WATCH Before Buying a KINGS 85L Upright Fridge - Honest Review After 5 Months
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Hi Guys,
Just wanted to give an honest review of the Kings/Bushman's 12v 85L upright Fridge. 5 months of owner ship what are they really like?
Just returned mine under warranty, 44 degrees in my canopy in the gulf of qld and the fridge kept cutting out and when it did work it would only pull down to 8 degrees. Got to temp over night but soon as it heats up it would stop. My engel in the same conditions never skipped a beat.
Thanks for watching and commenting 😊
Do you know which compressor your had?
I have the 110 litre i put in our van 11 months ago,apart from the crappy freezer door hinge setup mine runs a treat,had a heatwave here in WA,inside the van yesterday 48 degrees, fridge on 5 degrees and freezer still all good,mine has the secop compressor and runs under 3 amps,so far so good,much better than the domestic 3way it replaced.
48 degrees and still worked fine! That's amazing I'm assuming if the pulled away from the secop it's for a reason.
Great review mate 🤙🏼
Thanks mate I really appreciate the support 👍
I have had my 85L for about six months through summer in WA and run it at the 1 or 2 deg setting and according to the thermometer it runs between-1 and 4deg C. One of the most important things I have found is the importance of keeping the air vents clear. If you cover them the compressor can’t cool the fridge.
I reckon the fridge did y like being In the aircon of the car with the temp changing so rapidly
good point with vents around compressor, how did you sort it out in your van? inside of your bodycar with gaps around the fridge or you potentially cut the whole out and place vent to outside of your car?
So far so good with mine, had for nearly a year. Haven’t done a far north trip with this one yet, I’m in Vic. Haven’t been that many days in the 30s but no issues at all. I had an ARB 47 lt, was replaced under warranty back around 2010 after just over 3 years because of a known thermostat issue which they upgraded apparently. New one was about 13 years old and was fine but I wanted to change and took a punt with the kings. All good so far, time will tell
Really the ARB one had issues, I would not have picked that!!
Let me know how it goes in the heat, mine was brilliant honestly an amazing fridge until summer hit.
Yes they did. Back when the blue ARB ones came out before 2010. They had a green digital display. They had thermostat problems. Actually mine was 4 years old when it stopped working and even though it was out of warranty they replaced it on the spot. The updated ones had the blue digital display. As I said I never had a problem with the new one they provided and had it for years and was living in the NT and also the Kimberley with it but wanted to try out an upright. I’ll let you know if my kings one fails in real heat. I hadn’t heard of a problem with them until I watched your video
Just bought a kings fridge today - 75 litres dual zone - first day works great fingers crossed . Time will tell !
They stopped using Secop compressor according to the guy at supercentre store varsity lakes because they were getting to many warranty issues .
They had much better results using the “ cheaper “ Chinese compressor in their cheapest fridges . Just because it’s branded secop or even Engel doesn’t mean it wasn’t made by some sweatshop in China and rebadged. Just remember- even your iPhone is made in China- and that doesn’t get a 5 year warranty like my new Kings Fridge lol
Hey mate, yeah everything is made in china this days, they make some good stuff and bad stuff over there all made for a price point. Good luck with it let me know how it goes mine let go after 3 months I think it was
As with most things there are a ton of anecdotal stories . At least Kings are good with warranty . Mine has 5 years so thats reassuring @@Off.Track4x4
I have no probs with mine. Draws 6 amps on cool down then backs right off to 1.5 to 2.5 amps per hour weather dependant. Some small amount of ice around the freezer after 3 weeks but less than my dometic in my caravan for the same period so no complaints and not bothered yet with the fan hack to stop the ice. I think you got a bad one mate.
Hey mate, Do you know what compressor is in it?
I've had mine for just over a year, and apart from a small build quality control issue at the start (neutral plug not installed correctly on compressor that I fixed), the only time I had a problem with it not maintaining temp was a 40+ long weekend with the car not being driven. My second battery is probably due for replacement and might be a touch too small for the upright fridge, but I'm thinking of doing the fan upgrade inside the fridge
Hey mate, thank you for watching and commenting. Yeah I didn't have any issues with mine till it got hot, then it seems to have burnt out in the heat rather then have a fail safe and turn off.
