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by Tom Bartlett
Tom Bartlett tests six large coolers by filling them with food and drinks and leaving them outside or on a covered porch. During the beach test, Bartlett opened each cooler every 20 minutes over a period of… several hours, in order to simulate seaside use. He awards points according to how long the coolers keep food cold and for ease of use. The Coleman Ultimate XTreme, which kept food cold for four days, is Bartlett's top-rated cooler. The steel-sided Coleman cooler kept beer cold for three days, and its retro design is attractive, but it's expensive. The leaky Thermos Soft Cooler earned low marks, as did the Rubbermaid Endurance. This report is older than we'd like, but the products discussed are still on the market, so the article is still relevant.
by Sarah Tuff
Sarah Tuff enlists five beach tennis players to test five "beach-worthy" ice chests. All have wheels, telescoping handles and multiday insulation technology. The players like all the coolers, but the Igloo… Cool Fusion 40 IcyTunes earns high marks for its AM/FM radio and MP3 connection. The Keep Your Cooler Duffle Musicooler, which has an FM radio, receives a good review from one petite player, who finds it easy to carry with good radio reception. Players wish that the Rubbermaid 75-Quart Durachill Wheeled 5-Day Cooler had a stereo, but they like its size.
by Charles Passy
Charles Passy and friends test five coolers by filling them with drinks and ice packs and placing them in a hot garage for several hours. They also wheel the coolers around on an unmowed lawn to test… mobility. The Keep Your Cooler Collapsible Cooler with Detachable All-Terrain Cart wins top marks from testers, as well as their best-value award. It's highly maneuverable and cleverly designed. Testers also like the Igloo Cool Fusion 40 Roller for its hard-shell interior, large wheels and "rugged handle." In the "shapeless" Cooler Store's Thermos Geo Trek Wheeled Cooler, drinks shifted around.
by Kate Parker and Ashley Phillips
Ashley Phillips and Kate Parker round up the six best small, medium and large coolers. Each cooler is briefly discussed, but Real Simple's testing methodology isn't very scientific; testers filled coolers… with sandwiches, fresh fruit or drinks, but no two coolers are filled with the same foods. The Thermos American Classic 6-Can cooler is named the best small cooler; the best medium-sized cooler is the Keep Your Cooler Collapsible Cooler with Detachable All Terrain Cart, and the best large cooler is the Coleman 54-Quart Steel Belted cooler.
by Sharon Franke
by Contributors to Cabelas.com
Not that many coolers get user reviews at Cabelas, but among those that do, several get 50 or more comments. Sadly, there's no easy way to see the reviews on the main cooler page; you have to click through… to each product. This is also a good place to find specialty ice chests, such as those for hunting and fishing. Among standard beverage coolers, The Coleman 54-quart Steel Belted Cooler gets mainly good reviews, but many say that it doesn't keep ice any longer than a plastic cooler, and several complain about the latch design. The Coleman Xtreme coolers get almost unanimously high scores in more than 50 reviews. The Thermos Collapsible Cooler gets about 15 good reviews.
by Contributors to Amazon.com
by Contributors to Epinions.com
Epinions makes it difficult to find cooler reviews, but reviews here tend to be more detailed than at Sears.com and Target.com. Most coolers are the subject of a single review. The Coleman Steel cooler… earns a rating of four out of five stars from one reviewer, who says it's well built, if a bit heavy. The Igloo Max 40-Quart Cooler earns low ratings in a small handful of reviews. Owners say it doesn't keep food as cold as advertised.
by Contributors to Buzzillions.com
The Igloo Ice Cube MaxCold 70 Qt Roller is the top-rated cooler here, with an average of 4.8 stars out of five in a handful of reviews. Owners say that this cooler keeps food cold, and ice blocks keep their… shape inside for several days, even in balmy weather. The Trailworthy Cooler on Wheels is another highly-rated cooler, with 4.5 stars out of five in a handful of reviews. Owners say that this cooler's wheels and handle are well designed and they call it a good value. The Living Accents Stainless Steel Cooler is among the lowest-ranked coolers here, earning just one star out of five, also with only a handful of reviews. Owners say it rusts and discolors quickly.
by Contributors to Walmart.com
by Contributors to Target.com
Target doesn't allow customers to sort comments by average rating or number of reviews. Most coolers receive two reviews or fewer. The Igloo 70-qt. Roller Cooler is one of the highest-rated coolers here. It… earns perfect scores from two reviewers. Owners say it's sturdy and well designed. The Igloo MaxCold 40-qt. Wheeled Cooler gets mixed reviews from about five owners. Some say it does a good job keeping food cold, while others complain that it doesn't have a drain plug or a locking lid.
by Contributors to Viewpoints.com
At Viewpoints.com, owners can attach tags such as "practical" and "budget-conscious" to their reviews, so that readers can easily find owners whose concerns are similar to their own. The Coleman 52-Quart… Xtreme Cooler is among the highest-rated coolers here, but from only two reviewers. Owners say it's sturdy and they like the large handles. The Travelers Club 4 Cool-Carry TCL-33019-13 earns a perfect score, but only in one review The reviewer loves the straps, which allow the cooler to be carried like a backpack, and the large pockets. No cooler earns a rating less than 3.3 stars out of five.
by Contributors to Sears.com
Sears.com makes it difficult to find user reviews. You can sort cooler by rating, but you can see neither the rating nor the number of reviews until you view the information for a particular cooler. The… Igloo Ice Chest is the top-rated cooler here. Two reviewers say it's well made and relatively compact. The Coleman 62-Quart Xtreme Wheeled Cooler earns 3.7 stars out of four in several reviews; two reviewers say it's easy to pull, even when full. Apart from one 12-can collapsible cooler from California Innovations, no other coolers have been reviewed here.
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Coleman 5 - Quart FlipLid 6 Personal Cooler, Red
 from Amazon.com New: $13.30 In Stock.
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Coleman 6-Day 50 Qt. Ultimate Xtreme Wheeled Cooler
from Amazon.com New: $69.17 In Stock.
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