Review: Brass Monkey 15L portable fridge

We review the 15L Brass Monkey fridge after four months of hard yakka. Is it the best budget option? Read our review to find out.

We’re all for giving the cheaper option a crack to see if they’re just cheap and nasty or actually a solid budget option. So it was with this in mind I went and grabbed a little 15L Brass Monkey fridge from Road Tech Marine (you can get them at Jaycar too), just to sit on the backseat of Dusty the HiLux, and be the easy-access drinks fridge.

As always, I’m going to be honest with you, I didn’t hold out much hope. Especially for a 12-volt fridge that was as cheap as the Brass Monkey. I mean, sub $300 for a 12-volt fridge? But enough about how cheap it is, how does it stand up to life on the road?

200212 Brass Monkey Fridge Review (3 Of 12)

I usually look after my gear – except when I’m testing it

When it comes to my gear, I’m always careful and respectful with it. I look after my kit, and it looks after me. Except, of course, when it’s a piece of gear to be tested. Then it gets flogged from pillar to post and put through about as rough a time as it’ll get. The big black dog you’ve probably seen in our videos also decided his 45kg of “I’ll sit where I want” belonged perched on top of the fridge while it was on the back seat of the Hilux. That said, I went and bought this little jigger with my own beer tickets because I wanted a drinks fridge for the back seat. Also, I figured it’d be a good bit of kit to put through the wringer.

So, believe me when I tell you, that this Brass Monkey 15L portable fridge has had a proper review. I’ve put that little fridge through about 12 months’ worth of standard use in the four months since I got it. It has sat in Dusty on the back seat (and in the canopy from time to time), had the big black German Shepherd drool, kick, and walk all over it, and it’s run the whole time whether full of cans or empty. Even now, it’s not missed a beat.

200212 Brass Monkey Fridge Review (1 Of 12)

Enough chit-chat, let’s review the Brass Monkey fridge already

The fridge itself is a rather quality bit of kit, made from decent mouldings and parts, including the LG-branded compressor. It’s got a three-stage voltage cutout system, so it doesn’t trash your batteries due to over-discharging. It has the standard digital temp gauge and controls, high-density foam insulation, and it will run down to a solid -20°C, so you can use it as a meat freezer in a pinch for a bit of extra storage.

As you’ll notice from the name, it’s got a 15-litre capacity. However, the last time I was at Road Tech Marine, I noticed that have a few little accessories for the fridge. Namely, an insulated cover to keep the heat out and cold in, and an extension ‘bubble’ lid that increases its capacity an extra 5 litres, so you can expand this up to 20 litres of storage and fridge space if you need to. These Brass Monkey fridge accessories are great but we haven’t had a chance to review them yet.

Something that really intrigued me is that with most big fridges I’ve used, you need to set them to around -2°C to get the beer *soft drinks* at the bottom proper cold. With this one, I set it to -2°C and exploded a few cans; it actually froze them solid. So, if you are going to get one of these, bear in mind that the temperature gauge is properly accurate, especially due to its size and the minimal amount of air required to lose cooling transmission from one side to the other.

On the inside

Speaking of *soft-drink* cans, it’ll also hold 16-17 cans in the standard format, with an extra bunch once you’ve attached the extra 5-litre lid on top. There’s a pair of semi-recessed grab handles on the ends, a foam/rubber style seal around the lid, and it comes with the standard 12-volt ciggy socket plug on the end. Oh, and it’s got a full 36-month warranty, too!

Without cutting it open to have a look at the guts, it appears that the cooling plates go the whole way around the fridge, too, instead of just being close to the compressor like some other cheaper small fridges. So you get pretty uniform cooling the whole fridge across.

200212 Brass Monkey Fridge Review (5 Of 12)

Will this specific fridge replace your full-size fridge? No, of course not, unless you’re on the world’s angriest diet. Will it knock a lot of the smaller ‘console’ type fridges out of the water? You bet your backside it will. Especially seeing how you’re getting a proper compressor-driven fridge for the money, whereas you’d normally get a ‘thermo-cooler’ for nearly as much.

Plus, the compressor-style of fridge is much more efficient in power usage and cooling ability. It’s also worth mentioning that if it’s just you and the other half away for a night or two, it’s plenty big enough for a bit of meat for dinner, some milk, and your salad stuff – so it’ll work in a pinch if travelling light is a requirement, or you just want to lob it in the grocery getter for when you’re not camping.

Here’s the downside of our Brass Monkey fridge review

The only downfall of the 15L Brass Monkey portable fridge is you lose a bit of technology. There’s no Bluetooth connectivity, there is no stand-alone/detachable temp gauge/controller, there’s no light inside the fridge cavity, and it’s a pretty rudimentary lid-latching setup (it’s just a little dimple that the plastic friction-locks into). That said, as it’s being used on Dusty’s backseat, I don’t need any of those things. I’m more than happy not to have them and save on the price for a little drinks fridge that’s easy to get to and takes up bugger all space.

All in all, I absolutely rate the fridge, and it has earned a spot on the backseat of the HiLux, to be beaten from pillar to puppy dog, keeping the drinks and snacks cold while we’re out on the road.