- Hey folks, Ben from Snowys here.
Today we're comparing the sound output
across various brands of 12 volt fridges.
(upbeat music)
To do this we pitched roughly a 60 litre fridge
an age brand that use a free sound level app
and measure the sound output next
to the compressor on each fridge.
Now, we don't have soundproof rooms or calibrated apps
to be able to do this with.
So, we had to come up with our own testing method
that gave you some idea how each of these fridges compared.
So, our method was to grab a fridge from each brand
that was roughly 60 litres
or as close to 60 litres as we could get
in each of these brands.
Some of them were bigger,
some of them were smaller.
Now we use this app here which is called
Sound Metre by AVC apps.
It's a little free app.
Pretty handy so, a little shout out to AVC apps there
and we place this at the compressor end of the fridge
on a table here next to the compressor
where all these vents are so it's measured in the same spot
for each fridge.
And we did this in a room that was in the back corner
of the Keswick store here as quiet as we could find
that where if we closed the door
the background noise sat at around about 20
to 24 decibels according to this app here.
We couldn't get a flat sort
of starting point there's nowhere here we could do that.
We're gonna luge all these fridges one by one about 10 on
or 10 models we'll take up there one by one up
to that room and we'll measure the output of each.
So, let's head up there now and get started.
Now, the first fridge was a Brass Monkey 60 litre fridge
which has their own no brand compressor inside.
Now, they will have a bit of a spike just as we turn them on
when the button of the switch is clicked.
The Brass Monkey kicks in fan and compressor pretty much
at the same time.
(compressor buzzing)
It gets up the mid to high 40's.
Next was the Engel Sawafuji swing motor.
On this one all the noise kicks in at the same time here.
(compressor buzzing)
And this will get up to sort of the high 40's.
(compressor continues buzzing)
Next was MK Coolman, a 60 litre fridge once again,
with the MK Coolman blue compressor there.
Their own compressor inside.
This one kicks off with the compressor first
and then the fan kicks in after.
(compressor buzzing)
So, the compressor noise
and then the fan.
(compressor continues buzzing)
(fan drones)
There's the fan there.
That's a...
That 50
low 50's.
That's the Evakool Travelmate
which has got the C COP compressor inside.
This makes a few funny little noises
just as it gets started.
Starting in the low 20's.
Flick it on.
(compressor buzzing)
That's the compressor noise we can hear now.
And once again the fan kicks in.
(fan drones)
To (indistinctive) the mid 40's.
The Companion Lithium 60 litre fridge,
once again with the C COP compressor here.
Bit noise here compressor and fan kick off at same time.
(compressor buzzing)
(fan drones)
There's the fan there.
Up to the high 40's.
Now, the Dometic, cause this is a 55 litre fridge
this guy here.
Now, the fan kicks off first with this one
then the compressor kicks in later.
So, really quiet to being with.
(fan drones)
And it's a bit of a wait
until the compressor kicks in.
There it goes.
(compressor buzzing)
And it creeps up to the low 40's.
This is a Companion Chest Freezer.
This is the first time that's got that LG compressor inside.
It all kicks off pretty much the same time.
(compressor buzzing)
(fan drones)
That's fan and compressor together
at the high 40's.
Next was Bushman.
Now, this is a 35 litre fridge.
They don't make bigger ones as expansion things on there
on the fridge to make them bigger.
Once again, compressor and fan start at different times.
(compressor buzzing)
That's compressor
and fan.
(fan drones)
It's in mid 40's.
The last fridge we tested was
an Australian made Evakool Down Under fridge.
It's got a C COP compressor inside
which is what we can hear first and then the fan kicks in.
(compressor buzzing)
So, compressors in long with the other fridges.
(fan drones)
But it is a big fan in this one and
it does push the volume up a little bit.
So there you have it a range of fridges tested in
as best as scientific manner as we could make it
and I'm saying that not testing
the Dometic here certainly came out as the quietest
whether that fan wines up a little bit more as
it runs and warms up I'm not sure we'd have
to test this over probably 24 hours
to do that.
But hey, we're not claiming this
to be a full scientific test.
Just a benchmark to start with.
The output and type of noise that they have
is a little bit different too.
I know my Engel has just kind of a hum in the background
and that doesn't come out as the quietest fridge
in the test we've done here today,
but I don't mind the hum that my Engel has in comparison
to some of the LG or the other compressors
like the Brass Monkey or the LG compressors in some
of the Companion fridges.
Have a little bit of rattle to it that's closer
to what your fridge might sound like and home so,
bit of personal preference there.
But the other consideration is not the compressor noise
but it's the fan as well and it's usually the fan
in a lotta them that actually wound the decibels
with the sound output right up.
Now, you could look at that in two ways I suppose.
A bigger louder fan might be moving more air away
from the compressor hence
assisting with the efficiency of the fridge.
I don't really know how to test that.
We haven't done that in this test here.
I guess what I'm saying is I don't know
if I'd make sound output the primary
point of decision making that you have when you're trying
to buy a portable fridge.
So, I hope you found that useful
help you to make your decision when you're buying
a fridge and you can see all of these online
at snowys.com.au where we've got them
at our lowest prices everyday.
If you've got any questions let us know down
in the comments below.
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Or check out some other fridge videos
like this one down here.
(upbeat music)