12V Cooler

[Dave1899]

OK I just pulled the trigger on the Magnetic 250WH Battery from ICECO's Indigo page.

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[Msfitoy]

Looking for recommendations on a 12V cooler,fridge. Any help on a good unit would be greatly appreciated.

ICECO 20...I keep it permanently on the rear seat behind me sitting on a hard foam wedge to keep it level...the fridge has a removable divider that when slid in automatically turns it into a dual zone fridge/freezer....I have it secured by the seat belt....

 

[halligan1201]

Both companies have sent us their codes. They asked that we not post it openly so that only members of the forum have access Please reach out to me for the code

 

[VoodooRanger]

There was one issue I forgot to mention with my Iceco refrigerator, and it’s the cheap 12v Cigarette cable that comes with it. Some of the reviews mention a similar issue with it being able to be nudged loose and the fridge losing power. I noticed the same issue with my brothers light, they both share a similar male end that doesn’t hold well inside the female end.

Luckily I read that the ARB cable can be used as well, and that one has more resistance when hooking it up. I’ve attached photos comparing the two(red is the one that came with the Iceco), and the part number for the ARB.

 

[AzScorpion]

There was one issue I forgot to mention with my Iceco refrigerator, and it’s the cheap 12v Cigarette cable that comes with it. Some of the reviews mention a similar issue with it being able to be nudged loose and the fridge losing power. I noticed the same issue with my brothers light, they both share a similar male end that doesn’t hold well inside the female end.

Luckily I read that the ARB cable can be used as well, and that one has more resistance when hooking it up. I’ve attached photos comparing the two(red is the one that came with the Iceco), and the part number for the ARB.

One of the main problems too is the female end of the power cord (AC/DC adaptor) from Setpower is smooth inside. It doesn't have any slots to catch the male end and hold it together. My Bluetti EB55 DC port has these slots inside and so far the Setpower male plug grips good inside of it.

 

[halligan1201]

There was one issue I forgot to mention with my Iceco refrigerator, and it’s the cheap 12v Cigarette cable that comes with it. Some of the reviews mention a similar issue with it being able to be nudged loose and the fridge losing power. I noticed the same issue with my brothers light, they both share a similar male end that doesn’t hold well inside the female end.

Luckily I read that the ARB cable can be used as well, and that one has more resistance when hooking it up. I’ve attached photos comparing the two(red is the one that came with the Iceco), and the part number for the ARB.

Thanks for the reminder about the cruddy plug from IceCo and a much better fix than what Jasonoid suggested - he spliced his cord. This is a much better solution. And another $30 gone lol.

 

[Danager]

Got an email from Setpower this morning.

 

[alan0614]

Another question - Bluetti EB55 vs. Jackery Explorer 500. I like the extra outlets on the EB55 and like the handle on the Jackery. Both look like they would power what I need in the house as well. Any votes for one or the other?

 

[RVA Overland]

@alan0614 either should work, I went with an EcoFlow River Pro during their GoFundMe and love that unit. Go for the most Watt Hours you can afford and fit in vehicle, would be my advice. there are several options out there in many sizes.

 

[alan0614]

@RVA Overland The EcoFlow River Pro is on sale for $549. Tough to pass up the extra capacity for an extra $50.

 

[AzScorpion]

Another question - Bluetti EB55 vs. Jackery Explorer 500. I like the extra outlets on the EB55 and like the handle on the Jackery. Both look like they would power what I need in the house as well. Any votes for one or the other?

The EB55 uses LifePO4 batteries which last A LOT longer than the Lithium Ion used in the Jackery. They say 2500+ full charges (approx 7 years) and it only degrades it down to 80% capacity. The EB55 has an instant $100 off coupon on Amazon now so it's only $399.00 + tax. It also has a wireless charger on top and what's nice is the handle folds flat. This way you can stack light items on to where a lot complain about the Jackery handle getting in the way. If you're want longevity the LifePo4 batteries are the way to go no matter which power station you buy.

Edit: Looks like the $100 coupon is now gone but I've seen it come and go over the past month.

 

[lazynorse]

Just a reality check on LiPo4 vs Lithium Ion.. I too anguished over this until I did some simple math.

Jackery (older Lithium Ion) can be fully discharged 500 times, at which time the battery will have degraded 20%, but still operate at 80% of its original capacity.

That's 500 camping trips, assuming you bought a Jackery model based on your typical needs. How many camping trips will you take in a year, ones that actually deplete the Jackery? How many years or decades until you've hit 500? After which, you still have a functioning batter, just 20% less capacity.

So, I don't think 500 vs 2000 uses-to-80% remaining capacity means a lot in actual practice, only on paper. If you're a power user, fully timing in a van and using this everday, then its a different story. As emergency prep and camp trip use? This aspect does not matter.

