Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was a skeptic. I kept seeing all these hats and stickers and fan boys for all these $300-500 coolers. All I could think is “how much ice will that buy?”. And then I went on a 4 day canoeing trip. My buddy had one of those ‘fancy’ coolers and on day 4 he left with the same ice he had on day one (and we were into that cooler a LOT). So I was converted. And that’s how I got here. I’m usually very good at researching competing products but after an extensive search I found very little information about the SubZ. So I contacted the company to encourage them to get information about their product out there. A couple of days later I was contacted by THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY! (Full disclosure; the company sent me a cooler for evaluation). So I’ll start with a full product description Outside dimensions 18.5” W x 15.75” H x 13” D Inside dimensions 13.75” W x 11.5” H x 8.9375” D On my scale it reads 16lbs empty. Not a light weight but none of these things are. I didn’t directly measure the interior volume but based on the measurements it is just over 24 quarts. I understand most competitors tend to overstate their capacity. I was able to put 20 cans and a full 10lb bag of ice in it so that gives you a real world capacity. It’s also tall enough to stand beer bottles upright and close the lid. Now to the reason we buy coolers; Ice retention. I received the cooler on Thursday. Friday at lunch I put about 6 lbs of ice in it from an ice machine. Now this is probably better quality ice than the typical bagged stuff I usually get. I cooked out that weekend so it was in heavy rotation. On Sunday morning there was still ice in the water. A coworker is a die hard yeti fan. He has 3 of them including a yeti roadie. We were spending a few days in the field working so I set up a direct head to head competition. We put a fresh bag of ice in each one and used them as normal for lunch and drinks. After two full days on the water there was no appreciable difference in ice retention. So as I see it here are the pros and cons; Pros -The size is just about perfect for me. Any larger and it’s difficult to carry with one hand. But it is large enough for a full day on the go. - The SubZ (and most of its competitors) is really impressive with holding in the cool. This ain’t your every day cooler. - I can’t go any further without mentioning the price/value of the SubZ. At the time of this review the cooler is $141 with the seat and $123 without. That is half the price of a Yeti Roadie for a larger cooler with the option of a chair built in. To me it is a great value. - Build quality is miles above a cheap everyday cooler. It has a self stopping hinge with a beefy metal hinge rod, the insulation is 1.5” thick, and the walls are rotomolded. This makes it very durable/tough. At 180 lbs. I sense very little flex when I’m standing on it so it makes a nice casting platform, though it is a little slick. -The latches are already turned toward the body of the cooler. I’ve seen that most people mod the Yetis for this. The result is a low profile design that doesn’t catch on pant legs or fly lines if you are using it as a casting deck. Cons -The fit and finish of the SubZ is not up to the competition (Yeti, K2, Engel, Grizzly). The joint between the inner and outer moldings (the line below the rim where the latches seat) is not consistent. From what I’ve been told this is due to the use of a cast mold not a machined one. While it in no way effects the functionality of the cooler it is not as clean. I’ve been told there is no concern with weakness. It is cosmetic only. This probably explains why some of the Yeti accessories (locks bracket/cup holders) fit on one side but not the other. This brings me to issue #2. -Warranty. SubZ = 1 year Engel = 3 years Yeti = 5 years K2 = 7 years Rtic = 7 years Grizzly = Lifetime Orca = Lifetime But a longer warranty comes at a significant cost. YMMV -The seat. While I find the carrying handle to be one of the best features of the cooler, it snags on the seat. I see two options; 1) eliminate the seat back and just offer the cushion. Yeti charges in excess of $100 for the cushion alone. 2) Replace the singe velcro closure with one on each side to secure the seatback to the cushion and eliminate any interference with the handle. Lastly, I would love to see them offer a dry basket or hopper. This is neither a pro or con. To my knowledge, no one else offers it on a cooler this size. But it makes a lot of sense. It would be nice to keep my sandwich from getting wet. All things considered I’m pretty impressed with it. The high-end coolers certainly have their place. But the SubZ is a nice product that offers a real value.