Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Here's my long review of the VL75 Pro Dual. I have always wanted a fridge like this, and the timing was perfect when Iceco released this model. I've been using it constantly for about a month. I won't go into the basic features, you can read those on the website. --- Design On the double units like this one, either side will operate as fridge, freezer, or Off, in any combination. Each side power-cycles independently. The body width is 35 inches, but you may need up to 43 inches of clearance due the handles (see my minor gripe below). One side is 10 lbs heavier than the other. Or should I say 10 lbs lighter? This can actually work in your favor if your two-person team has a stronger/weaker member. Empty, I can easily pick this up and carry it out to my car by myself. Of course it has removable baskets, which makes transport that much easier. The lids are genius. Being able to open either side, or just lift straight off, makes things so much easier. They are light weight, but super solid. The interior is actual aluminum sheet metal, I would guess 20 - 24 gauge. It is NOT that aluminum foil covered foam. So it's durable. However, being aluminum, it is subject to corrosion from things like OJ, and the instructions warn against "high concentration" items, which translates to corrosive foods. So you want to bag your foods as needed. You could also put a catch tray in the bottom, or even find / make a half-height "basin." --- Cooling performance There are lots of variables, but generally it performs like your home fridge. It cools very quickly, and will easily freeze anything. On initial setup, it took about 20 minutes for the fridge to reach 36F, about 80 minutes for the freezer to reach 0F. I put some water bottles in the freezer size in the evening, and they were frozen solid in the morning. Over the month that I've been running it constantly, the freezer and fridge temps vary about the same as a home refrigerator due to normal compressor cycling. I have it loaded with frozen foods and refrigerated foods, and I have had zero problems. I took it on several trips, even to the desert, where it sat baking in the back of my SUV. I had it running off a portable power pack. Even with interior car temperatures above 100F, it didn't care. It just worked. Ice cold drinks in the hot desert are fantastic. --- Power - On Eco, it uses about 46 watts regardless of which side is on. - Max setting, 72 W if both sides are on, 66 W for either single side running. - Idle is 1.1 W, Off is 0.6 W, and lights use 0.5 W each. - No significant current surge at startup. There is about a 10% extra draw in the first minute or so, as the compressor gets up to speed. Generally speaking, there's about a 25% overall peak power reduction on the Eco mode, but no overall long term savings - you can't cheat the laws of thermodynamics. Eco will help keep the fridge from going off line when / if your battery gets near the limit. Average measured power use is about 33 watt/hours, regardless of source. That's the figure you can use to calculate required power for something like overnight battery pack use. I've run directly from a single AGM battery, two AGMs in series (24v), a portable Li-ion "power station" and of course from AC at home, and in the car. All worked great. I also tested with a DC buck converter that accepts 8 to 40 volts in, has 13.8 volts out, and handles 10 amps; again worked great. The cooler remembers the power state (and settings) - YAY! This is a big deal because, for example, if you have it plugged in the car and stop to get gas, when you start your car, the cooler resumes cooling without having to turn it on. So you can pack the cooler into your car and not worry about being able to reach the power button. It also works regardless of AC or DC. When I unplug from the car, bring it into the house, and plug into AC, it starts right up, no need to hit the power button. The included 12v plug attaches to the cooler so that the cord exits horizontally; on the AC power side, it smartly covers the AC socket to prevent you from plugging in both at the same time. Good design. --- Noise The fan is most noticeable sound, I can't really hear the actual compressor. In my house with a background level of 30 db, it measured 36 db 3 feet from the compressor side, and 33 db about 8 feet away when brand new. After a week or so, it became slighty louder. That's normal, and can happen as new bearings settle. Generally though, it's quiet, with a noise comparable to a computer fan. --- Other stuff to note, minor complaints It's symmetrical. So what, you say? Well the temperature settings reference "Right" and "Left" side, but there really is no Right and Left. The lids open either side, and you can put them on with the logo reading either way. I almost blew up some soda bottles because I put the wrong side on 0 degrees. It would be great if there was a big Left and Right label molded in to the cabinet. Or maybe I should just pay more attention. The handles take up a ton of space, requiring nearly 10 inches of extra side clearance - you need clearance for your knuckles, and to swing the handles. Also, the handles are plastic, and I like to see less plastic in this world. And plastic breaks, and is not the best choice for a mechanical load such as this heavy dooler. Sliding steel rod handles would have been a better choice. The interior lights are that glaring bluish white color, and have no shield. A warm colored LED array would have been much nicer. I small set of louvers would be nice so that the light reflects down into the compartment, and not right into your eyes. The black color makes it looks super cool (pun intended). The downside is that it will get blazing hot in direct sun. A light cover definitely helps, but I wonder if it would have been better if the unit (or just the lids) was a lighter color. Each side has its own drain plug. They provide an extra one too (they must know I'll lose one). Also included are extra bumpers, and a whole extra entire handle. Other than the compressor, it's made in China, but there was no bad plastic smell, only a faint 'normal' odor of plastic that dissipated after a day. And of course the interior was odorless. I thought that is good to know, since this holds food. Also it did need a wipedown, as it has considerable dirt inside from the production line. --- Bottom Line I would buy this again. In fact, I might buy another smaller Iceco fridge. It is built well, it is functional, it is COOL. Oh also, I contacted their support to ask a question, and they actually had someone call me... they guy was super nice, and answered my question (it was just about voltages). So 5 stars for their support too.