Reality check #2, older Lithium Ion is much lighter than LiPo4. A Jackery 1500 is lighter than an equivalent Bluetie or EcoFlow, and at the higher watt hour offerings, that becomes important. I went with Jackery 1500, it is still beastly.

Reality check #3, non of them recharge appreciably faster via solar or 12v. The higher charge rate of the EcoFlow (they advertise this heavily) is only when using 110v house power, not the other ways. When at home, recharging in the garage, I don't really care how fast it is. I care much more how fast to recharge on the trail, during transit in the vehicle at 12v or at camp with solar.

I went with Jackery 1500 purely due to the sale price I found it at the time of purchase, its got the outputs I want and - most critically - the capacity I needed. I nearly discounted it due to the 'old' battery chemistry, but with further research learned I should not discriminate. Its a lighter battery I can use 500 times before 20% degradation, so many, many years for me, after which I'll likely be interested in new tech.

I researched this for countless hours, trying to find one offering heads and tails better than the next. Reality is there really isn't one brand significantly better than the others. First, buy once cry once on the total capacity - decide this first. Then, find the best price on capacity. Not a consideration for me, but some of these batteries offer higher peak output.. I'm not firing up a heat gun or hair dryer, so I'll not care but I think the Jackery offered a beefy total output before shutoff.

 

[AzScorpion]

Just a reality check on LiPo4 vs Lithium Ion.. I too anguished over this until I did some simple math.

Jackery (older Lithium Ion) can be fully discharged 500 times, at which time the battery will have degraded 20%, but still operate at 80% of its original capacity.

That's 500 camping trips, assuming you bought a Jackery model based on your typical needs. How many camping trips will you take in a year, ones that actually deplete the Jackery? How many years or decades until you've hit 500? After which, you still have a functioning batter, just 20% less capacity.

So, I don't think 500 vs 2000 uses-to-80% remaining capacity means a lot in actual practice, only on paper. If you're a power user, fully timing in a van and using this everday, then its a different story. As emergency prep and camp trip use? This aspect does not matter.

Reality check #2, older Lithium Ion is much lighter than LiPo4. A Jackery 1500 is lighter than an equivalent Bluetie or EcoFlow, and at the higher watt hour offerings, that becomes important. I went with Jackery 1500, it is still beastly.

Reality check #3, non of them recharge appreciably faster via solar or 12v. The higher charge rate of the EcoFlow (they advertise this heavily) is only when using 110v house power, not the other ways. When at home, recharging in the garage, I don't really care how fast it is. I care much more how fast to recharge on the trail, during transit in the vehicle at 12v or at camp with solar.

I went with Jackery 1500 purely due to the sale price I found it at the time of purchase, its got the outputs I want and - most critically - the capacity I needed. I nearly discounted it due to the 'old' battery chemistry, but with further research learned I should not discriminate. Its a lighter battery I can use 500 times before 20% degradation, so many, many years for me, after which I'll likely be interested in new tech.

I researched this for countless hours, trying to find one offering heads and tails better than the next. Reality is there really isn't one brand significantly better than the others. First, buy once cry once on the total capacity - decide this first. Then, find the best price on capacity. Not a consideration for me, but some of these batteries offer higher peak output.. I'm not firing up a heat gun or hair dryer, so I'll not care but I think the Jackery offered a beefy total output before shutoff.

But people are using these power stations more and more today than just for camping. They come in handy around the house for many uses now so that needs to be taken into consideration too. Also LifePO4 batteries are much safer the Lithium Ion as they don't get overheated and catch fire like a Li-ion can. With the heat we have here and with a power station used in the back of a vehicle I'd feel much safer with a LifePO4 battery.

Edit: I'm not trying to say the Jackery is a bad unit just that people need to take into consideration how/where you'll be using it. For me it will be inside a parked vehicle baking in the sun and most likely have (light) stuff stacked on top of it. The Bluetti EB55 was a better fit for me with the LifePO batteries and the folding handle. I also got it on sale for $399.00 so that helped a lot in my decision too.

 

[halligan1201]

@alan0614 either should work, I went with an EcoFlow River Pro during their GoFundMe and love that unit. Go for the most Watt Hours you can afford and fit in vehicle, would be my advice. there are several options out there in many sizes.

The River Pro is what I have as well and planning on getting the expansion battery they offer for it.

 

[bentroia]

Damn this thread!!! Family is going to start going camping and the first 2 things I want is a small 12volt fridge for Meat, eggs, sandwich type stuff and a power generator to power it

Using an ARB for 20+ years powered by the cars battery on camping trips has been problem free - no ice chest soup.and battery mgt just required starting and running the car every 12 hours or so..

Using an electric cooler is a game changer. No need to seal all food,no wet food.. priceless...

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