ALDI Stirling 40L Portable Fridge / Freezer (2014 - 2017)

Worked a couple of times – Only used about 6 times before issues started, refused to cool down and showing E 3 code on both AC mains and DC battery power. No list of error codes in manual and was out of warranty because we only used it for occasional weekends away. Waste of $500 Show details

No value for $ paid – Used a few times and now freezing everything inside , temperature indicates a faulty reading disappointment with how short its life was with supposed to have good components would not recommend Show details

Never misses a beat! – I bought this as a back-up for my Waeco that cost twice the price. IMHO it works every bit as well as the Waeco. It has been to hell and back on some of the roughest Outback tracks imaginable. I have it set on 2 degrees, which it maintains easily, even when the ambient is in the high 30's - perfect for a cold beer at the end of the day. Every… Read more

summer I use it as a back-up beer fridge and it runs solidly for 3 months on 240v on the back verandah. I'm planning to set it as a freezer on my next trip and have been testing it. I didn't expect it to get below -15 degrees but it has now settled on -18 and frozen a 10 litre container of water solid. Current draw on the freezing setting is about 5Ah until it reaches temperature, then it's about 2Ah. As mentioned in other reviews you really do need a good 100Ah battery and heavy duty cables. I believe this is identical to the Primus 40L fridge/freezer that sells for several hundred dollars more. If fact, if you download the Manual PDF it has Primus branding.

5 star fridge with the same compressor as the big guys – I have owned this fridge for 4 years and the only thing to happen is it started to blow the cigarette fuse in my Amarok, installed a new 25 amp circuit now the fridge works fine. This fridge has bounced around in the back of my 4wd on some bad outback roads, overheating in the back of my black 4wd with a black canopy while keeping our food in… Read more ·  1

great condition. Some fridges cost $1,800 this fridge cost me $440 do the math! Both fridges come with the same warranty! Owning a portable fridge and keeping it working can be tricky so here are my tips - Small car batteries like used in SUV's don't work very well as the battery is designed for fast energy output to start your car not quick fast startup of the compressor then a slow energy draw for 30 mins. - BIG BATTERY! 90 - 100 amp hour is a must, this battery will weight about 30kg so be careful when lifting. - BIG CABLE! If you are going to run the fridge at a distance from the battery you will need big thick cables otherwise the fridge will be in error mode. - Don't stand the fridge in the sun. I don't know why fridges are grey they should be made white to reflect the sun's heat like a Evercool fridge. -Freeze your food beforehand and put at the bottom of the fridge. In the morning move the food you want to cook to the grey plastic area above the compressor to defrost this may take all day or two so do it early.

There are many fridges like this and most of them use a copy of the Danfoss compressor that has been tried and tested for decades, the thing that breaks down the most is the circuit board not only on the cheap fridges but even on the $1,800 ones.

My Aldi fridge runs off two 100 amp hour batteries plus 300 watts of solar panels this is the main reason why my fridge runs so well. It's a big investment to run a portable fridge so if your a thinking I can just plug it into my car cigaret outlet that is only rated to 10 amps along with a 40 amp hour car battery think again.

This info should be on the box of all portable fridges so people are not outlying lots of money on something that may not work with their wiring capacity.

Hopes this helps... Buy cheap from a bricks and mortar retailer so if something goes wrong within the two years give it back to them and get a new one, why pay $1,800.

Stirling 40L Portable Fridge / Freezer – I had been looking for a Portable Fridge / Freezer for sometime but not having a spare $1200 I had been holding off. Waeco was expensive and Engel more so. Many others have poor reviews. I have only just purchased the Stirling from Aldi and have so far been very impressed. i have run it for 3 days off a very poor Ute battery - not charging it at… Read more

all and it stayed very cold. I managed to freeze a bottle of wine while running it at the lowest setting on the last heatwave in Brisbane - getting it down to -22 deg.

It comes with a 240V lead and a 12Vdc cigarette lighter lead. The 240V appliance lead is interchangeable with a computer power lead.

It has a low medium and high power use which I only took any notice of after running it for a day. It got to temp ok on this setting.

The best encouragement was passing a guy on the escalator after purchasing it and he said he's had his for over 18 months and is very pleased with it. Selling for $499 I'm giving ALDI a massive high 5 for looking after their customers with quality products for an affordable price. Hoping it goes the distance.

