Jul 20, 2005 11:56 PM
9545 Views
(Updated Jul 21, 2005 12:01 AM)
I purchased the Godrej Champion 170L Champion for Rs 7,200/- about two years ago and have been using it everyday since then. I was living alone and merely wanted a no-frills refrigerator.
The refrigerator was shipped over to my apartment in a good cardboard casing along with the warranty card, user manual and a plastic stand. From the outside the fridge looks attractive. The finishing on the exterior is also good.
Overall the Godrej Champion serves its purpose well as a bare-bones refrigerator . However there are few things which I do not like about it:
The attached power chord is really very short. (Were they really trying to cut costs here?) It could not reach the power plug which was just about 5 feet from the floor. Don't be tempted to cut the power chord and extend it. Doing this will void the warranty of the fridge (as with most other electrical equipments). Hence I was left with no option but to extend the electrical wiring on the wall and move the switch board lower. I really think the designers have been unreasonably miserly on this one.
The baffle tray (the tray under the freezer) is quite flimsy. Its made of a soft plastic material and bends quite easily. I used to stock a 1 litre bag of milk in the baffle tray. In a few days time, the tray bent. Due to this bend, the tray now slips out from the plastic-channels (which are supposed to hold the tray in place). So it is often that the tray comes crashing down inside the refrigerator, whenever you keep anything on it.
Even the grilled partitions inside the refrigerator are kinda flimsy. They are not made strong enough.
The freezer is not made of a rigid material either. Over the two years I have noticed a bend in two of the sides of the freezer. This bend, was caused due to the expansion of ice between the freezer and the outer wall of the fridge.
The tray for vegetables at the bottom fits loose inside its slot. This leaves a slight gap even when the tray is entirely pushed inside.
My guess is that this machine might be functionally perfect for several years to come. But in about 4 to 5 years some of the things inside the cabin might fall apart.
To sum it up,
Functionally it is a good refrigerator.
Looks are attractive.
The components inside (accessories) are not very robust.
Operationally it sounds quite. (Like the usual hum produced by most refrigerators.)
If you want something to use for a couple of years (say 3 to 6 years) and later throw it away, this would be a good buy. If you are expecting your refrigerator to last for 10 to 15 years then I would not suggest you to buy this one.
