But maybe that’s because the brand’s slightly higher prices discourage people from buying the truly lowest-end models, so they don’t drag down the overall rating. Whirlpool’s reliability for this style also seems to be a little better than that of the other two brands. But we just don’t have enough data to say how these Whirlpools compare to similarly priced models with comparable features from LG or Samsung, so we don’t want to endorse one brand over another.
Mini Fridge with Top Freezer has an interior light for spotting exactly what you need inside. Emily Belfiore is a Buying Guides writer for Meredith brands including InStyle, People, Food & Wine, and more. Always in pursuit of the best reviewer-vouched products, she covers topics spanning across the fashion, beauty, and health and wellness Frigidaire fridge verticals. In her free time, you can find her testing products for articles, watching beauty tutorials, or catching up on the latest binge-worthy show. Take a look at your school’s housing policy to find out what dimensions are acceptable (many schools require ones that are 5 cubic feet or smaller, though some max out at 3.5 feet).
This is basically destined to be a problem with most similar models, so it’s important to understand that you’re working with a very small, very inexpensively built appliance. If you don’t store 12-ounce cans, you might find that the can holder on the door becomes wasted space, and while most people agree that the freezer works well, some have found that temperature fluctuates above freezing. The back of the refrigerator compartment also tends to get colder, which you can use accordingly, but it can also be a nuisance. Compact and versatile as a fridge or freezer, Avanti’s Dual-Function mini fridge has a single shelf for easy storage and cleaning. Featuring a shelf, in-door storage, and a chiller, the Frigidaire 1.6-Cubic-Foot Compact Fridge has just enough room to store your mini fridge basics. Based on other mini fridges posted, this looks to be a pretty good deal.
All of Whirlpool’s freestanding refrigerators were transitioned to the climate-friendly R600a refrigerant by the end of 2021. Senior staff writer Liam McCabe has covered home appliances since 2011, including a stint at Reviewed, and has worked on Arctic King versions of this Wirecutter guide since 2014. Skip to content HUGE SALE – 50% off all retail items online and in-store. If that does not help, clean the inside of the unit by following the cleaning instructions included in the owner’s manual.
And LG doesn’t sell as wide a variety of that type of fridge as other brands do. But judging from the little info we do have, those models seem to be solid, too. LG’s bottom-freezer models also earned high marks in our reader survey. The shelving and organization in LG fridges earned especially high ratings in our reader survey, as LG beat the other major brands in satisfaction with perceived capacity, storage ability, and accessibility of contents. Among refrigerators from the five major brands, LG fridges seem to make their owners the happiest.
Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches home products. You can even store frozen items in the compact 1/2 width freezer compartment. The chiller goes down to 27 degrees and the refrigerator can go as low as 32 degrees. Whether you need a fridge for the garage, dorm room, or office, the Whirlpool 4.3 cu. This Energy Star rated compact refrigerator has an adjustable thermostat, allowing you to have control over how cold your items stay. The fridge has a seven-can dispenser built in, and is tall enough inside to hold two-liter bottles.
This allows you to keep an eye on your inventory and not have to stand there with the door open while fishing around or deciding what you want. As we mentioned earlier, the longer and more often you open your mini fridge door, the more you overwork the poor little built-in compressor, and the faster you shorten the appliance’s life. GE’s 3.1-Cubic-Foot mini fridge has a separate freezer and plenty of smartly-designated space for cans, food, and more. Normally $190, currently $150 which is pretty good for a 4.3 cubic foot mini fridge with a freezer compartment too (0.5 cubic feet). A mini fridge can absolutely be worth the cost, especially if you’re going off to college.
Customer ratings for these pricier models often reach 4.7 stars out of five on Home Depot’s site, whereas the midrange models tend to earn closer to 4.4 stars. And according to our reader survey, brands that exclusively sell premium fridges have higher owner satisfaction than brands that sell fridges at a mix of prices. Whirlpool was one of the few brands that had enough survey responses about bottom-freezer models to be statistically significant, and the ratings were strong.