Can’t control temperature stays at 28 degrees but fridge freezes up – Been great up till now but connot control temperature stays at 28 degrees but fridge freezes have to turn it off for awhile or everything freezes then turn back on again Show details

Brilliant appliance – We purchased this portable frig over 3 years ago and have used it a lot for camping, picnics, travelling, taking food to friends’ or relatives’ places for gatherings, etc. It was very good value for money and has performed well. It maintains its temperature well, and we have often used it in Central west NSW during hot weather. We use it on 12V in… Read more

the car, and 240 V plugged into either a generator or solar power when we’re camping. Would definitely recommend it.

No problems – I bought this fridge couple of years ago. Used it on several trips, and so far quite happy with it. Works well, drops the temperature fairly quickly. In retrospect it is a little too small for my purposes (hunting), but there is nothing wrong with it so far. Show details

Terrible value for momey – Purchased April 2017 and stored it in my shed powered off. First and second camping trips it worked fine although the current draw was a little high. Third trip plugged it into the power and the display started flashing, the motor did not come on or the light. Very disappointed/. Show details

Was great for 4 years! Now Er1 showing and not working – We purchased this camping fridge from Aldi about 4 years ago- we'd seen too many Engels get stolen in camping grounds and felt it was safer to have a less expensive model! It was a great fridge for about 4 years but has suddenly started reading Er1 and not working. Would I buy one again- probably not. It cost about $450 but really to be used for less than 6 weeks a year it should have lasted longer. Show details

Going Great So Far – I purchased the 40L fridge in September of 2016 pre-Fraser island trip. It was great for the 5 days on Fraser and many camping trips after as well. It lives in the 4WD most of the time (but not powered) when needed I put it on 240v to chill it and it gets down to 2c in about 30 minutes. Just came back from a weekend up at Teewah and the temps were… Read more

in the 30's, the fridge was fine at 2c and keep the essentials good and cold. At $400-500 the fridge represents good value and I may buy another when this one craps out. Wait and see I guess, as $500 for 5 years is near the cost of the "reliable" brands that you may not get 10 years out of anyway IMHO.

efficient cooler – Have used it on an off for the last year and it works really well, both via power AC and car DC connection. Mostly used it as a refrigerator and not freezer. Decent space. On empty it takes about 1.5 hours to get below 0 degrees, recommended that you pack the unit with your cold goods and cool over-night before you travel the next day with your foods/drinks.  Show details

A Dud – Bailed up after 6 trips & 3 years use. Agent fixed it up with non genuine parts as no makers parts available, though he told me the fridge wouldn't be able to be repaired again. Waster of my time & money. Should have known better than to buy from Aldi.  Show details

Have used twice on camping trips – The works well. We have it set up on a deep cycle battery when camping and has worked wonderfully. No issues. The range of the thermostat appears to go from 1C to 6C but put a digital thermometer inside and stays pretty consistent around 4C which is what I am aiming at. Would recommend as a it is at the lower end of pricing and works as well as the upper priced end of town.  Show details

Lemon – Very dissapointed in my stirling, used 3 times fof 3 day campimg trips and it wont hold the temp got up to25 degrees had it fixed got the new house battery tested and now used it again for Easter, n doing the same thing am sick of throwing food away !! Am getting my money back  Show details

Great for camping – This 40litre portable fridge freezer is amazing. I can store meats other foods and drinks at the same time and keep it’s cool for a very long time. Food does not go off as it’s quite durable sturdy as well as easy to transport anywhere. We always take this with us to camp and picnic and can definitely relay on this product. Well worth it.  Show details

Very dependable – It has the same German compressor as many other brands. Very dependable. We have just used it for 8 weeks non-stop around the continent, and had no problems whatsoever. We've owned it for 2-3 years now. Good value for money. To the person who gave it 1-star because they lost their powercord. It is not Aldi Stirling's fault you lost it! Just go to… Read more

your local electronics or camping store and buy a new one. It is just a standard portable fridge powercord!

Back up support ??? – Only as good as your backup support. It won't work if you can't source replacement parts. Lost the 12v lead, emailed for some help on availability of replacement parts from Stirling Appliances answer as follows : Hi, Unfortunately, we do not have information in regards to inventory of retailers. The only thing we can suggest would be to… Read more

contact the local retailers.

As it is an Aldi product, the items we have with them are usually special sales, and inventory cannot be guaranteed. These products will only be sold through Aldi, not online.

