LG LFX21960ST Refrigerator

• French Door refrigerator with self-contained Ice System and Tilt-A-Drawer(TM) Bottom Freezer
• 24"" Cabinet Depth
• Premium Stainless Steel Finish with Matching Handles
• Contour Doors with Hidden Hinges
• Stainless Clad Dispenser

I bought this fridge 4 years ago from Best Buy. They told me their customers loved the LG refrigerators. I needed a fridge that was 32" wide to fit the space in my kitchen. The wider ones don't fit. This fridge is right at 32".

The fridge looks great. The bottom sliding freezer is awesome. The problems come from the cheap plastic they use to make their parts. It's extremely brittle.

These are the problems I've had so far.

1) The trim that holds the gasket on the door broke a month after I bought it. I called Best Buy, made a fuss, and they came and replaced the door at no cost. Yea, Best Buy.

2) At 13 months, the clip that holds the door closed, broke. Now you can't just push the door to close it, you have to make sure it is fully closed tightly.

3) Then 4 months later the plastic around the glass shelf above the crisper drawers disintegrated. We taped it together with duct tape. Yea, duct tape.

4) Then we found the cover of the refrigerator light had totally melted. Apparently the light is on when the door is closed and it self-mutilates...eek!

But did I say it looks great? The French doors and the sliding freezer door makes all my friends jealous. If they only knew...

Oh yea, the ice maker in the freezer has to be turned on and off manually, otherwise the ice overflows the drawer and falls in the freezer and then you can't open the door. I think it's supposed to turn off automatically, but it has never worked.

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UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE: UPDATE:

I found where you can order parts for this fridge on your own. Go to

and input your model number and from the diagrams find your part number and order it. Although you may not be able to make repairs, if you need to replace pieces it's better than watching your fridge slowly disintegrate.

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I purchased this counter depth refrigerator from HomeClick in Jan 2008. It was a really good deal and I found an online coupon and got $100 off and free shipping! Fast forward to mid 2012 ... bad compressor was replaced. A few months go by and it seems to be working fine then the freezer thaws. I thought that my son had left the freezer door ajar...wrong! Called repair service and by the time they got out here (a week)the fridge was working ok and the guy couldn't find anything wrong. It works ok for a while and then same thing happens, call repair service, same thing happens. Repeat 2 more times! Then finally repairman "catches" it in the thaw mode and says the compressor is bad again. Orders the part...two weeks later the part is damaged in shipment and can't be used. Orders another...two weeks later WRONG part comes in and can't be put on. TODAY... right part ordered, scheduled for repair in 2 weeks. Hopefully, this one doesn't come in damaged or the wrong part sent. Months later, still living out of an ice chest.

The crisper drawers are poorly designed. The door baskets are poorly designed. The icemaker does not always work properly.

Initially, I loved this refrigerator. LG has the poorest of the poor customer service. THEY DON'T CARE IF YOUR REFRIGERATOR DOESN'T WORK! They pass you off to a repair service and it's up to you to handle it. They don't DO anything.

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Purchased an LG refrigerator in October 2010 loved it, thought it was great. In July 2011, the plastic water hose for the icemaker which came packaged with the frig sprung a leak and ruined our $5000 hardwood floors. Jumped through numerous hoops to submit a claim to LG, assuming they would stand behind their product. I was wrong. Their lab determined that the plastic water hose, which was packaged and shipped with the refrigerator, was not theirs and they would not accept the claim for any type of reimbursement. If you plan on hooking up the icemaker, 1. it makes enough ice for no more than 1 or 2 people; and 2. use copper tubing, not the plastic tubing LG packages with their product but doesn't stand behind.

Purchased an LG microwave at the same time; within 30 days the stainless steel piece popped off the front and will not stay glued(?) down.

Also purchased an LG dishwasher which I absolutely HATE. The pegs are not properly spaced on the bottom shelf so plates will not stay upright, which keeps them from getting clean.

I now understand why LG products are frequently offered at great sale prices; they are not made well and the company does not stand behind their products. My family will NEVER purchase another LG product.

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I bought an LG fridge, dishwasher and stove in 2007. The stove has been fine, but it is gas range and gas oven. The dishwasher worked for 3 years and had to be replaced (not with another LG). I have been very unhappy with the quality of the fridge, especially considering what I paid for it. Items in the back tend to be frozen solid, while items towards the front are warm and spoil. The plastic parts are flimsy. The runners in the drawers and movable parts are at least cracked, if not broken altogether. Add me to the list of consumers that will not only never purchase an LG, but will deter anyone I know from making the same mistake!

