The Professor reviews the IPX4 water resistant EcoFlow Glacier convertible dual zone refrigerator freezer with built in DC ice machine, 300wh lithium battery, and 240w solar input.

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Intro:

• Ecoflow has been on a roll in 2023 releasing a slew of innovative products from whole RV systems to robotic lawnmowers. It seems as though they are reinventing everything except the kitchen sink. Today we have a product called the ECOFLOW GLACIER that is their debut attempt at a battery powered dual zone fridge freezer with a built in ice maker. But, is it any good? Let’s find out!

Quirks & Features:

• Main Features:

  • The Glacier is a 38L or 40 Quart dual zone fridge freezer, convertible from dual zone to single zone and back with a removable / storable center partition. Unlike most other fridges with this feature, this one will remember the temperature setting when you add or remove the partition. One feature I really like is that the partition once removed just snaps right into the lid for long term storage. I wish other brands would do this. [b-roll]

  • The main feature on the Glacier fridge of course is its built in 120w DC ice maker that can whip out a batch of 18 hollow ice cubes in about 12 minutes.

  • It can also be directly powered by an optional 300wh hot swappable battery and this battery can be charged with up to 240w of solar plugged directly into the fridge via xt60 connector. You can not power the fridge directly with a solar panel. The battery is required for solar charging. The battery is NMC lithium rated 800 cycles to 80% capacity which is what you have to expect since space inside the fridge is at a premium and a LiFePO4 battery would be much larger.

  • Of course you can also power the fridge directly with 12v from the included vehicle adapter but be aware that the ice maker will not work in 12v mode. You need to either plug it into 24v DC, AC power, or use the battery to generate ice. Note the fridge does come with both AC power brick and a 12v/24v vehicle adapter.

  • The fridge is IPX4 water resistant which means it can handle water splashing (aka rain drops) from any direction so you can comfortably leave it out in the rain no problem.

  • Also unlike most portable fridges this one lets you set the temperature all the way down to -13F which is deep freezer territory. This is thanks to that massive 120w compressor. Most fridges out there max out at 60w and -4F.

  • For those living or camping in desert environments this fridge is rated to function in ambient temperatures up to 122F

• Size/Weight: approx 31x15x18 @ 50lbs

• Build: Build quality is impressive. It does have a built in light and drain like any good fridge. It has a side opening door that most folks seem to like and removable carrying handles.

• Note to all the folks that gripe about portable fridges that come in dark colors. It says in the manual that you are not supposed to operate it in direct sunlight. Treat it like a power station, keep it in the shade, and the color will make absolutely no difference.

• Display: The display is fantastic. It is not a touch screen but it is bright and easy to read in direct sunlight with 6 large buttons. Because it is IPX4 rated it means the display and buttons are all water tight so you don’t have to worry about ruining the screen in the weather.

• Special Features (lid/handles/wheels/battery/solar): Ecoflow does offer an optional wheel and pull handle kit for those that prefer to drag instead of carry.

• APP/Other Features: Of course the Ecoflow App works with the fridge and it gives you remote control for basic functions. (demo app)

• Warranty: Ecoflow offers a standard 1 year warranty on the Glacier

Testing

• (Dual Zone) 12hr consumption test at 0F/32F: 550wh/24hrs

• Noise db on MAX: 48

• Battery: 300wh

What I think:

• When I first heard that Ecoflow was coming out with a fridge icemaker combo, I though to myself … how gimmicky. I really didn’t see the use case because I assumed the amount of power it would take to make ice would be energy prohibitive. Leave it up to Ecoflow to design what is probably the most efficient DC ice maker on the planet. I think that’s the real secret. They are using the power of a 120w DC compressor that can reach temperatures of -13F to make ice in a flash. Remember that most DC fridges have 60w compressors. Ecoflow doubled that in order to make ice efficiently. In fact, I’d say that it’s probably one of the only direct solar powered ice makers out there. You can literally make ice from the sun as long as you have a solar panel plugged in to the battery.

• That being said, there are a few problems. First, the fridge/freezer itself is not the best insulated or most power efficient dual zone out there. For example, the ICECO I just reviewed uses about half the power of the Ecoflow. Now the ICECO doesn’t have a solar power option either. So effectively the Ecoflow runs for free, even if it does “waste” more power. It’s kind of an apples to oranges comparison but I do need to mention the Ecoflow fridge with its massive compressor does use more power than other brands.

• The biggest bummer though is the fact that the Ecoflow doesn’t have a direct DC battery port for plugging in any of their external batteries. It seems like a huge oversight that Ecoflow’s own Delta 2 or Delta Max smart battery doesn’t plug directly into their fridge. Instead, you can only power direct with 12v output from other power stations and that doesn’t let you make ice (unless you opt for the internal battery). If you do install the internal battery on the fridge it will make ice regardless of the input voltage coming in and that’s important to remember. I think virtually everyone buying this fridge will have to opt for that internal battery for this very reason. Note that you can also charge the internal battery directly with DC by using the 100w bi-directional USB port. Since most modern Ecoflow power stations have a 100w USB-C then this would be faster and more effective than using the 12v cigarette socket.

• Finally, what I don’t like about the ice maker design is that it easily collects debris and is quite difficult to clean. You’ll have to really get in there with a soapy rag and some pressurized water to clean the gunk out. Maybe more importantly is that you can only make one batch of ice at a time and then you have to drop whatever you are doing to empty the ice tray into another container in order to make another batch of ice. It’s not one of those ice machines that you just let run for a few hours and come back to a bucket of ice. It requires that you literally sit there and watch it make ice and then promptly remove it when it is done, or face the wraith of constant beeping until you do. I understand that this is a super compact ice machine with no moving parts, but it’s also high maintenance.

• Don’t get me wrong. I do absolutely love the ice maker’s efficiency. I’ve never made ice before so quickly and with so little power. It’s almost worth the price of entry alone to be able to fill up the freezer side with ice made from the sun just to make some snow cones in the desert and totally blow people’s minds at camp. If you’re a person that loves ice, it doesn’t get more efficient to make than this.

Pricing and competition

• Product Price with current discounts:

  • The Glacier retails for $999. If you consider that price otherworldly, you need to factor in that a decent ice maker alone is going to run a couple hundred bucks and won’t run directly from DC power. In fact, most ice machines require at least a 1000w inverter to run meaning a dedicated mid size power station just to make ice – and they are huge power hogs. You certainly won’t be making a cup of ice for only 15wh like the Glacier. The fact this combines a high end solar powered battery operated refrigerator with a very efficient ice maker and you don’t need to purchase or haul around a separate 1000w solar generator to run it, the cost seems far more reasonable.

  • That being said, viewers of HOBOTECH will not pay the retail price, as I did score an exclusive discount code that will knock a few bucks off the price for a limited time only.

• Main Competitor:

  • As for competition there isn’t any that I know of as I believe this is the first product of its kind on the market. Of course by this time next year there will be 100 different models, but if you want an ice making portable fridge for the summer of ‘23 this is going to be your only choice.

• If you’re interested, use this link and code HBGLACIER at checkout for the best price online!