Coleman 40 Quart Powerchill Thermoelectric Cooler with Power Supply
Written: Jun 17 '08 (Updated Jun 17 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Convenient. No Ice to deal with
Cons: Doesn't get really cold.
The Bottom Line: The Coleman cooler can be used as a chest or as a mini-fridge. It cools well enough but not perfectly. It works in a car, boat or home. Very Cool!!
popsrocks's Full Review: Coleman 40 Quart Powerchill Thermoelectric Cooler ...
I have read about this kind of cooler for that last couple of years. After mentioning it to my wife one time she kept the info in her head and surprised me with it as a gift. I was pleased.
I'm also pleased with the cooler. I read about some of the negatives so I knew what I was getting. I actually got more...and less than I expected. Additional info yet to come.
My 40 qt. Powerchill Cooler
This cooler is 23" x 17" x 15.5" in size weighing less than twenty pounds. Fill it up with a case of beer and the weight will differ. It can be used as a regular cooler with the lid on top or it can be used as a mini-fridge standing upright. It has one adjustable shelf that slides into one of 5 height choices in the cooler.
The door can be reversed for right or left hand opening. It comes set as a left hand door but by simply "popping" the doors "hinges" it can be placed on the opposite side. The latch must be changed with a screwdriver. Something that would take one minute to complete. It was just right for me.
The Coleman one year guarantee is a good one that I have not needed.
Pops Thoughts
The 40 qt Powerchill Coleman electric cooler that I received was ever so slightly different than some of its predecessors I read about. The positive is that this has a 12V plug attached to it and it pops into any cigarette lighter or 12v power source in cars and boats. This unit also came with an adapter that converts the cooler for regular home current of 110V. Very cool. It was packed in the box and has a six foot lead. It's a bit bulky plugging into a regular outlet but does the job.
The 12V plug is built into the unit and is at the tail end of another six feet of wire. That along with the adaptor cord and plug gives a lot of lead line.
This unit does not heat as another I had read about a year or two ago. Quite frankly that didn't mean much to me anyways. I really liked the idea of a cooler that I could have on the road or camping that didn't need to be topped off with ice, or drained when the ice melted. No wet spots in my car from plugs left opened. This is a clean machine, though it does use power.
This is a handsome looking piece of equipment with a black box and grey front door. Handles built into the sides make it easy to lift up. The compressor/fan area does take a bit away from the cooling space.
The adjustable shelf is cheap looking but slides into place easy enough.
The fridge/cooler is said to lower its inside temperature about 40 degrees cooler than the air around it. That seems true to me. That also means fifty degree beer at 90 degrees outside temperatures. This doesn't cool way down but it's certainly better fo me than a warm beer or running around looking for and paying for ice. It also helps to have a towel or such around the cooler in extreme temperatures.
Last Thoughts
This does what I want. It keeps beers, sodas, mao and such cool enough to appreciate on a hot day. No, it's not better than a straight small fridge but I do like it better than having to purchase ice and clean up after it. Being able to use it from car to tent to house makes it a good item for "portable" people. The cooler looks handsome and being made by Coleman I expect it to continue lasting for years and years.
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