Gear Review- EdgeStar Freezer/Refrigerator

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
After dealing with standard coolers, melting ice and soggy food under less than ideal methods of refrigeration while on the trail and camping, I decided it was time to spring for a portable electric Freezer/Fridge. I had heard about the EdgeStar fridge on another forum and the folks that had been using that brand were quite happy with the product. I did some research on my own and found that the EdgeStar brand of products are from Texas and built in China. They are assembled with high-quality parts and have a good reputation.

The size I opted for holds 43 Quarts and will hold 60, 12 oz cans. It's the smallest EdgeStar portable freezer/fridge, Model# Model FP430. (Other options are 63 Quarts and 86 Quarts.) It's a bit on the large size, but once you get it loaded with food and drinks for a few days, the size becomes quite welcome. The outer dimensions are as follows-


  • [*]Height: 20.8 ”
    [*]Width: 24.7 ”
    [*]Depth: 17.7 ”

Weight is 45 lbs.

Pics for reference-

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The EdgeStar is built with quality hardware, a spring-loaded carrying handle on each side, a pair of heavy duty hinges, a spring-loaded locking latch and a couple of wire baskets for placing food items into. The baskets are very handy, as you can load your food into them without having to take the fridge out of the vehicle. There are also 2 drain plugs, one on the inside and one on the outside, for defrosting and cleaning out the inside of the fridge.

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The EdgeStar freezer/fridge has 2 power plugs, one for 12v or 24v DC power from a vehicle (by way of a plug for your cigarette lighter)and another for household power with a 115v AC plug for home use. Using 12V power, the unit draws 4.5 Amps. It is very quiet, I rarely hear it kick on and off. If we're traveling, the noise from the vehicle will drown out and noise the freezer/fridge may be making. If you stand right next to it, you will hear it the compressor and fan turn on and off, but even right next to it, the sounds are minimal.

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The temperature control panel on the side is simple, yet allows some good options. The freezer/fridge has a operating range from -8* to 50* Fahrenheit. It also has a Fast Freeze option, which will quickly bring the temperature down to -8* when you need to quickly freeze food. You can set your desired temperature with the control panel. I've been setting it at 38*, because the temperature will fluctuate up and down a few degrees as the fridge kicks on and off and temps in the car change.

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The case of the freezer/fridge is very well insulated, it will maintain the internal temperature for several hours without power. I've been impressed with how cool food stayed over night after being unplugged. One of the neat features is that the EdgeStar will shut off if the battery is run down too far. If the battery dips below 10.4V, the freezer/fridge will shut off. Once power is restored to the battery, the EdgeStar won't turn back on until after reaching 11.8V.

With the freezer/fridge plugged in safely at home, I did some tests to see how long I could run the fridge and still start the vehicle. I let the EdgeStar run overnight and attempted to start my FJ80 24 hrs later. It fired right up without a problem. I shut it off quickly, so as to not fully recharge the battery. I let the vehicle sit for another 24 hrs and tried again... 48 hrs with the fridge running and not letting the battery charge and the engine turned over normally and fired right up.

After 72 hrs, the freezer/fridge was registering low voltage and no longer maintaining the temperature. The indicator light on the side was flashing yellow, indicating the low power. The digital temperature display still functioned, but showed the increasing temp. I'm very pleased that the freezer/fridge will run for 48 hours without draining the battery and preventing the vehicle from starting! These tests were conducted using a fairly new Orbital dry cell battery.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Here's the freezer/fridge loaded into my FJ80, so you can get a better idea of the size.-

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I've been using the EdgeStar for several months and a handful of trips and it has been one of the best additions I've made to our vehicle. It's very nice to have cold food and drinks after a couple days out on the trail. Keeping perishables cold means eating good while away from home! The one complaint I have is the short 12v power cord. It comes with a 6' cord, which wasn't long enough to reach the power plug in the dash. After some wire cutting and crimping, I added additional wire to reach from the back where the fridge is mounted, to the power plug in the dashboard.

One of the many ways we're excited to use it is while fishing in Baja... we can freeze our catch and keep it fresh for the long drive home after the trip. I haven't tried it yet, but I hear ice cream is the best during a hot day on the trail. :greg: I'm quite pleased and would easily buy one again. I paid $380 from CompactAppliance.com when it was on sale. Normal price is $400.


Here's a link to the EdgeStar and the 43 Quart cooler for all specs-

http://www.edgestar.com/products/fridgefreeze/fp430.asp



****UPDATE****
After a recent search, it looks like this model may be out of production. :-\ If you are interested in purchasing one, I'd recommend contacting EdgeStar directly, or Compact Appliance, as they are the official vendor.

