Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more here.
Hello and welcome to our yet another cooler review. This time it's the Blue coolers review.
For some reason, blue is considered a cold color, and is often used to represent naturally cold things. I once read a psychology article that even suggested that painting a room blue will make it feel cooler.
Now, I don’t quite understand why this connection exists, but I’ll play along with it. If I’m being honest myself, I would use blue to represent the cold, as opposed to red for example. So what am I driving at?
I’m trying to justify why Blue Coolers named themselves Blue Coolers. Since the company makes coolers, and coolers are, well, cool, it would perhaps be fitting for them to go with the name “Blue”.
What I can’t explain is the choice of logo. I sometimes wonder if they are the Microsoft to Yeti’s Apple. You know, because their logo looks eerily similar to the Microsoft Windows logo. No? I’m the only one? Well, I like them. They’re cool.
Blue Coolers isn’t just a cool company because of the name and logo. It was started by 2 cool family men who got tired of either having to pay a premium for a good cooler or having to settle for a mediocre cooler that didn’t quite do the job.
What they built instead was a premium cooler that didn’t make you wish you could steal it because of how impractically expensive buying it was.
I would say it’s more of a middle-of-the-stack kind of cooler. It has just enough bells and whistles that it can do the job well, and has good quality, but not so good that you’ll want to evangelize it and scream “Death to Yeti!” at the top of your voice. Of course, if you want you can scream “Death to Yeti!” at the top of your voice anytime you want.
I know I do sometimes when I get frustrated at how much market share YETI have. All I’m saying is don’t expect Blue Coolers to be the knight in shining armor that smites the Yeti dragon down. It can, however, be a decent knight that can fight non-dragon foes fairly well.
Okay, enough rambling. Let’s dive into the Blue cooler review and see just what makes them tick.
Blue Coolers Review
The two most important words to remember with Blue Coolers are ‘value’ and ‘proposition’, as in ‘value proposition’.
Much of what Blue Coolers offer, from the extra insulation to the extra-long ice retention, to half the price of a YETI, are all about the value proposition.
It’s all about giving you a little more bang for your buck than you bargained for. Okay, maybe a lot more bang for your buck than you bargained for.
I mean, I don’t know about you but I don’t see a lot of coolers with 10-day ice retention that are half the price of a Yeti.
But I’m getting ahead of myself overhear. Let’s start with the basics.
Construction and Design
The Blue Coolers are all rotomolded. It’s a common thing to expect from a cooler brand these days.
Rotomolding is all about a single-piece construction that can withstand any kind of stress, whether it’s the stress brought about by falling from a high building or the kind of stress brought about my Uncle Jimmy kicking the cooler in anger because someone drank the last bottle of beer. The Blue Cooler will stay cool in all of these circumstances.
In fact, Marc Sorensen, one of the founders of the Blue Coolers company, has a video with his co-founder Chris Studdert where they do a drop test for the cooler. They get on top of their roof and drop it from about 20 feet in the air.
Blue Coolers – Roof Drop Test
Now, to be sure, this isn’t something new. I’ve seen more drop tests for rotomolded coolers (and some for non-rotomolded coolers) than I can remember, and they all seek to prove the same thing: that these coolers are indestructible. So that video isn’t necessarily telling us anything new.
However, the two are very warm, very excited about their product, and very detailed in their explanations.
They also have a lot of videos they’ve posted on YouTube and also on their Facebook page that explain different aspects of coolers, as well as comparisons with leading coolers in the field.
That’s really what gets me about these people. You can feel the excitement and enthusiasm for their own product just oozing out of them, and it’s infectious.
You can also see that they took a lot of care to build a quality product that’s worth your money.
Blue Coolers Ice Vault
Features
Most of the other features are ones you would expect from any decent self-respecting cooler.
The gasket is freezer grade, the lid has rubber T-Latches for an extra tight seal, there is a large drain spout on the side for easy drainage when the ice melts, non-skid feet, lock plates on the lid in case you want to prevent ‘unauthorized entry’ into your cooler, integrated hinges that are unlikely to fail, strong handles made of nylon rope with a rubber grip handle, and overall good look.
