I have the ICECO VL45, steel box, had it for a year, it has run nonstop since I purchased. Holds 38* no matter the temperature of my truck cab. I removed the front passenger seat and bolted it to the floor, using straps to the handles, I did not drill holes in the box... Only change I made was to purchase the ARB 12 volt plug, works flawlessly and does not fall out of the 12 volt socket in my wall. I would recommend getting that plug.
Going on 5 years with my Alpicool C15 and it has been great. Quiet, cold, low power draw and surprisingly cheap to buy. I have since researched ICECO and agree they are a better fridge at a great price point but considerably more than Alpi. The biggest selling point for the ICECO for me is the incredibly low power draw but with just one battery and a small solar panel my Alpicool doesn't draw down the battery if I just pay attention to voltage and adjust the solar panel. Thumbs up for Alpicool.
Hi mate these units are identical to the “Kings” Fridge/Freezers here in Australia, I’ve had my fridge for 3 years now and the temperature here in Australia as you know get extremely hot weeks on end. My kings fridge/freezer has been extremely reliable I have the 60Ltr the handles are more solid so interested when you said their going to change the handles and I’m sure they will copy Kings as their probably made on the same production line and have the same compressor. They have had faults like all fridge manufactures so it’s like a lucky dip when buying any fridge. Just on that it makes me laugh when I see adverts by manufacturers saying it has a secop/Danfoss compressor or whatever compressor their running saying how reliable they are, but in reality you don’t hear much about compressors breaking down its cheap electronics on them ie temperature regulators or thermostats or circuit boards or 12v connector sockets, l just wish they would put just as much effort in the electrics side of it as they do the compressors as they would have brilliant fridges, but we live in a throw away world and these units don’t last much past a couple of years and we have all paid good money for something we think will last ???. One big tip I will give you don’t let your fridge sit for several months in your garage without starting it and letting it run for a day or two or your next trip it may not work, you need to keep the gas and thermostats working, I start mine and run it once a month for two days if I’m not out bush. You know the old saying use it or loose it well that’s true with fridges, I know it was a long comment hope it helped.
My $600 Dometic lasted 5 years. I'm going with a cheap one this time. If you have to end your trip because your fridge died... sorry for you. Thank God it wasn't your electric tooth brush because you really would have been broken down. :)
Actually, I got it going again so I'm still using it. Doesn't work correctly if plugged into straight 12 volts. I am running it if 110 volts and it works great. No since in replacing it yet. Going on 7 years of running 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Nice video. And I can attest to everything you're saying. I've been interested in portable refrigerators ever since getting my Engle MT45 back in 2008. Now there are so many different choices. I've recently picked up that TR60. What is surprising to me is its efficiency. I've got a couple other Iceco fridges that have the same compressor but for some reason this one is the most efficient for me.
@@TeslaOverland To make a fair comparison, I test in the same environment which is my basement where the temperature varies from 66 deg to 70 depending if its winter or summer. I noticed that the TR-60 pulls around 3.5 amps on Eco and 5.0 amps on Max. It varies a little. I usually don't bother with Max mode........just use Eco mode because I'm use to the Engel which only pulls 2.5 amps and has no Max mode. And that has been sufficient. So when on its pulling 3.5 amps from a 13.2v LiFePO4 supply. That is 46.5 watts. But there is a duty cycle where its off for awhile as you know. The ambient temperature will affect the duty cycle. Turns out that average power over a weeks time was around 8 watts and I didn't open and close the lid much at all. I had a power meter in-between the battery and the TR-60. I've got a Battleborn 100Ahr LiFePO4 battery pack that I built up like your Jackery and I ran it for 6.5 days before I stopped the test. Unfortunately my Watt's Up power meter stopped at 65 amp hours before resetting. Dang if I had known that I would have taken readings before it reset. So I didn't see the point in continuing. The battery was at 12.71 volts so there wasn't a lot left. I know when I looked at earlier it was in the 8 watts average area. I estimate that I might have hit 7 days before the BMS terminated things. I usually don't like to take it down that far but only when wanting to know how much capacity I have. Assuming that Battleborn is fairly accurate with their specs that means 100Ah x 13v = 1300 amp-hours. 1300Ah/8 watts is 162.5 hours is 6.77 days. That is close to what I was seeing and so that validates the power at around 8 watts over that many days. I see from Jackery's web site that the 1000 is a 1002Wh (46.5Ah) battery. Those two numbers don't match because 1002Wh/46.5Ah = 21.6v. So I wonder if your 12v output is the raw LiFePO4 voltage or if there is a conversion to make it closer to 12v. Hopefully its the LiFePO4 value as that would take advantage of the LiFePO4 technology. But I do know that other brands convert the voltage down to 12v. I would hope that Jackery would not do that. So the question is what voltage does 46.5Ah represent? What is the actual voltage of the 12v outlet port. Lets use 46Ah and 13v LiFePO4 average for the 12v outlet. Then 46.5Ah x 13v = 604 watt hours. 604wh dived by 8.0 watts = 75.5 hours or 3.15 days without charging. If we use 1002Wh / 8 watts = 125 hours or 5.2 days. So I'm missing something with their specs. At any rate there is plenty of buffer capacity in the battery to account for dark solar nights, etc. Thanks for asking.
