ARB vs ENGEL fridges

NFRs2000NYC

NFRs2000NYC

Member
Hey guys, so I am in the market for a 50qt fridge/freezer and the two top brands seem to be ARB and ENGEL. There are cheaper options, but Im intending on buying once, and buying right, so Im not really looking to get a cheap one. From all the research I've done, it seems they both have their pros and cons, but the cons on the ARB concern me

ARB

Pros

Lighter
Deeper
Slide-out lid

Cons

Hugely inaccurate temp setting vs actual, temp readings never accurate (making the built in display worthless)
Plastic exterior (could be seen as a pro for lightness)
Compressor bounce, which ARB says is normal

ENGEL

Pros

All metal construction
Seemingly indestructible running gear
Extremely accurate temp holding (although no actual display)

Cons

Heavy
No slide off lid
More than 1 latch

For those of you with fridges, what have been your experiences? Do you have opinions, regrets, pointers, etc on either of these two? Any insight or opinions would be appreciated!
 

notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
Wayoflife has had an ARB for years, so longevity is not a problem. The inaccuracy of the temperature reading can be adjusted. If I can find the thread, I’ll post a link. I’m in love with my 50 quart ARB!


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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I'm not sure if it's the case anymore but I'm pretty sure Engel manufactured ARB fridges. In any case, I've been carrying an ARB for 10 years and it's been serving me well. Sure the temp gauge is inaccurate but all you need to do is figure out where you need it to be and call it a day. This is not to say that Engel's aren't nice though. Have you ever considered a Dometic? Pricier for sure but pretty cool.
 

RMC2

RMC2

Member
I haven’t noticed my ARB being that noisy. All of these are good brands. Pick the features you like for the price you want to pay and don’t look back.
 

NFRs2000NYC

NFRs2000NYC

Member
Yea that's what I figured. I guess I'll just make sure they both fit the slide I will be looking at and go with that one.
 

NFRs2000NYC

NFRs2000NYC

Member
wayoflife said:
I'm not sure if it's the case anymore but I'm pretty sure Engel manufactured ARB fridges. In any case, I've been carrying an ARB for 10 years and it's been serving me well. Sure the temp gauge is inaccurate but all you need to do is figure out where you need it to be and call it a day. This is not to say that Engel's aren't nice though. Have you ever considered a Dometic? Pricier for sure but pretty cool.
Click to expand...

Is dometic a brand worth looking at? I’ve never heard of them (means nothing) but they seem like nice units, especially love the wifi app connectivity.
 

RMC2

RMC2

Member
I think the dometic look nice, but chickened out an went ARB. There is a good chance they will all fit the slide out, with maybe some new holes. I have seen others mix up brands.

I plan to build my own slide with some heavy drawer slides (like 150-200 lb). Will not be quite as nice but cheaper and shorter height wise. Or so goes the plan.
 

O

offcamber

New member
Back in 2003, while leaving a trade show I stopped and talked to the ARB guy. He was packing up and asked if I was interested in a good deal on a fridge because he didn't want to haul it back to his truck. I paid $340 for the 37qt fridge. Immediately afterwards I kicked myself for the impulse buy. Today I'd love to have one of the new digital ones, but I can't get one because my 16 year old fridge REFUSES TO DIE!!! It's been tossed around on trail rides dropped down the stairs once. Acted as a make shift seat thousands of times and it will still to this day freeze it's entire contents solid if you crank it more than half way to full cold. It has been the best purchase I have ever made. Mine is the all metal one actually made by Engel for ARB. I really want to sell it and buy a newer model, but at this point it's sentimental.
 

