Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This cooler should not be confused with a refrigerator, which uses a compressor and circulates freon gas to create a cooling effect (much like an air conditioner.) Instead, this little unit uses a thermoelectric (or peltier) effect that transfers heat from one metal inside the unit to another metal outside the unit, where is it cooled and dissipated by a small electronic fan. The result is not as efficient as a compressor (it will not freeze), but it has the benefit of being very quiet (nearly silent) and using very little energy. It's also an extremely light and portable item. With an ambient room temperature of 72 degrees and plugged into AC, I was able to cool down a glass bottle of soda in only an hour. After leaving it there overnight, it was indistinguishable from being in my (very cold) fridge. My biggest complaint is that it is too short to accommodate many 12-oz bottles (unless laid crookedly), much less a 16-oz. If it were even a couple inches taller, this would be a five star cooler. If you're looking for a true compressor-driven, more efficient portable refrigerator that can provide freezing-level temps, you might consider Dometic CDF-11 Smallest Portable Freezer/Refrigerator. (I paid full price for this cooler.)