ICECO VL45 here... It has been installed and running non stop for over a year in my semi truck cab, right where the front passenger seat used to be. I have owned the Dometic products in the past, and quite honestly, they do not hold up well in the long run. We shall see how the ICECO does, it has already been in service for over a year, being beat up on our wonderful third world roads here in the USA, so far, so good. Very happy with mine, and it is built like a tank, along with being virtually silent, and sips electricity. I have solar on the roof of the truck, never had an issue after letting the truck sit for several weeks, truck fired right up.
had the jp45 until i sold it to fund a trip. gonna get the vl60 i think when i get back. otr bulk tanker. my only issue was my trucks battery bank would shut it down everynow and then so i'd have to keep bunk fan on and when it shut off get up and crank the truck. not the coolers fault but sukd nonetheless. glad to hear ur exp re the dometic cause was just checking them out again but why pay higher for something that worked good the first time. but i think the vl60 will be just the right amount of space for the amount of food i prepared n froze for each hitch. only drawback is i have to bring it with me home. no way i'm leaving it in the truck.
I now have an Iceco go 20 (two months now) after this video and many others convincing me not to get a dometic. Great video and iceco has solid build quality and I also have Bluetooth capabilities for half the price.
Yep, I had just ordered ICECO GO20 on eBay a few minutes ago. It’s a combo of ICECO GO20 and cover for just $415 plus tax. It comes to about $450 total. I can’t wait till it gets here.
Thanks for the video! That helps me make a decision on which fridge to get, FWIW I'm in northern Michigan and our climate is reasonably similar to yours - minus the elevation differences.
I have the Iceco VL60 Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer. I’m on my third one in three years. Have the same problems all three times where the units completely fails. This latest time had fridge set to 39 degrees F it ended up at 11 F. The freezer set to 5 degrees F ended at 79 degrees F. It was day two of a five day trip. All food was ruined and we had to end our trip short! Unfortunately I had our kitchen custom designed for this fridge. I will probably now have to go with a name brand fridge that is smaller and not dual zone. It’s unfortunate!
Good , honest review. Thanks! Comes down to the location of the controls and ventilation needed for each cooler. Love the VL series Iceco but they put the controls on the bottom ...erg. makes it hard when the cooler would be in a box mount only accessible from the top. Both are great products though from what I've seen.
Absolutely! At the end of the day, you have to choose what is best for your situation - and wallet. Thanks for watching! Some more videos will be dropping soon!
Iceco uses top of the line danfoss/secop compressors just like dometic. If you have the space and savvy you can add some foam board insulation to improve efficiency further (just be sure to allow ventilation)
@@donaldducko6580 well the compressor is the thing that cools. That determines reliability (as long as you dont user error break the thing). Build quality of the iceco I saw was better than the dometic and about half or 2/3 the price point. Can't speak to the insulation of dometic vs iceco as I couldn't run controlled tests. I would trust danfoss compressor over dometic as they been around making top of the line compressor for decades.
@@Greg-tj8rg The VMOSO3 compressor that Dometic is using is better than the Danfoss/Seacop DB35F and DB50F that's being used in the Iceco branded Indel B's. The VMOSO3 compressor is a linear brushless system. The Secop's are vertical driven designs. Huayi in China has been killing the cold freezer section in your supermarket for years with linear refrigeration compressors. The Secops are made in China as well as in Denmark. My former boss ran 35-50 Peterbilts with Indel B's (Iceco and Indel B are the same company.) running Danfoss/Seacop DB35F compressors that Paccar uses. He would replace at least 8+ units before the trade in cycle of 4 years. Peterbilt pissed him off. (Not about the fridges) He went to Volvo. Having 50 Volvos. Volvo runs Dometic. He's replaced one fridge. 2018's to 2021's. 2018 and newer all have VMOSO3 compressors. I'm not saying the Danfoss/Seacop compressors are bad. But that's a telling statistic. The DB35F is a 2cc unit, the DB50F is a 2.5cc unit. The VMOSO3 is a 2.55cc unit that is ran across the entire CFX3 line. And it is not variable speed like a Danfoss/Seacop compressor. It drives itself as it needs to. I sold a Dometic/Waeco cfx 40 to a lady that's still using it. It has ran it's whole life as a freezer. It has a Danfoss DB35F in it and it's been a champ. I have a Dometic cfx3 55im now. Almost two years old running as a freezer (Exclusively) as I write this. Almost 2 years old. And a Cfx3 25. That's been running for 4 months straight as a overflow fridge.
