Wagan EL6214 Personal Thermoelectric Cooler/Warmer, 14 Liter Capacity, Portable Electric Car Cooler with 12/24V DC, 12V Small Fridge for Car, RV, and Camping Use, UL Listed

I have owned this cooler for nearly 6 years. I have taken it on numerous road trips, used it as a portable refrigerator at home during holidays, AND run it off a solar power supply during power outages to keep perishable goods fresh.This little thermoelectric cooler/heater has more than paid for itself.

I got this to replace a similar one I've had for about a decade (that one didn't break until it was inadvertently pushed off a shelf onto concrete). As with that one, this works perfectly well as long as you understand how they work.There is no internal fan to circulate air - there is a metal plate that gets cold or warm depending on which way you flip the power switch. If you put things in that are relatively insulated (things in cardboard, etc) or that barely touch the bottom metal plate, they will take forever to cool down (or heat up) because the heat transfer is from conduction (touching) and not convection (air movement). Juice bags that lay flat on the bottom cool down really quickly. Soda cans don't cool down as fast because not a lot of the can actually is in contact with the bottom.So: you generally want things that have flat surfaces to touch the bottom (and that aren't insulating), or... you just need to put things in that are already cold (or hot).Aside from that boring lesson on heat transfer, I wanted to add that this Cooler/Warmer is very well made given the price point, and I expect it to work as long as the one I bumped off the shelf. It has a good capacity, and it'll hold drinks and sandwiches on trips, which is exactly what I'm getting it for, and it'll also keep hot food hot (well... quite warm at least) if that's what you want instead.The included strap works fine, but this will always be a bit awkward to carry.If you have an area between your seats to set it, the cup holders on the front are nice, but if, like me, you don't, well... they're fine, just not really as necessary. You need a decent amount of room for it if you put it behind a car seat (seat in a car, not child car seat), because the lid hinges open, so you might be able to fit it, say, behind a passenger seat, but not be able to open it en route because the lid hits the back of the seat in front of it.Sound-wise, it is about as loud as a fairly quiet room fan. It's not noticeable in the car, and it won't keep you awake in a hotel room - if you get the 120v to 12v adapter (and I highly recommend that you do - among other things, you can pre-pack the night before and leave it plugged in to keep things at temp, and then you can also use it in your hotel room on the way).

It's just about the right size to take on a trip. Kept our snacks and drinks cold. Once the vehicle was going, the fan was barely noticeable!

Love it!!! Worth every penny

I wasn't sure about buying this after reading some of the reviews. There is a lot of good reviews and more than a fair share of bad reviews. But really reading some of the good reviews of long time owners. I bought. Now I have only been using it for a month. I didn't use the little tips that other reviews offered. I was happy with it. Then I started using the tips that other reviewers suggested and became even happier with it. So, I can say the first month so far this unit has not let me down and I use it in my truck and then carry it into whatever I am working on. Everything stays COLD.022525 Updated reviewI bought this in June of 2023. It is now February of 2025. This cooler as made many trips with me. It has stayed in many places and has yet to fail me. While I don't run it every day like a professional truck drive might. I do use it a lot. I think more than most people would use this item. If it died today, it would owe be nothing for the amount of use I have gotten out of it, and I would turn around and buy the same unit again.Well, it is a year and a half later and I am still using this little cooler. It keeps my drinks as cold as ever. I am on a trip right now and it has been running for four days none stop. Everything gets cold when I refill it. This has been the norm for this cooler since I bought it.

I ordered this for a road-trip from Alaska to Florida. very first time I used it, I plugged the adapter into the cooler, then the car. As soon as I turned on the power, there was a loud bang, then smoke I quickly unplugged it and tossed it out of the car. the inside was incredibly hot to the touch, so I let it cool down and then discarded it. what a piece of garbage. Had I been driving, unable to take immediate action, this could have turned out very differently. Do not buy this... very dangerous.