See, that’s something you’ve heard before, isn’t it? But you know what, that isn’t the end of the story! This is where the magic with Blue Coolers really starts to happen.
Features
- Up to 10 days of ice retention
- Non-skid feet
- Lockable lid with bottle opener
- Airtight gaskets and seals
- Grab-N-Go handle
- Removable tether handles
- Rotomolded construction (2” of insulation)
- Rapid drain system
- No fail hinges
- “Easy-Close” lock down latches
- 5-year warranty
Ice retention
Take ice retention. It’s 10 days, and in Blue Coolers fashion, they have a video on their YouTube channel where they compare the Blue Cooler ice retention to the Yeti.
Blue Coolers vs. Leading Brand Ice Retention Test
I like the title of the video. They don’t explicitly say the comparison is to Yeti. Instead, it’s “10 Day Ice Challenge – Blue Coolers vs. Leading Brand”.
The Yeti logo on the Yeti cooler is also blurred out. I did catch the way it gets unblurred as the screen fades out around the 29s mark. I thought that was really tongue-in-cheek and had a good laugh about it.
Anyway, the point of the video is to show that Blue Coolers really do have a 10-day ice retention period and can go toe-to-toe with any Yeti or other premium brand cooler out there.
In fact, based on the results of the video, the Blue cooler looked like it could easily have gone even longer. It appears in the video though that both coolers are indoors. They may or may not be in AC. Keep in mind that in the sun both coolers probably won’t last as long, but either way, this video shows that Blue Coolers do stack up against Yeti.
This might have something to do with the insulation. Blue Coolers weren’t cutting any corners with the insulation.
In another of their videos (yes, they have plenty of those), they show a cross-section of the 25-liter / 30-quart Blue cooler (this one) and compare the thickness of the insulation to that of the Yeti Tundra 35.
The insulation on the Blue is noticeably thicker on the cooler. I would say the thickness of the insulation is about the same for both coolers on the lid, but the walls of the Blue are definitely thicker than the Yeti.
This might be a contributing factor to the high ice retention rate of the Blue, though the Yeti is no lightweight itself.
Sizes and Colors
Another awesome thing about Blue Coolers is how the storage is worked out so easily. There are 3 available non-wheeled sizes: 30-quart, the 60-quart, and the 110 quart. Just recently, they also added a 60-quart and 110-quartwheeled coolers.
All of the above coolers can be ordered in either white, blue (of course) or gray color.
There are also limited-time bundles available. Some include the 30-quart and 60-quart, and others include the 30-quart, 60-quart, and 100-quart.
Value for the money
There is an abundance of other examples of the value proposition. The company has lots of value bundles where they sell you a pair of coolers at an insanely low price (for a couple of two coolers that are already insanely low priced individually). These bundles often include extras like cooler accessories.
They also have an apocalypse kit (they call it an emergency kit but I call it an apocalypse kit because that’s exactly what it is) that includes a grab-n-go backpack, some food bars, a blanket, a rain poncho, a whistle, compass, dust mask, crank flashlight and a bunch of other things, all of just over $40 (here's the link).
Warranty
On top of that, Blue Coolers offer a 5-year warranty on their hard coolers and a 1-year warranty on their soft coolers (they haven’t made any just yet) and drinkware.
On top of that, all of their products come with an “initial warranty” of 90 days, where you can return the product for all your money back if you don’t like it.
Did I say that Blue Coolers were a decent knight that could fight non-dragon foes? Well, I take that back. They might actually be able to hold their own against the Yeti dragon too and might even win if they bring the full weight of their value offerings to bear.
Where are Blue Coolers made?
There is no information on the website about the provenance of Blue Coolers products, so we decided to contact the company directly.
They told us that their coolers are designed in the US but made in China. The coolers are imported to their facility in Salt Lake City, UT, from where they distribute them to the rest of the country.