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I have replaced the plastic rim around the vegetable and fruit container twice; the second time it broke, when I pulled it out, it slipped to the floor and the pieces actually shattered. Their plastic is junk!

Whirlpool Part Number 4389144: Fan Motor

I did research on having this refrigerator motor replaced by an appliance repair person. It would have cost close to $200. I watched a You Tube video on how to do it myself and found this vendor on Amazon who had the part. It arrived in a timely manner and was a perfect match for the old one. I saved $170 by doing the repair myself.

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Culinair Af100s 1.7-Cubic Foot Compact Refrigerator, Silver and Black

• 1.7-cubic foot compact fridge
• Thermoelectric technology
• Auto-defrost and temperature controller
• Flush back design with adjustable feet and a reversible door
• Ultra quiet

If I could give this fridge zero stars I would. I am a college student so I needed a small fridge for my room. The milk went bad after 4 days, which is record time. Everything was extremely warm, I think it would have been better to leave my stuff outside in room temperature. I wasn't expecting the fridge to be this bad, specially cuz is $100. So make yourself a favor and DON'T buy this piece of crap.

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Fridge arrived damage free but ordered with one day shipping if you can as the packing is just retail. Works fine and runs quietly without interruption(doesn't stop and start). However, the fridge does not get cold enough inside. Even when the ambient temperature is 65 degrees, the inside does not get cooler that 52 degrees. As such, it is ok for fruits but milk and cold cut meat expire far earlier than they should. I do not recommend it for anyone. If you pay a little more for a higher quality fridge than definitely do so.

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I bought this as a birthday gift for my significant other. It is a nice addition to the garage. It does keep his beer chilled, but not as ice cold as I hoped for.

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I've had this for about seven months, and have had food poisoning a couple times. I finally purchased a $5 refrigerator thermometer and found it was at a dangerous 52 degrees.

I'd had it set at the middle setting, but even at the extreme "coldest" setting, it will not cool below the MINIMUM safe temperature of 41 degrees.

Info on dangerous temperatures:

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Good product, only negative is it keeps thigs COOL not COLD.. needs more cooling power.I believe Culinair misrepresented this product as a fridge and not as what it really is a cooler for drinks...

LG 30" Induction Cooktop

• 4 Cooking Elements
• Bridge Element
• SmoothTouch Controls
• Premium Stainless Steel Trim

I will say that I love induction cooking, though it took a while to find good quality induction cookware. We don't have gas so I've had coils, I've had radiant, I've had halogen. Induction is by far the best electric cooking option available today.

The induction itself is nice on this cooktop, but the support and the touch controls on this model are far, far inferior to anything else out there. I love touch controls and was really excited when my radiant cooktop went out and was able to get a touch cooktop. My, was I disappointed. These are the absolute worst controls. If there is any moisture on ANY part of the control surface it doesn't respond. If you boil something that large droplets splash onto the controls, they go nuts. All heating surfaces shut off and 'E1' starts flashing. You have to clean and dry the entire touch surface, hold 'power' to reset, then turn back on the burners you need then adjust them to the setting they had. A real deal breaker if you are cooking something that removing the heat will mess it up.

Drops of water cause malfunction. Laying a damp towel causes malfunction. Putting anything metal over the controls causes malfunction.

I have many touch control appliances and none have this behavior. Even my Rosewill portable induction burner performs flawlessly and has none of these problems.

For the controls alone I do not recommend this cooktop. Get the one with knobs or another brand. This one is a 'fail'.

EDIT: After multiple attempts to contact LG email support and their webpage doesn't work, I find support very lacking in addition to the failure of this product.

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The LG Ceramic Glass Induction Cooktop is one of the best kept secrets in the cooking world. If people could try it, they would never go back to electric or gas. It is just about perfect!

When my 32 year old electric range finally bit the dust, my engineer husband talked me into "trying" LG's Induction Cooktop. I am a very old fashioned person, tending to stay with the tried and true method of whatever, but,I agreed to give it a go.

Wow! Am I ever glad I did. It cooks unbelievably fast, even and clean. The cooktop saves energy in the summer, because only the pots or pans get hot, not the burner. And, when I cut off the burner, it stops cooking immediately, because it doesn't have to cool down, like gas or electric.