I've seen many videos of Dometics not being reliable, (sail boats) and owners going with Alpicool. My Alpicool has been running nonstop for about 2 years now no problem. It looks exactly like yours but the controls are different. Mine has a USB port next to indicator screen.
I'm so glad I came across this video. I had the exact same issue with my C40 Alpicool at less than a year. Like you, we were using it in the garage. Actually only took it on a weekend trip once due to Covid this year. The temps seemed to start fluctuating then it got to only going 10deg below ambient. It just shipped back to CA today and they promise a refund. Looks like they didn't even want yours back ? They did send a tag for it. I had bought extended insurance for it and that's 30 bucks down the drain. We wanted it mostly for race weekends to keep the beer in. The Iceco sounds great but we may just stick with buying ice for now. Thanks !
I use four frozen solid water bottles in my ice chest. No watery mess. They last about 4 to 8 days depending on how good your ice chest and keep the chest around refrigerator temperatures until the ice has melted.
Thanks for the reviews. Remember, a lot of products and including cars are designed with “planned obsolescence.” Products are meant to die so consumers are forced to buy a new products. I would add “good customer service and support” to anyones’s criteria for a good portable freezer. 👌😁
I talked to someone at Iceco last week. Impressive employee and company, I hope it works out for them and us. I purchased one of their fridges for my GX470 and I am in the process of setting up a solar battery charger for it...and waiting for enough money for a slide out. Great videos by the way.
@@TeslaOverland Amazon had a couple of Renogy100 watt eclipse lightweight folding panels (they are out for delivery ATM, yay), the website does not have them anymore. I am still looking for a mppt and will probably just go with an agm deep cycle to keep the cost down. I am still figuring this out. It will only power the refrigerator, maybe lights, not much really.
Thank you for showing how the plug on the side looks/fits in. I need a frig/freezer with a flat type plug due to space constraints. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Oh and yes, I do wholeheartedly approve of that new unit. Even if it wasn't that easy to use, you can tell that unit is just better in terms of the distribution of (Adequate) space. Plus, as you mention, the company has been around and stood behind their product.
@@TeslaOverland I love the look and feel of the VL series, but man the TR60 is pretty sweet too. Either of those are my favorite! I'm trying to get my hands on the VL74, the king of budget fridges! You're lucky to live so close to ICECO, tell Lu I said hi when you stop by for your video of all of his fridges.
Man I own a alpicool T50 and I haven't had any problems with my its a good and reliable unit and the company and customer service is good and pretty quick. I use my for truck camping and I been using it for my dirt bike trailer. Sorry your C Model didn't work for you but you shouldn't be calling the Alpicool cheap because it's not !!
You’re right. It’s not cheap but compared to Engel and dometic, it’s really inexpensive. But that has to come with trade offs which I think they make with the compressor.
That's the thing with Alpicool though, quality is hit or miss. I bought 2 units and 1 worked perfectly for a year, and the 2nd one worked well for 7 months before it totally crapped out
Morale of the story and a lesson to live by is, buy once cry once. Buy the absolute best you can afford, otherwise you will spend much more with replacing inferior products and eventually buying what you should've in the first place
Sorry, this guys math doesn't add up. He says in the video he has had the alpicool for a year. Posted this video 8 months ago and responded to this comment a month ago. As Randy points out he says he JUST got the ICECO which means at posting of that comment he has had the ICECO for 7 months so it has not in fact yet lasted longer than the Alpicool. ICECO just happens to be so close to his house he drove to their factory. To me this all adds up to an unofficial sponsorship from ICECO and this guy is their shill. Not saying it's not a good fridge but if you're going to tell people they should get one thing over another you should have your own story straight.
