Bluetti MultiCooler vs EF Glacier - empty & battery only discharge test

m.briney · February 21, 2024, 3:14pm

EF Glacier vs Bluetti Multicooler battery only discharge test.

-This MultiCooler is a BETA unit used for testing.

-Units were both placed in 62*F average temp environment.

-Both units were empty and set to EcoMode to 35*F.

-Both units were powered by single “internal” battery.

-Units remained closed the entire duration of test.

-Bluetti had Bluetooth “ON”, and EF was connected via Wi-Fi and also had Bluetooth “ON”.

-Started Test on 2.11.24 at 12:20pm.

Glacier shutoff 2.13.24 at 10:30am – Unit ran for 1 day, 22 hours, 10 minutes and 0 seconds ( 46hours and 10mins)

298wh capacity = 296wh/46.166hours=6.41 average consumption of 6.41watts per hour

Bluetti Multicooler shutoff 2.15.24 at 3:45am – Unit ran for 3 days, 15 hours, 25 minutes ( 87hours and 25mins)

716.8Wh capacity = 716.8wh/87.417hours=8.199 average consumption of 8.19watts per hour

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BLUETTI · February 22, 2024, 8:13am

Thank you for releasing the comparison test results, Mike!
This will provide a helpful reference for MultiCooler enthusiasts.

_Traveldiva2 · February 24, 2024, 5:38am

You did a very good job with your comparison.

Derceto · February 28, 2024, 8:30pm

Splendid test. I’ll share my 2 cents, and details of my test in a separate post.
With about 30 liters of water in the Multicooler at 1°C (33°F) in a room at 14°C (57°F), the thermal mass added by the water made the compressor cycle on/off less frequently, and I measured 6-6.5Wh on average consumption (156Wh / 24h) which means it could reach up to 4.5 days at that rate, on a single battery (provided it has access to very deep discharge of the 716Wh).

@BLUETTI might have more accurate figures with a fully-filled fridge operating in ideal conditions?

BLUETTI · February 29, 2024, 3:45am

m.briney · February 29, 2024, 11:09am

@Derceto Awesome! I’ll go and check out your post now, but yea this was my starting test to give a solid “baseline” to go off of when the units were completely empty.

And since you’re a nerd like myself… ill share another test and feedback I shared with the bluetti engineering team with this beta unit, which also makes sense as to why the multicoolers’ “efficiency” numbers might not have been as solid as it could be. And again… not only was these results based off completely empty units, but this was in fact a beta unit, so I would hope/expect that the final production units will be improved upon. And as you know how it goes man, time will tell. lol

Bluetti vs EF Cooler Cycling Test

12:20pm Starting testing to see differences between the Bluetti MultiCooler and the EcoFlow Glacier in their cycle rates. Used to determine allotted temperature fluctuation between cycles and how many cycles are used in given time frame on average.

Both units are completely empty (besides a single can holding thermometer off the floor of cooler), running from their internal batteries only, set to 35F, both on EcoMode. Both units sat and started from ambient temperature in room which averaged 62F during the duration of testing.

Initial Test: time to hit 35F set point on eco mode, empty units, ambient temp of 66F

-Bluetti took 57 minutes (12:20pm to 1:19pm) to go from 66.7F (max) to 36.1F (min)

-EF took 37 minutes (12:20pm to 12:57pm) to go from 64.2F (max) to 28.4F (min)

Over 12hour period:

-Bluetti only allowed unit to raise 2.7F on average per cycle (36.3F min to 39F max) before kicking on compressor. Compressor turned on 18 times in 12 hours or an average of 1.5times per hour (every 40 minutes). And maintained an overall average internal temp of 37.4F

-EF allowed unit to raise 15.6F on average per cycle (27F min to 42.6F max) before kicking on the compressor. Compressor turned on 7 times in 12 hours or an average of .58 times per hour (every 103 minutes). And maintained an overall average internal temp of 34.3F

recommend to view image in browser at full size to see details

Notes/Summary:
For me, the most important feature of a cooler/freezer is maintaining an overall temperature. These results showed that both units did pretty damn solid in this test environment, but showed one major difference… the Bluetti cycles the compressor on/off A LOT more often then the Glacier. And this is due to the temperature range the Bluetti multicooler has set for the allotted variance surrounding the set-point.

IMO this allotted variance could be widened from the 2.7F difference it appears to be currently set at, to something like 7F degrees which would cut the times the compressor is kicking on by half. Which in the long run… I am guessing would give the compressors service life a longer lifespan. On the other hand… by keeping a “tighter” threshold range for the cooler temps to stay within, the Bluetti doesn’t risk freezing products that are more temperature sensitive.

Scott-Benson · February 29, 2024, 3:11pm

I think Jeff has been rubbing off on you. Excellent work Mike.

Derceto · March 1, 2024, 7:16am

Aha it takes one to spot one! Wow excellent I love those graphs. Your detailed observations highlight an impressive understanding of the cooler’s temperature management strategies. The nuanced differences in cycle frequency you’ve noted between Bluetti and its competitor underscore the importance of balancing compressor longevity with precise temperature control.

Regarding the freezing risk, while the Multicooler excels in low power usage, it seems it’s at the expense of raw cooling strength (again, Toyota Prius isn’t meant to win a drag race). Trying to freeze 18 liters of water to -15ºC (5ºF) turned out to be quite the slow process. Next week, I’m going to experiment adding a USB fan in the fridge to enhance the cooling efficiency and check how active air circulation influences both the freezing rate and the energy consumption; sticking to the fundamentals of thermodynamics, I would assume 0 change over 48h. I already imagine an induction/magnetic spot in the fridge to add a tomato sized fan, with no wire sticking out.

Derceto · March 1, 2024, 7:03pm

Jeff Hagan from Waveform Science? Is he on the forum?

Scott-Benson · March 2, 2024, 3:08pm

Jeff is a Portable Power Station god. He is everywhere in the universe.