Mobicool/Waeco TC-35

[AndrewClarke]

I know the concept of thermoelectric coolers has been hashed out here many times before, but does anyone have experience with the Waeco TC-35? I think that's what it is, and it's on sale at Canadian Tire right now for $180 (regularly $300): http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...h+12V+Adapter,+37-qt.jsp?locale=en#product_aa . I can get a 45L Mobicool used for maybe $90 on Kijiji, but this one seems better in that it appears to have a thermostat, and will cool 30C rather than the Mobicool W45 which only does 20C.

I'm not expecting Engel/National Luna levels of performance, but something I can afford for now to replace the regular cooler half full of ice bottles for max 3-4 day trips. I just don't really know anything about this specific model.

I have a dual battery setup in my truck, and this will be running off the secondary (marine) battery when the truck is turned off. Therefore, I'm not super worried about my battery going flat.

Thanks,
- Andrew.

 

[AndrewClarke]

I bought one of these last night. There was one in stock at my local Canadian Tire. It wasn't even on the shelves yet, and the guy said there was no record of any sales of it in the last year, so he assumed it's a new product. New at Canadian Tire, that is. I figured I'd provide some feedback on here.

I'm pretty sure this is the basic Waeco (Tropicool) TC-35, rebranded as a Mobicool. Its model number is Mobicool TC-35. There's plenty of information on the web about this model. I'll include some photos of it.

I was initially unpleasantly surprised by how loud it is. I'd read that they run non-stop, so that was a real concern for me. However, after setting it mid-way on the temperature controls, I came back later and it had quieted down to almost silent. I bumped up the cooling, and after a second or two the fans kicked in again. I came back later again, and it was quiet again. So, on 110V at least it seems like it doesn't run all the time with the fans on. Now that I'm typing this, I realize I need to test this on 12V.

The drinks I put in the cooler are "pleasantly cold" rather than "icy". I haven't measured with a thermometer yet.

This cooler cost me $203.39 with taxes. It's on sale until tomorrow at Canadian Tire. I'd say it's a "buy" at this price, but of course that's only after a very preliminary test. I cross-shopped against Kijiji which had a few of the other blue Mobicools near me for less. I opted for the new one, as this one does -30C instead of -20C like the other ones do. Plus, I have a theory that this one might be better quality.

Downsides are that it's not a $1000 National Luna. It's not quite wide enough for a carton of eggs if you use the removable divider. It appears to only have a 7-day exchange policy with Canadian Tire, after which you have to deal with the manufacturer. Hmm, should have used my credit card to purchase it and foregone the Canadian Tire money. I may go back and do that.

I've put a video at http://www.clarke.ca/files/IMG_4117.MOV to demonstrate how loud it is while it's running.







View attachment 161276

 

[maxhuve]

Hi Andrew,

Got one myself yesterday, and I am trying it out. I does not seem to stop running, it is quieter than when I first turned it on. I will let you know how it works.


Max

 

[AndrewClarke]

Hi Andrew,

Got one myself yesterday, and I am trying it out. I does not seem to stop running, it is quieter than when I first turned it on. I will let you know how it works.


Max

You're right. That's been my experience too. I should have been more precise. It quiets down to almost silent, but so far it's always made at least a bit of noise.

 

[Frankspinz]

I AM NOT A USER ! I AM NOT A USER ! I AM NOT A USER ! !

BUT:

Many people I camp with are ! And ALL are quite pleased with their Mobicool product ...

However, these basic precautions need to be a priority :

- cool your items before putting them in the Mobicool
- don't run it off you main vehicle battery unless on the road
- keep the unit well insulated and out of the sun

Otherwise, I have camped with Mobicool users, and they all had praise for their units ...

So far, I have not felt the need to go beyond the cooler with ice, mostly because I to a lot of backpacking and canoe camping. With dehydration (home made) and occasionnaly using dry ice I have been quite satisfied with my current system ... However I have been keeping a list of to upscale refrigerator and freezer manufacturers:

ARB
Engels
Luma
Edgestar
Martin
Waeco
Danfos

...

got more ?

 

[AndrewClarke]

National Luna makes a good fridge too. Expedition Journal did a comparison of a bunch of them a while ago. I'm too lazy at the moment to dig up the issue.

Edit: Oh, that's probably who you meant by "Luma". Also, it's "Engel" rather than "Engels", for the sake of any further Googling you might do on the subject. Apparently they only stuff one angel in each compressor.

 

[tomr]

Hi:

I have one of these as well; a considerable improvement over the run of the mill "cools to 20c below ambient" models that are common and cheap. It cycles on and off, and the 7-position thermostat helps with the battery draining. It rarely goes completely silent because it has a second internal fan for circulating the "cold" within the unit, but even that shuts off when you open the lid. I have not used mine too much yet, but it did last for a 2 night trip without draining a 115 amp hour deep cycle battery too much.

Tom

 

[AndrewClarke]

Mine drained my secondary deep cycle battery during the second night. We got to our campsite around 16:00 on Friday, and when I woke up Sunday morning the battery was dead. That was in temperatures ranging from maybe 17 at night to 25 in the day. I kept the cooler at its second coldest setting.

We rarely keep the vehicle parked without running it at all for more than 24 hours, so for us it seems to have been a good buy. It's whet my appetite for a better fridge though, so if/when this one dies I'll probably step up to a compressor model.