While this may be dismaying for patriots who like to buy US-made coolers, I think it shouldn’t matter if you’re not too keen on where the coolers are made.
They’re still high quality.
Blue Cooler vs. Yeti
In terms of the basics, such as ice retention, build quality, and basic features, the Blue Cooler stands toe-to-toe with the Yeti.
In fact, it blows Yeti out of the water because it gives you all of these features at half of the price.
However, Yeti still stands strong when you consider the fact that it’s a proven brand that’s better known and commands more respect from peers.
Yeti also blows Blue Coolers out of the water when it comes to variety. Where Blue Coolers offer only 6 sizes and 4 colors, Yeti offers over a dozen, as well as thriving proprietary and third-party markets for accessories. Whether all this warrants a doubling in price is, of course, up for debate.
Verdict on Blue coolers vs Yeti
I would say to go for Blue Coolers if you’re looking for the perfect value proposition. If you want a high quality, long lasting, and affordable cooler, then a Blue cooler may well be your best bet.
However, if you’re a brand loyalist and a die-hard Yeti fan, you might not be convinced about switching. The only thing you’ll be missing by sticking to the Yeti is a fatter bank account. Otherwise, Yeti is still a great cooler that does its job well, is field-tested and has lots of variety.
Other Coolers like Blue Brand Coolers Worth Checking
If you’re not convinced, why not do a little bit more research to see other options worth considering? Here are some similar coolers that don’t cost a fortune.
Seavilis Coolers (formerly Milee)
Seavilis coolers are also rotomolded and come in 3 size varieties, though they have more color options. They’re slightly more expensive than Blue Coolers, though they still offer lots of values. You can read our full review of Seavilis Coolers.
Pure Outdoor by Monoprice
Pure Outdoor might be the best cooler to match Blue Coolers in terms of value propositions. They offer the exact same capacities as Blue Coolers (25L, 50L, and 80L) and more color options. They also have a lower price point and a lifetime warranty, as compared to Blue Coolers’ 5-year warranty.
That said, they don’t have the same value bundles as Blue Coolers, or the same ice retention period, so you might have to decide what matters most to you when you’re choosing. You can read our full review of Pure Outdoor Coolers here.
Lifetime Coolers
Lifetime Coolers also have 3 size options, just like Blue Coolers (though they are not the same), but they only have one color option. Without minding the lack of color options, I would say the design of the Lifetime cooler is a little more unique than that of the Blue cooler, and the Lifetime cooler is slightly cheaper. However, Blue Coolers offer better value propositions in my opinion. You can read our full review of Lifetime Coolers here.
Where to buy Blue Coolers?
Blue Coolers have their own (very well designed website, by the way) store at bluecoolers.com, where they sell their products. They promise to improve on shipping times and now guarantee shipping within 3 business days.
You can also buy Blue Coolers on Amazon as they offer them there through the official Amazon store page. Actually, but some of their coolers have not been available at the time of writing this article.
Blue Cooler Review – Rating and Conclusion
And that’s the end of our Blue cooler review. We actually enjoyed checking out these coolers a lot. If you’re looking for a valuable cooler that really gives you a bang for your buck, then this is it. Try it out and thank us later.
As for us, we'll be keeping a close look at Blue Coolers to see what else are they going to bring to the market, so bookmark this review and come back for more later.
Till next time, stay cool!
Blue Coolers Rating
- Ice Retention
- Quality
- Features
- Price
Summary
Go for Blue Coolers if you’re looking for the perfect value proposition. If you want a high quality, long-lasting, and affordable cooler (very low price-per-quart ratio), then a Blue cooler may be your best bet.
User Review
( votes)Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Disclaimers
All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.
It is our policy to make every effort to respect the copyrights of outside parties. If you believe that your copyright has been misused, please provide us with a message stating your position and we will endeavor to correct any misuse immediately.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we may receive an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this website alive. Learn more here.
