If you grill a lot in the summer or are on the go, a cool box is actually a must. Here you have two options.
A a cheap cool box with a Peltier element B a compressor cool box
Almost all inexpensive cool boxes and mini refrigerators use so-called Peltier elements to generate cold. This also works, but Peltier elements are very inefficient and have problems cooling more than 15-20 degrees below the outside temperature, which can be a problem in summer at 30 or 40 degrees.
The solution to both problems is a cool box with a compressor. These use the same technology as your refrigerator and are therefore much more efficient and powerful.
A model that I have always been very happy to recommend here was the Festivals IceCube plug-in. I continue to use this and it works like it did on the first day.
With the IceCube 40 DUAL, Plug-in Festivals has now brought a new version of this cool box onto the market, which, among other things, uses two zones for cooling, which you can control independently of each other.
Sounds interesting! Let’s take a look at how good the compressor cooler is in the test!
At this point, many thanks to Plug-in Festivals for providing the IceCube 40 DUAL for this test.
Plug-in Festivals IceCube 40 DUAL im Test
Plug-in Festivals offers the IceCube DUAL in 3 sizes, 25L, 30L and 40L. Basically, all 3 versions are identical in terms of functionality and footprint. Only the height of the cool box differs depending on the version.
In the test I have the largest version, with a volume of 40L (38L). This measures 653 x 369 x 487 mm and weighs 15.8 kg.
This makes it quite a chunk, especially when you have filled it with content. For easier transport, the cool box has two plastic handles, which are sufficiently stable.
The cool box itself is externally covered with aluminum and generally looks very high-quality and stable.
The control unit is somewhat hidden on the right edge. There we have a display that shows you the current temperature or the set temperature, as well as buttons to control the cool box.
With two zones
Why is it called “IceCube 40 DUAL”? Quite simply, the cool box has two zones for which you can independently adjust the temperature.
The primary cooling zone has a volume of around 30L, while the secondary has around 10L.
In the test, the zones were able to achieve a difference of +- 10 degrees.
Flexible power supply
The cooler is powered via a proprietary power plug on the side. A suitable cable for a car “cigarette lighter” plug is included in the scope of delivery, as is a 230V power supply.
You can effectively operate the cool box on 12V, 24V and 230V sources.
inner space
The 40L version of the IceCube DUAL has a very spacious interior. So it is no problem to store a 1.5L bottle upright in the primary compartment.
The secondary compartment is a little smaller, but more than enough size for grilled food and the like.
Primary compartment – 286 x 263 x 399 mm Secondary compartment – 286 x 180 x 229 mm
With app support
You can control the cool box in the classic way using the control panel on the side. However, the cool box also comes with Bluetooth and app support.
You can also control the cool box remotely using the Festivals plug-in. The app does a great job and is simple but well structured.
Adjustable minimum tension
You can use the app to adjust the minimum voltage of the cool box between 12V, 11.5V and 9V.
This is intended to protect your car battery.
Cooling performance, up to -20 degrees
The Festivals IceCube plug-in is said to be able to reach temperatures of up to -20 degrees. This is also quite plausible, because we have a cool box with a compressor here. This can also be used to transport ice and the like.
But can it really reach such low temperatures? To test this, I placed temperature sensors in the cool box and logged the temperature development.
In my test, the cool box reached -17.7 degrees according to my measuring device, impressive!
Here we can also see how stable the cool box maintains a set temperature. So the cool box doesn’t manage to maintain exactly the desired temperature. There are always slight fluctuations.
For example, the 0 degree level fluctuates between +2.1 degrees and -2.5 degrees.
How quickly does the cool box cool?
How quickly the IceCube 40 DUAL manages to cool down depends of course on the contents.
In principle, it reaches the desired temperature very quickly, but of course it takes a while until it penetrates the interior accordingly, especially when it is full.
When empty, it took the following time for my thermometer to reach the desired temperature (+-1 degrees):
20 to 0 degrees – 55 minutes 20 to -10 degrees – 130 minutes 20 to -20 degrees – 165 minutes
This is pretty quick! However, the cool box and its contents required significantly more time. So I filled the cool box with 9 liters of liquid.
Here we can see that it simply took some time for the “Thermal Mass” to cool down.
How much power does the Festivals IceCube 40 DUAL plug-in require?
But how much electricity does the cool box need? Thanks to the compressor, this should be quite economical.
In practice, power consumption depends on many factors, such as the outside temperature, the target temperature, the contents, how often you open it, etc.
Here are three measurements as an example, as a guide.
20 to 0 30 Wh Without contents 20 to 0 168 Wh With 9L water 20 to -10 51 Wh Without contents
I measured the power consumption of the cool box until an inserted thermometer showed the desired temperature.
Here we initially see a massive difference depending on whether the cool box is empty or full. When empty, it only needed 30 Wh to cool down to 0 degrees. With contents it was 168 Wh for the same temperature. This is not surprising with 9 L of liquid inside.
This also meant that cooling took a lot longer, which was also a factor.
Basically, the cool box has two performance modes, normal mode and ECO mode. I ran all tests here in normal mode.
This tends to work a little more “aggressively” in order to bring the temperature to the required level more quickly.
So we can see that the power consumption briefly jumps to up to 80W while the compressor is running. Depending on the content, this starts more often or less often, which then leads to higher or lower power consumption.
Conclusion
A compressor cooler is something nice. The Festivals IceCube 40 DUAL plug-in managed to easily reach temperatures of up to +-17 degrees.
The power consumption is generally very low, especially compared to regular cool boxes without a compressor.
Without contents, the cool box requires around 300 Wh to cool to 0 degrees and maintain this temperature for 24 hours.
This means you can easily use it as a second refrigerator in your apartment in the summer without having to worry about high electricity costs. Of course the consumption is higher depending on the contents and how often you open them, but normal cool boxes with Peltier elements require many times more and don’t achieve such low temperatures as well.
The 2 zone principle is also great. For example, you can cool one area to -X degrees and leave the other area at just above 0 degrees to cool ice and drinks.
Even the volume was pleasantly low. In short, I can recommend the Festivals IceCube 40 plug-in with a clear conscience.
Plug-in Festivals IceCube 40 DUAL