I’ve had mine for a month and a half temps above 50 in a black canopy and had no problems.
Funny enough I'm getting alot of comments saying the same thing. I'm just very interested if mine was a rare issue why not stick to the secop compressor?
@@Off.Track4x4 yeah I’m not to sure.
Have had an 85 Litre for over 12 months. Have had no problems at all. Was skeptical as to the price and quality, as have had some products from Kings that failed prematurely. Overall I am really impressed and happy with the unit. Typically peaks around 5-6 amp draw, s installed in a canopy ( with ventilation) handles our SE QLD summer days no worries. Cable size and length of run is important to prevent Voltage drop, have seen more expensive units like Engel and Waeco uprights do the same thing and all that was required was to increase the cable size.
Really 5-6 amps mine could not crack 3.5amps! No voltage drop as I was using their factory cable no extension straight into the battery.
Good honest review of ur experience mate, Kings may not be the best fridge on the market, but yours was definitely a dud. I also live in HB, am 62 and have or had heaps of different brand fridges over the years.
40ltr Engel was good for 12 years and done a power supply which is a $650 part + installation (I am a fridgy).
Waeco’s are not bad value overall, but do have thermistor issues periodically & can turn into a freezer.
I have a Kings 30ltr drawer fridge/Freezer along with a LG 65ltr upright from RTM in back of my Ute canopy, mainly because I got them very cheap at the time.
The Kings drawer fridge is a great fridge but not as a freezer, it keeps grog nice and cold at -7 to -8 on the digital gauge & water will start to freeze a bit (so only really 0oC), but not a real freezer, they are supposed to do -10oC, but I’m sceptical even in winter.
The LG 65ltr upright is okay-ish but does struggle in hot climates, I can remove the freezer dividers if I wanted to get it colder which isnt a bad feature along with a BT app, but I should probably add a fan to make it work better,which would also raise the freezer section temp tho, so I dont consider this a very good fridge for it’s price point & the freezer will do -5C to -15C at best in cold weather.
If I was after a fridge for a budget build, I would definitely give Kings a go for the price point, I know you just got a dud at those temps.
I’ve also had several Brass Monkey fridges & have returned about 3 of them in a 12 month period, RTM were good about returns & exchanges I have to say. I have heard a lot of good banter about the Brass Monkey fridges, but I have returned 3 out of 6 of these,so I am not too impressed with them overall.
Kings & Bushman had a legal debate/issue for a while there. Apart from the Kings sticker and 1/3 -1/2 price of the Bushman they were identical in all regards, so hats off to anyone who says Bushman is better, it was more a luck of the draw with these two, and since Kings sold many time more at a budget price, you can expect more whinging if a Kings model ever failed.
I can also attest to the quality of Kings lithium batteries and inverters for their price, they are built as well or better than some of their overpriced competitors, who also grossly overstate capacities.
Hope this helps someone.
Man you have had a heap of fridges! Your the go to person for fridge advice for sure 😊
Thanks for the honest reviews. I went a dometic crx80 fantastic I post my temps on fb with kings and bushmans posts. -3 fridge -25 freezer in a canopy very happy I wrnt dometic had dometic before. Don't think I would of been happy with a kings.
Hello Andrew, thank you for your comment.
How have you found the CRX80 is on time it takes to cool down on 12v? Mine is really bloody slow! 6 hours from 23- 2°c. But upside today 50°c in the car and the fridge was stable on 4°c so very happy with performance in the head 😊
@Off.Track4x4 no haven't found that problem im from nsw alot cooler than up your way
Ive had a very similar experience woth my Kings 85L and it actually kept cool when 50 degrees in the back of the car but just ran all of the time so chews through the power excessively. Ive come across a 12v pc fan mod that Im going to try which circulates the air so means it should maintain temp much easier and therefore not run all of the time
Hey mate, thank for you comment.
