Here we go again......
Submitted by Ringy35 on Tue, 2011-11-22 18:25
Ive posted a topic about this before but this time im after some details...
ENGEL vs WAECO????????
I've heard a whole lot about both and I know its like ford to crummydore but i was wondering if anyone out there acutally knows any facts behind this? Every where I go just try and sell me anything thats in front of me and its given me the shits!
Sorry to those out there that might of read this 1000 times over the last few years but Im chasing facts before i blow my coin...
Cheers
Ringy
sea-kem
Posts: 15028
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I've got an 80 lt Waeco and
I've got an 80 lt Waeco and use it to keep all the chrissy drinks cold. It's never missed a beat. I don't reckon you can go wrong either way. It's like most 4WD's nowadays the quality is pretty good in most.
Love the West!
mullows
Posts: 738
Date Joined: 25/12/08
Hey RingyMy experience only.
Hey Ringy
My experience only. Bought a camper trailer a few years ago now and the only 40l fridge that would fit in it was the Waeco. I did have and still have a 40L engel. Both Waeco's shat themselves fairly soon after purchase, one a compressor and the other Christ knows. After much backwards and forwards (months) with Dometic (waeco) the one with the shat compressor was replaced. The other has been fixed and fixed and fixed (just got it back again a few weeks ago) and to this day I am still not confident that it will do the job, waiting for it to die to be honest. In the meantime we have taken the Engel and the other two to Exmouth in summer and the engel was a trooper and didn't miss a beat. Both Waecos get a bit precious and the red lights come on to say I have had enough''. Others love ém, each to their own, just know that I would never ever again buy another Waeco as long as my fat arse points to the ground.
Cheers
Mullows
The Older I get the better I was :-)
smash
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 01/12/10
isnt the red light to say
isnt the red light to say your battery is down to 11.5 volt? at least 1 flash is I think?
mullows
Posts: 738
Date Joined: 25/12/08
Red stayed on from memory and
Red stayed on from memory and the err message came on also. When it cooled down and I reset it it was fine till it got hot the next day again. Had multiple problems with that one fridge, the other that was replaced has been fine. Has been back a few times and there is always something that they change to make it work again. The last time the thermostat was playing up and when set to 5 c it was actually -7c inside. Awesome when you go to get a beer and it is frozen :-(
Cheers
Mullows
The Older I get the better I was :-)
wadetolley
Posts: 2258
Date Joined: 27/06/08
Waeco
Waeco are good if kept in your car out of dust ect...and are less $$$ but Engel is tougher and made to be sitting on the tray of your ute in the open...but you do pay the extra $$$
Ringy35
Posts: 138
Date Joined: 30/04/11
power?
anyone know much about the power consumption of the 2? or compressor rating? or I did here that the waecos come out with a low voltage cut out, is this true? This would be handy due to the single battery situation. The fridge will always be kept in the back of the 100 series so no dramas with dust ect
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
I have one of the really old school greyish body green lid
engles and that has been running every day for years.I keep saying i will buy a new one but the old one just wont give in.I think if it does die i will get it fixed anyhow,it been a trooper and out lasted a few of the mates other brand fridges by years.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
dodgy
Posts: 4580
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Engel for me. Paid the $$ a
Engel for me. Paid the $$ a few years ago and it's one of my best ever purchases.
Mate bought an engel from a garage sale 5 years ago. It had a ford escort 2l sitting on the lid in a pool of oil. Paid $20. Bought a power cord and it's still going... Complete with scratches and dented in lid.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Bluedog
Posts: 251
Date Joined: 28/07/11
I've had my engel for ten
I've had my engel for ten years now and it has been running as a spare fridge more often than not and has never missed a bit. Mine is the Silver 40th Anniversary model and today I saw the Gold 50th Anniversary model which looks pretty cool, i wonder if they'll bring out matching covers to suit.
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
Try to get the info from
Try to get the info from someone that has had both somewhere hot and humid. I cant comment on the waeco as i've never owned one but i have 2 engels for about 8 years and live where its very hot for six months of the year. I run them sitting in a ute in the sun and they never fail. I run one as a fridge and one as a freeze. I would now only buy an engel as they have proved themself to me.
