The test

The summer holidays are here and it's time to keep the kids occupied with forays into the countryside, or trips to the beach. So, what better time to test the best electric cool boxes as you attempt to keep the sandwiches chilled while all around might be feeling the heat?

The test
We tested five electric cool boxes, ranging in price from less than 30 to approaching 150. Here's how we tested the boxes.

1) We took five sandwiches and chilled them to a core temperature of 5C
2) Next, we turned on the cooling systems of all our cool boxes and placed a chilled sandwich in each
3) After 1.5 hours of powered chilling, we turned off the power and tested the core temperature of each sandwich
4) With the power off, we waited for one hour before once again testing the core temperature of our sandwiches
5) After a further hour with the power off, we tested the core temperature of the sandwiches for one last time
6) The ambient outside temperature was a sweltering 27C. All the cool boxes were tested simultaneously

Click though the cool boxes on the left to view the results.

By Pete Barden