Perfect for summer outings and decent size, Nice bargain at half price.
Willow Cooler 25L $21 (Was $42) @ Coles
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foxes28 on 13/01/2020 - 18:58 shop.coles.com.au (2372 clicks)
Last edited 20/01/2020 - 21:12 by 1 other user
Last edited 20/01/2020 - 21:12 by 1 other user
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I was actually going to say the same thing - these things are useless for anything more than a few hours.
Would you be able to suggest one that isn’t as woeful as this?
Esky
Depends how much you want to spend. I think Esky brand and Coleman make decent entry level ones… for around $50
I recently got a 50L Brass Monkey Marine Cooler from Road Tech Marine which performs really well (ice lasted approx 3 days while camping in summer) and cost me $120 on sale. https://www.roadtechmarine.com.au/50l-super-efficient-marine…
Technice are up there with the best… similar size (50L) is approx $250
I think this is a pretty decent deal.
https://www.bcf.com.au/p/dometic-cool-ice-icebox-22l/215892.…
A bit of cashback, and you can also get 9% off BCF gift cards from Suncorp Rewards. Brings it closer to $60.
Heybargain - if you really want something far better quality I recommend Evakool branded eskies. There are 'factory seconds' that are far better than this Willow one but for the premium range you're paying a hefty price. I have a 200L premium one I bought several years ago and used it recently, kept my items cold for 5 days. You'll never look back when you get one.
The issue is for a simple picnic, carting groceries to properties from town, day trip, beach trip, house party, these ice boxes are too unwieldy. You don't always need to keep ice for multiple days. I have a Ridge Ryder by Evakool 25L and it only just fits in my car. So for people without large vehicles (considering how common smaller cars are now) it's not a practical suggestion. I have this Willow and it performs terribly against my icebox - but my icebox usually goes for over $100 (paid $48). Granted the willow at ~$40 is terrible, but it is much lighter and smaller for the 25L than 25L ice boxes. The sacrifice is ice keeping performance. Individuals need to weigh that up. The other thing is price - I paid $7.50 for this willow on clearance - that price and its low weight and smal size see me use it far more often than the ice box now which has been relegated to multiday trips only.
It all comes back to price to performance and use case of the individual.
@Wilburre: Yeah completely agree, Wilburre..
I was just responding to Heybargain's question of a better quality esky. I also have a cheap Bunnings esky that I can use for the day no problem. It was a secret Santa gift from a couple years ago but it does the job well enough for a day.
For longevity and quality though, Evakool is really good.
@CrocDundee: Oh yeah wasn't meaning to have a go mate, just another point of view. Everytime this esky comes up people compare it to the ice boxes but not many own the willow and an ice box so thought i'd provide a wee comparison. I love my rebadged evakool, its just a shit of thing to use at times! The willow if it got lost or stolen or damaged i'd be more worried about it becoming waste than the actual money and thats another factor. So its also good for when you've had a few beers and might accidentally leave it somewhere :P
No way in hell i'd be paying more than ~$20 for one though. Pricebeat at anaconda is about as high as i'd go after seeing them for $7.50.
@Wilburre: All good :) I didn't think you were having a go at me. I completely agree with your comments though. I meant to say 120L Evakool esky is the one I have, not a 200L one.. That is just ridiculously big! My brother has the 80L and 60L ones and they do just as good job and easier to get around. I've not come across the 25L ones though.
I didn't know that about the Ridge Ryder… I know there is a difference in the 'factory seconds' Evakool range compared to their premium range eskies. I wonder if the ridge ryder branded ones are the factory seconds?
@CrocDundee: also to add to the better quality esky adivce - ridge ryder eskys are rebadged evakools and occasionally go on sale for 40-50% off. Then you can get up to 8% off with supercheap egiftcards from a rewards program if you have access, and free click and collect from supercheap.
only thing to be wary of is the 25L doesn't hold ice as long as the 40, 60L etc and i think evakool branded evakool is the same. something about the 25L ones - i don't know if its thinner or different wall insulation or what but they are only rated to keep ice for 2 days while the bigger ones are rated for 4 days. i've managed 3 days in mine so mileage may vary. the willow - a day but you will get a lot of water in it too so only good for food in the morning, drinks only after that unless you want soggy sangas!
Techni Ice, they make compact ice boxes all the way up to 800L, I use a 60L for camping and it keeps ice for 2 days. There are tricks to keep ice longer, obviously keep it out of direct sunlight, ideally fill it up with already cold things (get your slab from the cool room etc). Don't keep opening it and keep the tabs closed tight. They are worlds apart from a willow but probably weigh over twice as much from all the insulation they have.