NFRs2000NYC

NFRs2000NYC

Member
offcamber said:
Back in 2003, while leaving a trade show I stopped and talked to the ARB guy. He was packing up and asked if I was interested in a good deal on a fridge because he didn't want to haul it back to his truck. I paid $340 for the 37qt fridge. Immediately afterwards I kicked myself for the impulse buy. Today I'd love to have one of the new digital ones, but I can't get one because my 16 year old fridge REFUSES TO DIE!!! It's been tossed around on trail rides dropped down the stairs once. Acted as a make shift seat thousands of times and it will still to this day freeze it's entire contents solid if you crank it more than half way to full cold. It has been the best purchase I have ever made. Mine is the all metal one actually made by Engel for ARB. I really want to sell it and buy a newer model, but at this point it's sentimental.
Click to expand...

I guess you’re at the point where you want to see how many years you can get out of it lol
 

NFRs2000NYC

NFRs2000NYC

Member
Although I really like the fact that the ARB has 3 more quarts (a sizable amount,) I really like the fact that this Engel can be a fridge and a freezer at the same time in 3 configurations, 1/3 fridge and the rest freezer, 2/3 fridge and the rest freezer, or all fridge. The ARB is only one or the other. I think that will probably be my deciding factor as both seem to be quality units.

https://www.engelcoolers.com/mt45f-u1.html


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JTCO

JTCO

Meme King
NFRs2000NYC said:
Hey guys, so I am in the market for a 50qt fridge/freezer and the two top brands seem to be ARB and ENGEL. There are cheaper options, but Im intending on buying once, and buying right, so Im not really looking to get a cheap one. From all the research I've done, it seems they both have their pros and cons, but the cons on the ARB concern me

ARB

Pros

Lighter
Deeper
Slide-out lid

Cons

Hugely inaccurate temp setting vs actual, temp readings never accurate (making the built in display worthless)
Plastic exterior (could be seen as a pro for lightness)
Compressor bounce, which ARB says is normal

ENGEL

Pros

All metal construction
Seemingly indestructible running gear
Extremely accurate temp holding (although no actual display)

Cons

Heavy
No slide off lid
More than 1 latch

For those of you with fridges, what have been your experiences? Do you have opinions, regrets, pointers, etc on either of these two? Any insight or opinions would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

I've had an ARB 50qt for just under a year and love it. Motor/compressor isn't noisy at all on mine. And as far as temperature, yeah it's off, but once you find out which setting is just above your drinks icing up, you set it there and leave it there. I think mine is at 27F. It sits in the garage plugged in when it's not in the Jeep and it's been set like that for months. No issues.
 

tobyw

tobyw

Member
WJCO said:
I've had an ARB 50qt for just under a year and love it. Motor/compressor isn't noisy at all on mine. And as far as temperature, yeah it's off, but once you find out which setting is just above your drinks icing up, you set it there and leave it there. I think mine is at 27F. It sits in the garage plugged in when it's not in the Jeep and it's been set like that for months. No issues.
Click to expand...

Very similar story here... ARB 37qt owner for about 8 months now, no excessive noises, temperature display is amazingly inaccurate, and it doubles as an excess beer fridge for parties and long weekends. I wouldn't go back to a Yeti if you gave it to me stuffed with hundred dollar bills. OK that might be a stretch, but they better be crisp bills :p
 

OverlanderJL

OverlanderJL

Resident Smartass
NFRs2000NYC said:
Although I really like the fact that the ARB has 3 more quarts (a sizable amount,) I really like the fact that this Engel can be a fridge and a freezer at the same time in 3 configurations, 1/3 fridge and the rest freezer, 2/3 fridge and the rest freezer, or all fridge. The ARB is only one or the other. I think that will probably be my deciding factor as both seem to be quality units.

https://www.engelcoolers.com/mt45f-u1.html


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Click to expand...

Crank the temp down on the arb and put ice cream in the bottom and waters on top and your water will be cold and your ice cream frozen. We’ve had ice cream in the desert after a couple days being out in Death Valley. It’s all about how you load it.


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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
OverlanderJL said:
Crank the temp down on the arb and put ice cream in the bottom and waters on top and your water will be cold and your ice cream frozen. We’ve had ice cream in the desert after a couple days being out in Death Valley. It’s all about how you load it.
Click to expand...

This ^^^^ How you pack will give you more options. :thumb:
 

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