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
both the same
they both are as good as each other i have sold them both for years they draw the same power they freeze water in the same amount of time they shit themselves in the % of numbers THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE
out wide
Posts: 1535
Date Joined: 30/12/08
Nearly all truckies
use Engels most say waecos are shit. LEAVE THEM ALONE or you will pay in the long run
woody
Posts: 617
Date Joined: 27/02/08
I bought the 40l Engel
I bought the 40l Engel because of its reliability and legend status....never missed a beat for nearly 5 years...and then shat a compressor motor and powers supply!! $900 to repair for a $1200 fridge!! ...........But insurance paid up (most of it). Unlucky I guess....
I'd still buy another one....
But take a look at the new ARB fridges...not too bad and won the fridge shootout in 4wd action mag. 80% of portables these days run danfoss compressors like Waeco, ARB etc.....
DhuBoi
Posts: 896
Date Joined: 25/05/09
the old man had his engel for
the old man had his engel for 20 years n still hasnt missed a beat , and thats truck driving all over australia in varying climates etc. Desert to Mountains.
living is fishing
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
engel every timetwo mates
engel every time
two mates have waeco's , one wouldn't reach freezing on highest power in mid summer sun, while my engel was on setting 3 and below 0.
the other waeco wasn't working right.
it's a no brainer to me.
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
KEN_DOG
Posts: 80
Date Joined: 21/04/11
ENGEL vote here
ENGEL vote here
Billcollector
Posts: 2086
Date Joined: 16/05/09
National Luna. A little bit
National Luna. A little bit pricier but shit all over the others. I've got an 80ltr one in my cruiser that sits on -1 and draws bugger all compared to the engels on my camper trailer.
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
National luna
is my next one if the engel ever dies.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
Billcollector
Posts: 2086
Date Joined: 16/05/09
Built properly with the best
Built properly with the best seals and insulation you will get. The heat up here in a locked up car is extreme yet the fridge runs like a charm and holds it's temp no matter what. Money well spent and if you do your homework you can get them for around the same price as the equivalent Engel.
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
we had a couple of engels,a luna and a chescold one
on a trip and the luna brained them all
The other one i like the look of is the trailblazers out of qld
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
Billcollector
Posts: 2086
Date Joined: 16/05/09
They are right up there as
They are right up there as well but quite bulky
Dan
Posts: 168
Date Joined: 23/02/06
ARB
Just to throw a spanner in the works I just bought an ARB one (at 4x4/camping show last weekend)
It did pretty well in a recent 4x4 Action review.
Waeco's - not bad for the money, handy to have the dairy compartment, and internal light - poor insulation in the lids (really thin), and have heard a few stories of problems with the control units - apparently they use danfos compressors, but not danfoss control units = compatability issues
Engels - built solid, and you pay for the quality, don't like the fact they don't have a low voltage cut out, and you cant set a specific temperature. in recent years they have moved production away from Japan (Thailand ?) and quality has suffered a bit. so all you folk with 10yo ones - hold onto them !! :)
ARB - I chose the ARB because of the rugged design, handles dont stick out at each end, and controls are protected. has low voltage cut out and you can set the temperature. element is incorporated into the interior, so no stray bits of food can get stuck behind the element, and it also has a drain plug in the bottom so you can clean it out easily
National Luna - probably the best on the market, but a bit big for my needs - nicely built though and well insulated !
Ringy35
Posts: 138
Date Joined: 30/04/11
..
Nice comparison mate thats sorta what im after. cheers
Ringy
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
I have both. I think the
I have both. I think the Waeco is good with the turbo function to chill things quickly. The Engel will continue to run if the voltage drops, but the bloody Waeco will conk out and flash red light if the voltage drops.
Agree with the statement that the lid is thin on the waeco. I reckon a lot of heat passes through thte lid.
I would probably buy an Engel, if I ever need another one.
My mate had 2 Engels both buggered at the same time. Was gonna cost over $700 each to fix em so he threw them out.
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
you need to look closer
waeco have 3 stages of conkout the last being 10.5 volts which you never want your battery to get to anyway its a switch on the back of the unit plus dont you know cold air falls and hot air rises the lid has more than enough insulation its just not an issue
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
Yeah is that the low med high
Yeah is that the low med high switch? It has siezed
I currently have the waeco in the back yard running off of an 80 watt solar panel connected to a deep cycle battery. I use it to store ice, and it is doing fine. Once a week I connect the charger to ensure the battery is not draining too low.
