New cool boxes
Portable chillers are as powerful as your kitchen fridge
NEW PRODUCT Dometic cool boxes
Price: from £749 Contact: dometic.com
IF you plan to spend some serious time in the great outdoors this year, or just want more cooling than is usually provided by 12V cool boxes, then you need to check out Dometic’s new range.
The CFX3 coolers are serious bits of kit and provide similar levels of performance to domestic fridges and freezers, yet they can run from a car battery, solar panels or the standalone power pack, as well as the mains. The new range also includes an ice maker, which Dometic claims is a world first, plus the boxes can be controlled by using a smartphone app.
The range is new for 2020 and kicks off with the £749 CFX3 35, a 36-litre box that can cool down to -22 degrees Celsius. It has three-stage protection to prevent a dead car battery, an easy-to-read colour display and soft-touch buttons for control and monitoring, plus a wire compartmentdivider. Above this is the CFX3-45, which costs £799 and has a 46-litre capacity
There’s also a 55-litre version with wire baskets to organise the storage at £899, while the £999 CFX-55IM packs 53 litres and has an ice-maker function. Topping the range is the 99-litre CFX3 100, at £1,149
For simultaneous cooling and freezing there is the dual-compartment, 75-litre CFX3-75DZ, at £1,049; you can also buy a 94-litre version for £1,249.
Finally, if you want to run your cooler away from the car, there’s the £738 PLB40. This is a 40Ah lithium-polymer-phosphate power pack that can deliver up to 40 hours of cooling, and can be charged from the car, solar panels or the mains.
“CFX3 coolers provide similar performance to domestic fridges”