ENG65 High-Performance Hard Cooler and Ice Chest

I bought this cooler for a beach trip. I wanted a nice cooler that would last me quite a bit longer than having to repurchase a flimsy cooler every other year. Before you go any further in this review, get it out of your head that ice will last longer in this than it will in any other cooler. The more you open ANY cooler the faster ice melts. The less you open a cooler the longer your ice will last. During my beach trip I put ice in this thing every day, my family was also opening this cooler every 30 minutes for drinks. Now that we got that out of the way let me tell you why you will like this cooler. Pro's -Extremely Durable -Latching System creates an excellent seal. -The Drain Plug. -Under similar operating conditions holds ice much longer than a cheap cooler. -Easy to use by folks with little arm strength -Fantastic 10 year warranty -$70 cheaper than comparable coolers from Yeti. Con's -Expensive. -Rope Handles can be a little wonky. -Bulky -Heavy when loaded down. The plug design most pleasant surprise of this cooler. It's huge and easy to use. The plug screws out of the drain. The inside of the plug is hollow and has a hole half way down the length of the plug that the water will drain out. You should not need to take the plug all the way out of the cooler. The latches make the cooler easy to open and close. If I made two recommendations it would be, go a little larger than you think you need, and go with a neutral color such as the tan so it's versatile. I absolutely feel like I will get my money's worth out of this cooler and having a 10 year warranty makes it feel like I protected my investment. If you want a good durable cooler that will last this is the cooler for you. If you want something just to hold ice and drinks I'd recommend elsewhere.

I purchased the 35 qt Engel primarily for keeping beverages cold in my boat and for weekend camping trip. I read several reviews online where the Engel significantly out-performed the Yeti on ice retention. Although the Yeti's were readily available at all of the local big box stores, I wanted to give the Engel a try. I have to say that I'm very glad that I did for several reasons. - First off, I would say that the Yeti and Engel are on a level playing field in terms of being durable, well-built and ability to withstand years of abuse. At this time, I can't give either an advantage in any of these aspects. - The Engel is slightly lower-priced, free shipping and no sales tax really sweetened the deal. I purchased the cooler on Friday and it was delivered to my door the following Wednesday. - The textured surface of the lid will be nice when standing on it in the boat looking for fish in the shallows. - The non-marking feet will be nice for keeping the cooler in place when riding in the boat (especially in a chop). - I was never able to verify if the Yeti maintained the same thickness of insulation on the bottom of the cooler, but I read several reviews that stated it didn't. This may be why the Yeti didn't perform as well with the ice retention. Everything that I found on the Engel showed that it kept the 2" of insulation throughout the bottom as well. This was an important point for me as my coolers are often left sitting on warm surfaces. Overall, I would definitely recommend an Engel cooler to someone looking for a premium cooler that will hold ice, withstand abuse and are ok with spending a significant chunk of money on a cooler that will likely last their lifetime. I was torn between the Yeti and Engel because I had accepted the fact that I was going to spend a lot of money on a cooler. I was okay with spending slightly more on a Yeti if I thought that I would get a better product. Having now purchased the Engel, I'm very glad that I did and feel that it is every bit as good as a Yeti (and likely superior in ice retention). Feel free to check out the pics that I uploaded here. In the coming weeks, I'll likely bite the bullet and buy a larger Engel cooler to replace my worn-out larger coolers as well.

For the record….This is my second Engle cooler. I highly recommend and I’m slowly replacing my arsenal of ice boxes with this route for the following reasons to only name a few. Despite what color catches my eye, unbelievable how better white keeps ice longer no matter what brand. Engel quality is outstanding, can’t beat the integral bottle cap opener, the game changer is the domed lid!!! No more not having enough room and having to throw ice away to close the lid! I’m a huge fan of the Engle products and highly recommend the hard cooler! Remember…life’s good and better outside!

The Engle Coolers are at or near the top of the list for durability and ice retention time. However I own 3 Engle Coolers, 2 of the 48 qt. size and 1 of the 65 qt. size as shown here and when I took shipment of the coolers none of the them would not latch tightly enough to properly seal the cooler. After thorough investigation I discovered that the lid gaskets were some how being damaged / mashed during manufacture or installation & someone had attempted to glue the gasket in the 65 qt. model and it took me 4 hours to remove the old gasket, dried glue and install the new one, now the cooler works fine ... but the customer should not have to do this. The seller in this case with the 65 qt. cooler was not Engle, but the seller worked very closely and professionally with me to see that Engle did indeed provide me with a new gasket in short order. So I would but Engle again, again but my advice to everyone is to inspect workmanship closely!!! Engle ... you guys owe me a couple hundred dollars for doing your cooler repairs !!!

I really like the quality of the cooler, the latches are designed well and the hinges are quality. I wish the handles were a little different maybe but they are sturdy. I had another brand "extreme cooler" that really didn't seem to be much more than a standard cooler, no seal and nothing but a friction latch, the design (gasket, insulation, skin and latch) of these high performance coolers just works. I am really pleased with the cooler and the price I paid.