****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Ordered the Alpicool T50 for use in my Kenworth T680.I’ll start with the less than lack luster shipping. Since Amazon did not have this T50 in stock, it was shipped from Alpicool(?) (a warehouse) in Ontario CA. I ordered the T50 on 05/05/20. While the shipper played the game of printing the label on 05/06/20 so that it would show in the Amazon system as shipped; FedEx did not receive the unit until the 16th, and it was finally delivered on the 18th. So, it took twelve days to travel just over 300 miles. After sending several inquiries I got nothing but a run-around and excuses from Alpicool. From the time stamp on the Alpicool replies it appears their responses were from China. Worst case, normally FedEx is two days from San Bernardino CA to Phoenix AZ. Also rest assured regardless of what the box says, FedEx is going to stand it up on end. This means you’re going to need to let it sit flat for (at least) 24 hours before the first use.If you’re considering this for a big truck particularly a T680 or Cascadia, this thing is pretty big. Lengthwise it’s too big reasonably live in the bunk area. So, it’s probably going have to reside in the passenger seat. It does fit into the original fridge space; you can slide it in and use a strap to hold it in place. Perhaps later I’m going to fasten some heavy roller slides in the original fridge space so that I can easily slide it in and out.Upon opening the unit for the first time you’re immediately going to notice the overwhelming chemical smell from the adhesives use in manufacturing. Another reason to let it sit open for (at least) 24 hours. Even then you’ll need to get it good and cold once before the odor is mostly gone. I’ve now had it for three weeks and there’s no odor.To the test; Can’t find a harsher environment than Phoenix AZ during a 110° week. Empty and on the Max setting I let overnight till the next afternoon, only to return the next day and find the control panel in a F5 error mode (compressor overheat). I also could smell an order of burnt electrical, which I presumed to be the 120v/12v power adapter as it was extremely hot. The cooler temp was back up to 95° internal temp and (per the instructions) had to be turned off for 30 minutes and restarted. Why it doesn’t just self-shutdown and restart I don’t know.The next few days I ran it on Eco (economy) mode, without problem. Left a bottle of water in the freezer compartment and the next day it was frozen solid. The cooler after about 36 hours did drain the batteries enough to turn on the LVD, but the truck still started and the cooler was still running. The instructions are less than lack luster as to the difference between the two modes Max and Eco, if I had to guess Max is for a fast cool down when the cooler has not been in use. I’ve now had it running for two weeks in ECO mode and it does what it’s supposed to do.The 120v/12v adapter gets rather hot, and does not appear to be very heavy duty (my opinion, perhaps a bit under-rated). I have doubts it’ll last a year. I tried searching for a replacement for a backup and didn’t see anything with the proper plug on the cooler end. I have a 12v 15a fridge plug in the truck if I need to use the 12v plug that was also included.It does have Bluetooth and an app which for privacy reasons I’ll probably never use (or need).Based on other reviews of the T50 and other products by Alpicool. I’d strongly recommend buying the Amazon warranty. This seems to be a Chinese based company without a U.S. affiliate. I’ve read several reviews where others have had problems when attempting to resolve warranty issues with Alpicool.Pros;1. Gets cold really fast.2. Rubber not plastic Wheels3. Surprisingly quiet. I couldn’t hear it at all when in ECO mode. On the Max setting the compressor kind of sounds like a quiet rattle.4. Low power consumption. It’s been running for a few weeks now and has never drained the batteries5. Two months now, and I can't believe how quiet it runs. Even with my truck not ideling and no APU I can't hear it at all.Cons1. The 120V power supply gets pretty hot.2. If left unattended for a period of time and the unit faults and needs to be reset, there is no auto shut-down and restart. That said, in hot weather plan on losing everything inside. Again, it seems to run fine for an extended time in Eco mode.3. Replacement A/C-D/C power adapter not available.4. At least with the outside temp over 90° food stored in the top four inches tend not to freeze, however in the lower portion it does the job.5. The freezer temp rarely achieves anything more than 10° above the setting temp.