I been through a lot of 12 volt refrigerator. And figure it out. If your late 80s and above area, your going to over work the compressor as it on every 4 minutes and the humid day the one that kill it as it can't get rid of the heat. A trick here is put a bag ice and run it at 28-30 you get 1-2 life at best most. Even the englel run every 4 min. All with ice run about 1 every 15 minutes. I spent 11 hundred and got the 55 dometic. Now I understand. It's the incloser . It has a rubber synthetic foam and press down lock sealer so it keep it cold as good my 60 q yenti cooler. And don't even have to go as high as 28-30 to get the max time of 4 min. Iv got it at 40 that very cold ice water and the compressor don't turn on for about 20 minutes about 45 m at night. My battery stay at 12.7 morning. It's a verable speed compressor and it Swiss made that why. Has a 5 yr warrante so I can see this one last many yr as in barely on in 89-92 Honolulu weather. That my take.
Probably not the compressor, its usually not a compressor problem, mostly its a sensor problem or a controlunit problem, or a signal from sensor to controlunit. But you didnt say if you did your part for the general maintance, did you take of the cover for heat outlet and clean dust and crap out of the condensator? If not that could be the first simple problem. The newer Alpicools seem to be better made, like the T-series they have way better controls and can be used through app. I wouldnt write of Alpicool as cheap, they are decently made, the T model come with LG compressors, which are pretty good. But as said, its usually not the compressor failing, but the things around it. Its usually a question about efficency when choosing compressors. And small fact: Danfoss is a danish company based in Denmark, not Germany 😅
Great video. What happened with this unit?? Are they making them? I love IceCo frig's. This one I EXACTLY what I am looking for! I have been agonizing over a few features that are really important to me. 50L... perfect, plastic to make it lighter...perfect and the lid opens front to back, not side to side...this is really important to me.Please, please update me. Thanks.
After watching this I went to Amazon and spoke with a few East Coast Overlanders - There seems to be an issue with poor customer service with them. This was seen in several of the Amazon reviews for your reference.
@@TeslaOverland you should reach out to those buyers. They are all verified and seem very legit. I recommend saving up and doing what i just did.... buy a Dometic or ARB. This is one of those thing not worth skimping on.
I think most of these coolers have pretty good compressors in them, even the cheapies. The problem is often with the electronics. Seems like only Engel makes a cooler with a simple knob controller/thermostat. My 30+ year old Norcold/Engel simply will not die. It’s very heavy, and isn’t the most efficient, but I would trust that more than my newer dometic. Most of these great new “features” just seem like failure points. Bluetooth/wifi, really?
Hello I’m James Mason and I live in my 1967 GM TDH 4519 city bus full time and would love to get a Iceco but I can’t afford it is there anyway I can have the broken Alpicool
had my alpicool t50 for a year no problems. I have a different control panel than the one on yours. not likely the compressor failed more so the controller. good review tho
When people say most of the stuff comes from the same place in China. It’s true. If u open of the alpicool look alike. They’re the same parts. Alpicool offers branding of their product. Which is why all the brands look the same with different brand names.
That Iceco box is a copy of the old Weaco/Dometic CF50 box dated 2001, super old tech. Secop is not made in Germany its Cheap Chinese the build quality is nothing like the old German made Danfoss BD35 Compressors. All the top brands like Engel, Dometic build their own Compressors so they can control their own build quality and efficiency. A/C adaptors have been gone since around 2007, Even the cheapest Chinese copy fridges are full A/C D/C, adapters as you displayed are painfull. I hope you have not wasted your money. Minimum solar panel you need for that fridge is 80w. You present well, but need to be factual.
@@TeslaOverland actually they sold Danfoss Compressors (the company that originaly made Danfoss compressor) and then made a new more global company, based in Germany, called Secop, but Secop isnt a part of Danfoss Group, its a company for itself. But Secop was in 2017 sold to a German company called Nidec, then in 2019 Secop was again sold to a company called ESSVP IV. So it has no longer anything to do with Danfoss. It might be based on their old technology and design, but the quality isnt like when Danfoss made it. Shouldnt trust everything you read on Wikipedia. 😅 I have worked as a Cooling Engineer, I live in Denmark and have worked with Danfoss cooling systems and with their control systems. My education was as cooling engineer was based on Danfoss 😅
@@TheGuyFromDenmark95 this is very interesting! What do you think of these secop compressors? Are there any of these refrigerators that you really like it do not like?
Im old school and will never go to electric frig. I simply changed the way I eat. 18 quart ice chest, 2 blocks of ice, put ice chest in a thick Food warmer back and I can go a long long way.!
