Have you ever packed for a trip with your cooler only to find the ice takes up more room than your food? Don’t worry; I’ve found the solution – the Dometic CFX 28 portable powered cooler! It’s a mini-refrigerator for your vehicle. Dometic (pronounced doe-meh-tic) is a Swedish company that works mostly within the RV industry and has recently created its line of energy-sipping portable powered coolers.
4 Reasons to Love the Dometic CFX 28
- No ice needed!
- Food stays dry because there is no ice meltwater
- Use it as a cooler or a freezer
- Doubles as an extra fridge/freezer during the Holidays
Dometic CFX 28 Review
I’ve used my Dometic CFX 28 portable cooler on all my car camping trips since I got it over a year ago. Since I don’t need ice to keep my food cold, I can use the smaller 28-liter version. In contrast, I would typically use a much larger cooler because it requires extra room for ice.
Also, since this cooler runs off your car battery, you can set the temperature, and it will stay that temp the entire time. Therefore, there is no need to drain water and continually run to the store to get more ice.
Who is the Dometic CFX Cooler for?
- People who want to keep their food a consistent temp
- Anyone who dislikes draining water from their cooler and running to the store for more ice
Available At:
– Amazon
The cooler is powered by plugging into your car battery via the cigarette lighter. However, when you turn your car off, the cooler turns off. Therefore, it’s best to hardwire a new cigarette lighter in the back of your vehicle. This way, the cords are hidden, and your cooler stays powered even when your car is turned off.
What about the car battery? The Dometic CFX 28 refrigerator cooler has been designed to be super-efficient, even more, efficient than a typical dorm room fridge. The CFX cooler has a processor that gauges your battery. That way, if your car battery drops too low, the Dometic cooler will shut off, leaving enough juice in your battery to start your vehicle. Furthermore, you can set the cooler to turn off when you have 1/2, 3/8, or 1/4 percent of juice left in your car battery.
Pro-tip: when hardwiring an outlet, get the ARB threaded socket/surface mount outlet. You can get them from Amazon for only $43.00, and it comes with all the wiring.
Another aspect that I like about the cooler is the basket, which has a removable divider. With the removable divider, I can easily separate canned beverages from my food so that the food doesn’t get smashed.
The two handles are sturdy and robust. Therefore, making it easy to throw the Dometic CFX in and out of my car. Plus, when we set up camp, I often pull out the cooler so that doubles as a side table for snacks, a seat, or a cutting board.
Also, I like to keep it in my car at all times. That way, I have a tasty cold beverage waiting for me after a mountain bike ride or hike.
Lastly, it has an internal LED light that turns on when you open the cooler. This interior light is handy when opening it up in the dark.
Dislikes
What’s the downside of the Dometic CFX 28 portable powered cooler? You need to have a power supply like a car battery or a lithium-ion battery pack. The good news is that in 2019, Dometic came out with a lithium-iron-phosphate battery to power their portable coolers. The other downside is that unless you already have a hardwired cigarette lighter, you’ll need to install this, but it’s only $30 at your local Pep Boys if you are unable to install it yourself.
Pro-tip: Use the Dometic CFX 28 cooler as a second refrigerator/freezer to keep your turkey/ham and side dishes cold before cooking during the Holidays!
Common Questions
Question: How many watts does the fridge use?
Answer: It uses about 60 watts when running on 12volt.
Question: Can the lid be removed?
Answer: Not on this model, but others can be removed.
Question: Is Dometic CFX a thermal electric motor, or a compressor driven motor?
Answer: It’s a compressor driven motor, so it can cool down to -7F no matter what the outside temp is. For example, a thermal electric motor can only cool 40F below the outside temp. Therefore, if it’s 90F outside, it could only cool to 50F.
Question: How many baskets come in the CFX?
Answer: That depends on the size of the cooler. My smaller 28-liter unit only has one basket.
Question: Can it be left outside when raining?
Answer: The Dometic CFX is considered weatherproof, so it will be able to handle some rain.
Question: How long does it hold coldness once it’s unplugged?
Answer: It’s similar to traditional coolers. If you leave the lid closed, it will stay cool for quite some time. That being said, if it’s in direct sun at 95F, its temp will raise quicker inside than if it was 70F outside.
Question: Can the Dometic CFX 28 be used as a cooler and freezer at the same time?
Answer: No. It’s either a cooler or a freezer.
Specs
- Max Cold Temp: -7F
- Interior Volume: 43 cans | 27 quarts | 26 liters
- Dimensions: 13.4 x 24.4 x 16.7 inches
- Weight: 29 pounds
- Power: AC or DC with 3-stage battery protection
- Power Consumption: .75 Ah/h with 12V (41F internal temp and 90F outside temp)
- USB Port: 1 to charge devices
- MSRP: $749.99
Bottom Line
If you are looking to buy a new cooler, I highly suggest the Dometic CFX coolers. I love the fact that I don’t need ice. Besides, my food never gets soggy because there is no meltwater to drain. Furthermore, I’m able to use a smaller cooler because I don’t need the space for ice! And lastly, it comes in handy as a second fridge/freezer during the holidays.
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