Engel MR040 Portable AC/DC 12 Volt fridge-freezer (40qt)

• Power consumption: 0.7 - 2.5 Amps
• Volume: 40 qt. - Equivalent 58 cans (12 Fl.oz)
• Weight: 48 lbs.
• Freezing Ability: From 40°F to below 0°F
• Warranty: 2 years

I'm an OTR trucker & this Fridge was tailor made for us guys. I have estimated I have saved many times the cost of this fridge over the 5 years I have owned it. Along with a small microwaveGE JES735WJ .7 Cu. Ft. Capacity Countertop Microwave Oven& a 12V/110 inverterCobra CPI1550 Dual Outlet AC/DC Power InverterI'm not a slave to overpriced truckstops. I can carry along a weeks supply of groceries(Leftovers, TV dinners, Lunch meats & cheeses etc.) along with all the beverages I need. Restocking is a matter of stopping at any large supermarket.Don't let the large size intimidate you as you rareley have to take this out of your vehicle......just take the removable wire basket(included) out, load & put back in the cooler & your good to go. The fridge fully loaded weighs upwards of 100lbs with 50 of that for the groceries. When I get ready to leave I just load the basket, take it to the truck & drop it in.

Unlike the cheap Thermo-electrics the Engels has a compressor & cools or freezes to whatever temp you set it., one or the other but not both, either a fridge or freezer & its not dependant on ambient temp.

A side benefit; unlike built in fridges this one goes with you whether your switching trucks or going on vacation to the lake(works on 110 as well as 12V so you have a spare fridge/freezer at the cabin)If you plan on an extended stay on the lake this will work in you boat as long as you have a 12V plug in.

All in all a great little cooler.Very rugged & very reliable

Pros

1.dependable

2.quiet

3.energy efficient

4.portability

5.built like a tank,steel housing

Cons

1.cost

2.bulky

If this one ever quits I will buy another.

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This freezer is based on the Sawafuji "swing" compressor. Unlike the fairly similar and far less costly EdgeStar FP430 which uses a Danfoss compressor, the Engel MT45F is specifically designed to be operated in a moving vehicle, and can be run while at an angle of up to 30 degrees. It pulls a maximum of 2.5 paltry amps at 12 volts DC (the Edgestar draws 2.75 amps max, but can get food a little colder). It has a steel exterior, while the similar but less expensive ARB Fridge Freezer, which also uses the swing compressor, has a tough plastic housing, which might be a better choice for boaters.

The Engel is built like a tank, and comes with a 2-year factory warranty. I've had mine running while driving over thousands of miles of rutted dirt and gravel roads, and it works as well as the day it was new.

My biggest beefs with the Engel are: the price, which is close to twice that of the comparable Edgestar and more than the ARB; the storage capacity, which is pretty small; and the primitive controls--no temperature readout, and only a single dial marked 1 5. A more minor gripe is that the compressor hum, while not terribly loud, does seem to carry--you'll know when the Engel is running. Also, it is heavy. Those big steel handles are there for a reason (they also make good tie-down points).

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I've been an avid camper for more than three decades and got into off-road exploring about 18 months ago with the purchase of a new truck. We often spend two and three nights and days out in the desert of Southern California trekking about. In the summer we have problems maintaining our food at safe chill levels and our drinks at the preferred temperature.

I have an electric cooler which does only a fair to poor job of keeping the internal temperature 20-30 degrees cooler than the 100 degree external temperature. Food will spoil quickly at these temperatures. I've tried three different coolers of increasingly larger sizes stocked with more and more ice. I ended up with two coolers stuff at about 50% ice and 50% food or drink.

With the outside temperature of 68 degrees I read the following temperatures inside the empty Engel 45:

1 = 39 degrees

2 = 25 degrees

3 = 20 degrees

4 = 14 degrees

5 = 1.9 degrees

The basket pulls out so that you can fill it in the kitchen and haul the food out to the waiting freezer. This helps make moving the already freezer easier.

