Igloo 54 qt Marine Ultra Cooler , White

Igloo's reputation speaks for itself. I used it for cookouts at my hunny's family get togethers, many times and we took it on fishing trips. It didn't leak, the beverages and cold cuts stayed cold and fresh and the ice didn't melt fast. The cooler also doubled as a makeshift seat at times and held up very well. The only issue we had with the cooler (as we had used it for a few years) was the snap/latch that kept the top attached. It broke from wear. We were gonna write to the company but I did an online search and found it at a marine store 45 minutes away. Ordering online would have taken 5 days. It was a very quick fix, maybe ten minutes or so.

If you're looking to buy this cooler and are reading the reviews, you'll find a lot of comments about the lack of quality hinges and latches. I read them all and still took the chance. I like Igloo and Coleman and I wasn't going to pay the price for a Yeti. I bought the cooler more as a fish box than an actual cooler, so I'm hoping the hinges will last more than a few weeks. They are going to break long before the cooler's life expectancy, there's NO doubt about that. It's really too bad that they couldn't find somewhere else to shave manufacturing cost! Seriously, the hinges and latches, the two most used items on the cooler and they're made out of cheap plastic?? WTF?

Best Cooler for the Money. For me I need a cooler which had a ton of Space. The more expensive coolers lack internal space. I drilled holes 1/4 inch in the bottom and then pumped in expanding foam. Diill holes first about 3 inches apart in a grid pattern. Start left from right and inject a quarter at time. Once first quarter is done. Turn it over and step on it to make sure the foam disperses through surround holes and does not force up. Make sure you put the cooler on a large piece of card board. Otherwise it cool get messy. Also coat the bottom of the cooler with olive oil or some other type of lube to help ease with clean up.

Igloo coolers just scream summer to me. Whether you're at the beach or pool and you're grabbing a water bottle or you're at a cookout and grabbing a soda or juice. My family has always used igloo coolers. The children love to sit on them and play around. They keep all the beverages chilled for hours, and they always have the little cork on the bottom to drain the ice after it melts so you don't have to flip it over and get your shoes soaked. It's the ideal cooler for whatever outdoor activity you have planned. It's even good for indoor activities as well, like birthday parties or play dates. Just fill it up with all the kids juices and waters and they can grab them whenever they need a drink.

If I could give it ZERO stars, I would.

Quite frankly, the handles suck. The 2nd time I used it, the handle popped out. The mount for the handle is molded into the cooler, so an aftermarket screw in handle won't work. This cooler is basically junk. There, I feel better.

It’s just not good, embarrassingly bad

A cooler should be able to hold ice no? Well this cooler does a poor job at that, actually an embarrassing job. I went fishing yesterday evening in a very shady spot around 76 degrees outside. I froze a half gallon jug of water placed in the cooler , parked under an area with trees, left ice and cooler in car only to come back to less than have the ice melted. So in a 2 hour span, leaving a cooler in a car, parked in a shaded area wherw the temps outside are in the 70s results in this much melt?

Needs decent hinges!

I am a huge Igloo fan and was very excited to get this cooler. The first time I used it the very cheaply and poorly designed hinge system failed. I had to apply my own external hinges to make it usable. I do love the size and it does a decent job keeping things cold. What a shame to not have decent hinges.

Not great, not terrible but you get what you pay 4

It’s great for the price. More pleased buying a product that has replacement parts. It’s not the best, obviously rotomolded coolers will do a better job for longer periods and hold up better over time. But if you’re not looking to invest in a $200-$800 cooler, this one will do you just fine. I’ve not had ice stay frozen (or not melt into complete water) for more than a day in the shade and it didn’t get over 80 degrees the entire day. So that was a bummer but maybe a fluke accident. I also don’t understand why igloo has not come up with more accessories for the more common sizes (vs just the XL sizes and roto coolers) like a tray and dividers but hopefully they’ll get on board soon. You can alway go up in size and have the accessories but I’ve always been told that ... MoreIt’s great for the price. More pleased buying a product that has replacement parts. It’s not the best, obviously rotomolded coolers will do a better job for longer periods and hold up better over time. But if you’re not looking to invest in a $200-$800 cooler, this one will do you just fine. I’ve not had ice stay frozen (or not melt into complete water) for more than a day in the shade and it didn’t get over 80 degrees the entire day. So that was a bummer but maybe a fluke accident. I also don’t understand why igloo has not come up with more accessories for the more common sizes (vs just the XL sizes and roto coolers) like a tray and dividers but hopefully they’ll get on board soon. You can alway go up in size and have the accessories but I’ve always been told that you don’t want more space than you need in your cooler. All in all for me it was worth the price and I would suggest this cooler as long as you’re realistic on what you’re getting and not expecting this to be more than it is.

Poor Design

This cooler has a single formed gray plastic "band" that wraps around it. The lid mounts into it from the back, and the handles from the side. We've found the small insets that hold the lid quickly wear out (and the lid no longer locks onto the cooler base). Also, if you load the cooler with product and ice, the handles cannot support the weight and if you're lucky they simply "pop out" but if not, the plastic band distorts and becomes unrepairable. Last, though indicated as "marine" the lid is not well insulated and the sun will quickly melt the ice inside.For the price difference, you'll get a much more substantial and well-built cooler with Igloo's BMX 52 Quart.

flimsy handles. no longer repairable

There are a big step down from the old style. The handles are very flimsy and regularly pop out of their housings (I've had this happen on multiple occasions while carrying full coolers of shellfish, no fun). Handles are no longer replaceable/repairable- the attachment points are built in to the body of the cooler, so if they snap, you need a new cooler instead of a cheap part. These attachment points are thin and seem pretty fragile.I've used the old style of igloo marine coolers and Maxcolds on my oyster farm for 10 years. They are durable, lightweight, affordable, and effective. Nearly perfect work coolers. It is a bummer to see such a step backwards. I'd love to see a return to the old design.