Having a refrigerator has become one of the essential kitchen needs. It helps to keep your food fresh and also to budget. With a fridge, you can buy fresh foods and grocery supplies of up to one month or whatever amount of time you like to budget for. The convenience of not running to the grocery store and queuing every time you need supplies is worth for. With all the benefits of having a refrigerator accrues, you might want to buy a fridge but get indifferent about the countless options available in the market.
Basic guidelines for buying a fridge
1. Shelves – They should be adjustable to make room for taller items
2. Temperature-controlled drawers – These are for storage of things like fish and other delicate items
3. Dimensions of the fridge – This assists due to the storage area; for example, if you have a small kitchen space, you wouldn’t go for a large refrigerator. As most people place their fridges between countertops, consider if it will fit in there.
4. The finishing – This is a very critical factor that you should be keen on. It is because you don’t want to have it rusting or contrasting with your entire kitchen. Stainless steel works perfectly for most people, or black or a white fridge.
5. Noise – You don’t want a ‘haunted’ house, right? You might be awakened in the middle of the night by some weird noise coming from your kitchen and think there is someone in there. Nobody wants that, me neither! Go for a model that is quiet, especially so, if you have an open kitchen plan.
6. The energy efficiency rating – These should be a top list consideration. You don’t want to work all day throughout the year only to have enough to pay your electricity bills. Refrigerators are usually sold with an energy efficiency rating, and the average cost of operation annually is generally shown. Checking the score is good, but you shouldn’t entirely depend on them because efficiency standards usually vary significantly depending on the type of refrigerators. However, the annual estimated cost of operating the fridge will give you a good comparison basis for the different refrigerators in the market.
7. Brand – This is a factor that I will not major on today as these mostly depend on a person’s taste and preference. However later in my article, I will review some of the refrigerators that I feel will be of great help
Having discussed the above essential factors of deciding on the fridge to buy. We have analyzed bottom freezer models pros and cons as discussed below in depth
Advantages of bottom freezer model refrigerators
1. The Design is Space Saving
If you have used a side by side refrigerator or freezer, you understand that having a fridge that saves you space is worth every penny from your wallet, thanks to having to deal with a space hog. Countless people have complained that they have real trouble while trying to fit large items, especially so in the cramped freezer. Fortunately, with the bottom-placed freezer, it makes use of the usually unutilized space at the base of your fridge. Another massive space-saving feature is the separate ice maker and the freezer in this model. The ice maker stays in the top section, which frees up more space in the bottom freezer section. Most make come with different space-saving features like the pull drawers and adjustable shelves. Also, the best ones are those that offer customizable space to allow owners to choose what works best for them.
2. Fridges are Convenient
Compared to the freezer, the refrigerator gets more daily usage in most homes. Having the fridge at the bottom means that now the refrigerator portion occupies the easily accessible space, thus putting food closer to the eye level. With this kind of arrangement, it is not easy to have your food lost in the dark corners at the bottom of the refrigerator. Also, for most bottom freezer fridges, they come with handy pull out baskets, which makes both access and storage convenient. Organizing bottom freezers are more comfortable than the top freezer option.
3.Varying temperature settings
Traditionally, you would have to buy a separate drink dedicated refrigerator, to set the temperatures at “drink settings.” Thankfully with this newer style of bottom freezer refrigerator, you don’t need that. For most models, there is a drawer directly above the freezer, which can be stocked with beverages or the daily snacks and have its temperatures set differently from those of the main refrigerator. Better still, some models allow for a different temperature setting on the vegetable crisper drawer than that of the main fridge. This maintains your supplies fresh for a longer time, thus saving food and, ultimately, money.
4. Smaller footprint
Whether you are living in an apartment or you simply have small kitchen space for a refrigerator, then this is an excellent go-to option for you. Most refrigerators that have bottom freezers are small enough to fit into your small spaces.
Cons of bottom freezer model refrigerators
1. Cost
Obviously, the price of a refrigerator has so many factors to it, such as the model, the size, brand, features, etc. however, generally speaking, refrigerators with bottom freezers tend to be more on the higher cost side. The purchase cost is not all there is to it; most of the fridges with bottom freezers have french door access for the top section. This style, however, is not energy efficient compared to other forms, thus resulting in a higher monthly cost compared to other options. Putting into consideration the life expectancy of some of these fridges, the accumulated price ends up being high.
2. Heavyweight at the bottom
Frozen foods such as turkey can be quite something in terms of weight. To add to the pressure is the task of bending over to the freezer at the bottom to access them. This may be a daunting task, especially for the elderly or generally people with a bad back. However, if you don’t have an older person living in your house or someone with backache problems, then this may not be a huge concern for you
Review of mini-fridge with the best freezer
1. 9.2 Cu.Ft.Bottom mount mini fridge with freezer
If we would further categorize our analysis, we would call this one a win in terms of affordability and value. You need a fridge to freeze your supplies but not your bank account, right? This is the go-to option in case you are working with a budget. Other than the budget, you will never have to worry about the cooling space; the bottom mount refrigerator is very spacious.
