Fridge Options

[Rhubarb]

Hi,
I’ve got a 3 seater bench Beach and my thoughts have turned to getting a fridge.

From the research I’ve done I believe I need a compressor one as they are (a) quieter in use and (b) more efficient in terms of electric usage ‘off grid’. Is this correct ?

From what I’ve seen the Dometic CFX range it the gold standard but you pay top dollar for it. If I get a different (and cheaper) brand like Alpicool what am I losing out on ?

Can anyone give me an opinion on what I need and why ?
Anyone seen good deals recently on new ones ? Or has anyone got a used one that’s up for sale ?

Any thoughts / help appreciated.

 

[colintfcolintf]

we had a Mestic MCC35 before we bought the Ocean. It's a great fridge

 

[Agnes_Cali]

You can try used Dometic on eBay, but be aware that they sometimes suffer from thermistor issue. It's easy to spot, fridge turns showing -30C and then showing error 1.

How to swap out the thermistor in your Dometic CFX

If you're having problems with temperature control, you probably have a bad thermistor. Apparently they are a weak link on Dometic fridges and have been for many years. Some last 10+ years; mine lasted about 4 before it crapped out. Luckily the CFX fridges require a lot less invasive...

forum.expeditionportal.com

I've got CF26 that suffers from this issue from time to time, but after a few hours can work flawlessly for months. And when it's working, it's great little fridge.

Older series CDF sold on Amazon fluctuate in prices and can be cheap sometimes. Depends on what size you want. I went for CF 26, because it fits behind the seat in my other car.

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

We have a waeco (now domestic) tcx21. Worked flawlessly for seven years, piezo electric cooler or heater, and an unobtrusive fan, integral mains and 12v operation, top of cooler pattern matches beach floor, £180 now ish

 

[It’sNotBeige]

First time of buying a fridge for a car, and I chose the cheaper end of the market, a TotalFreeze 45, only had it a couple of months so can't give a long term view, but pleasantly surprised so far, decent size and only about £240 too. Light enough to move it from car to house which has just proved useful for keeping bottle conditioned ales at the recommended 10 to 12 degrees this weekend! Decent handles that can be bungeed to hold it secure in various vehicles.