Engel orFrabill Aqua Life

[Cheers]

Looking to buy a bait cooler . I have been reading lots of comments about Engel but none on Frabill Aqua life . Is there a preference for one over the other ?

[Hoey]

I have three Aqua Life units - used them when I had a wheel house since they were battery powered and had a 12 volt auxiliary cable.  Pros - they kept the bait just fine.  Cons - They are top heavy and tip over easily if not well secured; the air pump and battery compartment are fragile, prone to failure, had a couple replaced under warranty.  

 

Now with a cabin and deploying on sleds with portables, I use the three units to keep bait in the shed, powered by aquarium air pumps.  Occasionally, I will take one out on the lake full of 8" suckers for pike fishing since they have more room than my 1.5 gal Frabill insulated bait buckets.

 

I never heard of Engel before.

[Wanderer]

I’ve been on the Engel bandwagon this year.  I have been using Frabil containers for years before (not the Aqua Life) and have broken them all.

 

After buying the Engels I did see the Aqua Life’s in the store and stepped up to see if they would give me buyers remorse for going Engel.

 

Nope.  They’re nowhere near the quality.

 

I did find out recently that Engel made their market in medical transport.  Drugs, lab samples, even organs.  Anything that had to stay cool for a time and be secure.  Maybe that’s why the earlier models some fishermen have use the trays instead of the nets?