Wish I'd seen this video 2 weeks ago. I just bought the alpicool 40 . hope it keeps me going for at least a year. If i can get a yr out of it that would be fine. It is all i could afford. I live in my van and most def need a good fridge. Here is to hoping.
I got the Alpicool T50 and I haven't had any problems for over 6 months. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about he's probably getting something to promote this. Customer service is good and pretty quick to respond that it self is good, don't fall into what anyone says until it happens to you. Keep what you have its a good company if you need help. I haven't had to call them as of now, but I did call one time to get some help with the App I wasn't sure about and the girl I got in contact with was nice and polite in explaining the difference functions.
Ever wonder why your house fridge lasts for 10 years? Because it doesn't have wheels and a handle. Naturally if a device is being jostled around walking to the beach, down the road or even from the garage to the camper that jostling and constant banging around will not be good for any device. You've got a moving part (compressor) and a gas filled section with connectors...you will eventually leak. The rule should be, NO WHEELS.
Truth except these are marketed as off-roading fridges. They’re being used as they were marketed to be used. Now whether they were engineered correctly is the question. Brands like dometic and Engel have been crushing it for a while with legendary reliability but at a cost. Iceco is coming in somewhere in the middle. Nothing fancy with design but solid German compressors and priced right in the gap between Chinese clones and the big guys. Super sparse competition in that space.
@@TeslaOverland I hear you. But manufacturers can put almost anything in their brochures, things like, "we're the best" or "high altitude". I'm a mechanic by trade and and vibration and shock can kill a lot of mechanical devices, no matter how "Heavy Duty" they're made. Heavy duty...theres another overused phrase. Thanks for the reply GX
Great little Refrigerator and exactly what I need! However, at $699.99 I will never own one. Well, it appears I'm back to my "Garage Sale" Igloo cooler with one missing handle and a Bag of Ice from the local Dairy Queen at $3.00 bucks a throw. However, the drinks are cold. :)
I bought the Alpicool T36 because of dual zone fridge-freezer + fridge compartment was larger than freezer. Perfect, I thought. But nothing could make the freezer cool below +9F, fluctuated 9-17F. Had to send it back. Wasn't wanting to sink the money to buy an Iceco but maybe that is the sweet spot. Are their compressors really still better than LG now?
I was recommending the Alpicool CF35 but in 2 yrs it is NOT cooling anymore and I was told it has a restriction in the system. it has a very small frost line on one side of the fridge. and does not get cold . So I am looking for a good deal on the ICECO So ICECO can you please help me out?
When mine is loaded with food or ice im afraid to use the telescoping handle because it's heavy and might break it. I saw one with wheels on the narrow end, and handle that looked more functional.
I got mine aprox. 2 years ago, it's been cross country, desert sand blowing in vent slots on plastic, taken some hard bumps, still works great. It was $224. On eBay. New
Do they have a showroom ??? I'm going to be in town and wondering if there's an actual store to buy from??? If so, I wonder if they honor discount codes at their store if they have one lol... Btw great video!!
Should have got the Alpicool LGT50 $360 a lot more room nothing but good reviews . The Iceco Tr60 has way less storage for almost $300 more. not worth it. But I understand why you switched.
My alpicool 36L did the exact same thing, right out of the box, sent it back after they gave me the reset procedure and nothing changed. Good price, can't rely on it though. Bummer part is i can't find a good split freezer like that where the fridge is same size, or bigger than 3 beers worth.
Yup. Took it all apart and look for any signs of broken solder, faulty wiring or burned up parts. Everything looked in order. My theory is the compressor. I think that’s the weak link.
@@TeslaOverland I needed something other than a cooler in my truck when I camped and fished, and when I went down the rabbit hole of 12v fridges the SECOP compressor was what led me to order it.
What does a 3cu ft (approx 90 qt) chest freezer cost,,,,,maybe $150. to $200.,,,,,add a thermostat that costs $30 to $40.,,,,plug the freezer into the thermostat, and the thermostat into you power, set it at refrigeration temp, 36 to 42,,,,and you have a 3 cu ft refrig for about $200.. Make it a top load chest to keep the cold air in when you open, would be better! The only thing you need to make sure is the thermostat rating covers your chest freezer/refrigerator energy needs If you run a 12v system you need an inverter, about $40 more
My only problem with this video is you're saying that the Alpicool is cheap I have that same model I've had it for about 8 months and mine is failing now however it costs $400 that's not cheap so to anyone thinking about getting one understand that there's a pattern of failure but it's not cheap
@@TeslaOverland did the coupon code ever happen? Looking to get one of their Dual Zone's in the next couple weeks. Would love to use the code it if its available, thanks.
