I was lucky enough to win the Engel cooler on the BADASS giveaway, so I thought the least I could do was provide a review of the product:
the model I won was the 35 quart version. At first I thought that might be a little on the small side, but after using it for half a summer, I really like that size for a lot of applications. I have used it about 8 times varying from a Canadian fishing trip to beer/pop for a birthday party to all day in the sun on the lake.
* Holds ice better than any of the other coolers I had previously by a long ways. Not even close. I had it out over the 4th of July on the boat in the sun for 2 days. People in and out of it and at the end of the second day it still had a fair amount of ice. I did not pre-cool it. On day 3, I added a 5lb bag of ice and more warm drinks. Day 3 was another day in the sun and some in the shade. At the end of that day, still had ice. Then for giggles, I put it in my garage for Day 4 and didnt open it. End of Day 4, still ice. Today is day 5 and I just checked it and all of the ice is melted and the water is cool (not cold, but cooler than air temp).
*Built sturdy. 2 handles. One set of rope/plastic handles and one set of molded handles in the side.
*Latches- I really like how it seals it down well. When draining the water, out the bottom, you have to open the lid or it doesnt replace the air. I am concerned a little that if you dont latch it, the latch itself hangs out and if someone comes along and clips it with their leg, it may break. So far, no indication of that, but it did pop into my mind.
*Hinge. Anybody who has had an igloo or colemen knows that a few years down the road you will be replacing the hinges. You will not need to replace the Engel hinge. Enough said.
*Foot pads. It has rubber foot pads. I love that it doesnt scratch our wood floor. It is hard to get it to slide into the truck bed on my rubber mat.
*Weight. it is heavy. fill it up and it is really heavy and it is only a 35 quart. This is the most important factor if someone is going to buy one of these. I dont know that I want anything to do with a 60+ quart model if it is full by myself. Note: just for giggles, I stopped at Cabelas to check the weight out of a Yeti. Same thing, they are heavy. I walked by the Pelicans at Costco and hefted one of them and they are really heavy. If you are in the market for a premium cooler, you need to think about the weight issue (assuming you arent half gorilla).
Final thoughts: I would buy one of these again for sure. I would even buy a bigger one for hunting/fishing trips, knowing that it would take 2 people to lift it without the risk of hurting your back. If you use a cooler a lot, you will start to pay back the extra cost of this premium cooler by not having to buy as much ice.
Thanks again Randy for the giveaway and I hope this helps anyone in the market for a premium cooler.
the model I won was the 35 quart version. At first I thought that might be a little on the small side, but after using it for half a summer, I really like that size for a lot of applications. I have used it about 8 times varying from a Canadian fishing trip to beer/pop for a birthday party to all day in the sun on the lake.
* Holds ice better than any of the other coolers I had previously by a long ways. Not even close. I had it out over the 4th of July on the boat in the sun for 2 days. People in and out of it and at the end of the second day it still had a fair amount of ice. I did not pre-cool it. On day 3, I added a 5lb bag of ice and more warm drinks. Day 3 was another day in the sun and some in the shade. At the end of that day, still had ice. Then for giggles, I put it in my garage for Day 4 and didnt open it. End of Day 4, still ice. Today is day 5 and I just checked it and all of the ice is melted and the water is cool (not cold, but cooler than air temp).
*Built sturdy. 2 handles. One set of rope/plastic handles and one set of molded handles in the side.
*Latches- I really like how it seals it down well. When draining the water, out the bottom, you have to open the lid or it doesnt replace the air. I am concerned a little that if you dont latch it, the latch itself hangs out and if someone comes along and clips it with their leg, it may break. So far, no indication of that, but it did pop into my mind.
*Hinge. Anybody who has had an igloo or colemen knows that a few years down the road you will be replacing the hinges. You will not need to replace the Engel hinge. Enough said.
*Foot pads. It has rubber foot pads. I love that it doesnt scratch our wood floor. It is hard to get it to slide into the truck bed on my rubber mat.
*Weight. it is heavy. fill it up and it is really heavy and it is only a 35 quart. This is the most important factor if someone is going to buy one of these. I dont know that I want anything to do with a 60+ quart model if it is full by myself. Note: just for giggles, I stopped at Cabelas to check the weight out of a Yeti. Same thing, they are heavy. I walked by the Pelicans at Costco and hefted one of them and they are really heavy. If you are in the market for a premium cooler, you need to think about the weight issue (assuming you arent half gorilla).
Final thoughts: I would buy one of these again for sure. I would even buy a bigger one for hunting/fishing trips, knowing that it would take 2 people to lift it without the risk of hurting your back. If you use a cooler a lot, you will start to pay back the extra cost of this premium cooler by not having to buy as much ice.
Thanks again Randy for the giveaway and I hope this helps anyone in the market for a premium cooler.
