December 23, 2011 by Brett

Rotomolded Ice Chests are now one of the most common types of pinic and 4WD accessories bought.

As a result you will find nearly every major Hardware Chain, Auto Parts supplier and major retailer has at least one size in a Rotomolded Ice Chest available for sale. Mackerel Ice Box

Because the range is so wide it becomes somewhat confusing when it comes to choosing the right rotomoulded ice chest to meet you needs. Regardless of whether you are buyin as in individual of for a company the selection criteria should follow the same general guidelines:

What size of rotomolded ice chest do I need?
How long does the ice chest need to keep my food cold.
How likely or otherwise is it that my rotomolded ice chest will be used in areas where safety is a concern.

How to select the perfect Rotomolded Ice Chest?

Apply the 80:20 rule i.e. in 80% of the tmes you need to use your Rotomolded Ice Chest how much food will you need carry and how long will you need to keep it cold? If the answer is that you are after a ‘premium grade’ lunch box then a 27lt Ice Box Cooler will do a great job for you. If it is mainly for you and a friend then step up one size to say a 48lt Ice Box Cooler.

Now if fishing or camping is your game then you need to look to the larger rotomolded ice chest. Make sure you pay extra to get the insulation you need. A cheap rotomolded ice chest is often cheap because it often lacks the proper amount of insulating foam. Or alternately has none in the lid area. There is no point in shelling out a couple of humdred dollars for the size you need only to find that it has very little refrigeration foam and as such may last a day at best. On the other hand if you plan half day trips and want something cost effective for carying a bite to eat and a ton of fish then having a box that provides 10 days of cold is really not necessary.

Rotomolded Ice Box The next trap people and companies fall into is buying the biggest that they can find. If the rotomolded ice chest you are buying is to be used by teams working on a work site, mining, industrail areas you need to make sure that it conforms to OH&S standards i.e.:

Is the colour sufficiently bright enough for low light levels (undergorund, indoors or at night)?
Does the size and fully packed carrying weight require 2 people to lift the rotomolded ice chest?
Will a large ice chest fit into the vehicles you have easily to allow it to be moved easily?

Whilst these three considerations are important to larger businesses with large work teams they are equally important to the individual who loves fishing, camping or 4WD’ing.

As I am sure everyone realises that for the very reasons listed above there are some sizes of ice chests that are very popular and some which are less so. Because we work closely with the manufacturers we know which sizes, shapes and styles are selling best and why.

Before you order why not provide us with some details so we can assist you in ordering the correct rotomolded ice chest.

Ice Box Cooler

December 21, 2011 by Brett

What is a Rotomolded Ice Box Cooler?

As kids growing up in Australia there was only one ice box cooler on the market and that was called an Esky. If you live in New Zealand the ice box cooler is known as a Chillybin (or Chilly bin) and in North America they are called ice chests. Now-a-days even in Australia there are hundreds of ice box coolers available in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

The Science of an Ice Box Cooler.

It is probably no surprise that what was once little more than a plastic box with handles and a lid is now far more sophisticated than the humble Esky we used to take to the cricket as kids. In fact a good ice box cooler now has a bunch of features:

Rotomolded super tough plastic,
Food grade polyethylene internals,
Core filled with high density refrigeration foam throughout (and that includes the lid),
Drain plug,
Heavy Duty rear hinges,
Stainless steel clasps,
Anti-slip moulded slides on the base.

Available in almost any colour from high visibility orange to tranquil blue and in sizes small (27lt) enough for an individual all the way up to the extra long (240lt models which are large enough for families, camping, sporting clubs and which can double as a robust tool box or kit bag for sporting equipment.

Rotomoulding an Ice Box Cooler

Without going into too much detail the rotational (roto) moulding process has several advantages:

fantastic for manufacturing larger hollow products,
very little raw material is wasted which is great for the environment,
the process lends itself to making very durable items,
the elasticity of the material is retained in the final product (i.e. can take a knock without splitting).

Comparing one Ice Box Cooler to another:

Regardless of which Ice Box Cooler you are considering buying there is one thing you need to know before you consider anything else and that is: Will this ice box cooler keep my food cold? Clearly a good ice box cooler will have a super tuff shell but if it does not contain sufficient refrigeration foam then it does not matter how hard the shell is the ice will melt and the food will heat up. A properly made rotomoulded ice box cooler will keep your food cold for between 4-16 days depending on the type of refrigeration foam used and the thickness of the refrigeration foam.

Cheap ice box coolers are cheaper because:

they use little or no foam,
don’t put foam in the lid or base,
have inferior clasps, hinges and seals so the lid does not lock in the cold properly.

To look at these cheap boxes you would not know they are not every bit as good as the more expensive brands. Some expensive brands also cut corners to compete with cheapies and produce a ‘budget range’. Seriously don’t do it. One case of food poisoning, constantly having a wet back seat or boot every time you use the thing, your fish don’t make it home etc. and you’ll be throwing the thing in the bin having wasted your $50 bucks.

If you want a great ice box cooler the places like Bunnings have some excellent choices. For less than $100 you can get a 48lt best of the best which is a great all-round size for family picnics and on boats.

However if you want to buy in bulk (i.e. 100 units or more) then we can help you to buy not from a wholesaler but with directly from one of the largest rotomolded ice box cooler manufacturers in the world.

Why buy ice boxes direct from the Manufacturer?

Size, colour, promotional logos etc are all at your finger tips.
Ideal for companies who would prefer workers to have the same size shape and colour for OH&S reasons.
Workers using 70lt boxes with poor visibility colours not only risk doing themselves a back injury there is a very real risk they will endanger others on any work sites.

Standardising the size, quality and colour of your worksites ice box cooler is a sensible addition to best practise OH&S for:

Mines,
Large industrials,
Shipping fleets,
Building sites,
Railway workers,
Armed services,
Councils,
Fishing fleets,
or any work site that is trying to maintain best workplace OH&S standards.

If you would like to know more about supplying an ice box cooler for your company’s next promotional campaign or to ensure your staff have the right piece of equipment then please [Click Here].