If the pot boils over, I can immediately lift the pot and wipe off the mess. It is embarrassingly easy to keep clean no more having to wash electric burner pans in the dishwasher or replacing them when they rust.

I've had to relearn how to cook, because it cooks so much faster than my electric range. But, it has returned my joy and enthusiasm in cooking. For that, my husband is indebted to LG.

What can I say? Try it, you'll love it!

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I chose this unit because it has good reviews and primarily a slim profile similar to the electric cooktop which it's replacing. The cooktop works great for 2 years (as others stated), but the unit stop working. It wouldn't turn on after a loud pop. I called LG customer service to check on my warranty and repair options. My unit is out of warranty after 1 year and the only thing they cover up to 5 years is the cooktop glass. I'm pretty much on my own in terms of getting it repair (this can be costly depending what internal parts are broken). I'm giving it a 2-stars because while I'm satisfied with the performance of the cooktop, but disappointed that it lasted less than 2 years.

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I was a bit concerned spending this much on a cooktop and via an on-line purchase, but the cooktop shipped and delivered quickly. No issues and it is in great working order.

As for cooking, it is really amazing. Aside from having to buy new cookware, the speed of this cooktop is great. Heats up very quickly, and boils a cup of water faster than the microwave.

The family is very impressed with this product and would highly recommend it to others.

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We purchased the LG 30" induction cooktop two years ago. It has performed beyond our expectations. It is powerful when you need to bring something up to temperature fast. There was a little bit of a learning curve when we first got it. We found medium or lower heat works best to keep foods from sticking or burning.

The glass top is easy to clean and and looks so nice with a quick wipe of a paper towel.

The duel burner is a nice feature because you can use large pots or the long griddle that comes with the cooktop.

The unit is maybe 4" deep which meant that we were able to use a base cabinet with 3 drawers, two deep drawers for pots and pans, and a 6" drawer for tools and hot pads. The top drawer stays cool even while using the burners.

When purchasing pots and pans, read the label. Induction is becoming more popular and pot and pan companies label their products accordingly. Your old pots and pans may not work on this cooktop...you just bought a new cooktop, go buy yourself some new pots and pans!

We are now planning our retirement home and we would definitely re-purchase this cooktop for our next home.

Idylis HEPA Replacement Filter IAF-H-100A by FUSA

Just as nice as the original filters, which came with the machine. A big savings over the life of the purifier.

Lowes price is now lower $21.57. This is a great air purifer for the price point. Easy to clean and replace filters.

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So much cheaper than buying at Lowes and works the same. It didn't seem as sturdy, but again works the same

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Sundanzer Solar-Powered Chest Freezer - 8 Cubic Ft., 30in.L x 50in.W x 37in.H

• Includes baskets for food organization

Living on a mountain side in Hawaii power is expensive, and the cost of bringing power to your property is almost unaffordable. We have been using a Sundanzer 8 cubic ft. freeze for over a year now, no problems at all. Love it and it freezes every thing and it only takes 12 volts to run my Sundanzer.

I give It a 5 Star plus.

Whirlpool 4389177 Inlet Valve for Refrigerator

The seller is not selling Whirlpool 4389177 Inlet Valve, but W10408179: This is the main unit, without the smaller unit (attached). The photo is clearly wrong.

It is correct that it's not as shown. It's configured a little different and you have to pry off a part from your existing valve. Basically it's an easy swap. Just be patient and make sure your lines are run correctly. I suggest taking a couple of pictures with your phone camera as you remove the old one for easy reference.

Ice makers go bad. Most people I know just live with a broken door dispenser. Not Me! I swapped This part (Which I know my original was not working) and the Kenmore Ice Maker Icemaker W10122502 & 2198597 (which was still working, but the teflon coating on the tray was very worn) and the Whirlpool Refrigerator P.C. Control Board Kit 4389102 (which was not lighting up but might have been working). All three parts bought through Amazon (aftermarket parts, but generic ice is fine with me. jk) cost about the same as the control board on other sites ($115).

About an hour for all three parts swaps (I had done a dry run last week while making sure the parts I was ordering were correct for my fridge) then waited about 2 hours and that all familiar rumble of ice dropping into the empty bin was so loud my cockatiel did a few laps around the kitchen.

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Cheapest here over anywhere else we checked. Came fast and well packaged and was just the part we needed. Would recommend if you have a need for this part. Happy

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This was the exact part which came out of the refrigerator.

