7 Years and Still Going: Coleman electric cooler
Written: Aug 10 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No ice needed. Easy to use.
Cons: Not cool enough when you need it, Draws a lot of power, not well insulated.
The Bottom Line: This product is great for those that like to have strings attached.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Coleman 40qt Vertical/Horizontal Thermoelectric Co... |
This is one of those purchases that I saw and just had to have. At the time I thought is was the coolest idea. Later on I realized it was not that cool, but it solved a need. And with a minor modification to my truck, this ice chest worked out pretty well.
This is an ice chest that does not use ice. It is one of the original designs for this category of products. It uses a 12 volt power supply to operate. It can either heat products or cool them.
Initial setup
There is really nothing to setup. You just have a cable and the unit itself. It is a good idea to give the unit a wipe down before using it. You never know what deposits were left on it from the factory.
It also comes with a basket to use when the cooler is in the upright position. It is pretty cheap and I would not feel comfortable putting too much weight on it, but since the cooler is so small weight is not be a problem as long as you are not storing shotputs or bowling balls.
How it works
This unit has a cable with one end holding a cigarette lighter adapter and the other end is a rectangular plug with two long holes. You line up the blue squares to cool the interior of the cooler or you line up the red squares to heat the interior of the cooler.
How well does it cool
Not very well in my opinion. If I have a choice between getting a cool beverage out of this or an ice chest with ice, then I am going to choose the ice chest. It will only get your drinks down to 40-45 degrees and an ice chest will be a little above 33 degrees.
This cooler even becomes more useless if the outside temperature is above 90 degrees. Unlike an ice chest, this cooler’s temperature depends greatly on the outside temperature. So if it is 115 degrees in the car (typical for a car in Southern California.) then this cooler will only cool a drink down to 60-70 degrees. This is typical for all electrical coolers because of the lack of insulation.
How well does it heat
Heating is fine, just do not expect to cook with this. It will keep food warm for short distances/times. You can expect the temperature to be around 135 degrees but this also varies depending on the outside temperature. This is not a long term storage center for food since most foods will spoil in a matter of hours at the temperature. That is unless you want to make your whole family sick for Thanksgiving. I know none of you out there would want to do that.
Noise level
For me the noise is obnoxious. I could never sleep in a dorm room with this going on. It even irritates me when I am driving the car. If I use this I put it in the trunk of my car and use a cigarette lighter adapter extension if necessary.
Battery life
This should only be used when the car is running. If you leave it plugged in for more than 2 hours then it will drain the battery and you will be in a lot of trouble starting your car. Having a second battery source is essential if you use this on camping trips (see below.)
My setup.
I went ahead and connected a marine battery directly to my car battery in my old 91 Toyota pickup. I had a toggle switch that disconnected the two batteries when the car was not running. I then connected the Marine battery to the cooler. I was able to run the cooler for over 24 hours before I needed to recharge it and the cooler would still run even when the battery was giving off 9.5 volts.
This setup worked but there are some precautions you need to take. The battery lets off harmful gases so it cannot be used in a non-ventilated space.
I keep telling myself that I will putting a group of small batteries in the side compartment of my Avalanche and putting in a cigarette lighter adapter. But I have not done that yet.
Care and precautions
All you need to do is wipe down the unit with a damp cloth. Do not get the unit wet and do not put ice in this unit (water will damage the cooling unit.) The cooling unit is susceptible to damage from water so you should never put ice in this unit.
How much can you expect to put into this?
The cooler is rated at 40 quarts. First, you can put this in the upright position or on it’s back. But 2 liter bottles will only fit length wise (upright if the cooler is upright.)
I generally put 6-8 cans of soda, 2 water bottles, milk, lunch meats, breakfast meats, vegetables, and hot dogs. That will usually fill it up.
Accessories
I bought an AC to DC converter sold by Coleman and it works quite well (electronic shops sell many different version, some larger and some smaller). You still have the same problems as before but now you can store this in an office, closet, or other place for cool drinks. I think the accessory is worth it if you find yourself in a position where you need extra fridge space for a party or something else. Just keep the cooler in a cool place. I used this as well as a bucket of ice water to keep drinks cool for the fourth of July. The cooler was outside. Sadly this did not work too well in 100 degree heat. The drinks were only about 50 degrees in temperature so I just turned it off and dumped the coolers contents in with the other drinks.
Who is it for?
Someone that does not want to deal with ice or does not have access to ice, but does have access to electricity. It is also for someone that does not mind dealing with a loud fan.
Durability
The cooler looks like a last minute prom date, but it still works. The metal parts are rusted, the plastic is discolored, even the red ink has deteriorated into a brown. Not a pretty sight. But it still works after all these years.
Problems
So you want to take this to the beach, are you ready to lug a big battery with it? The battery is the biggest problem with this unit and really limits it’s usefulness. If you are camping or on a picnic you generally stay longer than 2 hours, but your battery will not.
This unit is also pretty small. It only held food for my wife and I for no more than 3 days before we needed to restock.
As previously mentioned, this does not cool very well. The unit needs a bigger cooling unit and better insulation. I know it will make it heavier but I feel the weight would be worth the extra efficiency.
The last major problem is that it is small. This will not work for a family of 4, at most it will only work for a few days with a family of 2.
Why the rating and recommendation
I do not recommend this product because it still is not as good or satisfying as an ice chest. With 3 stars it is still a great product in the limited environments it can be used in. But I use my other 2 ice chests a lot more than this product and they are a lot cheaper.
Weight and dimensions
Weight: 15 pounds
Height: 21.50 inches
Length: 17 inches
Width: 15.5 inches
Internal height: 12.75
Internal width: 10.75
Internal Length: 17.5
Summary:
This is a great invention that adds an extra bit of convenience to our lives. It cools items well without the need for ice. It is portable and can even act as a small fridge. But if what you want is a fridge then go out and buy one they are generally the same price anyways. This is also a great solution to an ice shortage. Sadly there really is not an ice shortage going on, at least until global warming really kicks in. Then we will all be flooded out of our homes, mutate into swimming lizards, then we will swim out to sea and not care about our little electric ice chest any more.
Note: I want to thank Abraham (openroad) and Amy (mind-full) for posting this up for me as well as dealing with the confusion of where to put this.
Other review you might be interested in.
Coleman 3 room tent
Rubbermaid 5 gallon water cooler
Coleman queen size air mattress
Recommended:
No
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