Thank you.

what a great deal – Very good product, the accessories and fridge cover are top quality, plus it is half the price of others, and sorry to say that, the quality of Stirling is lot more superior . But I just bought the last one in the store, good luck for you to find one in aldi .  Show details

Goooooood ;) – The Stirling (Aldi) portable Fridge/Freezer 40 litre is one of the best portable storage ever! The Stirling (Aldi) portable Fridge/Freezer 40 litre is very light itself and somewhat lighter to carry than holding the items i put in the Stirling (Aldi) portable Fridge/Freezer 40 litre. Overall, The Stirling (Aldi) portable Fridge/Freezer 40 litre is a great portable and i reccomend buying it!  Show details

i am happy with my stirling..installed on my yacht ..now about to buy a second one..Alan A – it has replaced my engel on the yacht ..now i will have one as freezer and one as fridge.beats buying a bag of ice every weekend.wired up to the four gel batteries and charged by four solar panels and a wind generator...also can adapt to a sinewave 240 volt generator..  Show details

Excellent for the price – I've had mine for just over a month. It ran for 2 weeks straight at 4 degrees including being hooked up to a 105ah battery in my ute for a camping trip and it's worked a treat. The only negatives so far: 1. The transit cover seems largely ornamental and I doubt it would offer any insulating properties like the competition 2. As has been reviewed the transit cover does get a bit caught on the lid when closing  Show details

Happy Camper – For $450 I don't think you would get a better fridge. Mine runs on a 100amp hour battery charged by a 160 watt solar panel and has run constantly on 0 degrees since just after xmas. It draws very little power compared to my 100l Evakool but is a bit small for extended camping. Best to have 2 one fridge and one freezer.  Show details

Fridge for all – its affordable & made the same as the other types, I have 2 of them 1 used as a freezer and the other as a fridge. Control is easy to set and read. I have seen the exact same fridge with different branding for $899 so save yourself the money and buy this one. The only better designed fridge(compressor) is the Engel but the 40 ltr fridge is $1375 AU .So at $499 Au i can nearly buy 3 stirling 40ltr fridges.  Show details

Well worth every cent – I had an Engle fridge/freezer prior to buying my Stirling. Engle was a great fridge but couldn't justify spending the money again for a higher up the ladder brand. I bought the Stirling fridge/freezer from Aldi and it has been an absolute ripper! Never had an issue and works a treat. We use ours constantly in the back of the 4x4. Camping trips, day trips, groceries etc If they come on sale again I'd buy a second one  Show details

Problems from day 4 – Hi, I bought this fridge from Aldi in April 2016. On the 4th day the LED panel flashed and didn't work, I called Aldi and they were good about it and said they can refund me or go to a repairer in Blacktown NSW and get it fixed for free as they sold out and could not exchange the fridge. I chose to get it repaired because i couldn't justify an… Read more

extra $400 extra over spend on another suppliers fridge if i got a refund.

The gentleman fixed it and was very nice about it. It lasted around 4 months (probably 3 times a month it actually got used) then it started showing error messages. I bought half a lamb and got it cut up and delivered to work, i put the meat in my fridge and by the time i got home it had gone warm and i had to throw it out as the fridge showed an error message. I took it to Aldi and got a full refund and have now bought a fridge with a brand name and am happy.

Ok – Bought this fridge for my work ute 9 months ago. It has run 24/7 on a dual battery and 20 watt solar panel without tripping the battery isolator until mid 30 degree heat started. It ran continuously trying to keep cool and tripped the battery. i wouldn't recommend it for a full time fridge.  Show details

Stirling 40 Lt camping fridge/freezer – Owned the fridge for only a few years and used it a few weeks each year and found it great. Now the fridge temp is not regulating and the fridge freezes. I check the temp with a thermometer that goes down to -10 and the temp goes way past -10 and off the scale, but the fridge temp gauges only shows 8 deg C. I think it only has a 12 month warranty.  Show details

Stirling portable fridge/freezer 40 litre – Only used it a few times but it has been great and after being turned off holds its temperature for a long time. A very good buy. xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

For less than half the price of a Waeco, I'm stocked – From: Aldi Price: $499 each (Gutted as they were $450 6months ago) Weight: Around 12 Kgs so easy for one person to carry but handles make it super easy for two kids to carry. Accessories: 240 Lead and 12/24 Volt lead. Protector bag. (Don't give the bag much of a wrap as its very thin and unlikley to be much of an insulation layer.) We have… Read more ·  2

been looking for ages at Fridge deals and settled on a Waeco 65L Dual Zone. Before laying out the cash we asked around some of the grey nomad crowd. After hearing way too often " dont touch em unless your on 240VCA" we decided to wait.

Well the Sterling (Aldi) Fridges came up on sale and we ended up getting two.

We figured that for slightly less (around $200) than a single 65 Litre we bought two 40L units. One we are using as a fridge and the other a freezer :)

Easier to carry one at a time, they seem to use less power (in Watt/Hours) than the Waecos and if we only go away for a short break only need to take one with us saving space again.

