Igloo Party Bar Cooler Review

Storage Size: 125-quart size

Construction: Metal and plastic composition

Cost: Intermediate-priced

Features: 16 waterproof LED lights, locking casters, threaded drain plug, bottle opener and cap catch bin, modular grates for dividing items, wheels, see-through lid

Pros: Awesome looking cooler, compartmentalized storage, casters for mobility

Cons: Poor ice preservation, flimsy lid

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Last Updated by Brandon F. on August 8, 2022

This is our Igloo Party Bar Cooler Review.  The Igloo Party Bar Cooler is a unique offering in that is a collaboration between Igloo and Liddup.  Special features include an LED interior lighting system, a detachable base with locking casters, bottle openers, removable see-through lid, removable dividers, cool riser technology, and much more. 

Also, it comes with side handles if you decide to carry it conventionally.  It is available in a 125-quart option, is silver and black (and also has a new brown model that doesn’t have LED lighting), and is comprised of a combination of metal and plastic.  The asking price can creep up a bit, however, due to the added features.

Insulation Ability –

The intent of the Igloo Party Bar Cooler isn’t to prolong ice for days at a time.  Being a “party” cooler, it is instead designed to be fun to use and capable of entertaining people during a party.  And since most parties only last for an evening or a half-day at the most, ice preservation isn’t a big priority here.

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And this is evident in the design.  The lid offers up a neat semi-see-through feature but that comes at the cost of being extremely thin and not having anything in the way of insulation.  Also, the walls of the body are quite thin and don’t take advantage of any sort of significant foam or plastic insulation.  And the lid snaps onto the body which doesn’t form much of a seal.  The result of this is cold air that can easily escape and melt ice rather quickly.  This cooler is designed more for an evening celebration instead of multiple-day ice retention.

The big thing that this ice chest has going for it is its size.  Being over 100 quarts of storage volume, you can fill it up with a lot of ice.  And since you will typically have your items easily accessible towards the top, a lot of the base will be ice.  This helps to prolong cooling performance a bit.  Also, we appreciate Igloo including their Cool Riser Technology which lifts the base off the warm ground.  However, even with the top closed and it filled to the brim with ice, don’t expect it to last any longer than a couple of days max.

Mobility and Durability –

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For being a larger ice chest, the Igloo Party Bar is quite mobile.  The detachable locking casters mean that they can be easily rolled or removed for size and weight drop and carried conventionally with the handles.  It is also relatively light because of its thin structure.  That being said, the thin qualities mean that it is quite fragile.  The lid is very flimsy and you want to try to avoid rough treatment while being used.  It is obvious that this is meant more for a showpiece rather than a tough cooler so if you don’t treat it as such the life of it will go down significantly.

There are some other cool features included in this product.  We like the LED lights which help to illuminate the inside contents.  Also, you will find a bottle opener with a bottle cap catch tray attached directly to the cooler.  Finally, the drain plug is well-situated and allows you to easily empty melted ice (and there will be a lot of it!).

There is also a non-LED model now available that is cheaper as well.  It is essentially the same in regards to toughness and performance but doesn’t offer the lighting.

Visual Appeal – 

This is one of the coolest-looking coolers on the market.  The LED lighting looks great and it is really impressive to be able to see inside the chest to look at the contents without opening it.  Also, the exterior has a nice presentation with its corrugated silver and black-accented finish.  The new model (the non-LED one) comes in an attractive bronze color.  This is the perfect cooler for the next time you host a backyard party.  You are sure to receive a lot of compliments on it!

Cost – 

This ice chest will typically fall into the intermediate price tier.  It will be a bit higher than most Igloo products of this size and that can be primarily attributed to the LED lighting, removable casters, and overall unique design.  However, the performance and toughness won’t be quite up to par.  This is a really neat cooler but has a very specifically designed purpose.

Overall Rating – 

The Igloo Party Bar Cooler Review earns 3.5 coolers out of 5.  For party appeal, this cooler can’t be beaten.  It looks great and the lights are quite handy when it is dark outside.  Plus there is a lot of room to fit drinks for your next get-together.  The mobility aspect and built-in bottle opener are also nice touches.

However, it is a very flimsy cooler and does a poor job of keeping things cold for very long, so don’t plan on using this for an extended camping trip but rather for a fun night entertaining friends.  Whether or not this product should interest you will boil down to what you are after: an entertainment cooler or something to take out on a boat or to the campsite.