Bushman DC-X vs Dometic NRX: choosing a built-in upright
Both of these makers publish a cabinet aperture table in their own installation documents, and as far as we can find, nobody has put the 2 side by side. So that is what this page is. The short version: the Bushman 130L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC130-X HD wants a cavity 755mm tall for 130L, while the Dometic NRX 130C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer wants an aperture 821 to 823mm tall for 126L. Roughly 66mm more hole for 4 fewer litres. Prices are bands as at July 2026.
- Products compared
- 8
- Dimensions
- 6
- Physically tested
- NO
- Figures last checked
- 3 August 2026
These picks come from published manufacturer specifications, Australian retailer listings checked on the date above, and owner-reported experience treated as a pattern rather than as proof. We do not physically test the products we compare. Read the method in full.
The cabinet, which is the whole decision
If you are buying a built-in upright, you are almost always buying it for a hole that already exists, or for one a cabinetmaker is about to cut. Every other specification is downstream of whether it goes in.
These are the makers’ own figures, from their own installation documents. Bushman publishes a single figure per dimension. Dometic publishes width and height as tolerance ranges and does not publish an aperture depth for any model.
| Model | Capacity | Width | Depth | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushman 50L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC50-X HD | 50L | 385 | 495 | 530 |
| Bushman 65L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC65-X HD | 65L | 455 | 515 | 530 |
| Bushman 85L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC85-X HD | 85L | 480 | 550 | 630 |
| Bushman 130L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC130-X HD | 130L | 530 | 550 | 755 |
| Dometic NRX 60C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | 55L | 460 to 462 | Not published | 534 to 536 |
| Dometic NRX 80C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | 75L | 487 to 489 | Not published | 634 to 636 |
| Dometic NRX 115C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | 113L | 537 to 539 | Not published | 754 to 756 |
| Dometic NRX 130C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | 126L | 537 to 539 | Not published | 821 to 823 |
Depth is blank for all 4 Dometic models because Dometic publishes no aperture depth anywhere: not in the installation manual, not on its Australian product pages, not at the retailer. It publishes an appliance depth and a minimum rear spacing, which is a different figure and cannot be substituted for one.
Check these against your own unit’s document before you cut anything.These figures were read from the manufacturers’ published manuals on the date above and they are reproduced here so you can compare 2 brands in one place. They are not a substitute for the document that comes with the fridge you actually buy, and revisions happen. Measure the aperture, then confirm against the manual for your exact model, then cut.
The 2 comparisons worth making
- Same hole, different capacity. The Dometic NRX 115C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer wants 754 to 756mm of height for 113L. The Bushman 130L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC130-X HD wants 755mm for 130L. Practically the same aperture height, 17 litres apart.
- Fixed height, more litres. Inside the Bushman range, the Bushman 50L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC50-X HD and the Bushman 65L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC65-X HD share a 530mm cavity height. If your aperture height is fixed and you have width to spare, that is 15 more litres for 70mm more width and no extra height.
Ventilation, specified in units that do not convert
Both makers require ventilation and both are emphatic about it, and there the similarity ends. Bushman specifies vent free area. Dometic specifies a spacing. There is no arithmetic that turns one into the other, so a buyer cross-shopping the 2 has no way to compare what each will demand of the cabinet.
- Bushman. Bushman's manual requires 2 vents from the rear of the cavity, each with a free cross section of 400cm2, and warns in the manual itself that a 400mm by 200mm vent is approximately 400cm2 and not 800cm2. The product pages add a minimum 50mm rear gap.
- Dometic. Dometic's installation manual specifies a minimum spacing of 50mm and a maximum installation tilt of 30 degrees, and warns that insufficient air flow shortens lifespan and reduces cooling performance. It gives no vent free-area requirement, so the 2 brands cannot be compared on ventilation at all.
The Bushman note about a 400mm by 200mm vent being approximately 400cm2 and not 800cm2 is in its manual because people get it wrong, and it is a good sign that the maker anticipated the mistake. What neither brand publishes is a side or top clearance in mm, so if your cabinet is tight on those, the answer is not in either document.
