A friend told me about this cooler and I waited until she gave a rave review before I bought it. I bought it and waited until after 2 vacations to write a review so I could really give an honest opinion. And that opinion is: I love it. I bought it because I was tired of dealing with ice. We were constantly buying more ice and no matter how I packed things, I felt everything got soaked at some point. Ice coolers are just a disaster. (I don't have a Yeti, but I hear they are good though.)
Anyhow, I think this works fantastic. I did find that it takes a little while to fully cool down so it's best to put cold items in and keep them cold as opposed to putting room temperature items in and expecting everything to be ice cold right away. Yes, that's a common sense thing, but worth noting. And along with that, don't leave it in the hot garage until the moment you want to fill it. Bring it inside the night before and let it cool down before packing. Yes, common sense, but a lesson I learned.
We plugged it into the kitchen wall while loading the car with al lthe other stuff and then once it was in the car, we plugged it immediately into the car jack. Everything stayed perfectly cool and it was nice to have really cold water 8 hours into the drive. Is everything ICE cold? No. But definitely cold.
The side handles and wheels allow for easy maneuverability and it's sturdy. It comes with a divider which is really helpful. Actually 2 dividers would be great (it has slots for two, but only comes with one.)
$150 may seem like a lot for a cooler, but I think it's well worth the money. Especially when you can easily haul all your cool items and eat on the road. The money you save from eating out probably adds up to the cost. And for me, the money saved from not having all the food destroyed by melting ice makes it double worth it.
The only problem I can foresee is if you head to the lake for a day of fun and don't have a plug-in to keep it running. It would stay cold in the car but then would get warm sitting outside all day. I guess if I knew I was doing that I'd either resort to using ice or use a different cooler. We plan on using this for car rides so that wasn't an issue for us. We unplugged it for short periods of time (gas station, bathrooms breaks) and the temperature never fluctuated. I guess we could have kept it running but I wasn't sure how much that would kill the car battery.
There are reviews that mentions theirs stopped working after a period of time. I haven't had mine long enough to see if that's true or not. If it stops, I'll update this review. But it seems (from those reviews) that the manufacturer is very easy to work with. Also, I have not tried the HOT setting yet as it's summertime. I'm not sure I'd ever use the HOT setting, as I don't do many picnics in the winter, but if I do, I'll update that as well.
If you are hesitant, I say buy it. I'm so glad we did!
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 22.9 x 17.12 x 15.13 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 9.58 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 22.9 x 17.6 x 16 inches |
| Item Weight | 18.4 Pounds |
| Brand Name | Lifestyle by Focus |
| Color | Blue |
| Manufacturer | Knox.Lifestyle by Focus |
| Part Number | LS-CCW48QB |
| Capacity | 48 Quarts |
