Product Review: UBER CHILL XL portable refrigerator

The kind people at Uber Appliances offered me the UBER CHILL XL (12 can) portable cooler in exchange for my honest review. You get the honest review, I get the cooler.

9 liter capacity

It makes sense to me to compare it with another thermoelectric cooler I have used, the Coleman PowerChill.

40 quart capacity

CUTENESS of the Uber Chill: 11 stars. I mean, look at it!

Really LOOK AT ME!

SIZE: Uncertain number of stars - you must decide.

The Coleman is obviously bigger, with a 4.5X greater capacity and similar power demand to the Uber. In the Prius, it was a space hog, and I would have needed to keep the engine on "ready" all the time to truly run it well.

The Uber Chill would have been the better choice, even at the much smaller capacity, in a situation where all real estate is prime. It holds the equivalent of 12-12 ounce cans, which is some heavy cream for your coffee, a block of cheese, yogurt, a couple of beers, etc. (grocery list sold separately).

INSULATION: One lousy star.

You'll really need to power this continuously to achieve optimum results. It cools quickly, but doesn't maintain its cool unless it is running. The Coleman, at its worst, is still a decent ice box.

POWER DEMAND: A reasonable number of stars.

I didn't use a Kill A Watt, but I did watch a video by someone more professional than I am; he measured 55W demand. The Coleman nominally pulls 48W.

Both of these would be excessive for my tiny (~60W) solar panel at the cabin, but either would be suitable for travel or constant powering in a vehicle. The difference would be that the Coleman would keep its chill longer after unplugging. The UberChill would still be cute.

VERSATILITY: All five stars.

AC/DC power adapters. Negotiate for your own dirty deeds.
I also got both adapters with my old Coleman.

Small-vehicle living aside, this would be perfect for a small room equipped with power. Stop calling out to your housemate for "one more drink of water."

NOISE: Reasonable stars.

If you're going to be sleeping next to it, you'll hear it. Inoffensive sound level, maybe like a white noise machine or a babbling brook.



Overall, the UBER CHILL gets good marks for its smart good looks and excellent size. Also for its quick cooling capacity, especially when food goes in cold. It misses the mark on insulation power.

I would definitely choose the Uber Chill for a conventional solo drive, or even with a fasting co-pilot. Leave space for the fan on both units, of course. If you're both heavy noshers, though, one of you is going to get hangry.

Thanks to Andrew at Uber Appliance for giving me the chance to try before you buy.