Best Budget Powered Cooler
Costway 54 Powered Cooler
$464The Costway 54 is OutdoorGearLab's Best Buy award winner for powered coolers — it reaches colder temps than advertised, draws less power than competitors, and weighs just 34 lbs, undercutting rivals by double digits.
what experts say
- >“We are pleasantly surprised by the unexpectedly high performance the Costway 54 displayed during our testing. And with a retail price of around a third of some of the competition, this powered cooler remains our Best Buy award winner for another year running.”— OutdoorGearLab
- >“It reached lower temperatures than advertised, is impressively energy-efficient AND has an additional energy-saving mode and is significantly lighter weight than the rest of the compressor coolers we reviewed.”— OutdoorGearLab
- >“Scouring the internet for other users' reviews, we found that many people had similar durability complaints about the hinge, latch, and handles, as well as the unit unexpectedly quitting.”— OutdoorGearLab
pros & cons
[+] what's great
- +Reached -8.9°F in testing, beating its -4°F rating
- +One of the most energy-efficient compressor coolers tested at 50W (38.9W in Eco mode)
- +Weighs just 34 lbs — significantly lighter than most compressor coolers
- +Long DC cord at 7 feet 9.5 inches
- +LED interior light and 30° tilt operation for off-road use
[-] what's not
- -Takes ~9.5 hours to reach minimum temperature — one of the slowest tested
- -Durability concerns: cracking plastic and hinge/latch complaints from multiple users
- -Poor insulation when unplugged — crossed food safety threshold in just 1.5 hours
- -AC adapter can be unreliable when used with DC cord
- -Awkward removable basket spacing for standard 12oz cans