With this unit, whether you want a left or right opening is up to you. The integrated handles that come with the door can be adjusted to open from either of the fancied sides, thanks to the reversible hinge design.
The maintenance of this unit is made easy by its frost-free feature. This also enhances food preservation. On keeping the unit clean, this unit has a touch of stainless steel, but then, one that doesn’t smudge. The doors have a spotless steel finishing, which makes it easy to clean and maintain its tidiness. This finishing also makes the unit attractive.
Remember, we talked about checking the energy efficiency of a refrigerator before buying it? This one is excellent at it; it uses approximately 20% less electricity compared to most of the fridges. Also, if you are the kind of person like me who doesn’t like things in their way, just because they appear cluttered or end up disorganizing your whole brain, then this is the go-to fridge. It has both of its thermostatic controls at the back wall, which gets them ‘out of the way.’ Did I mention that this fridge can get cold, enough past -20 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning you can’t quite get a thermometer that can measure its lowest temperature?
Key features
- It is frost-free
- Energy star rated
- Affordable
- Attractive finishing
- Ample space
2. Kenmore Elite 79043 Mini Fridge
For a pure taste of class at a pocket-friendly price, then Kenmore Elite 79043 is an excellent option. The total capacity of this fridge is 24.1 cubic feet with a bottom freezer. Besides, it has a drawer system that adds to space and also helps to keep your fridge super organized, and everything is kept at an eye watch. The icemaker is enormous; it allows you to store plenty of ice without having to refill it often.
The LED lighting inside this unit is a super important feature. It allows you to see everything at a glance, and to those of us who a midnight snack is still a thing, we don’t have to carry a torch to illuminate a fridge.
” Okay, fridge, please do your work and let me sleep in peace!” I can’t remember the number of times I’d say that when I used to own a noisy unit. With this one, though, everyone in your house can mind their own business while the fridge is still on. It has a hushed operation in addition to its high energy efficiency rate. On average, this bottom freezer refrigerator has been said to use about $61 energy cost. In addition to these, it is also suitable for college students as its affordable and also easily portable.
Key features
- Affordable
- Bottom freezer model
- Quiet operation
- LED lighting inside
- Energy star rated
- Large capacity
3.Samsung RF23J9011SR 22.5 Cu. Ft Stainless Steel Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator -Energy Star
Convenience wrapped with versatility in one package. This is precisely what Samsung 4-DoorFlex is, with french doors on the top and a bottom freezer. The bottom freezer has two compartments, thus making it spacious. A super feature with the double compartments is the fact that you can turn the right freezer compartment into a refrigerated section if you require more fresh food storage, and you can change it back to freezer space if you need more freezer mode. This features make it one of the cheapest mini Fridge around.
This model favors people who do not necessarily require a lot of bottom space freezer since they can turn it into a fresh food refrigerator. Also, it can be suitable for someone that has fluctuating frozen food storage throughout the month.
The unit, however, can be a little bit noisy in its circulation; some people say that it sounds like an aquarium bubbling. This shouldn’t necessarily be a turnoff, as proper adjusting can only take a short time. The flexibility of this unit from the refrigerator to freezer mode is worth every dime.
Key Features
- Spacious
- Double compartments
- A convertible right-hand compartment
4. Fisher Paykel RF170WDRUX5 32 17.7 Cu. Ft. Capacity Bottom Freezer with independent Temperature Control LED Lighting Ice and Water Dispenser
One of the latest conveniences with fridges is a water dispenser on the door of the refrigerator. However, this convenience, in most cases, is only available to people with top freezer refrigerator models. This is why Fisher Paykel RF170WDRUX5 is a standout because it offers both of these conveniences. You can get a cold glass of water by a press of a button. However, don’t mistake this to be an ice dispenser as well. For the ice, you will just have to get them from inside the fridge in the automatic ice maker. The capacity of this fridge is 17.5 cubic feet, thus providing ample storage space. The stainless steel finishing on the outside gives it an excellent beautiful finish, and it makes it look high end.
This unit’s ActiveSmart technology has well-regulated energy wasting. It enables it to calculate optimal times for cooling, defrosting, and other functions without wasting energy.
Key Features
- A water dispenser
- A large storage capacity
- Attractive stainless steel finishing
- ActiveSmart technology that saves energy
5. Slim 24in Bottom Large Freezer E-Star with Stainless Wine Rack
This fridge has an overall size of 11 cubic feet. It has frost features, thus making it a good one in terms of operation. Cleaning it and maintaining is easy. It can be organized easily. And for the wine lovers, this is the best choice for you as it has additional wine racks to store wine at an optimal temperature.
Key Features
- Additional wine racks
- Large capacity
- Bottom freezer
- Space Saver
Customer Feedback
Customers who have used these unit have loved its operation and especially its additonal wine racks that make it one of the best rated mini fridge.
Conclusion
Overall, having a mini-fridge with a bottom freezer will avail a lot of convenience to you. You will save on both costs and space. Generally, you also find that the energy consumption of mini-fridge with bottom freezers is way less compared to other units of different models.