I was looking for a small portable fridge and was deciding between Brass Monkey and Kings. I came across this deal with 20% off, plus an additional 10% cashback through ShopBack (link: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/881766), which makes it an amazing deal!
Would like to know too. I've seen Brass Monkey and they are good, but this one is right on the budget with cover included.
'Product Review' reviews are bad but they often are with OK products so its a bit hard to say.
Quite a few are saying that they dont get cold enough to freeze though
How many litres is it equivalent to?
Capacity
21.6L
Does anyone actually own one can comment? Most reviews on this is postive from what i read. For around $140 with cover on final price i took a gamble especially when they have a storefont too.
Dodgy Kings, jacking up the price and postage so it's basically the same as this listing without codes which should be eligible for 10% cashback at Shopback (or TCB if you put in a rate beat claim)
(Nevermind, just realised no cover included)
This is probably better quality https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/256499581428
10% back right now with Shopback too
I picked up their other brand Rovin 35L with a cover for $109 last year when they had a "carpark" sale.
Jaycar is one of those places that you need to go in store and see what they have because even while it was $109 in store they were advertising it on sale for more online. I think prices vary between stores to though.
The 50L + cover comes out to $270 too
No VIC stores with stock so $25 shipping which I'm OK with.
The 55L Brass Monkey one weights close to 14kg.
What's with the covers?
Does a cover really make much difference?
Given that the cover has a hole to vent the compressor, I would think that it's really not going to help reduce the power consumption of the fridge?
I'm thinking maybe if it's in the sun it will help slightly, but overall I don't know how much difference it would really make.
Honestly nfi. Apparently it does, according to their description.
Description? They should publish test results!
One thing I can say is, like my Rovin, the fridge and cover are hinged on different sides and it's bit of a PITA because you can't just lift the cover and lid at the same time/direction.
There are a few people doing comparisons with covers, they make a slight difference, wouldn’t be worth buying one but if it’s free it’s a win
I wonder if they have 2 fridges to test.
E.g.
Test1: two new fridges (empty) that use the same power for the same temperature setting over X hours/days.
Test2: same test but one with a cover. What if any is the difference in power consumption?
with the exception of Engel, Brands like these (Waeco, ARB, XTM, Kings etc) use Danfoss/China Secop compressors so much of a muchness really. Get it cheap enough and it lasts 3-5 years then its good value, turf it and replace.
Have a 50L of the "real compressor" series like this. Works great. Kings prices fluctuate so badly, by design, but the fridge does the job and it's a steal compared to the big/old school brands.
I find the cover vs no-cover debate quite interesting. Some tests have shown that the cover impedes ventilation and forces the compressor to work harder.
A good video with real test results: https://youtu.be/m9xjYKs1Kx4?si=kPNbIWdTefqPXdUR
To be fair, the Engel cover is horribly designed. The Kings one looks to have a lot more ventilation and is looser fitting so lets more air travel. I can confirm anecdotally that my fridge works so much better with its over on. It meant my battery wouldn't go flat after a couple days use, compared to definitely going flat otherwise.
Designed as well as their app?
Can't believe a brand that charges as much as they do still has the bog standard Chinese demo app…
Just a word of caution to anyone thinking of impulse buying these for parties/beach trips. I bought into these thinking they're like your fridge at home - throw warm can in, get icy cold drinks by the time you arrive at the beach. Nope, silly me. These are for preserving already cold stuff for prolonged periods, without the ice and water.
I got the smaller 15l kings and tested it out with 10 room temp water bottles. I set the temp to 4*c since that is apparently the most efficient range. Took over 12 hrs to get the bottles down to temp.
I started over with room temp bottles and now cranked it to -18c, after 24 hours only 1 bottle is solid ice, the rest were only around 50-80% frozen, the bottles sitting on top barely had ice crystals. The temp reading on the display never got lower than -12c and the compressor was on non-stop for 24hrs cranking at 53watts. This was inside the house with the ac on at a constant 23c - perfect conditions for the fridge.
When empty - the fridge itself takes about 15-20mins to get to 0*c and another 20mins to get to - 18c. These would probably double in a hot environment like a car.
TL;DR these are not for cooling room temp stuff. These are for maintaining already cold food for prolonged periods. Esky full of ice and water is what you need when you have to throw in warm drinks and have people constantly opening and closing the lid.
Haha got it for camping. If it last 2 year's in the warranty period then its worth it.
Can't really ask for more on a budget fridge/freezer.
Yeah I'll be taking mine camping but I'll skip the battery and use V2l from the car instead.
No knocking on kings or anything, I doubt even an Engel or Evakool operate well to that type of use. It's just the nature of these fridges.
Great find OP, anyone got any feedback on the kings fridges?