As expected this did the solve the problem of the frozen / cracked valve

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the part was exactly as described. i had to remove one of the valves and place in the bracket. i think i had to bend the bracket a little bit too. but now my ice machine and water dispenser work! saved me $$$ for a service call and did it my self! oh ive also had this for about a year installed so far no problems what so ever.

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Samsung RF197ACPN 18 cu. Ft. French Door Refrigerator - Stainless PlatinumSams

I love this fridge but I am afraid of it.

First the love.. if you've been looking for a counter depth because you don't have much room in your kitchen then this, at the time of writing, is pretty much the only option. All of the other fridges made up for the depth with crazy width. The prices are also double for counter depth. This one is not. I live alone, so this is plenty of space for me. The platinum is also the best thing to ever happen. It looks like brushed nickel, which I will take over shiny stainless any day. Stainless is also the worst when it comes to showing fingerprints. I've had this fridge for three months now and open it with smudgy hands and have yet to even clean the front of this thing. You can't put finger prints on it.

The not-so-much-love.

The Handles.. so far, really so good. But alot of people have complained they fall off. The freezer door handle popped off the first time I used it but now I make sure to open with a specific motion and it's okay. We'll see after a year.

The plug is a straight plug and you need to leave a few inches in the back making this not exactly counter depth anymore. Maybe this is the case with all other fridges anyway, and while it's not counter depth, maybe it's still a few inches better than the others.

The adjustable shelves are not so adjustable. They give you barely an inch of discretion. You can put a SMALL Brita pitcher or a 2L bottle at the bottom of the door at an angle but you will not be able to put them in the regular shelves unless you remove one, decreasing your storage capacity. this was a major annoyance for a week and then I just got used to it.

The scary.

This fridge makes about six different kinds of noises. It's not nois-Y, but it has a different noise for kicking in, for when you've closed the fridge door, when you've closed the freezer door and then a random.. i don't know what. So far it works perfectly but I am constantly in fear that one of these noises should not be and that it's going to break. The scariest sounds like the edge of a fan hitting something plastic for a split second and then it stops. It was sudden and startling when I first got it but am now getting used to it.

So, that's the scoop. I want to love it unconditionally but only time will tell. It was the ONLY option for my kitchen when factoring in depth, width, my budget and the color.

Power cord issue:

The installation instruction taped on the unit shows a flat wall plug (90 degrees, with cord hanging down) but it does NOT come with this type of plug. Instead you get a straight power plug adding to the depth of the unit. The diagram is misleading to the plug you receive.

Also in the manual on page 4 under the title "Safety Information" it states: "Connect the power plug in the proper position with the cord hanging down. If you connect the power plug upside down, the wire can get cut off and cause a fire or electric shock." The manual is misleading to the plug you receive.

I contacted Samsung and this is what they said:

"We have cross checked the refrigerator model and found that it does come with the straight power plug.

However, we would like to inform you that the recommended clearance behind the refrigerator is 2 inches."

I would like to put only 2 inches but it is not possible with the straight power plug.

I contacted Samsung again and they said there was nothing they can do. They said they switched manufactures and this may of been a change. Samsung gave me their parts department (3rd party), however they do not sell a flat power plug for this unit.

I also posted a similar comment on the Samsung website, but they choose not to publish it, wonder why?

Buyer beware: If your buying this for space saving then reconsider. It came with a straight plug as opposed to a flat wall plug (90 degrees with cord hanging down) so it makes the unit sticks out about 3" as opposed to 2". Yes, it's only an inch but every inch matters.

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We bought this fridge only to discover that it makes REALLY LOUD buzzing sounds on a regular basis. The sound is so loud it sounds like a fire alarm we can hear it throughout the entire house and wakes the baby up! It is tremendously annoying and makes us doubt Samsung technology. I do not recommend this product.

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Letter to Consumer Reports:

I bought this SAMSUNG RF266ABRS fridge because it was recommended by Consumer Reports in August 2009. This fridge and other SAMSUNG fridges should be taken off the recommended list because there is an inherent design defect that causes ice buildup on the evaporator coils.

First there is a rattling noise as the fan hits the ice buildup.

Then the noise stops when the ice completely blocks the fan but then there is no more cooling happening.

There is even a class action lawsuit against SAMSUNG fridges:

Please look into this Samsung ice buildup problem. The Samsung fridges should definitively not be on the recommended list but put on the "do not buy" list. The ice buildup issue occurs about 1 year after purchase. SAMSUNG is not acknowledging the problem and does not help its customers.

