Phil Sampson has been out and about for Motor Boat & Yachting testing a range of boat coolers. Here he takes a close look at the Dometic TCX21 Mobile
With the ability to either chill to 27°C below ambient temperature or heat to 65°C, the Dometic TCX21 Mobile stands alone as a dual-function unit among the boat coolers I tested – keep the beer cool or the sausage rolls warm, neither is a problem for the Dometic TCX21.
The key to the Dometic TCX21’s secret is that it’s a thermo-electric unit, which works by utilising an electronic phenomena known as the Peltier Effect. Without getting in too deep the Peltier Effect is what happens when an electric current is passed through the circuitry of a thermocouple: Heat is generated on one side and absorbed on the other, thus enabling hot/cold functionality.
Weighing in at 7.68 kilogrammes and with a capacity of 21-litres, the Dometic TCX21 is compact, lightweight product capable of carrying six bottles of wine, but not a lot else. There is an adjustable internal partition which helps divvy up the space when carrying products of different dimensions, but in common with its compressor cousins, two of which we describe below, part of the interior compartment is lost to the machinery powering the unit.
The TCX21 is attractive in a number of ways: Visually, it looks good, quality-wise it’s impressive, and dual 12V DC/240V AC operation with an automatic 240V priority system makes the unit a versatile and flexible option.
It’s right up there in terms of ease-of-operation too with just an on/off switch, a hot/cold button and a bank of 7 LEDs indicating the cooling or heating intensity, which is increased or lowered by repeatedly pressing the temperature control button.
The two niggles we had with the Dometic TCX21 is that it’s fan is somewhat noisy in operation and its carrying handle has to be stowed before you can open the lid – that caught me out once or twice, although in fairness you could perhaps say I wasn’t paying attention.
Nonetheless, for its size, price and the ability to keep half a case of wine nicely chilled makes the Dometic TCX21 an attractive proposition where space is limited.
Read our full reviews of all the Best coolers for boaters.
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Pros
- fits into smaller boats and small spaces, frugal on power compared to some others, really neat carry handle
Cons
- limited capacity suits short day trips and smaller storage needs
