The Dometic Eskimo Cup is a cup holder designed to keep your drinks chilled on a warm day. I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of having an ice-crackling-cold drink turn lukewarm after just minutes in the cup holder on a hot day. So without further ado, here’s how I tested the Dometic Eskimo Cup.
I wired the Eskimo Cup to a 12-volt power supply. I placed it on a table near a sunny window and recorded an ambient temperature of 85-degrees F. I then placed a refrigerator cold soft drink into the Eskimo Cup. The drink remained ice cold for 25 minutes. It remained what I will call “ cool and drinkable” for 55 minutes. So the Eskimo Cup works as billed. Its intended to work best with cans, and indeed a pair of “can pushers” inside the cup holder position a can for best cooling. It will work with bottles, however.
There was something of a fan noise to be heard, but when installed aboard a boat, the fan will be underneath the mounting surface, and so is not likely be audible. With that thought in mind, I can’t see the fan as a detriment.
Eskimo Cup draws 3 amps at 12-volts and should be wired with an on-off switch (not included) into a branch circuit aboard your boat. It is supplied with a 5-amp fuse and fuse holder. Onboard electronics include a built-in low-voltage cut-off that trips at 10.5 volts DC to avoid a dead boat battery and attractive LED indicator lights around the trim ring.
Physical installation requires an unobstructed area with some air space behind/ below the mounting surface in order to provide ventilation. Specifically, the unit is 6 inches tall and almost 7 inches deep and requires 6-inches of ventilation space to the sides, to the rear and below it. It only needs 1-inch of space in front for ventilation. A four-inch diameter hole is cut with a hole saw, the Eskimo Cup is slipped in from below, the fasteners are tightened and the trim ring is installed.
Maximum mounting substrate thickness is 1.25-inches.
Price: $199.00 US
Contact Dometic: dometic.com/usa, 800-544-4881