Igloo BMX 52 Quart Cooler Full and Honest (2024 Updated)

Do you love going on trips? How do you get a hold of cool beverages during these fantastic trips? Then don’t forget to take the Igloo BMX 52 Quart cooler with you. It will keep your drinks chilly for at least 3 to 4 days! How’s that’s cool!

Without further ado, let’s have a look at the Igloo BMX 52 Quart cooler review for all the details you need to know before making your final decision to buy it for the road!

Igloo BMX 52 Quart Cooler Summary

The Igloo BMX 52 Quart cooler is undoubtedly one of the best Products by the company “Igloo” for a cheaper deal. Yes! They have considered the best performance within a budget under $150. For this product, Igloo offers tons of great features that are hard to find among the competing products within the same range.

Igloo maintains a very sturdy Blow-molded construction which ensures both the inside and outside of the cooler are up for anything. The durable body has MaxBody Technology with around 2 inches of insulation. Let’s not forget the 52 Quarts spacious capacity with a cooling life of 4 to 5 days. It is a catch at such a low price compared to the Giant of the Cooler industry.

Apart from that, the airtight lid ensures a better cooler service overall. Indeed, there is so much to discuss in detail, so keep reading the review!

Design

Regarding the build, Igloo claims they came up with an enhanced rugged body with sturdy construction and some exciting yet new features.

The new Igloo BMX Quart cooler is one of the most outstanding designs the company Igloo has ever manufactured. The design shows how Igloo has come so far in all these years and understood the market’s demand and its consumers. With the new upgrades and excellent features, this cooler is a big yes.

The 52 QT cooler is a heavy-duty cooler that can handle anything nature throws at. It is sturdy and can withstand literally any harsh environmental conditions and handling mishaps. Considering the dents most coolers get on their bodies, it looks like Igloo decided to take the necessary measures for this 52 QT cooler.

This time, Igloo introduced a heavy-duty molded cooler with the new Igloo BMX 52 Quart cooler. So, no more dents on your cooler. This construction technique is called “Blow-molded” construction. Many will say it is almost the same as the roto-molded construction concept, but the entire body of the cooler is molded as one piece. Thus, no industrial gluing and seams are involved in the internal construction. It not only gives sturdiness to the cooler but also improves ice retention.

The interior of the cooler has MaxCold body insulation. This insulation is 20% thicker foam and around 2 inches of insulation. Indeed, it is one of the best insulations we have ever seen in under $150 coolers. It is another reason for longer ice retention.

Your drinks or food remaining cool does not only depend on the interior design of the cooler. Instead, it additionally depends on the external design of the cooler. How? When you take your cooler out in the sun, the sun has an impact on melting the ice inside the cooler, right? This Igloo cooler has UV inhibitors that can take care of the extra heat the sun throws on your cooler.  In terms of color range, Igloo has some cool and fun color options from which you can pick. Following are the colors various available in Igloo BMX 52 qt cooler:

• White/Moonscape Grey
• Yellow
• Oil Green
• Rugged Blue
• Celadon
• Moonscape/Carbonite
• Canal Blue
• Carbonite/Fiesta Blue

So, when it comes to what color of cooler to purchase, here is our two cents of advice – always buy a white-colored cooler. Are you wondering why? When it comes to coolers, white coolers have far more ice retention than those with exciting colors. We suggest avoiding darker, solid colors like black and blue since they absorb heat from the sunlight, giving a kind of hiccup to the performance. Even though BMX coolers come with UV inhibitors, you should still consider the colors.

Let’s adjust our focus to the handles now as these are very important when carrying the cooler to the car, from the car, and around the campsite. The new Igloo BMX 52 Quart has two sturdy handles. In addition, these handles have tight rubber gripped so that they don’t slip off your hands when you carry them to places. 

Nevertheless, we have found a significant issue with the handles since we believe the handles are a crucial part of a cooler. These rubber handles have plastic tubes on both sides designed very loosely. You will see they are also so loose and dangling on the handles. As a result, there is always a high chance of these tubes falling off, and you can lose them in no time.

Pro tip- Apply some industrial glue and stick the tubes to the handles so you won’t lose them. 

If you want to tie down the BMX cooler to avoid the chance of it rolling over, then you must never do it with the lid. Rather than the lid, you can tie the cooler by the handles to your boat or something else.

The cooler’s lid is sturdy and has T-latches to open the top effortlessly. These T-latches securely lock in place by just a pull-down. The large hinges at the back of the lid that connects to the cooler are also made from stainless steel and are very durable. Another thing that we loved about the cooler’s lid is the air tightness. The inside lid had an oversized rubber “gasket” rim that seals the cooler shut with an airtight seal. Many high-end and expensive coolers like Engel Coolers 35 Quart or the Yeti V series coolers have this airtight lid and vacuum seal technology.

ProTip: We do recommend applying grease to the o-ring of the gasket. It will not just reduce the chances of cracking but also avoid leaking air paths if the gasket is pressed over time.

Lastly, we really liked that Igloo has upgraded the cabinet design. They have become better now with options to divide the space into multiple sections. And do not forget the threaded drain plug that will help you empty the water from the ice at the end of the trip. This drain plug is garden hose compatible also.

Igloo BMX 52 Quart Cooler Performance

Capacity

The Igloo BMX 52 qt cooler has a capacity of 83 cans of 12 ounces. Since the cooler has a horizontal length, you must lay down the wine bottle. The capacity of the wine bottle varies from 3 to 4 bottles.

Ice Retention

When you plan on buying a cooler, the first feature you look for is the number of days it will keep things cool inside. In terms of ice retention, Igloo BMX 52 Quart Cooler is far ahead of the competing Yeti and RTIC coolers. The bigger surface, the more ice it retains.

This cooler can retain ice from 4 to 5 days maximum. So, now it can last your trips without needing any quick refill at odd hours. Another feature that supports ice retention is the airtight lid of the cooler. It traps in the cool air and stops the warm air inside from seeping into the lid. Indeed, a well thought design!

Portability and Handling

Igloo tried to level up their designing game this time. We are impressed with the improvement of the handles this time. You can handle this cooler with a single hand. In addition, the swing-up handles of this cooler complement the rubber grips, giving it better protection while carrying the cooler to places.

Warranty

Igloo can ensure you are buying the best product in the market. How? This Igloo BMX 52 Quart Cooler has a year warranty, as mentioned on Amazon. But their website says it has 3 years of warranty starting from the date of purchase. Honestly, many major brands like Yeti and RTIC can never give you such a long warranty duration. 

Price

With $149.99, you can buy the best cooling experience out there. No other brand can offer you so many great deals with such a small amount. The best thing is within this price, and the company also gives the customer a 1-year manufacture’s warranty on Amazon and 3 years from the official website purchase. 

Our Verdict

Analyzing all the features versus the amount you will pay, we are definitely rooting for Igloo BMX 52 Quarts cooler. So far, we have not seen any other brand offering so many great features within this range.