I cannot comment on how the EdgeStar compares to the ARB freezer/fridge or the Engel, as I have not owned either before. I would hope that the EdgeStar is comparable, but only time will tell if this is truly a quality product.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
After a recent search, it looks like this model may be out of production. :-\ If you are interested in purchasing one, I'd recommend contacting EdgeStar directly, or Compact Appliance, as they are the official vendor.


Looks like there's an updated model with some changes, including a large price increase, listed on Compact Appliance. What is odd is that the EdgeStar brand is not mentioned, but the freezer/fridge looks identical. The new one holds 45 Quarts, the normal price is $700, on sale now for $600 with free shipping. Here's the link-

http://www.compactappliance.com/BDC...tdoor_Living-Travel_Coolers-Portable Freezers


Looks like my model freezer/fridge has been discontinued, here is the updated model, with an updates price-

http://www.compactappliance.com/FP4...tdoor_Living-Travel_Coolers-Portable Freezers
 

MOODY

Bald Guy
Location
Sandy
I saw somewhere that Home Depot is selling the Edgestar via their online site... if you are looking, it might be worth a googling...
 

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
these are 15 % off right now with free shipping on both the websites listed above. the total is 509. they are out of the close out model 43 ones. Home depot is 499 but you have to pay fpr shipping.
 
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mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
Holy S*** that's an awesome price for the 63qt. I'm seriously thinking about one myself. HMMM.......-_-

yeah and they had the savenow coupon code so I actually got it for less than the 45Q. should be here this week.
 

waynehartwig

www.jeeperman.com
Location
Mead, WA
I've sure considered one of these (ARB, etc) but have been afraid of the dead battery syndrome. It's nice to know the rig will start even after 48 hours of being off. If you were going to have something like this on the road with you, chances are the most it would probably ever see off would be overnight and maybe a few hours in the evening/morning. So that's a plus!
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
I've sure considered one of these (ARB, etc) but have been afraid of the dead battery syndrome. It's nice to know the rig will start even after 48 hours of being off. If you were going to have something like this on the road with you, chances are the most it would probably ever see off would be overnight and maybe a few hours in the evening/morning. So that's a plus!

Wayne, fwiw the ARB has the low battery protection system, though as shown by the Edgestars performance, its not a big issue unless you plan to let it run for 2 or more days without a restart. This of course depending on the outside temps, fridge contents, etc.
 

waynehartwig

www.jeeperman.com
Location
Mead, WA
Wayne, fwiw the ARB has the low battery protection system, though as shown by the Edgestars performance, its not a big issue unless you plan to let it run for 2 or more days without a restart. This of course depending on the outside temps, fridge contents, etc.

Yeah, that's nice. I didn't think it would be that long at all. I figured it would be more like ~8 hours. No restart for 2 days is a long time not to restart. Only broken would that really be an issue ;) Definately time to reconsider buying one of these...
 

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
The edgestar has a low battery shut off as well. I called them and asked that question.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
The edgestar has a low battery shut off as well. I called them and asked that question.


Yep! But I think 10.4V is too low to start a vehicle, so you'll have to be cautious running the fridge for too long w/o charging the battery.

A dual battery setup would be ideal, so if you did run one battery down using the fridge, you'd have a fully charged backup.

From the first post...

... One of the neat features is that the EdgeStar will shut off if the battery is run down too far. If the battery dips below 10.4V, the freezer/fridge will shut off. Once power is restored to the battery, the EdgeStar won't turn back on until after reaching 11.8V.
 

mesha

By endurance we conquer
Location
A.F.
well the 63 showed up and it fits perfect in the back of the 4 door jk. It also fits great in the back seat of my 98 chevy. I plugged it in and it worked pretty good. My battery was dead in about 4 hours. I jumped it and drove it around then it would start every time. I turned the truck off and the battery was dead in about 15 minutes. I am having the battery tested to see if it was a bad battery or if the low power shut off doesn't work. the battery was putting out 12.44 volts.
 

Herzog

somewhat damaged
Admin
Location
Wyoming
Bump. I've been thinking about one of these as we have now switched over to more of a fresh food (veggies & fruits) lifestyle. Having something like this would be great to keep our stuff fresh and organized while out on the road as opposed to dealing with soggy cooler water food and worrying about ice all the time.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
They're handy for sure, mine broke one of the plastic hinges but still works well. I simply need to order another hinge. The prices have about doubled from when I picked mine up! The 43 Quart size is a good in between size for keeping it in a vehicle, but if you have the room, a larger one may be nice.

I love how you have power options for 12v and 120v... you can plug it in at home, cool it down and load it up... then load it into the vehicle and hit the road.
 

neagtea

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
farmington
That is a great deal.
My arb doubles as a garage fridge when not on the road or trail.
Way better than the soggy leaking ice chest.
 
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