Brass Monkey 80L Dual Zone Fridge Freezer GH1646

OK...kind of......Returned in the end for another model – UPDATE - I bought it back and swapped for the Brass Monkey plastic version. The stainless was 304 --- not at all suited to anywhere near beach -- and the poor seals, poor insulation around side - condensate just wasn't good enough. Full credit to Jaycar -- they took it back and were very helpful in swapping out. The people at RTM were also very… Read more

good at giving addtional information.

Have had it for a month and paired it with 140Ah AGM battery and 250W solar panel. I am planning to take it to island off-shore on the reef for a week. I have been testing it beforehand as there is no power on island - no ice and long way off the coast. Considered Kings but was put off by product review for dual zone version inlcuding feedback on warranty and service support. Did not want to go down that route. Also looked at Oztrail 80L and XTM75 ---- but went with Brass Monkey as it offered 3 yr warranty and I have also found Jaycar better informed and a little closer to 'coal face' when dealing with potential warranty problems in the past. The issue is poor design really / lack of attention fo QC which makes me doubt it will go the distance. Pros: Good up front price, 3 yr warranty and stainless finish

Cons: 1) Poor insulation on walls. Freezer gets condensate on outside front and side panel of freeezer. Imagine if your applicances did this at home. Suggests poor insulation. 2) Latches don't do anything -- clasp placed to high. You can close the latch on both sections and still open the lid 10mm or so. 3) Seal design is not that great. It comes off easy and there is no magnetic closure. Given this and the problems from 2) --- this results in condensation forming around seal at base of frezzer lid and running into the freezer -- the water then freezes on the wall and you get ice type build-up 4) Lesser isssue -- but again testament to detail and quality ---- the condensate has run down wall onto hinge at the side -- and it is already starting to rust. This thing is sitting undercover btw.

If I had to do it over again, I would keep looking. Perhaps this is what you get for cheap combos in this price range. I will bring it back to Jaycar but at the end of the day -- it actually works and I suspect they won't do much. It's just poor design and does not instill faith and confidence on my part. I have offered some product feedback to Jaycar -- they have said bring it in for them to 'look at'.