I agree , I too have the same cooler bought from Big W .The lid of this cooler never stays in place .
The Sistema of eskies :)
what do u mean
Both available at supermarkets?
I think Sistema stuff though so maybe a poor choice of words?
Sistema is a rubbish container. Absolutely not air tight, so it leaks like crazy, scratches easily, cheap rubbish that's always half price.
Woeful Willow
Had one myself and gave it away. Not a good performer and the handle that holds the lid on is a total debacle. Went and got one of these to replace it with: https://www.kmart.com.au/product/55l-hard-cooler/1731321
Hack them to perform better? I thought I saw a video once where someone filled it with expanding foam and improved the performance drastically. DYOR
Great idea! Knowing me, I'd probably break it haha
yes, that is the issue with some coolers, they are just filled with air, so very poor insulation compared to models that have foam inside.
Wait, I thought air is a good insulator
"The greater the spacing between a material's molecules, the harder it is for heat to transfer through that material. Air is a good insulator because it is a gaseous substance, therefore its spread-out molecular configure resists heat transfer to some degree"
"So let’s ask ourselves again, is air a good insulator of heat? The answer to this question is yes if it is utilized properly."
Air is a good insulator against heat conduction.
However in this Willow cooler there is nothing stopping convection currents where the air moves heat within the cavity from the hot outer shell to liner. As others have noted it's only good for about half a day on a hot day.
A light foam that is mostly air, but stops the warm air from moving freely in the air gap generally works better as an insulator. That's what better quality coolers use.
I use this for my sous vide.
Cut out a hole in the lid, perfect size, height and capacity for the Anova. Love it!
Yep, same here. No regrets at all.
Cool
Anaconda also sell the 25L and will price beat 10% making it $18.90.
https://www.anacondastores.com/camping-hiking/power-cooling/…
https://www.anacondastores.com/faq/play-more-pay-lessI bought this from coles a couple of years ago for the same price. It’s a very average cooler. It’s a typical hi/low prices item… $42 regular price is rubbish and only there to make the summer price of $21 look good every year.
Big W sell the 33L for $29 every day…
https://www.bigw.com.au/product/willow-33l-hard-cooler/p/513…If you need a cheap cooler go for it, but worth spending a little more in my opinion to get a better performing one. Sorry for the neg, but I don’t think it’s a great product even at that price.
No wheel, no deal
Hope y'all been training one-arm deadlifts
Don't buy it - save yourself a bit more and get a better one. This one doesn't hold ice for more than 4 hours.
Get one with wheels!
I had the pleasure of carrying a larger one to the beach when parking is limited and it’s not fun
A lot of people being negative about this one - as always depends on what you pay and what your use case is. These have been on clearance at various Coles stores recently - I bought mine for $7.50 a couple months ago. For picnics, house parties etc it does the job, and for $7.50 does it well. I have had zero issues with the lid not staying on as others have suggested - perhaps they don't know how to operate the handle of an esky? Of course this won't do well on long day trips etc, its a standard esky. For that I have the Ridge Ryder by Evakool 25L ice box from supercheap that I picked up for $48 a year ago. It holds ice for multiple days but ice boxes have some issues with convenience - for the same 25L capacity it is much more unwieldy to carry - EvaKool recognises this by placing handles each side for 2 people to carry between them - the willow you can fill to the brim with ice and beer and still carry it with one hand and have a beer in the other. The other issue is how you take it places - if you have a large vehicle such as a station wagon or suv its fine, but with a small sedan it will be too big to fit in the boot opening (or for my 2017 lancer just fits and then you need to take it completely out of the boot to get into it as all ice boxes i'm aware of have hinged lids), and to have it safely in the cabin so I can get things out of it while pulled over without getting out of the car, I have to have the passenger seat all the way forward and then it just fits in the rear passenger footwell. It doesn't fit in the front passenger footwell with the seat all the way back, and having something that size and hardness on the seats while driving is foolish. As a result this one gets most of my usage, the ridge ryder gets relegated to multiday trips only now.
TLDR - it depends on your use case - stop comparing this thing to ice boxes it is not a straight comparison.
I just use a bucket
Just recently I found an old Esky in our garage which was about 20 years old and it's much, much better quality than today's plastic garbage.
I have this esky and it is woeful unless you just want to keep drinks cool for a few hours….its really a glorified plastic bucket with a lid and I am going to throw it out.
On a recent camping trip the ice barely lasted a day compared to a similar sized Coleman esky, which kept ice twice as long.
EDIT: sorry to bring negativity, just want to warn people who are after a decent esky.