Letter to SAMSUNG:

I am deeply unsatisfied on how SAMSUNG handled the warranty policy with my SAMSUNG Fridge French Door Model RF266ABRS. This fridge was defective starting Year 1 and was not repaired appropriately the 1st time. All was done on the 1st service visit was to defrost the evaporator not fixing the problem itself.

Of course, the problem reoccurred 1 year later and every year after that. Since the technician explained the problem, how to solve it and SAMSUNG customer service gave me a hard time because it was a few days over the 1 year purchase date, I dealt with it personally by unplugging the unit and let it sit unplug for 24 hours. Not a satisfactory resolution, just a quick workaround, until I got fed up with losing food and asked for SAMSUNG to resolve this problem once and for all.

First this problem should have been resolved the 1st visit. Secondly I learned recently from numerous complaints and videos on the web that this is a defective design in SAMSUNG fridges that causes the ice buildup on the evaporator.

Here is a video showing the defrost sensor modification kit to fix evaporator ice buildup. This is for the SAMSUNG RSH1 fridge but it is the same modification that was done on my fridge by the repair technician who came to my house:

Many SAMSUNG fridges have the same cooling design thus sharing the same ice buildup issue.

I was charged $104.68 to fix SAMSUNG own defective design! This is outrageous and no decent company would shift the cost from itself to their customers . It shows utter disrespect for its own customers, not counting the monetary damage. Sir, should I remind you that your customers are your most important assets and should be your priority number one!

SAMSUNG should have done everything in its power to help its loyal customers by fixing its defective fridges FREE OF CHARGE.

The technician explained that he had to move the defrost sensor away from the evaporator in order to let the defrost cycle run longer and completely defrost the evaporator from any ice buildup. He also put a wider drain clip. The older clip was too small. It would get iced up and not let water drain away from the evaporator. There is also a new metal clip that attaches to the heating element and goes inside the drain clip to heat any ice there if needed so the drain cannot get clogged. In addition, a new seal kit put on the market by SAMSUNG 3 months ago was used to seal the evaporator compartment to prevent moisture to get in and improve circulation airflow provided by the fan.

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I bought this refrigerator in January from a well known appliance company (S...rs). I say this because I buy tons of stuff through Amazon, but in the following tale I want to make clear that the problem was not inept installation on my part. The shiny new refrigerator was delivered and installed. That evening, I bought $374 in perishable groceries; plus I transferred my child's $1300 in drugs into the refrigerator. Next morning I realized the refrigerator wasn't cooling. So I called Samsung and worked through their troubleshooting process. Samsung agreed the refrigerator didn't work and directed me to call the retailer, whose repairman inspected the unit and diagnosed the problem: Shipped without coolant. Can you believe it? Was the coolant-installer absent from work that day? It gets better. The appliance company exchanged the refrigerator two days later, but of course the food and drugs were spoiled. Now Samsung is limiting the food cost replacement to $200. And, get this, the reimbursement process has now been in the works for 4 months. The latest hitch: Samsung says, gee, the repair ticket (which contains the repairman's diagnosis of "no coolant") is not enough, we need more proof that the refrigerator was exchanged or repaired. Alas, the appliance company doesn't issue receipts for those kinds of replacements. I have now spent probably 4 hours talking to 6 different Samsung "Executive Customer Relations" CSRs. That latest said he thinks he can process the claim with what I have submitted. We'll see. Summary: if nothing goes wrong, swell, but if it does, Samsung's "Executive Customer Relations" may leave you hanging.

Supco Water Filter For Maytag UKF8001AXX UKF9001AXX UKF8001 UKF9001 Sears/Kenmore 992 9006

I installed the product in my Frig and ran several minutes. I have had it for a couple of months and the water tastes terrible. It tastes very industrial. I have used several filters and do not recommend this one. Spend the extra money and get an OEM filter.

Purchased product because our current filter was not dispensing with adequate pressure. This particular filter definitely allowed more pressure to pass through, and we can fill our bottles at a much faster rate. However, the package insert does not specify the filter size so we are unsure if the quality of filtered water is similar to the Whirlpool brand filters. It lacks quality control data, hence rating 4 stars. We have not detected any unsual odor, taste, or color of the water. Product arrived very quickly once we placed the order. Very satisfied with this vendor.

