I'm looking for a 12V fridge/freeze for my build that will be powered by my Goal Zero. Initially, I was looking for a large coleman-sized chest (90 qt size) but after thinking about my usage which is a mix of day trips, weekends and week long trips, I decided to look at multiple smaller (50Qt sized) fridge freezers. For short trips I'll take one, for longer trips I'll take two and set them up as one fridge and one freezer.
Today, Costco sent out a emailer that had the 12V Massimo cooler line on sale for 20%-ish off.
$297 before tax, $90 cheaper than the Home Depot price.

I took a chance and bought the Massimo CX50 e-cooler, online only since it isn't carried in my area.

Features:

• 52 qt. Cooler with Room for up to (68) Standard Cans
• LCD Digital Display with Range from 68 to 0 Degrees Fahrenheit
• LG Compressor for Optimum Cooling Performance
• Trolley Wheels and a Telescopic Handle
• Low Voltage Detection Cut Off will Protect Your Vehicle’s Battery

I don't imagine it's as nice as a Dometic or their class of product but like everything at Costco, I figure if I don't like it, I can return it. Reviews are quite positive. The reviews say it can keep ice cream cold but I'll have to see if it will make ice.

I'll let you know how it works.

Disclosure: I'm not an employee of Massimo or Costco but I do like icecream more than the average bear.

I'm looking for a 12V fridge/freeze for my build that will be powered by my Goal Zero. Initially, I was looking for a large coleman-sized chest (90 qt size) but after thinking about my usage which is a mix of day trips, weekends and week long trips, I decided to look at multiple smaller (50Qt sized) fridge freezers. For short trips I'll take one, for longer trips I'll take two and set them up as one fridge and one freezer.
Today, Costco sent out a emailer that had the 12V Massimo cooler line on sale for 20%-ish off.
$297 before tax, $90 cheaper than the Home Depot price.

I took a chance and bought the Massimo CX50 e-cooler, online only since it isn't carried in my area.

Features:

• 52 qt. Cooler with Room for up to (68) Standard Cans
• LCD Digital Display with Range from 68 to 0 Degrees Fahrenheit
• LG Compressor for Optimum Cooling Performance
• Trolley Wheels and a Telescopic Handle
• Low Voltage Detection Cut Off will Protect Your Vehicle’s Battery

I don't imagine it's as nice as a Dometic or their class of product but like everything at Costco, I figure if I don't like it, I can return it. Reviews are quite positive. The reviews say it can keep ice cream cold but I'll have to see if it will make ice.

I'll let you know how it works.

Disclosure: I'm not an employee of Massimo or Costco but I do like icecream more than the average bear.

I'm thinking about getting one of these from Costco to eventually take on trips in a Transit van or Subaru Outback. Any observations since you got yours?
Thanks, Rob Lewis

 

If this turns out to be reliable it’s a game changer for those of us on a tighter budget. Please keep us posted on your experience with it, particularly the power usage.

 

I like it so far.

At a third of the price, it is clearly a different price/quality point than the popular Dometic but it may meet my needs nicely.
It has a 3- stage battery protection system so the voltage can be set when the cooler auto turns off so it doesn’t drain your battery.
When using your primary vehicle battery, you set it to H battery protection(highest voltage cutoff). For secondary battery packs (like the Goal Zero), you set it to M or L and you don’t need a special cable to bump the voltage. It seems to work for me without a problem (or additional expensive cable).

When it arrived, I plugged it into my house AC 120V and it froze a small bucket of water easily overnight. Attaching it to my Goal Zero using the supplied 12V cigarette cable also had it freezing water as advertised. There is a slight noise with the fan/compressor but about the same as a small personal heater. It was fine for me and my wife.

For longer trips, I’ll use it to make ice blocks that I’ll use in a larger ice chest.

It seems to take 45w at peak and 35w on eco mode. At 35w, I have 90+ hours of fridge capacity which is more than I'm likely to use without some re-charge. I assume somewhat higher usage when I'm in Death Valley but most of the time I like the PNW and points further north.

It's light enough empty (30lbs) that my wife can move it around. The Dometic is about 10lbs more.

Practical usage: I can stick a 6 pack in the cooler and turn it on. When I am finished flying 3 or 4 hours later, the drinks are partially frozen and only 3% of my battery has been used. If its reliable and doesn't fail, I’ll be happy.

