In the summer, a car or portable refrigerator is something that can help you enjoy picnics and holidays in comfort. This is the aim of the Alfawise B15 (on sale on Gearbest at about 170 euros), a small (but not too much) trunk refrigerator that has some interesting peculiarities and that we have tested in recent days.
Alfawise B15, how it's made
Alfawise B15 at first glance looks like a classic portable refrigerator. It is made of a blue and white plastic that is pleasant to the touch, the classic one of products of this type. The external dimensions are 57 x 32 x 26 cm, therefore it is compact enough to fit in the trunk of any car, even the smallest ones. Internally it measures 35 x 25 x 20, for a total of about 15 liters. The lid closure is hermetic with a rubber gasket, the interior has a regular shape.
On the upper part we find two buttons, one for switching on the second to adjust the temperature. The display presents essential information including temperature, operating mode (eco or max) and also has a battery icon. In reality, the model we tested does not have an internal “buffer” battery like another model mentioned on the box. There are also three mysterious icons that seem to indicate, apparently, the incoming tension, but after some study we have not solved the puzzle as to their actual purpose.
On the other hand, the function of the USB port that can be used to recharge a mobile phone is clear. It is not a fundamental thing, but useful if you think that the refrigerator would occupy the cigarette lighter port and therefore eliminate a charging socket in the car.
An important aspect is that the refrigerator does not have a handle but handles obtained in the structure. This makes it more comfortable from April and less fragile, but not too comfortable to carry.
The application
The most original aspect is the application that governs the refrigerator. Here too, as in the case of the USB socket, we are not faced with an indispensable system, but having the app for iPhone and Android is convenient. Basically, the program is used to adjust the temperature and keep it under control, it is also possible to turn the refrigerator on and off and adjust some advanced functions, the most useful of which is the temperature range within which the refrigerator must activate or deactivate based on the temperature. predetermined, as explained below.
Nothing special needs to be done for pairing with the fridge via bluetooth. Just launch the application, search for the refrigerator and you have the control interface immediately.
Having the application we can think of placing the refrigerator in the trunk or away from the driver's seat of a van or camper and always having its operation under control. It's just a pity that the application does not include a notification system when the temperature rises above a certain threshold. It would have been interesting to avoid nasty surprises in case of disconnection from the electricity grid or malfunctions.
The functions
Being a refrigerator, the main, if not the only, function is… to cool. There are actually other refrigerators that also have a heating function, which could allow you to keep the food you put inside warm. but unfortunately Alfawise does not have this option.
The basic element is a motor with inverter, useful for reducing consumption (which are fixed by the plate at 45W); the engine is powered by a cable that can be connected either to the electrical socket by means of a transformer which reduces the voltage to 14 volts, or to the car's cigarette lighter socket (12 or 24 volts). The system, explains the manufacturer, protects the battery and protects it from any overload and consumption is reduced (0.2kWh / 24h)
By specifications the refrigerator offers control over a temperature ranging from +20 to -20. The application, as mentioned, allows you to set the thermostat in such a way as to turn the engine on and off when the temperature has a certain deviation from the expected one. For example, if we have expected to have a temperature of +5 with a deviation of 2 degrees, the engine will stop at -3 and restart at +7. This is to avoid constant switching on and off which could damage the engine itself.
Also noteworthy is a function for low consumption which reduces engine power for less rapid cooling, but reduced noise pollution.
Alfawise B15, the proof
We performed two different functional tests in vacuum in order not to influence the test for the different composition and mix of materials in the packages that some foods would have.
During the first, we timed the time required by the refrigerator to reduce the cell temperature from 28 to 5 degrees, assuming that 5 degrees is a sufficient temperature to keep all types of food cool. Using a Bluetooth thermometer and our iPhone we timed the time elapsed from the start of the test to the threshold in about an hour.
