The Best Mini Refrigerators

One of the things that I had a hard time (which I never thought I would) is getting a decent mini refrigerator. Or also know as compact refrigerators they are excellent for many many uses. I first got into the market for one when I was going to college and I needed something that was compact but kept my stuff really cold. I cannot stand having a refrigerator packed with drinks and you go to pull one out and it's barely cold. I have a pet peeve for ice cold drinks. Long story short I went through three different mini refrigerators and finally on my fourth one I purchased I had found something that I could have for years to come. I hope that with this information others do not go through the same troubles that I did with the simple task of finding decent mini refrigerators. Let's face it we all want to get decent products so we do not have to buy multiples like I had to do. This will hopefully help save you money.

The first thing that you need to do is determine what you will be using it for. I know this is like a "duh!" question but think about not just uses now but what the potential uses can be later. This will help you justify spending a tiny bit more to get a quality mini refrigerator. I found that after I was done using mine for my initial dorm room that I still continued to use it in other rooms and I am still using it today. For example, you can use it for: game rooms, garages, dorm rooms, offices, RV's, campers, the baby's room, work out rooms or gyms, apartments, or even outdoor barbeque sets. Invest now for the long run.  

1.) Size is everything. I found that the first fridge that I bought was not big enough for what I needed (among many other problems it had). I was afraid that I would buy one that is too big for my small dorm room that it would dominate the room. I purchased a small one, it was 2.9 Cu. Ft. this size was so tiny it did not hold half of what I needed or would have liked to have. I would definitely recommend measuring it first and figuring out where it is going. If you are sharing a room you can stack your roommates on top of yours or vice versa. This idea saved me huge on desirable floor space. I would look at getting a size around 6.0 - 7.0 Cu. Ft. If you are able to have this size I strongly recommend it. This size is large enough to hold pretty much all main drinks and the main food necessities and still keep them ice cold. You would think the smaller the fridge the cooler it will be. Today this is not the case the smaller the fridge the cheaper the refrigerating system the manufacture can get away with. A 7.0 Cu. Ft. is the proper size for them to have to equip it with quality hardware.

2.) Features are something else that I did not think about. I mean come on its just a mini refrigerator, what possible features could you have? Well on my second purchase of a refrigerator I fixed the size problem but I realized that I did not have adjustable settings for how cold I would like to run the fridge. It was lame I could choose high or low that’s all. The one that I have now has actual degree settings that I can choose in 5 degree increments. This is huge especially when the season's change you can adjust how cold you want to keep your goods.

              Another thing to think about is if you would like a freezer compartment with ice shelf and tray or not. Many of my friends cannot drink something unless they have ice in it but I keep my drinks cold enough I have no need to dilute my drinks down with ice. I prefer to not have a freezer shelf but it is a must for them. The only thing I seem to miss is the fact that I can't keep any ice cream or otter pops in my mini refrigerator and I have to use the main fridge. Something else to think about when considering a freezer shelf is defrosting. Most come with auto defrosters or frost free designs but I chose to keep mine simple with no need to defrost every month or so.     

3.) Technology Used is another thing I ran into problems with. I wanted the most efficient mini refrigerator out there. I went to Sears and talk to a guy there and he showed me the most efficient one they had that promised huge savings especially for a 7.0 Cu.Ft. unit. I broke down and shelled out $586.94 hoping to make it back with the money I would save in energy. I got it to my second dorm room that I didn’t share with anyone at the time and fired it up. It was so loud. Yes it was efficient like the guy said but I could not sleep with it in the room. I went from turning my T.V. to volume number 10 to 17 just to be able to hear what was going on.

              The one I have now uses Ultra-Quiet Thermoelectric Cooling. This means basically that a thermoelectric heat pump transfers heat on the inside of the mini refrigerator to the outside of the refrigerator. Unfortunately this system only runs at an efficiency of 5-13% and uses a coolant diode pared with a multilevel thermostat to achieve the temperature you set it to. Even though the efficiency is not that great, trust me, it is worth having the fridge quiet. You can still hear the pump like any other mini refrigerators but the new technology today focuses on noise and vibration. It's not going to be an annoyance.     

4.) Cost is the next thing that I learned unfortunately the hard way. The first fridges that I bought I was focused on saving money and didn’t realize that I was buying crappy equipment. I think that I have learned with many things now you get what you pay for. I was buying these mini refrigerators thinking that they will just cool all the same no big deal. I was wrong 100%. I would recommend to spend a little bit more now and invest in something that has quality to it. The prices of mini refrigerators can run from $50 (on sale) to about $1,200. The mini refrigerator that I have now cost me $1,012.89 and I purchased it at Costco. I would recommend that you do your research and look for the best deal you can but do and not always shop buy just price. You may be buying the cheapest refrigeration equipment out there and it will not last long and require replace soon.  

5.)  Energy Efficiency is something that is on all of our minds today. We are looking at helping the environment and saving ourselves some money at the same time. Even though you may not be able to choose the best mini refrigerator for efficiency due to noise and vibration that it puts out, you can still get an efficient refrigerator that won't blow your energy budget. Look for the energy star label before you buy. Mine now that it is a few years old is not the best out there but is still comparable today. It uses 301 kWh/Year with an average $26 cost a year. Another thing that you can check is to make sure that it has an air tight seal. Most of the refrigerators that I have seen have them but some do not. The seal is so important in keeping your energy efficiency.

           My mini refrigerator problems are something that I hope helps you in deciding on your new fridge. I thought from the very beginning it is only a fridge how hard can it be in choosing a wrong one. If it cools it will work for me. Well I found out that I personally had major problems and maybe some bad luck for some reason and I hope others don’t have to waste the money like I did figuring this all out. It pays off to take your time, do your research, and buy one time not four different times.