The Coolest Cooler was a 2014 Kickstarter cooler packed with a battery-powered blender, Bluetooth speaker, USB charger and interior LED light that raised about $13 million from 62,642 backers. After years of delays, retail sales while backers waited and a $97 expedited-shipping offer, the company shut down in December 2019 with more than 20,000 backers never receiving one; their only compensation was up to $20 each under a 2017 Oregon Justice Department settlement.
This entry is written from the 5 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
The pattern in the sources is regret. Only 8% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction falls from 8.5 to 1.5 out of 10 by the two-year mark.
For many backers, six months after pledging meant still waiting, as factory strikes, parts recalls and rising costs stretched delivery into years. Those who did get one found a heavy cooler whose gadgets work but rarely beat cheaper standalone gear.
Unfulfilled backers were offered at most $20 back on a roughly $200 pledge. Removable battery can be damaged by full discharge in storage, and a replacement costs $50.
It is a real product that works, but its launch reception (95 out of 100 for hype) ran well ahead of how owners feel about it later. Unfulfilled backers were offered at most $20 back on a roughly $200 pledge. That gap is what the regret score measures.
Worth it for: Tailgaters who want gadgets in one box; Bargain hunters who found one in liquidation sales. Think twice if: Crowdfunding backers expecting delivery; Anyone who needs a light, portable cooler; Buyers wanting top ice retention.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.5 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 7.0 / 10 |
| One month | 6.0 / 10 |
| Six months | 4.0 / 10 |
| One year | 3.0 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 1.5 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Backers paid $185 plus $15 shipping; $13M raised from 62,642 backers; 40,000 delivered, 20,000+ never will; company blamed tariffs, costs and factory problems; up to $20 under the Oregon DOJ settlement.
About 20,000 of roughly 60,000 backers won't get coolers; a 2017 Oregon DOJ settlement provides $20; the company ran a roughly $100 cyber-week sale just before announcing the shutdown.
Recaps the $200 pledges, Amazon sales at about $500 while backers waited, the $97 expedited-shipping offer and the $20 settlement, citing PCMag calling the gadgets mediocre.
Hands-on with a $399.99 retail unit: sturdy and well designed, but 38 lbs empty, ice retention like an old Coleman, a basic blender and a steep premium over buying the gadgets separately.
Discussion thread where commenters reject tariffs as the main cause, blame poor planning and logistics, and warn about crowdfunding risk; some report disappointing results from the cooler.