I've seen those fan look very good hey let me know how it goes
This is completely opposite to my experience - had no problems with achieving temp even in our scorching WA summer. It does run hard all day if the car is in the sun - even with solarscreens in the back of a wagon. If you had a modest solar setup and/or didnt drive everyday this means the fridge could easily empty a battery in 24h. I was aware of higher draw vs chest fridge when I bought it and have headroom in my electrical system - but I can see how you could get caught out. Ive still been very surprised just how inefficient the 85L is compared to say a 40L engel
The king's is way more efficient then the Dometic I swapped for. I'm getting alot of people saying theirs worked well also. But interesting they swapped out of the secop
Brought to you by a Bushman's fridge owner
I actually swapped to the domedic, yet to try a bushmans
Reading these comments, I think you got a dud.
I live in Ipswich and have my 85l kings upright in my dark grey canopy and never had a problem with it. It has the secop compressor as well. 12 months since it was installed.
Hey mate, could be the case, but someone did commented saying the reason king's changed from the secop compressor was to many warranty issues.
Mines in a black canopy never had a drama
Hello David, thanks for the comment where abouts in Australia do you live? And do you know is yours the old or new compressor?
Just curious as mentioned the Bushmans has or atleast had the same motor. And we know it's the same design basics, how does a Bushmans cope in the same temp/conditions?
Bushmans had told me they have no issues in hot weather, but I have not tested one so I can't confirm those claims
I think you just got a dud. Mine has ran for weeks in 50 degree heat and held temperature perfectly. Mine has the newer compressor in it. Fan likes to spin fast during these conditions but not an issue for me.
Really you have the HUAYI compressor, how long have you had yours for? And do you know the current draw?
Yep it has that compressor. Not sure what the current draw is. But I’ve used it all through the summer in the back of a black SUV where it gets very toasty. Had it about. 4 months.
@Off.Track4x4 finally got a power draw on it. 40 degrees ambiet over here' 55 degrees in the car. Current draw is 2.5-4.0 amps. Fridge holding steady at 1 degree.
I have had this fridge (Secop compressor) for 18 months, in the back of my wagon. Runs efficiently and keeps internals to the set temp. I really think you just had a warranty issue and should have dealt with it as such, not put out a review as if yours does what they all do.
Hey mate, thanks for watching and the comment, I appreciate your view.
Kings swapped the compressor over to same as all their other fridges due to the Secop having to many warranty issues. That's what I was advised by the store. So I was not alone with issues with it.
just cant get the fact of the size of the freezer big draw back with any upright
Yeah mate, definitely agree the freezers are tiny in uprights. I think if your plans a long trip with an upright most people carry a 15 or 25L freezer. That's what we had in our last set up and worked great
That’s a shame with yours.
I live in Cairns, & a friend of mine who is a fridgie has had his in his canopy in his work Ute now for over 12 months.
It hasn’t missed a beat.
Your kidding me!! I'm hopping this video will show if it was a one off or if there is more like mine.
This 'honest' review is obvously paid advertising or gifts or commissions received as it is not at all true.
Hey mate, thanks for watching and commenting. I'm a bit confused by your comment 🤔 if I was paid or gifted this fridge wouldn't it had been a positive review? I'm assuming you didn't actually watch the video and just thought I was saying the fridge was good?
I don't accept money to do reviews, I am happy to be sent products after I look at the specs, if I think they are worth reviewing, I then test the products and if it's shit send back if they are good quality I'll do a review, but I all ways point out the good and bad.
I loose money doing this channel so why would I do it if I was going to lie? Whole point is to help people.
Show us how to shove 85 litres of goods in there....please...
That's not a bad idea 💡
Get a 80L chest fridge, fill it up see if all the same stuff can fit in the upright.
@@Off.Track4x4 You'll need 2 upright fridges at least...
You don’t like being told to do stupid things yet you do stupid things like buying a kings fridge . Haha
Hahaha 🤣😂 comment of the day!! I had hope because they got it made by the same factory as bushman it would be good.... Sadly mistaken, I'd love to test the bushmans out.
Funny how this is the only bad comment made about the Kings fridge apart from the reviewers experience, they may not be the best fridge on the market at a fraction of the price of all others, but everyone else seems to disagree with the OT’s experience, & as a fridgy I know he got a dud, but this happens with all brands, and since Kings probably sell 100 x more fridges at this price point that are actually identical to the Bushman, I would expect there to be many more bad comments regarding Kings gear & fridges.
It is also hilarious how no one told you to make a stupid comment, but you just did anyhow. Maybe do a bit more research before putting ur keyboard into gear.