Neither brand gives you a number you can compare
This is the section most comparison pages would turn into a table. We cannot honestly build one, and explaining why is more useful than a chart made of numbers that do not mean the same thing.
| Model | Published 24 hour average | Measured at |
|---|---|---|
| Bushman 50L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC50-X HD | 0.98 Ah/h | 25C ambient |
| Bushman 65L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC65-X HD | 1 Ah/h | 25C ambient |
| Bushman 85L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC85-X HD | 1.25 Ah/h | 25C ambient |
| Bushman 130L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC130-X HD | 1.4 Ah/h | 25C ambient |
| Dometic NRX 60C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | Not published | Not published |
| Dometic NRX 80C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | Not published | Not published |
| Dometic NRX 115C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | Not published | Not published |
| Dometic NRX 130C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer | Not published | Not published |
Bushman disagrees with itself. On 3 of its 4 product pages, the specification table row and the feature bullet give different consumption figures for the same fridge. The bullet is the more useful of the 2 because it carries its conditions, at a 25C ambient with the fridge set to 4C, and it is the figure Australian retailers quote. The spec table row carries no conditions at all. Both are on the same page, published by the same company, and they do not agree.
Dometic publishes nothing comparable. Across the 4 NRX models here, 0 publish a 24 hour average. What Dometic does publish is an AC rated input power, which is a nameplate figure describing what the appliance may draw, not what it uses over a day. Multiplying it by 24 produces a number several times too large, and we have seen that mistake made.
So the honest position is that these 2 ranges cannot be ranked on running cost from published data. If that matters to you more than cabinet fit, the buying guide sets out how to work a daily figure from an assumption you state, which is the only route left when the maker will not tell you.
Warranty, and where each brand hides it
- Bushman. Bushman's owner manual states it warrants the product to the original owner for 3 years from purchase, with 7 years for the compressor only. The 7 year figure is the one the product pages lead with. The 3 year unit term appears on those pages only in the meta description, so it shows in a search result and not on the page a shopper reads. Snowys states both correctly as 3 Year Unit and 7 Year Compressor.
- Dometic. Dometic's operating manual 4445103633 states that the warranty applicable to the product is 3 years. The newer 2025 manual for the same range dropped that sentence and carries only the Australian Consumer Law statement. Dometic's Australian product pages publish no warranty field at all.
Neither is a scandal, but both are worth knowing before you are told a number in a showroom. A 7 year figure that covers the compressor only is not a 7 year fridge warranty, and a 3 year figure that lives in one manual and not its replacement is not something to rely on without asking. Australian Consumer Law guarantees sit on top of whatever either brand states, and they run against the retailer who sold it to you.
Which one, and for whom
Bushman 50L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC50-X HD
The smallest cavity in this comparison by a wide margin, and the one that fits where a Dometic will not: 385mm wide against 460mm for the nearest NRX. If the cabinet aperture is the constraint rather than the capacity, this is the answer before you look at anything else.
Strength. Publishes a full 3-dimension cut-out cavity table and a consumption average with the ambient and set point attached, which between them are the 2 things a cabinet retrofit actually turns on.
Weakness. Bushman disagrees with itself on consumption: the spec table row says Av 1.0 Ah/h with no conditions while the feature bullet says 0.98 Amp/hr over 24hrs at 25C ambient and 4C fridge. The freezer litre split is not published by Bushman for this model.
$1,250 to $1,350 as at July 2026. See the current Bushman 50L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC50-X HD listing
Bushman 65L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC65-X HD
Same 530mm cavity height as the 50L for 15 more litres, which is the most useful single fact in the Bushman ladder. If the aperture height is fixed at around 530mm, you can go from 50L to 65L for 70mm more width and no extra height at all.
Strength. The largest capacity gain for the smallest cavity change anywhere in this comparison.
Weakness. The same self-contradiction on consumption as the rest of the range. The freezer litre split is not published by Bushman.
$1,350 to $1,450 as at July 2026. See the current Bushman 65L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC65-X HD listing
Bushman 85L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC85-X HD
The only model in the Bushman range where the maker publishes the freezer split, at 6L, and the closest Bushman gets to the NRX 80C on capacity while needing a cavity 7mm narrower and 6mm shorter than Dometic's aperture.
Strength. The one Bushman where the fridge and freezer split comes from the manufacturer rather than being inferred from a retailer listing.
Weakness. Consumption is published twice with 2 different figures: 1.25 Ah/h in the feature bullet and 1.3 Ah/h in the spec table.
$1,500 to $1,600 as at July 2026. See the current Bushman 85L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC85-X HD listing
Bushman 130L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC130-X HD
The headline of the whole comparison. It carries 130L in a 755mm tall cavity while Dometic's NRX 130C needs an aperture of 821 to 823mm for 126L. That is roughly 70mm more height for 4 fewer litres, and in a caravan cabinet 70mm is often the entire argument.
Strength. The best capacity-to-cavity-height ratio in the comparison, and it publishes a cut-out depth at a size where Dometic publishes none.
