Anker’s 58-liter photo voltaic fridge is a loud power-monster

Anker is pushing portability limits with the launch of its large 58-liter Solix EverFrost 2 dual-zone fridge / freezer. It’s transportable 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 stuffed my evaluate unit with drinks and meals. It may be recharged from a regular wall socket, 12V automobile socket, USB-C charger, and from as much as 100W of photo voltaic from a standard panel or Anker’s new seashore umbrella.

The 58L (about 61 quarts) mannequin I’ve been testing has far better capability than the biggest photo voltaic fridges I’ve reviewed from EcoFlow (38L) and Bluetti (40L) — each of which allocate treasured area to built-in ice makers. As an avid vanlifer and cocktail fanatic, I’m positively tempted by the concept of creating ice on the street. 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 reasonably convey a fridge that stuffs as a lot usable capability into the smallest footprint potential.

Sadly, that’s not what Anker has performed.

As an alternative, Anker allotted that area to 2 giant 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 actually does what it’s purported 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 transportable fridge, freezer, or a fridge and freezer working concurrently. You possibly can even flip off one of many two compartments fully.

At $799.99 for the cooler and one battery throughout 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 listing worth kicks in.

I didn’t check the shrunk-down 40L EverFrost 2 which looks like 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 delivery on March seventh.

Nevertheless, you need to keep away from these if noise, area optimization, and energy effectivity are excessive in your listing of issues, as they’re on mine. My 58L evaluate unit additionally beeps so much as a consequence of a difficulty with a sensor in one of many lids — oops.

My greatest gripe with the 58L Solix EverFrost 2 fridge applies to all bench-style coolers: finding objects 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 often addresses this downside so you possibly can raise all the things out to see what’s beneath. After sharing my concern with Anker, firm spokesperson Emeline Bonnefoy stated that particular person baskets might be accessible for $19.99 beginning in Might, or two for $24.99.

The EverFrost 2 is air-cooled, which Anker claims is a primary on this class of transportable coolers. Air-cooled fridges use followers to evenly distribute temperatures and speed up cooldown by as a lot as 30 p.c, in line with Anker, when in comparison with direct-cooled fridges that rely on a compressor alone. Whereas temperature uniformity could be a downside in large-volume kitchen fridges, it’s by no means created a noticeable downside within the small direct-cooled transportable fridges I’ve examined inside vans and RVs. Basically, air cooling can be purported to eradicate any want for guide 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 reasonably loud in comparison with different transportable 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 customary 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 check.

The EverFrost 2 then cycles between 38dB for about 10 minutes and silence for 10 minutes with a view to preserve 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 facet, Anker’s cooler doesn’t produce any of the gurgling or scratching sounds heard from its rivals, however I nonetheless wouldn’t select the EverFrost 2 if I spent a whole lot of hours sleeping or working near it in an RV, cabin, or boat.

Energy draw is one other main consideration when shopping for a transportable fridge if you happen to 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 only battery Anker offered me. In my battery rundown check, 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 a regular AC wall jack within the default “good” energy mode, the EverFrost 2 consumed 452Wh over a 24-hour interval the place its solely activity 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 check 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 ability draw, however I believe the corporate additionally skimped on insulation. Once I shut the ability 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 evaluate 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 arduous, even slamming it isn’t sufficient; I’ve to push down firmly alongside the appropriate facet close to the rear hinge or it’ll beep constantly for as much as 5 minutes. I discovered frost creating 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 evaluate unit.

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

Images by Thomas Ricker / The Verge