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I do a lot of off-road camping (research). I used a Dometic absorption cooled refrigerator for the past few years, which ran on 110 / 12VDC / Propane. The challenge I've had with the Dometic is it couldn't keep temperature in the desert heat. Other problems were the Dometic had to be out of the wind else the flame blew out and absorption systems need to be absolutely level something difficult to achieve when off-road. After a 10 day trip where some of the food spoiled in the Dometic despite my best efforts, I made the decision to look for a more capable refrigerator. After considerable research, I settled on the Engle MT45.

What a difference! The MT45 easily maintains temperature in the desert heat and will quickly chill water bottles and drinks added in something the Dometic couldn't do. It is surprisingly efficient. While the unit is rated at 2.5 amps, that's it's maximum draw at start-up when cooling down. My experience is that it draws on average around 1.1 amps (cycling on and off) when it is up to temperature. My vehicle has an auxiliary battery which is recharged by a 110 W solar panel when on location. With the Engle drawing approximately 30 W maximum, the setup is sufficient to keep the MT45 running indefinitely without the need to start the vehicle to recharge the AUX battery. With a 105 AH AGM battery, I can run the Engle for two days without recharging the battery, figuring a 50% max discharge of the battery and no sun to supply the solar panel. That's pretty good efficiency. The MT45 can operate at an angle of up to 30 deg. No more having to shove shims and rocks under the fridge to get it level like I had to do with the Dometic.

While the MT45 doesn't have a temperature read out I found that a wireless thermometer works just fine and is a small price to pay to be able to see the internal temperature up front in the drivers seat (or trailer). Keeping the MT45 dial at a little above 1.5, the fridge maintains temperature at 38 deg. F. The dial ranges from zero to 5. At 4 or 5 the MT45 can keep items frozen solid.

I really like the basket arrangement. It makes it easy to see and get at items. It also allows me to carry the refrigerator to the Land Rover empty then carry the food and drop it into the Fridge, lessening the weight I need to carry. The old Dometic had to be filled then carried, often very heavy to lift. So while some complain about the weight of the MT45, remember that you don't have to lift it with the food in it. Another benefit that I really like is I can pack the food in the Engle basket and store it in my home refrigerator to keep it cool until I'm ready to transfer the food to the MT45 before heading out.

The MT45 is built tough with solid steel construction, which adds to the weight. I'd rather have a durable unit than one that can't take the abuse. I'm miles from civilization and I need reliability.

I read a few comments about the vibration. While I don't discount that the individuals may have gotten a particularly noisy unit, a hum is characteristic of the Engle "swing" motor compressor. The compressor has only one moving part, making it far more reliable and efficient than other designs. My MT45 does have a hum when running but it doesn't bother me. It's really not all that noticeable. It is certainly louder than my previous Dometic, which made no noise at all but, after all, it is a compressor design, which is far more capable than the absorption design of my former Dometic. It's going to make some noise. I'm happy to have cold drinks and food that isn't spoiled. That's the whole point in my estimation.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the Engle MT45. I wish I had purchased it years ago and avoided all of the challenges I've faced trying to keep perishables from perishing when out at research locations in the desert Southwest.

Right out of the box it had a constant hum whenever switched on. It also had a lot of vibration. Even when placed on a pad or a carpeted surface, it would still make a constant sound. Could be heard when I had it in the tailgate of my SUV and I was driving!

For several weeks I've been 'working' with Engel on resolving this. They said it's not uncommon. They believe it's caused by something in the compressor mounting shifting during transit. They first had me 'bang' it on each of it's sides while it was running. Then they had me open it up!...and directly hit the compressor with a rubber mallet, again trying it on each side (orientation) and with it running.

Nothing has made a difference. Each time I've spoken to them I've asked for return information so I can send it to them to be replaced or repaired (though I'd prefer a brand new unit just replaced). I think they're being cheap as they insist each time that they have something new to try that'll be easy. All I've accomplished is getting scuff marks on the outside of my unit as well as paint chipped on the compressor housing.

This is not a $20 item! And yet they treat their customers as it was. I would not recommend anyone to buy one of these. This is not a unique occurrence. I know this because Engel told me this! Also, if it was a rare occurrence, they wouldn't hesitate to have me ship it to them for repair. They obviously have a problem and are trying to resolve it as cheaply as they can and/or get people to give up on their grievance.