@@Heve62 Yup, I sold a friend a Dometic WAECO branded CFX 40. It's 8 years old going on 9. It's ran it's whole life as a freezer in a big rig. Still running. I have CFX3 55IM now. It cools faster and is more efficient than the older Danfoss/Seacop models. I'm hoping it lasts as long. With that said...The Iceco's are nice for the price. And those Danfoss/Seacop compressors last. A guy I know, can't call him a friend. Has a old Norcold that's a rebranded Engel. That 10 years ago was 10 years years old.
Well, with a 20% off coupon for the Dometic fridge, it's about the same cost as the Iceco. I do like the Iceco fridge and the value it gives, but since I can get the Dometic for roughly the same cost, that would be my choice.
Do you know the overall life expectancy for one of the refrigerators? Is it something your gonna have to replace after a couple years or do they have a decent life span?
Hey Brian! The Iceco has a 5 year warranty on the compressor, which is what would go out if anything will. All other parts have a 1 year warranty. I haven’t heard of many fridges going down, so I’m confident it’ll last for a long while. Saying that, it’s technology, so it will die at some point but can’t say for sure when. I’m confident I’ll be good for another 4-5-years.
Hi I need a fridge for my camper and have 2 in mind, could you help me 1st one is iceco 85 litre 12/24 2nd one is dometic nrx 60 I live in my camper full time , i have solar and power when at camp ground but i dont like gas so what do you think is better for a camper
Hi! Both are great options. The compressor is essentially the exact same for each, which is what makes the fridge do what it should. If it were me, and it was in a camper full time, I’d go Iceco. If you have the money, splurge on the Dometic, but outside of better insulation it doesn’t offer much more than the Iceco.
Great vid, love the info. I plan on getting the iceco based on not wanting to spend that much for the dometic. Looks like you might be local, I feel like I’ve driven some of those same roads. Looks like Colorado Springs?
@@BIGMANOVERLANDthe CFX3 35 is the premium end of the scale Dometic-wise. I have just ordered the no frills CFF 45 INCLUDING COVER / transit bag, here in Australia, for $529.00 delivered which is a “paired down” CFX……… It just does not have Wifi, Bluetooth or a USB port, which was something no portable fridges had or needed until recently. Sometimes you can only go with what finances allow obviously. Unless you can wait for closeouts or specials to pop up. A good review mate
I don’t leave my house without a dometic fridge. I have 1 in my car, 1 in my camper, 1 in my boat, 1 in my caravan and 1 spare in my garage. Cfx3 range. Buy cheap and get poor quality. Pay the money and it will last you very many years. The one in my car is on 24/7 all year round and is faultless. I was after a fridge that would permanently run and last years is why I went with dometic.
Let's say you cool 2 cans of coke, one in a dometic and one in an iceco . After they are chilled You give those two cans a way to two people to drink. Are they going to know which can was in which refrigerator?
Both are great, just depends on how many people and how long of trips you’re planning. I’d say a 30 is good for up to three people for a 3 day trip. And that’s assuming those three people are average eaters - not over-eaters like myself. 😂
Definitely Iceco! Both companies have garbage customer support/service. I'm sure both products will have the same longevity. I had to buy the Dometic and for a "we're made in the USA buy us, we're better!" and a premium priced product, I wish I had the Iceco. I bought the Dometic because I knew 100% it would fit in my JLU. Iceco could not answer that question and wanted to charge me shipping and restocking fees to find out. I wanted the Iceco but my hand was forced to the Dometic and so far my experience has been poor. I would NOT recommend a Dometic product to anyone. You're overpaying for garbage support and an average product.
@@BelfastBodger great point! I did measure and it was super close. With the way the tailgate door closes, I wasn’t sure if it’d fit. Turns out, it will fit with the seats up. The Iceco, which I think is 2” longer, I believe would also fit too. Shoulda got the Iceco. My first Dometic I had to return. There was and issue with the compressor, was really loud and couldn’t get down to the -8. This second one seems to be working good. 24 hours with the fridge empty on the Jeep battery while sitting in the garage and with the fridge set on battery saver setting, “low”, I was still at 12.1V.
@@Nessal83 pretty sure you were made in China! Burn. 😂 The Dometic has been pretty good on the two trips I’ve taken it on. For testing purposes, I put it in the Jeep and set it to -7 for three days to see if it’s drain the battery. It stayed on and the battery was still over 12.3V when I started the Jeep.
