It’s the coolest one

Frost-free refrigerators are steadily taking over the traditional direct cool segment, largely because they are easy to clean and maintain. For this report, Right Choice tested 12 of the most easily available frost-free refrigerators in the 200-300-litre capacity.

Generally, if a refrigerator looks big on the outside, it has similar capacity inside, but that isn’t always true – some models have more space inside than others of similar dimensions, owing to the way they are compartmentalised. Capacities claimed by manufacturers can also be misleading. We found that there was generally less storage area than claimed for the models featured here – anywhere between 1-15 litres less! In this test, only the Panasonic model gave more storage space than stated on its label. All the fridges we bought were completely airtight, ensuring that no warm air or dust has access to the refrigerator once the door is closed.

How they fared
Four out of the 12 models tested performed extremely well. Haier, Panasonic, Samsung and Whirlpool – the Right Choices – maintained a uniform temperature while cooling.

Free-standing refrigerators are the most popular buys among Indians. Most of us prefer models that have the freezer on top of the fridge. However, if you don’t use your freezer too often, consider buying a model where the freezer is below the refrigerator. This means you will have to stoop less often to reach for fresh food and bottles.

There are several design details that can make a fridge more convenient to use. For instance, bottle racks on the door, of varying widths, let you slot bottles by size, without the risk of them tipping out or falling over. Most refrigerators also have adjustable shelves and one or two closed shelves in the chiller and crisper section. If you need more space for storing vegetables, choose a refrigerator that has crisper space, or even two separate crispers, such as our Right Choice Samsung model. It is also important to look into the freezer compartment if you need plenty of storage space for meat, ice and frozen food.

A key aspect to watch out for is the energy rating of the appliance. Refrigeration appliances are one of the biggest domestic users of energy, because they’re on all the time. New models of refrigerators now carry star ratings based on their energy consumption. For more, see ‘BEE-star ratings’

HAIER HRF3304 GVF WRCL
The largest refrigerator in the lot that we tested, the Haier HRF3304 GVFWRCL is also the top Right Choice, with even and energy-efficient cooling. This refrigerator scored well on overall convenience and was one of the quietest refrigerators we’ve tested, with a compressor that was scarcely audible to our lab experts. When started up, both the fridge and freezer cooled down fairly quickly – the former reached its target temperature in well under four hours and the latter in just under two-and-a-half hours. This Haier model is easy to use and clean though the shelves are not easy to adjust. Its door seal is airtight. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency gives this refrigeratora 4-star rating.

PANASONIC NR-BT263SS
This is the only refrigerator in our test to have the fridge located on top of the freezer. This refrigerator comes with 18 more litres in storage space than stated by the manufacturer. Like the Haier model, this Panasonic model scored high on maintaining a uniform temperature inside the refrigerator. It also received a 5-star rating in the storage temperature test. This means, every part of your refrigerator cools down to the optimum temperature for the food stored there. Our experts were less impressed with the features, particularly the integrated hand-mould in place of a separate door handle. On the plus side, the refrigerator is lit by LED bulb – an energy saving feature. It has a 4-star BEE rating.

SAMSUNG RT26HCSL
Samsung RT26HCSL is yet another Right Choice that cools fast and maintains the refrigerator compartments at uniform and optimum temperatures. The freezer in particular stayed consistently around the -15 degrees Celsius mark. The compressor is audible while functioning but is not loud enough to be annoying. There is no separate chill zone in the top part of the fridge. Instead, the storage area is broken up by three shelves and two covered-but- ventilated baskets. Accessto these bins can be problematic, especially the lower one, as the bottle-racks on the door prevent you from pulling it out. The shelves are easy to adjust. Samsung’s energy label says it is a 4-star model.

WHIRLPOOL MASTERMIND DLX
The last Right Choice on our list, the Whirlpool Mastermind Deluxe Titanium has an overall score of 71. It acquired the best score of all the refrigerators for its cooling speed. This means that your refrigerator and freezer cool down rapidly – accor- ding to our tests, in about two hours of being switched on. This is a godsend in summers when power cuts are frequent. Our experts felt that the position of the lamp in one corner was not user-friendly, so you could possibly damage the bulb when putting in food or rearranging your refrigerator. Shelves require some effort to adjust but are easy to clean. On the other hand, the door racks are easily adjustable but more difficult to clean.
 It has a 4-star rating from BEE.