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Koolatron Compact Kooler

• Designed to fit behind a car, truck, or van seat
• Cooling system plugs into your vehicle's 12-volt cigarette lighter
• Keeps contents 40 degrees F cooler than outside temperature
• Foldaway handle swings out for carrying
• Weighs 9 pounds and carries 23 12-ounce soft drinks

We bought the Koolatron Kooler a year ago and find it very useful to keep food and drinks cool while traveling.

To use this effectively both the cooler and the items to be placed in it should be cool to begin with. The empty unit will cool about 10 degrees an hour to about 40 degrees lower than the ambient temperature around it, and maintain it's pre-cooled contents at that temperature as long as it powered on. Warm items placed in a warm cooler take much longer to cool, (the manual says up to 12 hours or longer).

We purchased the optional AC power adapter, so the night before we leave on a trip we plug the unit in and pre-cool it. The morning we are leaving we load it with a few soda and water bottles that have been cooled in the refrigerator. We also put in 2-4 plastic food containers that have been chilled in the refrigerator. One or more of those we fill with ice. The more space that is filled with cool/cold items the better the cooling process for everything else (less infiltration of warm air every time the unit is opened, less warm air to cool).

On our trip we then have cool soda and water to drink, and ice to use with the soda in a cup kept in the cup holder. If we add a room temperature soda or bottle of water the presence of the other cool/cold items filling the rest of the unit together with the action of the unit will cool that within an hour or two.

The plastic boxes are mostly for use with "doggie bag" contents from restaurant meals. Assuming an ambient temperature around the unit of 75 degrees, if the other contents were already cooled to the 35 degree temperature produced by the 40 degree cooling capacity of the unit, a room temperature container of food will be below 45-50 degrees within a couple of hours . We usually have dinner left overs for lunch the next day, certainly within two days.

The unit fits nicely in our sedan behind the drivers seat (assuming there is no passenger in the back seat that needs that leg room) and is easily reached from the front passenger seat over the console between the bucket seats.

At night we take the unit into our motel room and plug it in with the optional AC power adapter. The unit cannot be left plugged in to the cigarette lighter in the car for more than 4 hours or it will run the car battery down.

There is an optional battery saver adapter that will shut off the unit if it overtaxes the car battery. (Buying that is the reason I have returned to this item on Amazon a year later.) That will allow us to leave the unit plugged in when we leave the car for an indeterminant period of time that could be more than 3-4 hours. But after 4 hours or so the unit will shut off to protect the car battery and the contents will start to warm. So, if it is in a warm place we still can't be gone much longer than 4-5 hours if we want to keep food edible.

Finally, I keep an ordinary indoor/outdoor thermometer in the unit so that I can tell what the temperature in the unit is and am comfortable that food has not been subjected to temperatures that would make it unsafe to eat. (I think the manufacturer should build that in to the unit.)

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We were very sorry that this item broke down for us even after we returned the first and then tried a brand-new second one. We purchased the first in June for a 3-week road trip in July. We also purchased the AC adapter, especially given that the manufacturer recommends when you're on the road to keep the unit going at night with the adapter so it remains cool. The first two weeks, it was fine. Then it all of a sudden, with no warning, stopped working. Whether using the cigarette lighter outlet in the car or the AC adapter it was dead. We returned it to Amazon when we got home and they were wonderful about sending us a new one to replace it very quickly. Then we went for a 3-day trip with the new one over Labor Day. This time the new one lasted maybe 10 hours on the first day and also died. Amazon allowed us under the circumstances to return both cooler and AC adapter (minus 20% which I can't kick too much about). However, our experience leads me to question whether Amazon should continue to carry this "product." We followed all the instructions and did not abuse it in any way and it was definitely very nice WHILE it worked. Sorry to be so negative but I'm sure you want the truth before you lay out this kind of money for something that can so easily and consistently stop working.

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After going through a bad experience with trying to buy and then (in some cases) buying first a Vector, then a RubberMaid, then a Wagan Tech, and now a Koolatron, I can tell you that it's a relief to find a well-designed, well-built DC-powered cooler/warmer that actually works! Our Canadian neighbors to the north have done a great job with this unit.

I worried about its 17" height and depth, but once it was decided that it was going to live behind the passenger's front seat, those concerns became non-issues. In fact, its height is a benefit as long as it doesn't interfere with the seat back when you lift the lid, as you can reach right in from the driver's seat and get a can or a sandwich without much effort if you pack it well.

