Customer ratings for these pricier models often reach 4.7 stars out of five on Home Depot’s site, whereas the midrange models tend to earn closer to 4.4 stars. And according to our reader survey, brands that exclusively sell premium fridges Arctic King have higher owner satisfaction than brands that sell fridges at a mix of prices. Whirlpool was one of the few brands that had enough survey responses about bottom-freezer models to be statistically significant, and the ratings were strong.
This is basically destined to be a problem with most similar models, so it’s important to understand that you’re working with a very small, very inexpensively built appliance. If you don’t store 12-ounce cans, you might find that the can holder on the door becomes wasted space, and while most people agree that the freezer works well, some have found that temperature fluctuates above freezing. The back of the refrigerator compartment also tends to get colder, which you can use accordingly, but it can also be a nuisance. Compact and versatile as a fridge or freezer, Avanti’s Dual-Function mini fridge has a single shelf for easy storage and cleaning. Featuring a shelf, in-door storage, and a chiller, the Frigidaire 1.6-Cubic-Foot Compact Fridge has just enough room to store your mini fridge basics. Based on other mini fridges posted, this looks to be a pretty good deal.
(That’s counting the handles in both cases, but not the 2 inches you should leave between the back of the fridge and the wall for circulation). The doors aren’t flush with cabinetry like those of a “true” counter-depth model, but the overall design tends to feel less obtrusive whirlpool mini refrigerator than a standard-depth model, which can jut way out beyond your cabinets. It’s common among models of both types to have separate cooling systems for the fridge and freezer compartments , which their makers advertise as an upgrade over the single systems used in most fridges.
But maybe that’s because the brand’s slightly higher prices discourage people from buying the truly lowest-end models, so they don’t drag down the overall rating. Whirlpool’s reliability for this style also seems to be a little better than that of the other two brands. But we just don’t have enough data to say how these Whirlpools compare to similarly priced models with comparable features from LG or Samsung, so we don’t want to endorse one brand over another.
All of Whirlpool’s freestanding refrigerators were transitioned to the climate-friendly R600a refrigerant by the end of 2021. Senior staff writer Liam McCabe has covered home appliances since 2011, including a stint at Reviewed, and has worked on versions of this Wirecutter guide since 2014. Skip to content HUGE SALE – 50% off all retail items online and in-store. If that does not help, clean the inside of the unit by following the cleaning instructions included in the owner’s manual.