I'm about to buy a fridge/freezer and am between arb and dobinsons fridge.

[ArkansasDon]

The difference is, Engel have been manufacturing portable fridg\freez for over 50 yrs, they are the lowest power consumption portable fridg\freez on the market. They are the only portable fridg\freez that has a compressor that only has one moving part which increases reliability & low power consumption. You hardly hear about Engels breaking down. It's a fridg\freez for life. You pay more for the Engel for all the reasons I listed.

 

[Truckee]

If somebody asked me for the most reliable fridge, I'd easily answer Engel. They are definitely "a Legend in Reliability." What's not to like? The dial fridge control does not work very well. You can go from cold to frozen in just one small movement of the dial. Shifting cargo could make the adjustment for you. I can't say which type of compressor (swing or Dan Foss) is more efficient or powerful. However, I know you can adjust the DanFoss compressors to speed them up, when needed. I've slept next to both types of compressors and can't say which one was louder.

Engels don't usually come with an low-voltage shut-off feature. Fairly easy to add but almost every other fridge offers it, built in. The hinges on the older (MT?) style fridges are kinda annoying in that they can dismount very easily when open. They offer a hinge lock kit but I haven't used it yet.

 

[ArkansasDon]

I like the dial control over the digital control & the low-voltage shut-off feature doesn't apply to me since I do not keep my Engel in the vehicle 24\7. I keep my Engel as fridge & the setting is 39 degrees. As for the dial moving while in transit?, never had an issue with that & I own 2 Engels, MT & the MR . IMO "only" the Swing compressor is far more efficient than the Dan Foss which is nothing wrong with the Dan Foss compressor. I like the fact that the Swing compressor has only "one" moving part which "for me" less will go wrong. Most folks wont buy an Engel for the reason they can buy a larger competitors fridge for the cost of a small Engel. For me Engels legendary reputation comes down to their years of building portable fridg\freez for over 50 years show for the reliability & the lowest power consumption fridge\freeze have. Yes I am partial to Engel for the fact I never had any issue that would cause me to purchasing competitors fridge over Engel. Like I said I've owned 2 Engels & both served me well w\o any problems.

The dislike of the Engels? the latches, but I hear that from pretty much most if not all competitors portable fridg\freez too, that the latch can be a issue, but a small issue. But I can not say the latches really bother me that bad to have a strong dislike. The MR aka Eclipse model of Engel is the basic\Marine line & I got a heck of a deal on it, over $218.00 off the list price, new with free shipping. I'm not into bells & whistles like the low-voltage shut-off feature, USB Port's, WiFi App's, digital display. These thing do not apply to me or the wife & IMO electronics do go out. I like the simplicity of the Engel were you plug it in a 12v. socket or 110 outlet, "dial" the setting "you"like & load it with your groceries & be done. We install a small clip on thermometer to the basket.

 

[Truckee]

I have read many comparisons on fridge efficiency, Engel vs ARB vs etc.... and the outcome is inconsistent... so I'm not convinced either brand compressor is superior to the other in terms of efficiency or performance. Danfoss compressors have variable speeds which is kind nice... granted the controller can make use of it.

My experience with Engels were the older (5-10 yrs old). I just looked at the newer Engel Platinum fridges and they've added the low voltage cut-off and a digital display.