Refrigerator Buying Guide – Choose the best Refrigerator in India 2024
Refrigerator Buying guide
Table of Content
- Dimensions
- Capacity
- Style
- Budget
- No. of Person
- Power Rating
- Refrigerator buying guide table
DIMENSION
The first factor in choosing a refrigerator is its outside dimensions. For instance, purchasing a huge fridge if your home is small is not a good choice. Plan where you will put your refrigerator before choosing it so that it will fit there nicely.
Give the refrigerator a few additional inches of space all around. Verify that opening the door is simple and unobstructed by anything. Make sure to leave enough room for your refrigerator whether you’re remodelling your home or building a new one. Depending on the size of your refrigerator, you may decorate your cabinets and internal spaces.
CAPACITY
Which capacity to acquire is the next major point of uncertainty. We should first be aware of how capacity is determined. There are two ways to mention the capacity of a refrigerator. For example, in cubic feet or litres. How are the cubic feet computed then?
It is extremely easy. For a reference, kindly refer to the picture. Measure the width of the inside side walls with a measuring tape. Then, like we did before, measure the height of the internal walls of the refrigerator. The depth follows.
Multiply each of the three numbers we obtained now. Please refer to the following examples of computations. (Note: If you are math-savvy, scroll ahead to the following sentence.)
Width = 1.5 Feet, Height = 3 Feet, Depth 1.5 Feet
W x H x D = 1.5 x 3 x 1.5 = 6.75 Cubic feet
The refrigerator can now hold 6.75 cubic feet of food. Let’s examine the conversion to litres.
Simply put, 1 cubic foot is equal to 28.3 litres. Consequently, 6.75 x 28.75 = 194.06 Liters
Assume that there is space inside for 80 to 100 one litre water bottles (If there are no compartments and shelves).
Gross Capacity vs Storage Capacity
The refrigerator’s exterior is used to assess gross capacity. Inside the refrigerator, storage space is measured.
Fridge-Freezer Ratio
separated into refrigerator and freezer storage space. The majority of Indian refrigerators have a (25:75) to (30:70) ratio.
What are the size or capacity available?
It starts from 5Ltr to large 900Ltr. Please check our best pick in each segment.
MAIN TYPES OF REFRIGERATORS
DIRECT COOL
Without any outside assistance, refrigeration occurs naturally through the movement of cool air. Therefore, there is no method for you to regulate the distribution of temperature. Unevenness is a given. You see the accumulation of frost in and around the freezer box under such conditions. This ice has to be manually defrosted by pressing a button.
FROST FREE
By using electric fans to distribute chilled air evenly throughout the refrigerator, this technique operates. The freezer contains a few heaters that periodically switch on in order to prevent frost buildup. There is no need to defrost because no ice is forming.
REFRIGERATOR STYLE
Single Door / Direct Cool
This type has a built-in freezer with a single door. Direct cooling technique is employed by this refrigerator. This type is highly affordable and energy-efficient. The available volume is 250L. This model's biggest flaw is that it is not Frost free. We have to manually defrost. a smaller freezer.
Double Door or Frost Free
The refrigerator of this style has two doors. One is on top, while the other is at the bottom. The freezer and refrigerator each have two independent sections. The frost-free technology in this model is included. uses more electricity than a refrigerator with one door. In this approach, there are two more subcategories. One model is a top-mount freezer, while the other is a bottom-mount freezer.
Top Freezer
This particular type has the freezer installed on top of the refrigerator.
Bottom Freezer
In this design, the freezer is installed at the base of the refrigerator.
Which is best?
Everything is done at your convenience. If you often access your veggies and non-frozen foods, you should choose a bottom freezer. You should think about the top freezer if you regularly visit the freezer.
Note: Due to the compressor’s distance from the freezer, top mount freezers are 10–25 percent more energy efficient than the other type. The compressor must use more effort to chill the freezer if it is close by. The top freezer model has no heating problems. Therefore, it can reduce energy use by 10 to 25 percent.
Triple Door
With three compartments in this model, you may store a variety of items to keep them fresh at different temperatures. Vegetables, for instance, require a different temperature than other foods, therefore this model's dedicated vegetable section keeps our vegetables fresher longer than models with mixed compartments. However, it uses a bit less energy than a refrigerator with two doors.
Side by Side
We have two doors that are set side by side in this type. Compared to the previous versions, it has larger room. It varies between 450L and 900L. A select few models have intelligent features such a large display, fast ice, crushed ice, water, and meal planner. We can manage it with our smartphones.
French Door
French door refrigerators resemble side-by-side versions in appearance, but the primary distinction is whether they have three or four doors. French door refrigerators have two doors at the top and one or two doors at the bottom. Therefore, our tastes will determine which of these two models we choose.
Convertible
This model’s primary goal is to enable us to transform our freezer into a refrigerator whenever necessary. One click transforms the freezer into a refrigerator. As a result, we have greater storage and may arrange our foods accordingly. Here is the most popular 5-in-1 refrigerator.
Mini Refrigerator
Not in the market for a large refrigerator? Do you live alone? The answer is right here for you. Mini refrigerators have capacities ranging from 50 to 150 litres. However, it boasts cutting-edge technology. This is the perfect option if you need an extra refrigerator for your bedroom or business.
Car Refrigerator
If you are doing a lengthy automobile trip. Then you require vehicle freezers to cool your beverages. Some coolers have a warmer as well. so that you can navigate any type of weather while traveling. These freezers are found in automobiles, SUVs, vans, and buses. The volume ranges from 5 to 50 litres.
There are further more models available like – Door in Door, Wine chiller, Deep freezer, Commercial Refrigerators, but those are not popular in our category, so we can move to the next criteria of buying guide.
BUDGET
Budget is the primary consideration, therefore we should first determine how much we can spend.
In this list, I’ve included a handful of the top refrigerators for every price range.
FAMILY SIZE
One important consideration when choosing a refrigerator is the size of the family; if you are a single person, a 300L refrigerator is not necessary. However, if you have a large family of six people, a 150L refrigerator won’t hold all of your belongings. So, consider your family size and consumption while making plans. If you rent your home, choose a low-cost, well-capable item that satisfies your spacing needs. Therefore, take your family size and location into account when purchasing a refrigerator. This straightforward diagram explains everything.
POWER RATING
When using power, star rating is significant. A refrigerator with one star will use more energy than another. A five-star refrigerator uses less energy. Nevertheless, the BEE predicts that the ranking will alter in the future (Bureau of Energy Efficiency). The star rating is reduced from 1 star to 1 star in 2016, therefore if you purchased a refrigerator in 2015 with a 4 star rating, it would now be regarded as 3 stars in 2017.