28 replies to this topic

[ntsqd]

I believe that we have the same fridge as JonR. We're on our third one. We sold the first camper with the first one still installed. I ordered a second one almost exactly the day that I brought our second camper home. We've had one issue that I think was my fault. The controller failed. I think that I managed to voltage spike it with a short. After replacing the controller the fridge still didn't work. Crating & shipping it to the mfg's rep was going to cost nearly half as much as a new one. We had a trip coming up and I didn't have time to deal with that. No other compressor fridge is this outside size, so I ordered another one. And have been very careful to not short things out. It is now going in our newest camper. Total, we have maybe 9 years on the three fridges.

 

The freezer is small, hard to get many push-ups in there, a granddaughter's test of what's important.

 

The 100 watts of solar on the first camper had no trouble staying ahead of the fridge, even in hot desert weather. I don't think that 100W will stay ahead of the granddaughter so this camper is going to get a lot more solar.

[ramblinChet]

Related to this, what is the most reliable 12v fridge? 

Over many decades, National Luna has always been proven to be the absolute finest and most reliable 12v refrigerator in the world.

 

Here is a shot of mine that I have been using for 5-6 years without an issue. Very low current draw is a primary benefit.

 

[ntsqd]

Data point of one in a portable size fridge, I've got an ARB that I've had for ~17 years that still works fine.

[craig333]

The National Luna is a fine fridge but you pay for it too. Both my Truckfridge and Engel are still running strong.

[ramblinChet]

National Luna are the finest and that is why I purchased one years ago. I researched for nearly a year, talked with several full time overlanders, and the choice was easy. You pay for the best or you accept subpar performance in multiple areas. I didn't select based upon name or price - I selected what was best for my application.

 

If I was just adventuring out on the occasional weekend or wanted to conserve cash I am sure I would have selected an ARB, Engel, etc. Refers like that are great and fine for 97% of folks. But for the 3% who enjoy full time use in arduous conditions where durability, efficiency, insulation, mounting, stainless steel exterior, uniform cooling, etc. are supremely important - National Luna was the best choice when I made my purchase.

 

Competition is good though and if I require another - everyone has equal consideration.

[buckland]

Isotherm we've had is great.

[ntsqd]

Isotherm we've had is great.

Likewise, the Isotherms that we have had were great too.

 

A distinction must be made, our Isotherms were not chest fridges, they are built-in's primarily made for marine applications.

[ckent323]

The heart of all 12 v refrigerators and Freezers is the compressor.

National Luna uses the same Secop (formerly Danfoss) compressors that several other manufacturers use.  There are several other very reliable brands including Dometic (Wayco), Indel B, Engle, Isotherm and ARB.  Indel B, Isotherm and ARB use the Danfoss compressor. Dometic used to use the Danfoss but now uses a proprietary variable speed VMS03 compressor.  Engle uses the Sawafuji Swing compressor.

National Luna refrigerator construction and insulation is highly regarded.  Dometic is also highly regarded as are the others listed above.

https://expeditionpo...ridge-freezers/

https://www.mygenera...camping-fridge/

[Vic Harder]

Craig, you forgot TruckFridge in the list that uses the Danfoss... 

[ckent323]

Vic,

 

I did not forget TruckFridge.  As I recall they are made by Indel B and Vitrifrigo but some regard them as second tier compared to the Indel B and other brands like Dometic and National Luna.  There are at least 6 more 12 v refrigerator brands I did not list (probably more).

Many 12 v refrigerator brands are made by a handful of Chinese companies and then have some "branded" components added to them after recept by the buying brand.   I did a bunch of research on this when I was trying to decide on a refrigerator back in 2018.  I'm sure some consolidation and other industry changes have occurred since then

Far and away the Danfoss compressor is the compressor most commonly used by all these brands.