Coleman Powerchill vs ARB Fridge

[HoneyBadgerXJ]

Does anyone have experience with the Coleman Powerchill electric cooler? It's essentially a fridge but significantly cheaper than the ARB fridge. From what I can find though, the reviews are pretty mixed. Anyone used it before? Would you recommend it over the ARB fridge?

 

[mr._shafer_sir]

Check out Trailrecon i believe he used one for years. Good luck

 

[HoneyBadgerXJ]

Check out Trailrecon i believe he used one for years. Good luck

Thanks, I'll check it out

 

[1Louder]

Apples and bricks. They are not the same thing. The Coleman "cools" things. Very limited. The ARB and other brands (Indel, Dometic, Engle, National Luna, SnoMaster, etc) are real refrigerators/freezers.

From Coleman: "More than a cooler, but not quite a refrigerator, it cools up to 40 °F below the surrounding temperature without any ice. So if you use your cooler in an environment where the temperature is 70 °F, this cooler will maintain an internal temperature around 30 °F."

https://www.coleman.com/powerchill-40-quart-thermoelectric-cooler/3000001497.html

 

[Steve]

it cools up to 40 °F below the surrounding temperature without any ice. So if you use your cooler in an environment where the temperature is 70 °F, this cooler will maintain an internal temperature around 30 °F."

Exactly! And if your vehicle's interior is 140° on a sunny day in the south, then the inside of the chiller will be 100°. I'm not positive, but I think the chiller uses significantly more power than a good fridge/freezer, too.

 

[Anywaythere]

If I’m not mistaken the Coleman Powerchill uses thermoelectric cooling based on the Peltier effect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect

Basically, by applying a voltage across 2 joined conductors it causes heat to be transferred from one side to the other. The limitation is that if the surrounding temperature is high (like in a vehicle), you’d be trying to pump heat to an already hot conductor. That’s why they always say “up to X degree below ambient temperature.” The other drawback is that it uses quite a bit of energy to achieve this effect, but I’m not sure how it compares against an actual fridge like the ARB.

Peltier chips can also be found in those desk top USB drink cooler/warmers.

 

[HoneyBadgerXJ]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It seems an actual fridge will be the better option. I had a friend trying to convince me to get the powerchill because it's cheaper, if it won't stand up against the heat then no thanks lol.

 

[Berkshires]

As others have said - there is no comparison. I have an ARB 50qt and it was one of the best purchases I made for camping and traveling to remote places. I knew one person who had a PowerChill, but his use was very different, he traveled a lot for work and wanted something in the car to keep drinks and sandwiches cold without buying ice everywhere, then threw stuff in the hotel fridge overnight. It was a good inexpensive option for his use, but not suitable for overlanding.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

There is no comparison in the two in function or price. If you want something that will work if you know what your expecting. the powerchill will work. I use one with great success. There is some preperation compared to the ARB style but you can effectively use them. Theres a few tricks to them, but the best thing about them is they are 90 bucks from walmart on sale and do work. Just don't expect them to perform like an arb.

 

[Viking1204]

I have refrigerator like this from Ebay, mine is branded Costway and it's a great fridge, I've used mine several times now with great success.

53 Quarts Portable Electric Car Cooler Refrigerator/Freezer Compressor Outing | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 53 Quarts Portable Electric Car Cooler Refrigerator/Freezer Compressor Outing at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Wanna buy one and ship it to me? They don't ship to Canada. Ha ha. Thst being said, that's a great deal.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Got my powerchill "chillin" for tomorrow. We are going for a drive and are taking some drinks, food and milk. Can't wait!