And we also figured that should one break down its not the end of all the food, we can simply use the other one.

Ran both in the same room down from +23C to -18C (not verified with thermometer, just running on the) within two hours. It was a hot day and thought that was pretty much ok. (Running on Mains power).

Both units have done ok. Only one trip away with one unit and the 100Ahr battery ran the fridge for the weekend no problems. (Dropped from 13.3 volts to 12.2.) That was with the fridge at 2degrees and the kids opening and shutting the lid all weekend.

Since we only ever had an Esky on trips before ultra cold milk on Sunday morning was fabulous.

Will follow up in a few months or after we get a decent trip out of the way.

False capacity – On measuring the internal capacity of the advertised stirling 40L frig,I found it to be only 36.8 litres! my old mobicool (waeco) was 39.8 lt. This means 3 bottles less drink can fit. Not happy.. Otherwise has the latest technoligy and works well. The 240v option is an excellent option.

Works very well when it works! 2 x fridges both failed eventually! – UPDATE - So I have owned two of these fridges in the past three years. First one I owned I received a refund after it kept freezing everything for the second time after it was fixed. Now the second fridge I purchased is about three years old and is now given up working properly. Faults are that the Fridge lid is warped and doesn't close/latch… Read more

properly. The other issues is that the fridges temperature is way off what the lcd panel says that it is. I usually have the fridge set at minus 3 degrees but the actual fridge temp inside is showing minus 22 degrees. Possibly a thermister issue again, but I'm seriously over getting these fridges repaired. I mean they are ok for the price but clearly just don't last. I wont be buying another one again.

Please note, these fridges have a different lid design so I believe the warping of the fridge lids is no longer an issue but not 100% sure.

OLD REVIEW - Bought two of the Stirling (its really a Primus fridge made by Companion) Branded Aldi 40 Litres Fridges.

Things I liked:

1) Price was only $450 for a 40l fridge (very very cheap)

2) BD35f Secop (Danfoss) compressor (this is now owned by the chinese but still a great compressor)

3) Inbuilt battery protection works great

4) Adjustable temperature display (unlike those Engel Fridges which you have to guess as to what temp you are setting it at).

5) I measured with a couple of thermometers and the temp you set is actually the temp it gets too.

6) Good construction with metal handles etc.

7) Cheap to repair if it breaks

8) able to be run on 240v out of the box

9) Merit Socket/cigarette socket is a great idea

10) The fact that you can have both the 12v plug and 240 plug in at the same time (although see the issue with this below) and it will automatically switch over the 240v when its connected without the need to remove the 12v plug.

11) Two year warranty is ok too.

Now to the issue I've recently had. I have only owned them for four months, but so far one has required a new thermister. The other is working flawlessly however. The symptoms were that the fridge was showing minus 11 degrees (despite being set to minus 3 degrees) when clearly inside the cabinet it was not even minus 3 degrees. I measured with a thermometer which showed the cabinet temp to be actually 5 degrees. Sooo I set the temp to minus 11 degrees but the cabinet temp was only minus 2 degrees. Obvioulsy I had an issue and as such its currently getting fixed under warranty. I did ask if this issue arose out of warranty and the repair man said it would only cost $150 to repair which I thought was ok.

Anyway these were the things I did not like:

1) Required a new thermister after only having it for four months

2) Current draw is a little high, around 3 - 5 amps but I usually get it to temp using 240v the day prior to going camping. Once at temp it draw pretty much around 1amp if that. I have had it hooked up to a 130ah battery in my ute for over 3 days and it still works great.

3) You need at least 4mm cable run to a cigarette socket so it can power the fridge otherwise you will get the E1 error message. 6mm is best though if you can run that to a socket.

4) When both the 12v plug and 240 plug are in at the same time the 12v plug is bent akwardly to fit in properly (I used a razor blade to cut back the material slightly so the plug did not bend as much).

Sooo if any of you try hooking it up to your car cigarette socket and you get the E1 message, its due to the fact that you have poor wiring thickness so wire in a better cigarette socket. Personally I'm very tempted to run it straight to an anderson plug underneath my rear seat so as I know it will get a good connection this way.

I would have given this fridge 5 stars if it didn't have an issue so soon into owning it. Maybe I'm just unlucky, who knows, but the repairman said that the thermister issue is a common problem with them but it is a somewhat easy fix.

Pleas note that this fridge is exactly the same as many other fridges twice the price. Its like I said, a Primus fridge afterall.