Anker’s 58-liter solar fridge is a noisy power-monster

Anker is pushing portability limits with the launch of its large 58-liter Solix EverFrost 2 dual-zone fridge / freezer. It’s moveable as a result of it has wheels, a deal with, and slots for 2 batteries. However this factor weighs 64 kilos (29kg) empty and shortly reached 120 kilos once I crammed my evaluation unit with drinks and meals. It may be recharged from an ordinary wall socket, 12V automobile socket, USB-C charger, and from as much as 100W of photo voltaic from a conventional panel or Anker’s new seashore umbrella.

The 58L (about 61 quarts) mannequin I’ve been testing has far larger capability than the most important photo voltaic fridges I’ve reviewed from EcoFlow (38L) and Bluetti (40L) — each of which allocate valuable area to built-in ice makers. As an avid vanlifer and cocktail fanatic, I’m positively tempted by the thought of creating ice on the highway. I by no means do it, although, as a result of water and electrical energy are simply too helpful when venturing away from civilization. I’d relatively carry a fridge that stuffs as a lot usable capability into the smallest footprint doable.

Sadly, that’s not what Anker has performed.

As a substitute, Anker allotted that area to 2 massive fan housings in every lid. It’s all a part of the air-cooling tech discovered within the EverFrost 2 lineup, which incorporates 40L and 23L fashions. Surprisingly, the 40L Solix EverFrost 2 mannequin is definitely barely bigger in size, width, and peak than the 40L Bluetti mannequin, regardless of missing an ice maker and utilizing a a lot smaller battery.

In my testing, the 58L Solix EverFrost 2 definitely does what it’s alleged to. The 2 zones management temperatures independently from -20 to twenty levels Celsius / -4 to 68 levels Fahrenheit, permitting it to function as a big moveable fridge, freezer, or a fridge and freezer operating concurrently. You may even flip off one of many two compartments utterly.

At $799.99 for the cooler and one battery through the preorder sale, the 58L mannequin is less expensive than the EcoFlow Glacier with its comparably-sized battery and prices just a few hundred lower than the Bluetti Multicooler, which ships with a a lot bigger battery. It’s much less compelling when the $1,099.99 checklist worth kicks in.

I didn’t take a look at the shrunk-down 40L EverFrost 2 which looks as if a fair higher deal at its $599.99 preorder worth ($899.99 MSRP) — nevertheless it, just like the Bluetti, has only a single compartment. Each Anker fashions start transport on March seventh.

Nonetheless, it is best to keep away from these if noise, area optimization, and energy effectivity are excessive in your checklist of issues, as they’re on mine. My 58L evaluation unit additionally beeps lots resulting from a difficulty with a sensor in one of many lids — oops.

My largest gripe with the 58L Solix EverFrost 2 fridge applies to all bench-style coolers: finding gadgets will be problematic as issues pile up inside. The 2 compartments on Anker’s largest mannequin are particularly deep, which makes discovering issues a ache within the ass when full. The inclusion of baskets normally addresses this drawback so you’ll be able to raise every thing out to see what’s beneath. After sharing my concern with Anker, firm spokesperson Emeline Bonnefoy stated that particular person baskets can be obtainable for $19.99 beginning in Could, or two for $24.99.

The EverFrost 2 is air-cooled, which Anker claims is a primary on this class of moveable coolers. Air-cooled fridges use followers to evenly distribute temperatures and speed up cooldown by as a lot as 30 p.c, in keeping with Anker, when in comparison with direct-cooled fridges that depend on a compressor alone. Whereas temperature uniformity could be a drawback in large-volume kitchen fridges, it’s by no means created a noticeable drawback within the small direct-cooled moveable fridges I’ve examined inside vans and RVs. Generally, air cooling can also be alleged to get rid of any want for handbook defrosting, however I’m already seeing fairly a little bit of frost develop after simply 5 days of operation.

In my testing, Anker’s EverFrost 2 can get relatively loud in comparison with different moveable fridges, and it’s not significantly quick. It reaches a most of 41 decibels (from one meter away) when initially cooling down which is fairly normal for this class of coolers, and equal to standing close to an area heater. That may be exhausting to the ears over time: it took 56 minutes for the 58L Anker to drop from room temperature to -11C — greater than twice so long as the smaller 38L EcoFlow once I carried out the identical take a look at.

The EverFrost 2 then cycles between 38dB for about 10 minutes and silence for 10 minutes in an effort to keep the set temperatures — that’s a lot louder (bear in mind, the decibel scale isn’t linear) than the 33dB emitted from Bluetti’s and EcoFlow’s coolers. On the intense aspect, Anker’s cooler doesn’t produce any of the gurgling or scratching sounds heard from its opponents, however I nonetheless wouldn’t select the EverFrost 2 if I spent plenty of hours sleeping or working near it in an RV, cabin, or boat.

Energy draw is one other main consideration when shopping for a conveyable fridge for those who plan to take it off the grid for various days. The 58L EverFrost 2 has slots for 2 288Wh LFP batteries. Anker claims as much as 104 hours of cooling from a pair or 52 hours from the one battery Anker offered me. In my battery rundown take a look at, I set the unit to FDA-recommended temperatures of -18C (-0.4F) for the freezer and 4C (39.2F) for the fridge. Even in probably the most frugal energy mode of “eco,” I ran the battery dry in simply 27 hours.

When plugged into an ordinary AC wall jack within the default “sensible” energy mode, the EverFrost 2 consumed 452Wh over a 24-hour interval the place its solely process was to carry temperatures regular — I by no means even opened the lids. That’s fairly thirsty. The smaller Bluetti consumed simply 308Wh once I ran the identical take a look at and the EcoFlow cooler consumed 394Wh, regardless that it was doing power-intensive issues like making a number of batches of ice. Anker’s bigger capability impacts the facility draw, however I believe the corporate additionally skimped on insulation. After I shut the facility off, the Anker’s temperature elevated from -10C to 1C in three hours, whereas the Bluetti cooler rose from -10C to -5C in that very same period of time.

Lastly, my evaluation unit suffers from a difficulty that requires additional care when closing the right-side lid. Anker places sensors within the lids that trigger the cooler to beep (and ship a notification from the app) if both lid is open for greater than 90 seconds. In my case, closing the problematic lid onerous, even slamming it isn’t sufficient; I’ve to push down firmly alongside the fitting aspect close to the rear hinge or it’ll beep constantly for as much as 5 minutes. I discovered frost growing on this space, suggesting a difficulty with the match. Anker says different reviewers haven’t reported comparable points and can examine the trigger as soon as they obtain my returned evaluation unit.

For its discounted preorder worth of $799.99, the 58L EverFrost 2 is nice if you really want 58 liters of moveable dual-zone cooling capability, have quick access to energy so that you’re not stressing over each Wh consumed, and received’t be spending plenty of time proper subsequent to it in small areas the place the drone from these cooling followers would possibly develop into a difficulty.

Pictures by Thomas Ricker / The Verge