eyes.......but wait Boys & their toys.
OK so a few years go by & I see units (Alpicool etc) that cost less then the big brands but get great reviews on Amazon & eBay as well as others. I buy the boat that is only 12 volts but i get free Ice where I am ,,,so again no portable fridge/freezer.
So now this semi new company comes out called Setpower....HHMMMM I take a look......the fires burn again.
Now do i need a 13 QT, 21QT or a 31 or larger.....again $$$$$ I cant buy four of them...why the bigger one because of power outages that we get a few times a year.
Price is good but not good enough lol & what size.
So now as far as I can tell the setpower is the new low price leader with good reviews.
Then they come out with a lower price line that also gets great reviews
One company on EBay offers if you but two they give you a good discount & run a special
So my brain says buy the 13 Qt for day trips & the 21 QT for weekends & when I need it I have the popular 34 QT for power outages by using two at a time.
OK the review lol
Packaging ***** two boxes plus Styrofoam
Looks ***** amazing a nice gray color with white trim
Sound ***** OK my old ears may not be what they were but it is hard to hear when it is on
Instructions ****1/2 Really GoodEasy to use ***** four buttons
Cooling ***** Got to the temp of 35 in a few minutes & my soda was ice cold within an hour or less.
OK a quick break here. What they did (low price model) is the compressor gets down to O degrees instead of -4F like the better Setpower & others do so I figured that freezing would not be great on this unit.
Freezing ***** I put a single 16 Oz yogurt cup 80% filled with water in the unit last night & surprise it was frozen solid this morning ....A real surprise.....I had set the unit to 15 F to make up for the colder garage at 59F. So that I have more power if I need it in a warm boat.
Lasting temp with power off ** OK a weakness maybe! after six hours off the temp inside was 44F. If others out there have a portable fridge freezer they may keep things colder longer. Also, if I had a full freezer maybe things would have stayed colder as the ice started to melt
Memory ***** knock out the power (Happens in a marina often) & put the power back on & the unit turns back on & it remembers the temp & settings it last had......great move
Lasting power/quality.
??time will tell as it seems well made & had thought put into it.
OK it draws 45 watts or less when it has reached its set temp. I have heard it may draw a little more when first on. Now remember the motor is not always running so it won't use up your entire battery all at once.
You can run these things with third party portable batteries & solar if you want to.
What features it does not have are USB charging of phones, Bluetooth, & there are one or two battery units that are $$$$$. Also I have seen some bigger ones with wheels & pulling handles. I should say some come with trays & a bottom drain as far as the drain on units this size I don't see a need. one thing about capacity is that you don't put ice in these units so smaller holds more. That being said Set Power & others make units with drains that are also coolers a nice option but with me I think I could put freezer packs in if needed.
My units charge extra for the 110 volt plug as the 12 volt is standard.
So for a couple of days I am more then happy with my new toy I mean necessity (my wife is near). I will give it five stars as the only negative may .......be the holding temps when off, In a perfect world it would be nice to turn it off at night to save power. But i wont know this until I hear back from others.
These units do need defrosting from time to time but it is too soon for me to tell how often.
I would like to hear from others that have these or any questions you may have?
If you see my wife remember NECESSITY!!
Cost was $123 for the 13 & $139 for the 21 plus free shipping & two years on the Compressor warranty & one year on the other parts. Shipping was free & their was a discount for buying two off of those prices
