Edgestar Fridge/freezer?

jeff@work

Adventurer
You should try contacting edgestar so see what type of compressor it uses. I'd bet it's either danfoss which is what waeco uses or the sawafuji which is what engel uses.
That said I've never heard of that brand of coolers before but I believe the angle problem is only for the fridges that use propane so that shouldn't be an issue with this one.
 

Bayou Boy

Adventurer
I emailed Edgestar last night after the above post and had a response today at 8:00am Central time. So first impressions say they have responsive service, which is better than most companies these days.

The compressor is a Matsu****a. (replace the stars with the bad word for caca)

Never heard of it. I'll do some research.

This fridge may be the budget unit we've been looking for with the ability to cool to -5 and a digital readout to set the temp by degree. It also has a 90 day labor and 1 year parts warranty which isn't quite as good as the more expensive units.
 
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Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
We started getting a lot of inquires from Chinese manufacturers of compressor fridges starting about 2 years ago. They wanted to know if we would distribute their product in North America.

They all look quite comparable with the Engels and WAECO's (of course there is the unknown reliability and warranty issues) until it comes to power consumption.

Engles pull 0.7 - 2.5 amp WAECO's pull 3.75 amp (average) depending on the fridge settings and outside temperature. See http://www.adventuretrailers.com/fridges.html

The Edgestar pulls 4.5 amps on 12 volt. In amps it all seems very close because the numbers are small, but if you convert them to watts (a more familiar measurement, same as your light bulbs) then the power drawn now seems to be more drastic:
Engle 8.4 - 30 watts
Waeco 45 watt average
Edgestar 54 watts.

It's always power consumption people are concerned about.
 

chet

island Explorer
are they made in china? if so they should be $100 not $500! for that little price difference I would stick to a name brand.
 

Bayou Boy

Adventurer
chet said:
are they made in china? if so they should be $100 not $500! for that little price difference I would stick to a name brand.

You do realize that the $700 of the Engel is 40% more than $500. That's pretty substantial for something that may get used a dozen times a year.


I just saw something new at a substantial discount and wanted to see if anyone had used them before. I don't know if they are made in China or not. I can't find anything anywhere on Edgestar's website. Not that it matters.

According to the review in "Overland Journal" the ARB and Engel are assembled in Thailand and the Waeco is assembled in China.

Just so you know. :coffee:

The power usage is a big thing though.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Bayou Boy said:
You do realize that the $700 of the Engel is 40% more than $500. That's pretty substantial for something that may get used a dozen times a year.


I just saw something new at a substantial discount and wanted to see if anyone had used them before. I don't know if they are made in China or not. I can't find anything anywhere on Edgestar's website. Not that it matters.

According to the review in "Overland Journal" the ARB and Engel are assembled in Thailand and the Waeco is assembled in China.

Just so you know. :coffee:

The power usage is a big thing though.

My original mention of Chinese made fridges wasn't meant as a slur in any way. It has just been my experience with Chinese designed and manufactured products that, are in their initial form, need is a lot of work be done on the R&D side.

My inference was that in all the Chinese designed and manufactured fridges I have come across they have not come to grips with the power consumption side of the equation yet. "Yet" is an important factor here, as at some point they will address it.

The WAECO and Engle product by contrast we designed independently from their place of manufacture or assembly. They are original concepts where power requirements were factored into the design.
 

Bayou Boy

Adventurer
Martyn said:
My original mention of Chinese made fridges wasn't meant as a slur in any way. It has just been my experience with Chinese designed and manufactured products that, are in their initial form, need is a lot of work be done on the R&D side.

My inference was that in all the Chinese designed and manufactured fridges I have come across they have not come to grips with the power consumption side of the equation yet. "Yet" is an important factor here, as at some point they will address it.

The WAECO and Engle product by contrast we designed independently from their place of manufacture or assembly. They are original concepts where power requirements were factored into the design.

Got it.
It's the difference between going to a Chinese factory with a speced engineers drawing and saying build this and showing up saying, "design and build me a 12/120v Fridge/freeze.


Another thing. I just got an email back saying that it will operate at up to 30 degrees off level.
So if you've got the power I guess it's not too bad.
 
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Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Bayou Boy said:
Got it.
It's the difference between going to a Chinese factory with a speced engineers drawing and saying build this and showing up saying, "design and build me a 12/120v Fridge/freeze.


Another thing. I just got an email back saying that it will operate at up to 30 degrees off level.
So if you've got the power I guess it's not too bad.

Yes that's is exactly. The reason it take Chinese products a while to get up to speed is either the retailer has to work with them to improve the product from consumer feedback, or they need time for reverse engineering.

As someone said earlier in the thread it's the propane heat loss fridges where being level is critical for usage. Most of the compressor fridges will work off level and I think that 30' is about average. As the only moving part is the compressor then that component would seem to be the critical piece. Unless it has more do with the movement of the cooling fluid within the fridge.

Having the stored power is the critical issue for most people on Expedition. If you are using a fridge to keep food cold on the weekly Costco or Trader Joe's run then it's not a problem. But if you are setting up a base camp for longer than 2 days the Edgestar would be an issue.

For an idea on assessing your power requirements have a look at "Tips for Evaluating 12 Volt Power Requirements" at http://www.adventuretrailers.com/12volt_solar.html
 

Grim Reaper

Expedition Leader
Matsu****a aka Panasonic is an excellent company that makes a LOT more products then most people realize. They are one of the largest battery manufactures in the world and a Huge make of electronics. Consumer reports consistently rates their flat screen near the top. I wouldn't at all feel bad buying any product from them.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Grim Reaper said:
Matsu****a aka Panasonic is an excellent company that makes a LOT more products then most people realize. They are one of the largest battery manufactures in the world and a Huge make of electronics. Consumer reports consistently rates their flat screen near the top. I wouldn't at all feel bad buying any product from them.

I wouldn't disagree with you. It's the power consumption of the fridge that concerns me.

It’s like having a generic brand car that uses a Mercedes motor, but only get 9 MPG.
 

FourByLand

Expedition Leader
Martyn said:
I wouldn't disagree with you. It's the power consumption of the fridge that concerns me.

It’s like having a generic brand car that uses a Mercedes motor, but only get 9 MPG.

I wouldn't disagree either, Grim.

But that is a very good analogy Martyn!

I love the knowledge of this board and the info that keeps people from making bad decisions or more informed decisions!

Thanks guys!
 

Grim Reaper

Expedition Leader
Martyn said:
I wouldn't disagree with you. It's the power consumption of the fridge that concerns me.

It’s like having a generic brand car that uses a Mercedes motor, but only get 9 MPG.

This is rated 4.5 amps /65 watts.
What does the ARB/engle pull? I thought it was close to that.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Grim Reaper said:
This is rated 4.5 amps /65 watts.
What does the ARB/engle pull? I thought it was close to that.

The Edgestar pulls 4.5 amps on 12 volt. In amps it all seems very close because the numbers are small, but if you convert them to watts (a more familiar measurement, same as your light bulbs) then the power drawn now seems to be more drastic:
Engle 8.4 - 30 watts
Waeco 45 watt average
Edgestar 54 watts.

From post #5
 

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