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Waeco Frodges - Any Experiences ?

Submitted: Monday, Mar 12, 2001 at 00:00

Joe McDermott

Waeco have a really attractive offer out at the moment, discounting their camping fridges quite significantly. The unit I am looking at is the 70 litre fridge with the Danfoss BD50 compressor which is now available for a bit over $1100.

Does anyone have any experiences that they may care to share concerning these fridges ?
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AnswerID: 269   Submitted: Tuesday, Mar 13, 2001 at 00:00

RICHARD replied:

re WAICO YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I SUSPECT THEY MUST DISCOUNT IF NO SALES. ENGEL HAS 3 YEAR WARRANTY AND ONLY DRAWS 2.5 AMPS AT 12.8 VOLTS.
WHAT WILL A WAICO BE WORTH IN 10 YEARS TIME?
ENGEL HOLDS ITS VALUE AND LASTS IN ROUGH CONDITIONS
Reply 1 of 4
FollowupID: 44   Submitted: Thursday, Mar 15, 2001 at 00:00

Joe Mcdermott posted:

Richard,

Thanks for the response. I am not overly concerned about the retained value the fridge might have in 10 years time as I cant see me selling it - unless of course I have made a big faux pas and end up wishing I had bought an Engel instead !

The durability of the fridge however IS a concern and it was info about this more than anything that I was looking for. I have had a couple of replies about that and they have been positive so I will probably buy one and gve it a go.

Thanks again.

Joe
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 270   Submitted: Thursday, Mar 15, 2001 at 00:00

Greg Larkens replied:

Hi Joe. I have had an Engel for 25 years and cannot fault them. I have just purchased a Waeco after having a good look at the other brands. I cannot see any reason why they wont last as most 2 way car fridges have Danfos compressors. Maybe Engel are overpriced? Have you had a look at the 3 ways? I have both and take both at all times. I have the best of both worlds and a back up if one breaks down. Make sure you connect any 12v fridge direct to your battery with 8sq mm wire and as few switches plugs etc as possible.
Reply 2 of 4
FollowupID: 43   Submitted: Thursday, Mar 15, 2001 at 00:00

Joe Mcdermott posted:

Thanks for the note Greg. You have more or less confirmed my thoughts on the subject and I am going to buy one of the Waecos before the prices rise at the end of the month. It is just that it does seem too good to be true, but I suppose that they have to do this type of discounting to get a significant market presence, or at least one big enough to warrant continuing to import them.

I have considered a 3 way fridge as well, but right now I also have an old FridgeMate unit which serves me well as a basic fridge. It will freeze if I leave it running long enough, but . .

Once that claps out completely I will probably replace it with a 3 way, but until then I will be relying on the deep cycle battery in the truck and the other in the camper to keep things going.

Thanks again.

Joe
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 279   Submitted: Sunday, Mar 18, 2001 at 00:00

Ian Knox replied:

Hi Joe
We recently purchased a CCF 35 a month ago and the occasions we have used it. We have not experienced any problems. However prior this purchase a mate of mine was able to get demonstarion unit which he took up to Victorian high country with us during January last year. The fridge performed well. The only criticism he could offer was condensation on the outside wall occurred. Also the fridge does lacked tie down handles, requiring other means to secure the fridge inside the car. Otherwise he had no other complaints.
Like you I have spent sometime investigating the types of refrigerators and found for our needs the Waeco was better suited and meet the buget.
The big test for us is when we take the Waeco around Australia.
Regards Ian Knox
Reply 3 of 4
AnswerID: 319   Submitted: Saturday, Mar 31, 2001 at 00:00

Ted replied:

Joe, we have a 40Litre Waeco and have used it constantly in our travels. It has performed very well- maintaining frozen foods around Longreach, Rubyvale, Emerald region without a hiccup in summer. We tend to take advantage of 240v whenever stopped onight and also purchased the optional cover. The cover provides a bit more insulation and tie down points. I reckon Engel have just had the market to themselves for too long and this explains their high price.
Reply 4 of 4