ICECO VL45 here... It has been installed and running non stop for over a year in my semi truck cab, right where the front passenger seat used to be. I have owned the Dometic products in the past, and quite honestly, they do not hold up well in the long run. We shall see how the ICECO does, it has already been in service for over a year, being beat up on our wonderful third world roads here in the USA, so far, so good. Very happy with mine, and it is built like a tank, along with being virtually silent, and sips electricity. I have solar on the roof of the truck, never had an issue after letting the truck sit for several weeks, truck fired right up.
Awesome!
had the jp45 until i sold it to fund a trip. gonna get the vl60 i think when i get back. otr bulk tanker. my only issue was my trucks battery bank would shut it down everynow and then so i'd have to keep bunk fan on and when it shut off get up and crank the truck. not the coolers fault but sukd nonetheless. glad to hear ur exp re the dometic cause was just checking them out again but why pay higher for something that worked good the first time. but i think the vl60 will be just the right amount of space for the amount of food i prepared n froze for each hitch. only drawback is i have to bring it with me home. no way i'm leaving it in the truck.
How is the VL45 ho,ding up? Would be nice to hear all is good.
@@dingdongdaddy589 I have not checked it in a few weeks, but so far so good with continuous nonstop work.
@@michaelwright1602 - That’s great! Thank you for the update. 👍🏽
Not even a camper here. I’m a truck driver and these are great alternatives to what our industry offer. 3x the price for barely 1/2 the space.
I'm looking at the ICECO ALP55 but after your video I'm considering adding the slide as I think that model comes with the case.
I now have an Iceco go 20 (two months now) after this video and many others convincing me not to get a dometic. Great video and iceco has solid build quality and I also have Bluetooth capabilities for half the price.
Nice! Congrats on your purchase. I love our Iceco.
Yep, I had just ordered ICECO GO20 on eBay a few minutes ago. It’s a combo of ICECO GO20 and cover for just $415 plus tax. It comes to about $450 total. I can’t wait till it gets here.
Awesome! I hope it works just as great for you and ours does for us.
After watching your video I bought ico
Hope it works well for you and does the job you need it to do!
Thanks so much for this honest review. Safe travels to you and your family!
Thanks for the video! That helps me make a decision on which fridge to get, FWIW I'm in northern Michigan and our climate is reasonably similar to yours - minus the elevation differences.
Can’t go wrong with either in my opinion. Have fun out there!
I have the Iceco VL60 Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer. I’m on my third one in three years. Have the same problems all three times where the units completely fails. This latest time had fridge set to 39 degrees F it ended up at 11 F. The freezer set to 5 degrees F ended at 79 degrees F. It was day two of a five day trip. All food was ruined and we had to end our trip short! Unfortunately I had our kitchen custom designed for this fridge. I will probably now have to go with a name brand fridge that is smaller and not dual zone. It’s unfortunate!
That’s never fun!
Good , honest review. Thanks!
Comes down to the location of the controls and ventilation needed for each cooler. Love the VL series Iceco but they put the controls on the bottom ...erg. makes it hard when the cooler would be in a box mount only accessible from the top.
Both are great products though from what I've seen.
Absolutely! At the end of the day, you have to choose what is best for your situation - and wallet. Thanks for watching! Some more videos will be dropping soon!
Iceco uses top of the line danfoss/secop compressors just like dometic. If you have the space and savvy you can add some foam board insulation to improve efficiency further (just be sure to allow ventilation)
The compressor on the Iceco is great. Awesome idea on added insulation. The insulated bag seems to do a surprisingly good job as well.
Dometic designs and makes their own now. At least on their top of the line units.
Using the same whatever doesn’t make it the same.
@@donaldducko6580 well the compressor is the thing that cools. That determines reliability (as long as you dont user error break the thing). Build quality of the iceco I saw was better than the dometic and about half or 2/3 the price point. Can't speak to the insulation of dometic vs iceco as I couldn't run controlled tests. I would trust danfoss compressor over dometic as they been around making top of the line compressor for decades.
@@Greg-tj8rg The VMOSO3 compressor that Dometic is using is better than the Danfoss/Seacop DB35F and DB50F that's being used in the Iceco branded Indel B's. The VMOSO3 compressor is a linear brushless system. The Secop's are vertical driven designs. Huayi in China has been killing the cold freezer section in your supermarket for years with linear refrigeration compressors. The Secops are made in China as well as in Denmark.