I also worried about all the ads that portrayed it as being only a cooler. But after having so much trouble with other companies' cooler/warmers, I decided to forget warming and bought the Koolatron without it (or so I thought). So when the unit arrived--in its original box, no less--I was pleased and surprised to see that it warms too! Excellent combination, since I have consumer-issue MRE's that I can now warm in it while I use my clumsier (and larger) Igloo Cool-Mate unit to cool other things down. And when I'm not doing that (like when the world ends or Limerick blows up), I can use it in the car as a cooler as I originally planned--an ideal situation.

If you need cooling in the car--or in an emergency situation (such as a power outage)--for medicines or for food, don't hesitate to buy this unit. In my opinion, it's by far the best one out there for its size and price, and I've seen or tried almost all of them.

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I ordered, as a package, both the P20 Cooler, along with the Koolatron Muti-Purpose Adapter 110VAC to 12VDC, March 10, 1907 I checked to see both item were in stock, both were.

The Cooler arrived promptly on March 16, 2007. However, the 110VAC Adapter was back-ordered. With the Adapter on back-order, there was no way to check the Cooler's function. There was no way to pre-cool the unit, since the recommended time was about 12 hours, and it is not to be powered by vehicle battery for longer than 4 hours without the engine running. Furthermore there was no way to keep the contents cool at night while in the motel room, unless one wanted to let the engine run all night. So for the first 2 months the Cooler was useless!

The Adapter finally arrived on May 10, 2007, a full two months after the original order was placed. (This slow delivery is the reason for the 4-stars.) With the Adapter it was finally possible to test out the unit.

The unit was completely empty, outside air temp. was about 80 degrees. I was impressed by the cool-down time; a little over an hour to reach 40 degrees. Certainly the unit was not pre-cooled enough to fill with food, but the fact that it reached 40 degrees so quickly was encouraging. The adapter is somewhat cumbersome, but is easy enough to use and connect.

I have used the unit on several trips and have found it quite adequate, provided items are cold when they are introduced to it. Warm items take forever to cool down; twelve hours is not usually long enough. While the product may be cool-er it certainly is not cold. Extra frozen ice packs and/or freezer containers filled with frozen water help a great deal. They add extra cold air to the inside of the unit while frozen. Even thawed, they are still maintained at about 40 degrees. They fill up empty space within the unit, a REAL Killer: Each time the unit opens any empty space fills with warm air. This unit, being a top-loader, is a little better than others that are front-loaders. Since cold air tends to sink, more cold air stays in the unit when opened. Front-loaders spill ALL their cold air as soon as the door opens.

The unit is well constructed, and seems to perform quite well within its design capabilities. A few things to remember:

1. The unit is a COLD PRESERVER, NOT a REFRIGERATOR. Put it in cold it will come out warmer but still cold. Put in warm? Well, let's hope it is canned when you put it in.

2. The unit is a small heat-pump, (removing heat from the air to cool the inside of the unit) and it will do just that no matter what the outside air temp. is. This unit cools to 40 degree below the outside air temp. and if it is 32 degrees outside, it will cool to 40 degree BELOW that.

There is no thermostatic control, while it is plugged in, it is cooling.

The unit is insulated, but not real well, so it does no better job keeping cold out, than it does keeping it in. Water still freezes at 32 degrees, F. Transporting the filled unit in a trunk or other unheated space, in cold weather, is not the best idea. If you do, a least unplug it! If you are transporting medication which must be refrigerated, but not frozen, keep the unit in a heated area, so the unit can cool properly.

3. A small indoor/outdoor thermometer is a great idea. They are reasonable in price. They allow you to monitor both inside and outside temp. without opening the lid. Small units can be mounted outside on the top or side with double-stick tape, with the outdoor sensor inside. Ideally this would have been installed by the manufacturer, but it is a simple fix.

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Perhaps Koolatron has improved their product, because unlike other postings, my cooler cooled down in several hours, not 12. My only complaint is a little too noisy, but that is a small price to pay for a reliable product. Also, I do recommend the ac adaptor. My unit is in my room now, buzzing away, keeping stuff cold. I called the company and was told that I can run it forever, there is no shutoff needed.

One minor point: with this item, you must be careful to align the arrow on the electric cord on the unit with the blue button on the extention, for cold. I did not do that and got heat for a couple of hours until I checked it.