Coleman Mach 8 Low Profile 9,200 BTU Review

[egarant]

I purchased the stated unit for two reasons.

One, was to be able to run it with my Honda 2000.
Second, I wanted a low a height on the unit to help lower my already tall profile. The 8" height of the Coleman is the lowest profile in the industry.

The first thing I noticed was how loud the unit was, the fan is located on the top of the unit which may or may not contribute to the sound. What I did find out is that Coleman made an upgraded fan blade that replaced the OEM and silenced the unit to acceptable levels, at least for me.

The sound inside was as quiet as you would expect and the airflow was excellent on high and on low speed suppled just enough air without blowing you out of bed at night.

I was able to run the unit in temps of 112 with no problems.

Now the bad.....my TC, and Eagle Cap is on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to insulation, that said, with the windows shades down on a 90 degree day running all day I could only get the temp inside down to 81.

That is just the most recent example of a years worth of use that has left me with no alternative but to upgrade to the same make and model but rated at 15,000 BTU's.

I will soon have the 9,200 unit on Craigslist.

[towpro]

I think i understand, at least with the new unit, the compressor has 1 speed, and the inside fan has 2 speeds. So its 9800 btu on High or low.

So if the AC cools X amount of air Y degrees on low, your going to have a Delta of temp drop across the evaporator. Now speed up the fan so X has more volume, Y is not going to drop as low and it will keep the evaporator above 32 deg F and prevent freezing.

[trailgranny50]

That is what the tech guy told us a long time ago when we had freeze up issues in our 5er. When it's humid on low the unit doesn't generate enough evaporation and they freeze up and thaw back out into the camper thru the ceiling unit when you have to turn it to fan to thaw. Also on low the compressor cycles more often. On high it cools down a bit more quickly then is off longer,on low it keeps cycling quicker and causes extra wear on the compressor. Thought he was nuts but in ten years trying it both ways at first found he was right. No freeze up and no dead compressors and stay cool.

[arto_wa]

trailgranny50 wrote:
Our 9200 will freeze icicles on your nose in 100°+ heat in our poorly insulated 25 year old camper as well. When it's humid we always run it on high to prevent it cycling the compressor too much per tech recommendation then low at night if it stays miserable hot.

Are you saying the compressor runs less if running on high setting?

[anutami]

trailgranny50 wrote:
Our 9200 will freeze icicles on your nose in 100°+ heat in our poorly insulated 25 year old camper as well. When it's humid we always run it on high to prevent it cycling the compressor too much per tech recommendation then low at night if it stays miserable hot. Have three small dogs and one fat lady that really appreciate the cool. Hubby just uses and extra blanket. If we're on shore power we've paid for the electricity so we use it. A bit more frugal on the generator but have extended run tank too.

Is this the newer low profile Coleman mach 8 or the previous mach 9 design?

It appears when coleman changed to the new low pro mach 8 design the unit will not cool effectivly at higher temps and will not run on high cool on a 2000 watt inverter. They should recall all the units and go back to the Mach 9 design on the 9200 btu unit. I am not happy with mine and with my last TC having the Mach 9 9200 btu unit it ran great on my honda 2000 geny and would freeze us out in desert conditions. Yeah I like the low profile design on the new model, but the thing is pretty much useless.

[trailgranny50]

Our 9200 will freeze icicles on your nose in 100°+ heat in our poorly insulated 25 year old camper as well. When it's humid we always run it on high to prevent it cycling the compressor too much per tech recommendation then low at night if it stays miserable hot. Have three small dogs and one fat lady that really appreciate the cool. Hubby just uses and extra blanket. If we're on shore power we've paid for the electricity so we use it. A bit more frugal on the generator but have extended run tank too.

[egarant]

Just got back from Lake Havasu running the 15K Mach 8......in 114 degrees!

Just incredible, got a hot interior down to 85 in no time flat. Slept in comfortable 76 degrees while the outside got no cooler than 90.

I just read an article on the Truck Camper Magazine site where Gordon and his wife installed a 9,200 Mach 8 like I had on their truck camper.

Their conclusion was that it didn't cool enough in temps over 90.

Article

If you are not locked into having to run the AC on a Honda, do yourself a favor, like I did, and get the largest unit, you can always turn it down.

[anutami]

Testudo wrote:
Geeze ! Like many posters imply, I think there is something wrong with your unit. Has the refrigerant level been checked ?

We have a circa 2006 Polar Cub 9200 in an OUTFITTER Caribou (that's a pop-top truck camper with weblon soft walls) and that puppy freezes the beecheezers out of us - - even in the hot and humid Florida Keys. I just can't recall a situation where that air conditioner failed to cool us. Typically we turn it on for a half hour or so and then "coast" for an hour.