My former boss ran 35-50 Peterbilts with Indel B's (Iceco and Indel B are the same company.) running Danfoss/Seacop DB35F compressors that Paccar uses. He would replace at least 8+ units before the trade in cycle of 4 years. Peterbilt pissed him off. (Not about the fridges) He went to Volvo. Having 50 Volvos. Volvo runs Dometic. He's replaced one fridge. 2018's to 2021's. 2018 and newer all have VMOSO3 compressors. I'm not saying the Danfoss/Seacop compressors are bad. But that's a telling statistic.
The DB35F is a 2cc unit, the DB50F is a 2.5cc unit. The VMOSO3 is a 2.55cc unit that is ran across the entire CFX3 line. And it is not variable speed like a Danfoss/Seacop compressor. It drives itself as it needs to.
I sold a Dometic/Waeco cfx 40 to a lady that's still using it. It has ran it's whole life as a freezer. It has a Danfoss DB35F in it and it's been a champ.
I have a Dometic cfx3 55im now. Almost two years old running as a freezer (Exclusively) as I write this. Almost 2 years old. And a Cfx3 25. That's been running for 4 months straight as a overflow fridge.
@@DutchK75 lmfao stop it. Nonsense. Dometic has a reputation for expensive products that don’t last. Icecos are fucking tanks and never die
I have a ICECO JP50 great fridge bought it on sale for $450
Nice pick!
ICECO is the way to go. Your getting everything you get with the Dometic....minus the overpriced cost.
I’m liking the Iceco a lot. It’s perfect for the family and the places we go.
I have a waeco (former dometic) fridge from 2001 and its still working. Worth 800dollars
@@Heve62 Yup, I sold a friend a Dometic WAECO branded CFX 40. It's 8 years old going on 9. It's ran it's whole life as a freezer in a big rig. Still running.
I have CFX3 55IM now. It cools faster and is more efficient than the older Danfoss/Seacop models. I'm hoping it lasts as long.
With that said...The Iceco's are nice for the price. And those Danfoss/Seacop compressors last.
A guy I know, can't call him a friend. Has a old Norcold that's a rebranded Engel. That 10 years ago was 10 years years old.
Well, with a 20% off coupon for the Dometic fridge, it's about the same cost as the Iceco. I do like the Iceco fridge and the value it gives, but since I can get the Dometic for roughly the same cost, that would be my choice.
If you can grab a discount, even better!
Picked up the Dometic CFX3 45 with Dometic case for 662.02 taxed and shipped ..
Whoa! Nice. How’d you pull that off?
Where?
CampSaver June sale + 20% off
I wonder if I could get the 20% member discount during REI’s annual member sale in March?
Worth a try!
Do you know the overall life expectancy for one of the refrigerators? Is it something your gonna have to replace after a couple years or do they have a decent life span?
Hey Brian! The Iceco has a 5 year warranty on the compressor, which is what would go out if anything will. All other parts have a 1 year warranty. I haven’t heard of many fridges going down, so I’m confident it’ll last for a long while. Saying that, it’s technology, so it will die at some point but can’t say for sure when. I’m confident I’ll be good for another 4-5-years.
Hi
I need a fridge for my camper and have 2 in mind, could you help me
1st one is iceco 85 litre 12/24
2nd one is dometic nrx 60
I live in my camper full time , i have solar and power when at camp ground but i dont like gas so what do you think is better for a camper
Hi! Both are great options. The compressor is essentially the exact same for each, which is what makes the fridge do what it should. If it were me, and it was in a camper full time, I’d go Iceco. If you have the money, splurge on the Dometic, but outside of better insulation it doesn’t offer much more than the Iceco.
@@BIGMANOVERLAND I ended up getting the dometic, it was a good price and fits perfect 👌😊
@trenacraft4181 Awesome! Congrats on the new fridge. Gotta go with what’s best for your needs. Have fun!
@@BIGMANOVERLAND Thank you for your video, it really helped me alot
I got a costway from amazon. It's been running in my toyota for years. I couldn't afford the dometic, I don't go on trips full time.
Costway is another good cost conscious option for those who don't want to break the bank.
Thanks for the info.
Great vid, love the info. I plan on getting the iceco based on not wanting to spend that much for the dometic. Looks like you might be local, I feel like I’ve driven some of those same roads. Looks like Colorado Springs?
Thanks for watching!
It is all about the long term performance
Good ain’t cheap
Cheap don’t last
I don’t 100% disagree, but not everyone needs expensive. Good can be affordable and last.
