Today, the refrigerator is one of the important appliances used in almost every household. With its growing importance day by day, the competition to produce better has also grown among manufacturers. Further leading them to come up with the latest and innovative designs. The latest is the mini-fridge, a type of refrigerator with a capacity of fewer than 100 liters. It suits your compact spaces making accessibility to drinks and eatable easy. But with so many brands in the market, always offering better, it becomes a little confusing what to choose? But worry not! We are here to help you and provide you with a mini-fridge buying guide, to get you the best.
Why mini-fridge?
Mini fridges in the market have revolutionized the cooling technology. Its portable feature and compact size allow it to fit in small spaces and be carried anywhere. Be it in offices, bedrooms, halls, or dorms. These refrigerators come with low maintenance and can be utilized while traveling. Some of them also come inbuilt with freezers, as an additional feature. You can even keep it by your bedside so you don’t have to go all way up to the fridge in the middle of the night when you are thirsty. These mini refrigerators also come in handy for people living in hostels, PGs, or while shifting the rooms. They can be taken along for trips and are suitable for outdoor parties as well.
Mini-fridge Buying guide: How does the mini-fridge work?
While buying a mini-fridge it is important to understand how a mini-fridge works. Now the question is why? It is to know what kind of technology it uses. Hence, making the process of choosing the one easy for you. A small refrigerator works on 3 technologies:
Thermoelectric cooler–
This type of mini fridge can both chill and warm the items kept inside it. It uses a heat pump to transfer energy from one end to other. These are cheaper, lightweight, and can be carried for road trips easily. It should be noted that these mini refrigerators need constant electric power to work effectively and can draw 4 amps while operating at 12 volts.
If you are looking for a mini-fridge along with a freezer then this might not be the right option. It only comes with cooling and heating capabilities to around 20 degrees below and 60 degrees above the ambient temperature, respectively. Also, their working mainly depends on ambient temperature and might not be the right choice if used while visiting extreme warm or cold regions.
Compressor mini fridge-
These mini refrigerators keep the food healthy and cool by using non-ozone depleting gas as a refrigerating medium. It consists of tubes and coils fitted in them. It is through these, that the vaporized liquid flows doing the cooling. They are very energy efficient and also noiseless. So you can easily use them in your bedroom, dining hall or offices.
Absorption technology-
Absorption-powered mini-refrigerators are more durable than the other two. They use a heat source to power the refrigeration cycle and use ammonia as a refrigerating medium. They can be placed in a remote location but well ventilation must be assured. This is because they build up the heat while working and may cause the warming up of the space.
More things in your Mini-Fridge buying guide
Size:
Choosing the right sized mini-fridge that suits your need is important. This is because in the office you might not need to keep many items. Whereas in hotels or hostel rooms you may need a mini-fridge with greater cooling capacity. Below is your mini-fridge buying guide for different sizes available:
Mini(smaller than 15″)- Best for personal use to store your favorite snack or beverage in the bedroom or office. It can be also used to store your skincare beauty products in the bathroom at a cool temperature. these can be easily carried for trips as well.
Small(15″-30″)- It is capable of storing more than just a few bottles of beverages. And you can also store some snacks. It is too small to be used as a countertop while too large to be used as a freestanding fridge. This is well suited for people living in hostels and pgs.
Medium(31″-40″)- This size of mini fridge is generally used to hold food items for more than 2 people. It is suitable to be used in small offices and apartments.
Large(41″ and larger)- A large-sized mini-fridge is the best fit for spaces that need to cater to many people while can’t have a full-sized refrigerator. you can store food items, snacks, beverages, drinks, and much more in this.
Adjustable shelf:
When buying a mini-fridge, one thing that must be checked out is whether it comes with removable shelves? this feature will allow you to store different kinds of food items by adjusting them yourself.
Warranty period:
Almost every electrical appliance comes with a warranty. Makes sure that you check this out, and if any fault arises in the future you can get your mini-fridge repaired.
Door type:
Mini-fridge buying guide can’t be complete without discussing the door types. The varieties of doors mini-refrigerators come with include single doors, double doors, and reversible doors.
Single door only has one compartment, and are best for single usage. This is because they can’t be converted into a freezer while doing the cooling. But this work can be easily done by the double door mini-fridge.
Double door mini-fridge with its separate compartments lets you make ice while keeping other items at a cooling temperature.
Reversible doors are useful when you have to change the location of the fridge. You can keep the items depending on what side you want to use.
Electricity consumption:
As these refrigerators are small in size hence, consume less power. Most of them work well with 40-60 watts, while a few others with additional features need 100 watts of power. But overall, they are cost-effective when it comes to the electricity bill.
Automatic defrost
This is one of the features that make your experience with the mini-fridge hassle-free. As frost inside the fridge hampers its cooling capability and needs regular defrosting. So, even if you forget it, your fridge will automatically clear its inner walls of frost.
Noise
Mini-fridge generally doesn’t exceed the noise level of 45dB. The noise is generally because of a fan or compressor. Or it may be because it is kept on an uneven surface. try shifting the location to lessen the noise.
Other features:
Some mini fridges also come with Touch technology, Alarms, and 3D doors. These additional features come at a higher price of around 15000-18000 INR. In addition to these features, you may check out different color options that suit your space. Locks in the fridge are the other feature that you might want to look for if you have children at your house.