Frankly, the only reason that truck campers get bigger units is economies of scale. When you're building campers it is more economical to stock and install a one-size-fits-all air conditioner. I think _most_ truck campers would be better off with a 9200-ish BTU air conditioner (...of course, it has to be in good working order). Builders really aren't doing anyone a favor by installing 15000 BTU units. When you think about it, 9200 BTUs would be overkill in a 120 square foot room in your house. Some truck campers are better insulated than others but if a 9200 can handle our soft walls, it can cool your hardwalled space.

Is that with hook ups or a 2000 watt generator?

[Testudo]

Geeze ! Like many posters imply, I think there is something wrong with your unit. Has the refrigerant level been checked ?

We have a circa 2006 Polar Cub 9200 in an OUTFITTER Caribou (that's a pop-top truck camper with weblon soft walls) and that puppy freezes the beecheezers out of us - - even in the hot and humid Florida Keys. I just can't recall a situation where that air conditioner failed to cool us. Typically we turn it on for a half hour or so and then "coast" for an hour.

Frankly, the only reason that truck campers get bigger units is economies of scale. When you're building campers it is more economical to stock and install a one-size-fits-all air conditioner. I think _most_ truck campers would be better off with a 9200-ish BTU air conditioner (...of course, it has to be in good working order). Builders really aren't doing anyone a favor by installing 15000 BTU units. When you think about it, 9200 BTUs would be overkill in a 120 square foot room in your house. Some truck campers are better insulated than others but if a 9200 can handle our soft walls, it can cool your hardwalled space.

[egarant]

UPDATE: 8/3/15

I have used the new 15,000 BTU Coleman Mach 8 Low Profile in Lake Havasu, AZ with outside temps of 105 and in Palm Springs which had outside temps of 110.

The AC worked like a charm, ice cold air, MUCH MUCH colder than the 9,200 BTU Mach 8 I had earlier.

Me and DW are happy (and cool) campers!

[anutami]

What is this "easy start" model?

I ordered the 9,200 btu model only to find the dealer installed the 13,5 btu standard unit by mistake instead. The 13.5 would not even run at sea level on low cool at about 90 degrees with my honda eu2000 (it ran for about 15 minutes before shutting down on overload).

[Pwrstrok]

anutami wrote:

adambeck7 wrote:
we're very happy w/ our polar cub 9200 in our eagle cap 960 as well. used it up to 107 degree weather just last week and it got it down to low 70's in no time.

Are you sure your unit is the 9,000btu?

I thought eagle cap was putting the 13,500btu unit..,

(And it is a lie the 13.5 btu will run off a honda 2000 generator)

From TCM. Clicky

TCM: Eagle Cap is changing to low-profile 13,500 BTU air conditioners for 2015. Will the new air conditioners run off a portable 2,000 watt generator like a Honda EU2000i?

Greg: Yes, they will, although they will not run on a portable 2,000 watt generator at high elevations. This is another customer driven request that we have heard. The lower profile air conditioners are more money, but we can order in volume so the price comes down.

2015-Eagle-Cap-Low-Profile-AC

Above: The Coleman Mach 8, a 13,500 BTU high-efficiency low profile air conditioner

TCM: What air conditioner are you using?

Greg: It’s a Coleman Mach 8 which is a 13,500 BTU high-efficiency air conditioner. You gain more BTUs and it draws less power. Plus, our campers are well insulated, further increasing efficiency. Low profile is the bigger request, especially on the taller 1160 and 1165 models.

I have a lance with a 13,500 easy start and my honda 2000 runs it just fine.

[brholt]

okan-star wrote:
Here`s an easy list of Colman - Airxcel products made now
Note the ones checked 'power saver '
Click the model # at the right and you can click the spec = data sheet to see the info
Note the 13k power saver models , they draw 10 amps and 1320 watts at desert conditions , easily ran off a Honda 2000
I have the 11k model and it cools my older Lance great , 9.5 amps on high @ desert 1260 watts

Not sure why I couldn't find it on the web site but it is good to know they still make it. It is certainly my experience that the smaller models have enough cooling capacity without the larger current draws. (To be fair I haven't parked mine in the sun in Phoenix and tried it but it handles the desert in eastern WA fine)

[okan-star]

Here`s an easy list of Colman - Airxcel products made now
Note the ones checked 'power saver '
Click the model # at the right and you can click the spec = data sheet to see the info
Note the 13k power saver models , they draw 10 amps and 1320 watts at desert conditions , easily ran off a Honda 2000
I have the 11k model and it cools my older Lance great , 9.5 amps on high @ desert 1260 watts

[trailgranny50]

Our RV tech told us that running the smaller unit longer at a stretch rather than cycling more often was easier on the compressor. He's not a salesman and dissent really like to have to fix AC units repeatedly so I trust his judgment.