North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Hey Swampie,

Mate I am going through the same process right now! I have had a waeco cf50 for about 10 years now and it had been going well untill last year. The thermo coupler shat itself which meant it just ran all the time instead of cycling in and out to maintain temp as it should....result...frozen beers and drained battery (I had switched to emergency mode to get it to run). It has been very sensitive to power supply the whole time and while it has done its job it turned me off! I have pulled it apart and replaced the thermo coupler so it cycles again, but I don't have much faith in it now......when I pulled it apart I could see how pathetic the insulation is.....so I won't be going waeco again!

I have been looking at Engel, Trailblaza, and Evacool in the fibreglass body. Engel has the rep...but it is made in Thailand and in 60ltr size it is only about $150 cheaper than the 60ltr trailblaza. Evacool fibreglass is made in Aus and is about $200 cheaper than the Engel....but I have heard a few different reports about faults.

Now I don't really have a problem with buying products not made in Australia.....but those products should be a lot cheaper and in the case of Engel it is not....meaning they have a larger profit margin. On the other scale is a chinese 60ltr job with aluminium body good internals for $500 off ebay............you could buy 3 of them for the price of the trailblaza or engel. I know that doesn't really help...just sharing because it is relevant.

Yeh I know what your saying about buying a cheap one from ebay jeno!
I've got a mate with a evacool but he doesn't run it flat out and he got it dirt cheap because he was working for in and outboard when he bought it but it seems pretty good. Solid construction and had a removable divider .
What's the deal with the trailblazers not being 12v? What do you have to do if you want to run it full time from your car?

I have had a 120 ltr explorer dual compartment fridge freezer going in the back of my last three enclosed trucks for over 15years so far. Dear but they a winners Tex sells them

swamp_donkey89 wrote:Yeh I know what your saying about buying a cheap one from ebay jeno!
I've got a mate with a evacool but he doesn't run it flat out and he got it dirt cheap because he was working for in and outboard when he bought it but it seems pretty good. Solid construction and had a removable divider .
What's the deal with the trailblazers not being 12v? What do you have to do if you want to run it full time from your car?

Swampie.....Trailblaza's are 12v mate...all good there....you do have to pay extra to get 240v transformer though....but I reckon you could use any 12v fridge transformer to run it on 240v.

At least with Evacool and Trailblaza (fibreglass model) they are made in Australia which means aussies getting employed and getting Australian pay and conditions.....and so I can understand why they cost a premium......but with Engel being made in Thailand and the 60ltr model costing the same as the Trailblaza model.......come on.....fair go....we are getting ripped. An interesting point on that........on one of the 4wd forums I was on a South African dude who had moved to Australia noted that Engels sold for just over half the Australian price in South Africa.....same product....but nearly double the price here.

By the way.....I am leaning towards either Evacool or Trailblaza in 60ltr

Trailblazer - 1st
Engel - 2nd
Waeco - You might as well just buy an Esky

If you plan to run the fridge permanently from your vehicle, look into the current draw of each fridge. See what fits in with your 12v set up/vehicle usage.

I've had a 52lt waeco for 13 years and it hasn't let me down. That said, they burn through plugs, are sensitive to voltage drop and are quite expensive. I only bought mine because at the time I couldn't afford an engel. The Waeco has been around the country twice and is used on a regular basis as a second fridge when we've got visitors or go out camping.

if space isn't a problem, go the trailblaza for sure, better insulated and build quality. Good compressor and electronic componetry. but they are massive and expensive. If space is a problem go the engel, they are an excellent unit.

I have heard that the new waeco's are improved but when running two batteries I'd rather it would let me use the voltage on hand rather than cutting out without warning when the voltage drops.

also - I ran my waeco for 3 days no problems plugged directly into a thumper 105ah without a charge.

Matt

Trailblaza!
Big, expensive, heavy - True
Reliable, solid, just keep going - True

If anybody is interested , i have a spare 80lt Trailblaza for sale at the moment.
R12 refrigerant, 12V/240V
I have fitted with an upgraded marine grade compressor motor controller about 2 years ago
Old unit but still works as built
Open to offers over $800 (otherwise i'll keep it for the camper trailer)
Can deliver (Darwin/Palmerston)
PM offers.

Alright thats it, im set on a trailblazer! Can't go past an all Australian business that's supports aussies, i can get info, warranties, extra products and all that stuff overseas brands can't offer plus it's solid reputation . Cheers all for everyones input
I went to BCF this arvo just to suss out the Engels and they do look great, with a good rep, but yes they are made in Thailand.

Sorry, I meant Evacool (fibreglass model) is made in Aust.....they sell a bunch of chinese made models as well at a vastly inflated price!

I have a 80 litre Trailblazer that is 18 yrs old put new compressor in it last year. It has been on just about every poop corrugated road in the north of Aus and I love it.
Ran into a bloke at Limmen Bight around 7-8 years ago who had 2 trailblazers and an Everkool and he said the Trailblazers were much better.

Yeah they are the stories I want to hear about trailblazers botchee! Haha good to hear!, well when I finally get mine bought and set up I will post again in this thread but that will be a while, I have to wait until June!

You wont regret buying one Swamp-D.

National luna if you can afford one.Use bugger all power,whisper quiet and are fairly rugged. Engel next for thier reliability and size. Bit noisier though for sleeping next in car/boat. My 2 bob

I have a 80 litre Trail Blazer that would have to be close to 20 years old. Has been in back of various utes all this time. It is mounted in a frame so it's not bouncing around and mostly under a canopy. We had one problem about 6 years ago where it kept blowing the fuse. I rang Norcoast the company that make them and the lady that answered the phone was Margeret , also the owner of the company that was started by her husband and herself. Margeret reckoned the fridge had a problem with the compressor and would be best to come back for repair. She gave me their account number with a freight company because she could get better rates than myself. I put on pallet , dropped at depot in Swan hill Victoria it went to them at Caloudra in QLD ,was repaired and back within 10 days. I cannot recommend the fridge , the company and of course Margeret high enough , they were fantastic . My fridge is 12 volt but has 240 volt transformer built in , so has 2 leads coming out of it.