An important aspect is that during the test we realized that the refrigerator thermostat does not measure the temperature of the cell but, probably, of the refrigerating element. In fact, at a first step the engine stopped, following the display, at 3 degrees, in reality the real internal temperature was 17 degrees. Obviously, as time has elapsed, the refrigerating element has effectively zeroed the gap between its temperature and that of the cold room.
The second test involved reducing the refrigerator temperature to the maximum possible. We set the application to -40 and went on hold. After an hour the temperature dropped from 23 to -6 degrees. After 90 minutes it was -15. At that point the temperature started to drop very slowly, taking another 4 hours to get to -19. From here she was unable to go down further despite letting the fridge run all night. I -19 almost perfectly complies with the minimum possible data presented by the manufacturer and is a more than considerable minimum temperature, sufficient to freeze any food product or to keep ice creams, popsicles and so on perfectly preserved.
We then waited to see how long the refrigerator would take to return to a “dangerous” temperature for frozen foods, around 5 degrees and the response was about 30 minutes. Taking into account that the refrigerator was completely empty and that when full the temperature would rise much slower, this is a good result.
In fact, in a subsequent test with the cell at -19 we put some ice cream packs inside the refrigerator and occupied the empty spaces with ice. Then we waited and the refrigerator took an infinite amount of time to go to 5 degrees, basically the time it takes to melt the ice: six hours … A sign of discrete insulation.
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The inside of the refrigerator 
The edge with the seal 
The display 
It is powered at 12 and 24V 
On the back seat of a car 
The interface of the application 
The graph that measures the drop in temperature from room temperature to 5 degrees in about an hour
Noise
Refrigerator noise is estimated at 45 decibels. In the absence of an effective sound pollution detection system we do not know if the estimate is exact, but we can testify that if kept level Alfawise B15 is silent. The engine emits only a slight hum. It probably wouldn't even disturb sleep if it were placed next to a bed. We have specified “flat” because once placed on the back seat of the car which is obviously slightly inclined, a gurgling sound is perceived rather markedly that comes from the circuit into which the gas is introduced.
Weight and size
As mentioned, the refrigerator has a capacity of 15 liters, not many even if the regular shapes allow for sufficient use. In any case, the refrigerator is made to accommodate bottles (even one and a half liters lying down, as you can see in our photos), cans, sandwiches, packs of cured meats, cheeses, ice cream containers and so on, certainly not pizza boxes. . The weight is also adequate (about 10 KG) for effortless transport and the external dimensions make the fridge suitable to be placed on a seat or in a trunk, even a small one.
The width of Alfawise B15 is sufficient for a 1.5 liter bottle like the one you see in the picture
Condensation
Other small and large refrigerators that we have had the opportunity to test have condensation problems. This is an important limitation when you think that a fridge of this type could be placed in a trunk or even on the seat of a car. Alfawise has not shown any limit of this type also thanks to the excellent hermetic seal.
Conclusions
The Alfawise B15 refrigerator is robust and well built. The inverter motor makes it particularly silent even if care must be taken to transport it on a flat surface because otherwise a certain noise is perceived from the gas flowing in the circuit.
It is effective and quick in lowering the temperature although for better effectiveness and reduced consumption in our opinion it might be a good idea to cool the cell before placing the food inside. The fact that it is really capable of reaching and maintaining a frozen temperature makes this fridge suitable for transporting ice cream or freezer products.
The control through the application is not essential but it is an interesting bonus that few (and much more expensive) competitors count on. Among the defects are the lack of efficient handles for transport, the small size that does not allow to transport boxes with shapes that are not too regular.
In any case, a good product that performs the task for which it was built, work as a travel refrigerator but in some scenarios it could also be useful, thanks to the 220V power supply, in a second home or in an office.
Alfawise B15 can be purchased online for about 170 euros by clicking on this direct link and applying the discount code GBSZ3802 .
The offer is valid while stocks last; for more information on shipping costs and times, any charges and order management, you can consult the seller's website.