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Customer Reviews for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt

Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt

3-way Absorption Power Cooler cools to 20° C below ambient temperature, faster than traditional coolers. Capable of making ice cubes, and includes an ice cube tray. Built-in 120V adapter for home or cottage. Powered by 120V AC or 12V DC power or propane (up to 30 hours with 1-lb cylinder)
Average Customer Rating:
4 out of 5
4
 out of 
5
(6 Reviews) 6
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Snapshot (6 reviews)
5 stars
2
4 stars
3
3 stars
0
2 stars
1
1 star
0
5 of 6(83%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Questions & Answers:
13 Questions | 18 Answers
Customer Reviews for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Review 1 for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Overall Rating
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
Shan777
Location:Montreal, QC

Propane Ignite Issues

Date:August 18, 2012
"I purchased this product with high expectations, as I had been looking for something like this for a very long time. I allowed the 24-hr. period to cool it down, as recommended within the manual, by first plugging it to my household current. It worked super great, even froze ice. Then I tried to use propane. It was then the issues began. I lost count to the number of times I pressed and clicked the 'ignite knob', only to keep seeing a 'spark' with no flame, which should have shown lit in the back, facing it, in the very lower left-hand bottom corner.
I was very disappointed that this product would not function as advertised. I really wanted one, but there was/is a huge issue with the propane not staying lit. I made certain that there was no 'condensation' to create humidity in this product, as humidity seems to affect the propane operation.
If you're looking for a cooler that will even freeze your food by some electrical means, this is a good product. However, in igniting propane?, this is not so good. The manual does inform to put a match to the propane in the back of the cooler if it still won't light. Who wants to do this??
When I discussed my issue with a manager at the store, he saw for himself that it was not functioning and refunded me. The item is also very heavy and takes up a lot of room."
+13points
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Review 2 for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Dman20002000
Location:Toronto, Ontario

Product works well

Date:August 5, 2012
"My wife and I purchased this cooler last week to use on a 8 day camping trip where it would be put to the utimate test (running under propane for those 8 days in warm temperatures.)
We used the electric 24 hours prior to depature to bring the cooler to it's operating temperature and then transfered it to the car and used the 12 volt for the 5 hour drive. The cooler kept a steady temperature during this time. Impressive to us. Once we arrived at our camping location it was transfered to a 20 pound propane tank where it ran for the 8 days. It used very little propane and maintained a temperature below the manufactures specs of 20 degrees below ambuient temp.
The cooler keep everything inside very cold, even the adult beverages. We eliminated the need for ice with this cooler which was a huge plus. Even with the kids going in and out of it regularly it was able to maintain a good temp. with 32 degree days. We did have it kept under the trailer awning for those 8 days and out of direct sunlight.
The only con we found with it as mentioned in one of the other reviews was it's size. To big for the trunk of the car and it took up loads of space in the middle of the back seats leaving little room for the two kids to sit. Other than that we loved this item and would recommend it to anyone.
One other little con that Mobicool could approve on, is the abilty to see when the unit is lit on propane as looking for the tiny window through the back grill is hard, especially during a sunny day.
"
+12points
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Review 3 for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Overall Rating
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Vern1
Location:Winnipeg, MB

Good cooler

Date:July 24, 2011
"This cooler has worked as advertised......Only one time in extreme heat, did it stop functioning while using propane. After it cooled down, turned upside down for a bit (as per manual) it has worked fine ever since. I cool it down on AC, then DC in the car, and propane when there is no electricity......"
+7points
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Review 4 for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Overall Rating
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
CarbonSink
Location:Vancouver, BC

Makes car camping comfortable

Date:August 9, 2010
"I bought this cooler because with the three way power source I have the option of running it on AC at home to cool it in preparation for a trip, running it on DC while in the car, then running it on propane at the campsite to prevent running down my car battery.
First impression is that the unit is very large on the outside for the amount of space on the inside. But that would be expected if the insulation were thick. You want thick insulation to keep operating costs down.
This cooler is very quiet. So much so that it took an hour before I was sure that it working while powered by AC. Its also extremely quiet while being powered on propane.
Lighting the cooler with propane was difficult until I figured out the procedure (the procedure documented in the manual just wouldn't work for me). Here's my lighting instructions:
1. Turn the first rotary switch, the one controlling the electric thermostat, to '0' (off).
2. Push and hold the second rotary switch, the one controlling the gas flow, down for 10 seconds to prime the gas line then turn it counterclockwise to the midway point to activate the lighter.
3. You will hear a loud puff as the escaping gas is ignited. Likely the puff will be violent enough to blow out the flame and will activate the safety valve which interrupts the gas when the flame goes out.
4. Turn the rotary switch (for gas) off for a few seconds then repeat step 2 without priming the gas line (i.e. don't hold the rotary switch down for 10 seconds, instead turn it directly to the midway point to the lighting position).
5. Turn it past the midway point to the full on point which is the operating position. You can clearly see the flame of the pilot light at the extreme bottom right corner when looking from the back.
Before I figured out the lighting procedure, I called the toll free support number in the manual. At 2pm Pacific time on a Monday I went straight through to an answering machine as if there was nobody in the office. Its now 7pm and no one has called back yet. Hmm.
I haven't used this cooler for camping yet. After my camping trip at the end of August 2010 I'll try and remember to post an update.
AC power consumption: 80W (Watts, as measured by a Kill-A-Watt meter). 24 hour consumption with thermostat on half without opening the cooler at an average temperature of 15C/60F: measured at 1.16kWh (costing 12 cents per 24 hours assuming AC electricity costing 10 cents/kWh).
Gas consumption when using propane instead of electricity: 15 g/h (as reported by manufacturer). 24 hour consumption (no thermostat control using gas): 360g or 3/4 of a 465g/1lb bottle (estimated based on the rate of usage reported by the manufacturer, costing about $4 with a $5 1lb bottle of propane).
Performance on AC: with the cooler pre-cooled for 24 hours while the outside temperature was 20C/68F, the inside was 5C/41F at full cooling.
Performance on gas: with the cooler pre-cooled for 24 hours while the outside temperature was 21C/70F, the inside was 9C/49F at full cooling."
+93points
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Review 5 for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
toomley

Performs as advertised !

Date:July 31, 2009
"Operates very well using ac/dc or propane.
Camped for 10 days using propane power and it only used 1/3 of a large tank of propane !
It kept everthing very cool and would even freeze yogurt, a nice treat in the middle of the woods!
Did away with the hassle of fetching ice and dealing with soggy food. The ice maker works well,,only a few cubes at a time though. Quality seems very high. It is a heavy unit, especially when loaded, and I wouln't want to treat it too roughly although it could probably take the abuse. I wouldnt run it on DC very long without the car running, it seems to use a lot of battery power. I pack it at home using AC over a few days, transport it to the campsite using DC, then switch to propane when on site. I store it outside under the camper canopy because it cant get wet and cant run inside the tent because of the CO . It is totally silent, no fan at all.
Very pleased.
"
+35points
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Review 6 for Mobicool 3-way Absorption Power Cooler, 42-qt
Overall Rating
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
rosco

great for its intended use

Date:May 26, 2008
"Overall a good product, and easier to obtain and cheaper than a used rv 3-way fridge. as the cooler hs 3 power options, use then all to your advantage, 110V at home pre-trip, 12V en route to your destination, then propane once you get there. Cooling and recovery time is limited if you keep opening and closing the lid, best to know how things are packed and keep it quick. 20 degrees below ambient temperature is sufficent, but on a 40C day be nice to it and put it in the shade so you can enjoy a nice cold beverage."
+10points
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