@@BIGMANOVERLANDthe CFX3 35 is the premium end of the scale Dometic-wise.
I have just ordered the no frills CFF 45 INCLUDING COVER / transit bag, here in Australia, for $529.00 delivered which is a “paired down” CFX………
It just does not have Wifi, Bluetooth or a USB port, which was something no portable fridges had or needed until recently.
Sometimes you can only go with what finances allow obviously. Unless you can wait for closeouts or specials to pop up.
A good review mate
Solid grab!
I’m tryna make the decision of whether I want a compressor cooler or a solar powered one
They all have compressors bro. It's a refrigerator. You can run solar and battery to run it, which is advisable...
I don’t leave my house without a dometic fridge. I have 1 in my car, 1 in my camper, 1 in my boat, 1 in my caravan and 1 spare in my garage. Cfx3 range. Buy cheap and get poor quality. Pay the money and it will last you very many years. The one in my car is on 24/7 all year round and is faultless. I was after a fridge that would permanently run and last years is why I went with dometic.
Let's say you cool 2 cans of coke, one in a dometic and one in an iceco . After they are chilled You give those two cans a way to two people to drink. Are they going to know which can was in which refrigerator?
Not. A. Chance. Lol.
Nice vid🤙🏽
Thanks for watching!
I can drive a Hyundai and get from point A to point B but I choose a Toyota for all the obvious reasons.
Did you receive the ICECO for free?
We paid full price for the Iceco. No sponsorship deals here!
Can't decide on 30l or 40l
Both are great, just depends on how many people and how long of trips you’re planning. I’d say a 30 is good for up to three people for a 3 day trip. And that’s assuming those three people are average eaters - not over-eaters like myself. 😂
Great review!
Thanks for watching!
The most important thing to me is finding a cooler NOT MADE IN CHINA.
Awesome! Hope you find the right fit for you
Yeah let me know how that goes
Then vote republican to get rid of all the environmental, labor, liberal democrat regulations imposed on U.S. manufacturing businesses.
90% of everything made, sold and bought are made in China....
The word BUDGET isn't what you are using for.
A millionaires budget can afford a $40k fridge within their budget.
Dude, the iceco has the same compressor as dometic. Can’t speak to the insulation differences, but the power consumption should be very similar.
They don't have the same compressor. Dometic doesn't use a Secop anymore. They have their own.
Definitely Iceco! Both companies have garbage customer support/service. I'm sure both products will have the same longevity. I had to buy the Dometic and for a "we're made in the USA buy us, we're better!" and a premium priced product, I wish I had the Iceco. I bought the Dometic because I knew 100% it would fit in my JLU. Iceco could not answer that question and wanted to charge me shipping and restocking fees to find out. I wanted the Iceco but my hand was forced to the Dometic and so far my experience has been poor. I would NOT recommend a Dometic product to anyone. You're overpaying for garbage support and an average product.
Great input!
So you didn't have a tape measure to compare the easily to find listed dimensions on the Icecos website... for each and every one of their products 🤣
@@BelfastBodger great point! I did measure and it was super close. With the way the tailgate door closes, I wasn’t sure if it’d fit. Turns out, it will fit with the seats up. The Iceco, which I think is 2” longer, I believe would also fit too. Shoulda got the Iceco. My first Dometic I had to return. There was and issue with the compressor, was really loud and couldn’t get down to the -8. This second one seems to be working good. 24 hours with the fridge empty on the Jeep battery while sitting in the garage and with the fridge set on battery saver setting, “low”, I was still at 12.1V.
Pretty sure your dometic is made in china
@@Nessal83 pretty sure you were made in China! Burn. 😂
The Dometic has been pretty good on the two trips I’ve taken it on. For testing purposes, I put it in the Jeep and set it to -7 for three days to see if it’s drain the battery. It stayed on and the battery was still over 12.3V when I started the Jeep.
This is live asking "Mecedes or Kia?". Iceco is total garbage.
I cry false on the “garbage” statement. It’s been a solid fridge. Not everyone needs or wants a Mercedes.
@@BIGMANOVERLAND You will end up buying a new Iceco every year.
I guess we will see!
@@BIGMANOVERLAND Damn, this makes total sense lol. How many people can even afford a mercedes? Great way to address the comment.
And Mercedes is so reliable right? Toyota over Mercedes any day, fancy interior is worthless when it's always in the repair shop.