We tested four coolers from four different manufacturers. Prices ranged from $99 to $120. Left to right, the Coleman Power Chill 5640B, the Adler/Barbour Tropicool Classic TC-32, the Igloo KoolMate 3392, and Koolatron P-65.

The last time we tested thermoelectric coolers, back in December of 1996, we spent a fair amount of space describing the history and science of the Peltier Effect, the process by which these coolers work. (In a nutshell, when you send an electrical current through the joint between two dissimilar metals, heat will pass from one metal to the other. This was discovered by M. Peltier in 1834.)

As PS readers know, from having read many an article about compressor-driven refrigeration, making an icebox work is not about adding cold air to the space, but by continually removing heat from it. A Peltier Effect cooler removes heat from its insulated space…