Single door vs double, other features MADE EASY. Review on Choosing a Refrigerator

1. *CAPACITY

*Fridge capacity ranges from 175 litres at the entry level to 600 litres at the top end. But for a middle class family of 2 - 4 people a size of 175 - 200 is just about right, although 220 - 250 would be ideal. Either would do, depending upon your budget. For a family of 4 - 6 people, you would require a larger capacity- 300 litres or more. This is for lower middle to middle class households.

For the upper middle classes, who are more into consuming ready-mades / packaged foods, ice creams, cheese spreads and various and sundry items that require refrigeration, 175 litres in neither enough nor is it suited to their homes in terms of looks. For those classes, the minimum would be 220 litres or thereabouts even for a small family. You can even go for a 250 litre or 300 litre.

1. SINGLE DOOR V/S DOUBLE DOOR{FROST FREE}

Avoid double door units as far as is possible. This is particularly the case if you are a resident of the gangetic plains of India. Since the ambient summer temperatures here are more than 40 degrees during summer, the cooling efficiency will fall correspondingly.{I have no knowledge of the temperatures in the south, so you guys can make a decision on the basis of the summer temperatures}

I say as far as possible because in certain classes it may unavoidable, as the status of a top-of-the-line unit is also sought after. For such cases, I can only say be extremely careful while purchasing one, and only do so after exhaustive research on the break-down ratio / servicing speed and quality of each prospective brand. The reason is that there is a major difference in the breakdown ratios of Frost Free vis-à-vis single door units.

A single door is based on direct cooling technology, wherein a metal box{freezer} is cooled to sub-zero temperatures. The fridge is a sealed unit, so that external air can come in. The internal air comes in contact with the cold box, cools and sinks to lower levels{cool air is heavier than warm air}. Warmer air at the bottom rises is cooled and consequently sinks. This cycle goes on and on till cut-off temperature is reached, at which point the thermostat cuts off power to the compressor

In contrast, a frost free cools by circulating air through vents. De-frosting is attained by heat application. A frost free will give colder freezer temperatures, but also temperature variation every few hours

1. *SHELF SPACE

*This is highly subjective, and differs from person to person. My advice to is to take your time, visualise what you store normally, and decide whether it fits your requirements. One point worth noting is that some brands have shelves that are wider, while others have narrow shelves with greater vertical separation. The effect is the same: In the first, you can store side-by-side, whereas in the other you can double deck. By and large, there is not much difference in the smaller sizes. As you go up the capacity scale, differences emerge.

It is the door that the real innovation emerges. Some brands have deep doors, which can accommodate 2.5 litre aqua bottles - a definite plus. You can also get innovative small shelves to fit small items in

1. *LOOKS

*They come in powder coated and steel finish. Both are equally durable, and make the choice based on your budget and your preferences

1. *POWER

*Look for the star rating of a fridge. It is rated by an authorised body for power consumption. The higher the stars, the lower the power consumption

A voltage stabilizer is recommended, although one brand has come out with a range of 165 - 290 volts tolerance. But remember, fluctuations can go beyond that range/. You need to check whether this brand passes on exceptionally high voltages to the fridge{I suspect it does, although I am not sure}. Voltages of 330 and above have been passed through our domestic supplies{ blew my TV 10 years ago that way}. Hence, a good voltage stabilizer is essential

1. *SERVICE

Critical and all important in frost free category**. Important in single doors. Check service reputation, spares availability, speed of response, shop reputation{dealer from where you are purchasing}

1. *PRICES direct cool

*175 - 200 litres: 7000 - 11000

220 - 300 litres: 9000 - 17000

1. *BRANDS

In order of my personal preference:

*Samsung{Any}

Whirlpool{esp. genius, else any}

Godrej{Axis}

Others:

LG, Videocon, Electrolux, Haier, Akai, Daewoo, BPL-Sanyo