Weakness. Special order at Snowys rather than held stock. The freezer litre split is not published by Bushman.
Before you click. Snowys states on its own product page that it does not physically hold stock of this model, so treat it as a special order rather than as something that ships like the other 3.
$1,650 to $1,750 as at July 2026. See the current Bushman 130L Heavy Duty Upright Fridge DC130-X HD listing
Dometic NRX 80C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer
The closest Dometic to the Bushman DC85-X on price, and the comparison that shows what the money buys. The Bushman is 10 litres larger, publishes a consumption figure and publishes a cut-out depth. The Dometic gives you a lift-out frozen compartment and a reversible hinge.
Strength. A bevelled rear for board space, dual-function locks that act as vents, and a lift-out frozen compartment taking it to 78L of straight fridge.
Weakness. Dometic publishes no 24 hour consumption figure for this model at any ambient, only an AC rated input power, so its running cost cannot be compared against the Bushman's at all.
$1,350 to $1,450 as at July 2026. See the current Dometic NRX 80C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer listing
Dometic NRX 115C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer
The direct rival to the Bushman DC130-X on cavity height: 754 to 756mm against Bushman's 755mm, for 113L against 130L. The same hole in the cabinet, 17 fewer litres.
Strength. Fits almost exactly the same aperture height as the largest Bushman, so on a cabinet that is already built this becomes a straight capacity-against-brand choice.
Weakness. No published consumption figure. Dometic also publishes no aperture depth, so the 550mm the Bushman needs has no Dometic equivalent to check it against.
$1,400 to $1,500 as at July 2026. See the current Dometic NRX 115C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer listing
Dometic NRX 130C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer
The largest NRX, and the one that makes the cabinet-fit argument concrete. It wants an aperture 821 to 823mm tall for 126L, where the Bushman DC130-X wants 755mm for 130L. If your cabinet is already built, that 70mm decides it.
Strength. The frozen compartment lifts out for 130L of straight fridge, matching the Bushman's total capacity in a taller hole.
Weakness. Needs the tallest aperture in the comparison for slightly less capacity than its Bushman rival, and publishes no consumption figure.
$1,450 to $1,550 as at July 2026. See the current Dometic NRX 130C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer listing
Covered here with no link from us
Dometic NRX 60C Upright Compressor Fridge Freezer
The smallest NRX, and the one most often cross-shopped against the Bushman DC50-X. The cavity difference is the whole story: it wants 460 to 462mm of width against the Bushman's 385mm, for 5 more litres.
Weakness. Dometic publishes no aperture depth for any NRX, and depth is what kills a retrofit. The only consumption figures that exist for this model came from a retailer's staff answer attributing them to Dometic, not from a Dometic document, and the 2 figures quoted were taken at different set points from each other.
The Snowys listing is dead: it shows no price and says the product cannot be obtained again. Dometic Australia sells it direct and in stock, so it is covered here editorially with no commercial link from us.
What we could not source
This list is the point of the page as much as the tables are. No competitor on this search result admits any of it.
- Dometic aperture depth, for every model. Not in the installation manual, not on the Australian product pages, not at the retailer.
- Dometic consumption at any ambient for the models in this comparison.
- Bushman fridge and freezer litre split on 3 of its 4 models. Bushman publishes the split for 1 model only. Retailers publish splits for all 4, and we have not used those, because a retailer figure is not a maker figure.
- Side and top clearance in mm for either brand.
- Whether the Bushman 7 year compressor term applies to older stock.Bushman’s policy page ties it to 2026 and later models. Its manual states it with no model-year qualifier. The 2 documents do not clearly agree.
- Reliability data for either range. The Australian review counts on these specific models run from 0 to 8. Numbers that small support nothing, and we will not build an impression out of them.
Common questions
Which fits a smaller cabinet, Bushman or Dometic?
Does Dometic publish a cut-out depth for the NRX range?
Which one uses less power?
What warranty do you actually get?
Is it cheaper to buy direct from the manufacturer?
What to do next
Measure the aperture you actually have, in all 3 dimensions, before you shortlist anything. Then use the table above to see which models physically go in, and only then argue about brand. The rest of the 12V fridge section is here, and if you have not settled the power system yet, a built-in upright is a larger daily load than a portable and the touring power section starts from what your fridge actually costs you per day.
Installing a built-in upright is an auto electrician’s job, and this page does not cover it. We publish no cable sizes, no fuse ratings and no circuit guidance of any kind. Why we draw that line.