Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am always searching for personal-sized coolers that have excellent quality in their build and can keep its contents ice cold longer. The Igloo MaxCold 24 (16 qt) was the only personal to mid-sized cooler that claimed any significant number of days - 3 days.
This Igloo MaxCold 24 was tested using pre-chilled drinks and cubed ice, which lasted approximately 36 hours. When testing coolers, I leave the cooler in a room, the average temperature highs are usually around 90F, and the coolers are opened about every 4 hours to see how the ice is holding up and to resemble periodic use.
So far, this cooler has kept items ice cold longer than the other personal sized cooler tested to this point, which includes the Coleman Excursion 9 qt (approximately 24 hours), Rubbermaid 20 qt Ice Chest (approximately 10 hours), Coleman Flip Top 5 qt (approximately 8 hours). I was really hoping for the "3 day" claim, but was not that disappointed as this cooler appeared to keep its contents colder for a significantly longer period of time than any other personal-sized cooler. In addition, I do not use blocks of ice, which maintains much longer.
There appears to be a deliberate effort by Igloo to ensure that the lid was well insulated. The lid appears to be aligned very well with the body of the cooler and has a snug fit that locks in place nicely when closed, which will be helpful in locking in the cold. The make of the cooler appears to be of excellent quality, everything fits well, appears durable, and nothing bad of note. Most other coolers that I browsed through at the store often appeared dirty, has scratches, and some of the insulation "seeping" out of the mends in the cooler.
Overall, the Igloo MaxCold 24 is an excellent cooler and I would rate the build quality and its ability to keep the contents ice cold at the top of all personal coolers. 4.9 out of 5.0, which would have been higher if the ice was maintained closer to the 3 day claim.
Update on December 7, 2009:
I finally got to test out the Igloo MaxCold 24 using a half-gallon carton block of ice along with two frozen 16 ounce water bottles and four trays of ice cubes, which was added to several pre-chilled cans of iced tea. I just needed to see if the cooler would live up to its claim of "up to 3 days" of ice retention. The ice was maintained for 68 hours (2 and 5/6 days or 2 days and 20 hours), just 4 hours short of the 72 hour claim. It came very close to the maximum claimed retention and the water was still close to ice cold when I emptied the cooler.
On another note, the first cooler that I purchased looked exactly like it is portrayed in the picture, with the "MaxCold" badging formed into the body of the cooler. I recently purchased two more Igloo MaxCold 24 coolers as gifts for friends who took a notice to the nice size, fit, form, and design of the cooler (it was really interesting to see one of them really examining the Igloo MaxCold 24 and he even brought his own cooler to compare the quality between the two). While the form, fit, and color remains the same, the badging formed in the cooler states "Igloo." In addition, both appeared to have slight indentations on the side (barely noticeable, but I am a picky consumer). I am wondering if this is a result from purchasing the two coolers from a different retailer or lower quality control on behalf of Igloo.
Either way, the Igloo MaxCold 24 is still an excellent performing cooler with a nice build design and fit. It still has my vote for top personal-sized cooler. The Coleman Excursion coolers have excellent build quality and performance, but the Igloo MaxCold 24 has a significant edge in cold retention. Still rate the Igloo MaxCold 24 a 4.9 out of 5.0, as it fell just short of the 3 day claim for "ice retention" and the slight inconsistencies in the make, which would both probably not be a big deal to the majority of consumers.
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IGLOO MaxCold 24 Can CoolerThe Ultratherm(r) insulation in the MaxCold(r) cooler from Igloo(r) keeps things chilled for up to 3 days. An integrated carry handle is comfortable and sturdy, and folds out of the way for storage. The reversible lid also doubles as a tray or cup holder.
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