89% of 18 verified owners recommend the Igloo BMX 52 QT, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“the hinges were garbage. Just short screws directly into the plastic body, and they pulled out within 3-4 uses.”
“I did it on mine and it works great.”
“the modified BMX cooler now matches the Yeti and Rtic coolers ice efficiency”
“not having that rubber gasket seal in the lid, has been a big reason why I haven't bought one before”
“I have the BMX 25 cooler for the last 3 years and it has not disappointed me.”
“Looks cheaply built.”
“Good honest review”
“it held ice retention for every bit of 5 days but in the last day it was pure water”
“I need one on mine it leaks when it tips over”
“That seems to be tne downside with igloo, they never include a gasket/seal on their coolers.”
“I love mine all it needs is a seal liner”
“it paid for itself and kept our stuff cold for 3 days”
“BMX 52 spout backed itself out and water leaked all over the SUV cargo area”
“I love mine and it's been hard used in fishing boats, beach, and visits to parties and bonfires.”
“the Igloo looks to be more durable than the Coleman”
“I put a gasket on my Igloo's lid. It really helped.”
“Makes me think it's not working as good as it should”
“Wish it lasted a bit longer on hot days, but I open and close the lid a lot throughout the day.”
“Bought one lucky to hold ice for a day”
“If you have shorter trips a Igloo will do the job”
“This looks perfect”
“easily modified into a seven day cooler makes the choice a no-brainer”
“the foam under the surface cracks pretty easy and that will affect the coolers ability to stay cool”
“Either one you choose would do good”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Good for bringing some beers to a friends house though. Yeti makes nice soft-sided ones, but the price just isn’t worth the minor convenience to me. I usually fit two 52 qt Igloo BMX coolers through the driver/passenger door with the rear seats flat and the front seats pushed forward.”
“Thought about heat sink tubing but it's not thick enough. Also considered layering tape on the inner lips but figured it would go to $#!t as soon as it got wet. Any help appreciated”
“As others have said, I'd seal it up with a bit of white silicone just to keep water from working it's way into the walls of your cooler, and then just use it without worry.”
“Some popular testing TV channel ( forgot name sadly) did the test and coolers kept temp longer with combination of water and ice rather than ice alone. In real life situations I did find that to be the case.”
“I literally just pulled the rubber gasket out of a 5 gallon paint bucket lid 3 days ago & stretched it around the lid lip.”
“I expect I'll get something better and return it, but $120 for 72 qt seems like a good deal, Prime Day was ending, and Amazon has a great return policy. It's back up to $244 today. Another one I'm throwing into the ring as a possibility is CaterGator.”
“Tried it on my Latitude 90 Roller and the latches won’t close properly even if I stand on it but leaving it for now. Hoping once they’re loaded the 52 will be heavy enough to keep the 90 closed and the maybe the seal will deform over the course of a few days.”
“So I took the plunge. Here’s the post I just made. https://www.reddit.com/r/Coolers/s/2qWxHek9pA”
“We need to know how the seal worked. Did it stop water from leaking if tipped?”
“I wouldn't worry about it. But you could put a sticker over it, if you wanted?”
“Any chance you have a link for what you used? Glad to hear it’s working well”
“Last year, I found the Igloo BMX 52 Qt Cooler (grey & blue) on clearence at a local Safeway grocery store for $50! I put a cut-to-fit sheet of refelctix insulation foil along with a thin sheet of styrofoam inside the cooler. These 2 pieces of insulation sit on top of the drinks & ice.”
“I added adhesive backed rubber " D" type weatherstripping to the grooves that the lid lip fits into on both of my BMX coolers . The 52 qt one is now compatible with mt RTIC 65. It appears that the main feature that sets the Yeti And RTIC level coolers apart from the rest is that weatherstripping.”
“Seems like it fits REALLY well. Can’t wait to test it out.”
“It looks like a spin weld that didn’t fully seat correctly. It shouldn’t affect insulation but it is possible that over time, moisture gets into the gap and can cause the foam to delaminate from the walls of the cooler lid. I’d put a sticker over it or maybe some silicone in the gap to be safe. Or both!”
“Didn't do any tests, just was watching the ice levels.”
“Really interested to know if it improved the cooling?”