wondering just how u went to their "factory" when it is highly questionable that they even have one. like did you actually see a building with their name on it (at the adress they proffer) how kan u state for sure that there is a genuine Danfoss (Secop) delivering the refrigeration as so marketed that would justify a serious mark.up from the many near identical offerings on the river.ratts site, all having a slight variation in their control/display panel. something about your "review" raises >>RED
@@walpolecatholic when the nearest ice is 30 miles from camp.... yeah! No thanks! 60 miles is 4-5 gallons of gas. Per day! Plus $3-$5 for ice. Thats $15-$20+ a day to have ice just so you don't get ptomaine poisoning. (Yes, a medical term not used anymore!) So Yeah, for the 3 week vaca, plus the cost of the lost food--- one might as well get something RELIABLE to begin with. And save yourself from a miserable time with the old lady and a bunch of bawling brats! If you know what I mean! And if you can not afford reliable equiptment then you should not go camping! It is not like you can just MacGyver a fridge in an 'unusually' warm desert, for 3 weeks of rock hunting. Just ask me how I might know this!!!!! Good or great equiptment is worth every penny it might cost. And I never leave home without such stuff. Plus backup. LIFE IS JUST TOO SHORT TO DO OTHERWISE!!!
"End of trip"? That would be the least of some folks worries! If you catch my drift. Had that been me and my first serious girlfriend---- one of us would not have walked out of that desert! And only 50-50 on which one it might have been! Intense but very ugly! But I grew! I now vaca alone. Just sooo much easier! And a whole lot more peaceful!!!
Why do people like you keep shilling for Iceco and falsely claiming that they are "affordable"? They are exactly the same price as ARB, Dometic, engles, etc. They are all between $1500-$2000 (Canadian) Vs the Alpicool/bougerv/etc ones which are all $400-$800. Sure, there may be benefit to going with one of the expensive ones vs the cheap ones (though I have trouble imagining a $700 benefit!), but to claim Iceco is "affordable" in comparison to the others is a flat out lie.
Dometic, Engle are more expensive. Also depends on what you are looking for. Compare the warranty ICECO gives on the compressor compared to Alpicool, Costway and the others.
@@glenn5876 No, Dometic and Engle are the same price as Iceco. NONE of them qualify as "affordable", that's a complete lie. Sure, they may have benefits, and it may be worth spending more, ($700 more?) but stop lying and saying they're "affordable" in comparison to others, they simply aren't. They are the exact same price as all the most expensive ones.
@@Green__one As I said, it all depends on what you are looking for. Dual zones are more expensive than plain fridge units. ICECO 75L $999, Dometic 75L $1399.99 and Engel 60QT $1659.99. Right now, ICECO 45L fridge with wheels less than $350.00. Dometic 46L $1099.99 and Engel 43QT $1199.99. So, affordability is to the individual. ICECO gives a 5 year warranty on their compressor. Compare the others.
@@glenn5876 You're hillarious! Iceco doesn't make fridges in the sub $500 range. so stop lying about the $350. The cheapest iceco unit I can find right now is $600, and is only 20L. I *AM* comparing to others. Iceco is an expensive brand, same prices as ARB, Dometic, Engel. If you're talking "affordable" look at Alpicool, Vevor, BougeRV, etc. You can argue that Iceco is *BETTER* than the cheap fridges, and you may be right, but it's hard to imagine they are actually worth 3 times the price! but you can't say they *ARE* a cheap fridge, doing so is just flat out lying.
Why are you so passionate about a company you have no experience with??? Sounds like the sales man sold you on a product. lol I have a hard time taking people with apple watches seriously when they recommend products.
Strange review. Initially you state that the high $ refrigerators were something you couldn't afford. Seems like buying the 1st ice chest and 2 more faulty refrigerators would be close to the same $ as just starting out with your final choice. Also, you state just getting home from work and not having much time yet to try out the new fridge followed by conveying to viewers how easy it is to use? Glad you got your $ back from the 2 defective products. Maybe taking the new fridge on one of your trips and then doing a review would've been a better approach.
You are not an ethical person you have not used this product and you’re just raving about it but the product that you used for a long time you’re comparing how can you compare when you haven’t even use this product you are totally unethical. Anybody that uses the term affiliate is an ethical it’s an attempt to deceive the fact that you were being sponsored buy this brand Iceco
Wasn’t paid a dime to do the video. Just giving my honest thoughts on the product. Still going strong today and it’s been run through it’s paces. Feel free to think what you want about me.