The temp control panel is stuffed and the frij is stuck on about 3 /4, but is enough to keep ice in the karratha heat
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
You state above you have sold both for years
in your opinion if you had a big trip to do and only had room for one fridge to keep your precious beer cold for the trip which would it be?For me from the two mentioned it would be hands down engel.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
strike_zone
Posts: 403
Date Joined: 09/09/10
i got the waeco
i have the waeco 40 l but when i go away i borrow my brothers 2 40 l engels as well they all run fine with no issues off solar generator and houshold 240 volt plus done that many comparisons thru work running the brands side by side really just cant split them and as far as reliability goes warranty issues ect they both have had as many issues so really for me personally i cant split them
KEN_DOG
Posts: 80
Date Joined: 21/04/11
Am not convinced there is
Am not convinced there is much credibility in the previously mentioned "magazine reviews".......wouldn't base much of my decision making on those.
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Engel all
the way for us. 45litre, either can be a fridge or freezer or both. We have put in the dribble battery for it and hardly draws any power, We have two connections now one that draws on the battery while Prado is running then the fridge turns off when we turn the iginiation off, so we got the dribble battery for when we go to Broome next year, goes all night, then will turn the Engel off when power is down and then the battery will charge when we start up the Prado. So far the Engel has kept everything nice and cool. Frozen has stayed frozen for when we drive to Leeman. Its a permanent fixture in the Prado (covered by insurance with the car) we use it alot when we go shopping, keeps everything perishables nice and cold for when we go home or stop off somewhere before home.
edited.....ours is all metal and what surprised me was the cover to fit the engel was just on $200, I couldn't believe the price, but they threw it in for nothing, as the engel ws $1800, seeing we spent over $2,000, as we also bought a monsterous big esky as well. The only problem (so far) with our Engel is when you open the lid it seems to come off its back hinge all the time (designed I think to take it off to clean?), but when we put the cover on, the lid cover did help but not a 100%, so you can image old fart cursing everytime it comes off hahaha when we are loading it up.
Ginger Tablets Rock
Billcollector
Posts: 2086
Date Joined: 16/05/09
Biggest issue I would have
Biggest issue I would have with all the plastc fridges is will they hold their shape and not have the lids warp in hot temperatures(as cars do), and that includes the Arb one( it hasn't been around that long). Give me a metal bodied one anyday.
Ringy35
Posts: 138
Date Joined: 30/04/11
Cheers
Cheers for all the replies,
Still undecided.... thinkin of becomin a genuine waeco guinea pig!! hope i dont regret it. just need it to last 7500ks for the next move and for 650 bucks at BCF I might do it for mine and everyone elses sake and find out the results myself. I like the idea of the low voltage cut out and have a mate that has had one for a few years now and its still going. BUT trust me!!! if it shits itself everyone will know about it!!!!!
If your keen on hearing the results stay tuned, end of january the mission will be complete gero, nullabor, sth west vic, central nsw, up the east coast qld... Gladstone.. If it makes it, its paid for itself, anything after ill be happy.
IF.. it does decide to pack it in you guys will be the first to know and any i told you so comments WILL be taken on the chin.
Cheers for all the comments again.
Ringy
PJAY
Posts: 1005
Date Joined: 12/05/09
i have a1981 engel that has
i have a1981 engel that has not missed a beat. has been turned on most of that time. paid $45 for a new lid seal and $20 for a new internal basket........all metal construction and still keeping things cool as it did new......
The Kimberley....perfect one day and more perfect the next!!!
Rod P
Posts: 725
Date Joined: 20/05/08
I have both and will say the
I have both and will say the engel is a pleasure to use. With the kids opening and closing all the time i find the temp control so easy to adjust and accurate. As for the waeco i seem to have masted frozen or hot.
Oceanside Tackle
Posts: 2803
Date Joined: 23/07/09
Fridge power consumption
Both brands make good products,
Sold both for a few years a little while back. On power consumption the Waeco will use more juice on start up and to getting to the desired temperature. Once both units reach the desired temperature the Engel will use over a third more power to maintain that temperature.
Cheers Blake
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Ringy35
Posts: 138
Date Joined: 30/04/11
cheers
Thats the sorta info im after. Thanks Blake