I know this is not a constructive comment, but holy s*** that is expensive.

 

Expensive, that's relative. It's one of the most affordable fridge/freezers I've found. cheaper than ARB or Engel, WAY cheaper with National Luna and only $200 more than a equivalent YETI, but never needing ice. Plus a 50q yeti won't hold as much as a 50qt fridge due to the internal volume lost to ice/water.

 

This is exactly a re-branded ARB fridge freezer.

That said, I LOVE my ARB 37 qt fridge freezer. I have mine mounted in the back of my 2 door, with the rear seat removed.

Worth the money, but I would suggest to buy an ARB labeled one.

 

I don't believe it's a rebranded ARB, the ARB is much larger, 27" vs 22" long. If it wasn't for my limited space I would have already went with ARB or Engel.

 

on further examination there are some differences between this unit and the ARB.

I really don't understand how they can get away with a blatant copy. Chinese made?

The control panel is identical but I see some differences in the hinge mounting points.

go with ARB. proven toughness

-Scott

 

Yea, don't know how else to say this a third time. An ARB won't fit, otherwise I would. :beerdrinking:

 

we posted at the same time, so I did not see your previous comment about the size limitation. very sorry!

on that note....it looks like the smittybuilt uses the same components as the ARB. I so go for it!

having a cooler in the vehicle is awesome. Worth the initial investment.

 

Picked one up. Thoughts?

So I picked one up today at the local 4WP. Price with military discount was about 680 before tax. A little more than amazon, but it did come with the insulated cover. It really looks like a nice fridge, but I have seen exactly ZERO other brands. All the metal holds a magnet and there is no drain plug like I was hoping for. The body seems to be one piece except for the vented portion that covers the compressor. I'm not firing this thing up until I get a warm fuzzy from those in the know that it looks like it's worth giving it a shot.

So to my friends who own an ARB, Engel or Dometic, what says you? How does it compare (not that the others will fit)?

So here is the photo dump.

Smittybilt ARCTIC


How the lid opens inside the Jeep.


Sticker on bottom


Rear plug in


open


inside


AC and DC cables


Metal liner holds magnet so does basket


Sticker on bottom of lid


Compressor


Cover, it's shiny insulated on the inside


Fit vs my door


Fit vs my wiper motor cover


In back of Jeep with cover on it


Addie thinking WTF is this thing taking up my space.

 

I have had mine for over a year now. Most of that was running non stop as a drink cooler for the kids. They have beat it up pretty good, dropped it down the stairs, and it still running strong.

over the summer did a 4 week trip with my family of 5. We left it plugged in and Running where ever we stopped. I can say I can go 2 days without starting the jeep and still have enough battery power to start the jeep. It does have the voltage protection safety too, but i normally have it set to low. After that trip i came home to a dead fridge in my kitchen, so we used the arctic for everything while waiting to get a new home fridge.

I have the old metal ARB too, that thing is an inefficent dinosaur compared to the arctic, still have the arb sitting and collecting dust. I've seen the new arb, they are similar but the arctic has a bit better capacity.

My favorite was sitting in the middle of the rubicon trail eating ice cream while we waited for some people to do some trail repairs. No problem freezing stuff in over 100° weather.

I say keep it you will be happy with it. Definitely makes the kids happy not hearing me yell close the fridge door, your letting the cool air out.

gotta love the " don't put baby in fridge" decal on the lid.

 

I just got one. I got it from CarID for $570 shipped. I was going to pull the plug on the ARB equivalent until I saw it at that price. So far, so good. I'll keep an eye on it but for $300 cheaper than ARB, I'm happy thus far.

 

It doesn't look like my 72 Luna, but I wouldn't mind having one for day trips.

 

Curious on how it's working out for you I'm looking into getting one. It would be nice to know if saving a few bucks going smitty is worth it

 

JCDriller, what's the switch on your wiper motor housing for? Also curious in a review once you get some use out of it as something like this would be a great addition to my future trailer build!

 

I was noticing that too. Looks like he has a light there. Pretty good idea actually.

 

For the info of other Canadians, we just bought a Mobicool at Canadian Tire for about $160 incl tx. It is quite large, 1.5 cu ft capacity, can heat or cool, has wheels for easy mobility and looks to be very well made. We'll test it on a 10 day on and off-road trip starting this Friday.