Potentially issues or weak areas:

• It’s completely plastic so it won’t take the same hard hits that a metal or metal reinforced enclosure might endure. That said, I’m sitting on the cooler and it seems sturdy enough for that.
• There is no locking latch to close it. Just like the older Coleman coolers, you just press it closed. Yes, I see that it may cause me a problem someday when I'm not careful.
• The space is somewhat odd to utilize, as tall as the unit but not the whole width. The compressor and control panel are on the right side of the enclosure whereas the Dometic has the compressor on the bottom giving you a wider but shallower space. It would have been nice if they had included a wire cage insert since I can see stuff getting stuck in the bottom.
• Poor insulation. When it’s not plugged in, it warms up quickly. The unit is fairly light and the lid and sides feel like they are hollow. I assume the better/more expensive competitors have better insulation and they are heavier.
• You will need to make your own cable if you want to hardwire it to the 12V supply. I am using the supplied cigarette cable.

Here are the mfg specs.

 

I just ordered the CX40 from Costco. $259. I think that is pretty intexpensive! I will use it as a backup fridge for perishables to reduce trips to the grocery store in this pandemic, and in the future I will put it in a van to start the RV van life! Thanks to
bitburger
for the terrific post!

 

What is the actual cutoff voltage for M and L setting for the battery protection? I have a Battleborn lithium house battery and I wonder what the fridge shutoff point is.

 

Unfortunately, the cutoff voltage isn't defined in their thin manual. You may want to drop them a line.

EMAIL
customerservice@massimomotor.com

 

I got the 40 liter version last week and have been testing it in my garage. With ambient around 79-80F and the cooler set at 35F, the duty cycle is higher than I expected - about 35%. Even when set at 39F, duty cycle doesn't get below 30%. Too high. I was expecting 20% or under. I think the insulation is inferior.

Would like to hear what WH/hour or WH/24H others are getting. I dont have a big battery so this is important to me.

 

On my Goal Zero it shows a draw between 29-39 watts for the cooler when it is in eco-mode.
BUT- Seattle-ish is pretty cool (60F) and I don't know how accurate the Goal Zero is reporting usage.

I agree with you that the insulation is poor and if efficiency is your key feature there are better coolers available.

I believe the top and sides are hollow with no insulation so I'm casually thinking of filling it with spray foam like this video shows. Perhaps I'll just wait until the warranty is over.

Smarter guys and gals would probably just buy a cooler with better insulation.

 

Mine failed on a recent 2 week trip where I had it running continuously. We were in Wyoming so during the day it was hot and at night it was cold. It turned off intermittently and then gave up completely with no lights on the display at all.

I am hoping it is just a single unit issue so I'll return it to costco and get another.

 

I emailed Massimo and they responded immediately. They are sending me another.

 

FYI - these are on sale again at Costco for 270$


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

And on sale again at Costco, $100-$140 off. I see they have added larger versions, including a chest style 75l and 95l version.
My replacement one is continuing to work like a champ, I'd recommend if you are looking for a light-medium duty fridge freeze.

 

Feedback:
I just finished a 6 week trip down to the tip of baja, much of it over washboard dirt roads. The two Massimo coolers I have ran continuously and worked like a champ. I had one set as a fridge and another set as a freezer. Everything stayed cold/frozen.

The compressor is noisy and the insulation isn't thick but for inexpensive chillers, I am overjoyed.

 

Thanks for the updates. I'm sold.
My Walmart special died last weekend so it's time to try something better.

 

I bought a Massimo CX50 this summer (June 22) from Tractor Supply for $199, free shipping to the local store. It works fantastic. Due to the understandable temp variations vertically we bought three stacking wire baskets from Amazon and labelled them with three relative temperatures and stack our food accordingly.

Another advantage of the three stacking wire baskets (with a string handle on each) is that to move the cooler, which can be quite heavy, from car to picnic table or Aliner camper, you just pull the three baskets and move them separately outside of the cooler.

At coldest setting, we place a tall tupperware pitcher holding a half gallon of ice cream, under the compressor section, and it worked perfectly when set on the lowest temp setting. No more camping without ice cream!

Also, we switch a 1 gallon frozen water jug (next to the Tupperware of ice-cream) from the CX50 to a standard cooler and rotate it periodically so as never have to buy ice.

Tractor Supply also sells a product warranty plan which we picked up for $30 which covers the product for two years on top of Massimo's warranty which I think is one year.

So far, highly recommend the Massimo CX50.

PS: also when using other appliances and the Massimo is unplugged we cover the cooler to preserve temperature. (Compressor cannot be covered when operating.)