Suggest refrigerator for single person within 20k

[6pack]

i had a 2 door LG fridge which i got rid of months back. It had door cooling, ice in 60 minutes etc. Only con was it took too much power to run.
I thought i could live without fridge and managed to do so until recently. From summer, the days are too hot, nights are too hot and no way to cool down. No curd, no chilled sweets, no ice, no cold water, no ice cream or butter or cheese or frozen foods. vegetables go bad in day or two in heat. Now its supposed to be cooler but no sign of any coolness in air. temps are still near 31-32C. cons are far too much so finally thought of getting a fridge.

I have used both single door and double door fridges. Single door save cost and space and energy. But, one of the main drawbacks is the freezer gets that ice build up. Another drawback is the freezer temps don't go below -4C? correct me if I'm wrong. Not cold enough to store ice cream i think. Some of the vegetable fat ice creams require -18 to -20C. Like the deep freezer boxes.

I don't know why, but most of the 2-3 door fridges don't have anything new in them now. No technological advancement i mean, other than the dual or triple inverter compressor. All of them look lack luster and frankly speaking it looks like manufacturers don't give a s--t about the product and just dump some random stuff to sell. All they are doing is overcharging consumers for decades old tech now.

So what do i buy? nothing looks good to me. not even the 30k ones. just waste of money. but i want to drink cold water or eat ice cream at night. please help. i thought of going to shops at night but, shops are far off and close at 9 so...

 

[chyawanprash]

Buying a true frost-free (zero maintenance) refrigerator will be over your budget and they are too big for single person anyway.

There are plenty of deep-freezer options for under 20,000. You should get one for your bread, frozen food and fake ice-cream . Get a cooler box separately to store drinks and fresh produce.

I have a fridge with a small deep-freezer. I use it to make 10 liters of ice for taking bath in summers . I have electricity problems, so I can't use it to store food.

Because of its design and usage, a deep-freezer should be less power hungry than a regular refrigerator. But I haven't verified this.

 

[6pack]

Because of its design and usage, a deep-freezer should be less power hungry than a regular refrigerator. But I haven't verified this.

i was thinking of getting a deep freezer, but they take too much space and i doubt it will take less power since they are made for commercial usage.
most of the brands selling deep freezers don't mention any star rating or power consumption. on sundays my area has 4-5 hours powercut and these deep freezers have good cold retention for such durations.
but i don't have space except in balcony and frankly they are over kill for me. power consumption wise i'm guessing they are near the 1-2 star mark.

if by cooler box, do you mean those small tiny 50 to 90 liter fridge or the non electrical plastic box with thermocol on sides?
the small 50 to 90 liter fridge without freezer uses as much power as 3 star fridge of 180 liter with freezer. so i don't look at them.

i've looked at a lot of refrigerators and i dont think anything is made for single people. i wish i could design my own. it'll probably be way better than the one's in the market.

 

[sauravghosh]

I would say get the cheapest lg double door one. Single doors are worthless tech due the very reason you mention of, ice build-up. Amongst double doors I'm assuming that's not a problem at all, just that they really need to release more energy efficient double door models. 3-star maximum for a DD is not acceptable.

Btw, the freezer on my single door lg goes well below -4 degrees. Averages around -7 to -10 (lowest I've seen around -12/13 afair) and that was in scorching summer. Although I've not a clue what a vegetable ice cream is or its requirements.

There's no need to overthink about fridges and what to buy that much I've come to realise at least within that price bracket. Just get whichever company provides best after sales.

 

[roadrash99]

Deep freezers really are more energy efficient because hot air does not enter everytime you open the door. Here is a video from technology connections about it...

But I'm not sure this will be a practical alternative to a refrigerator. My advise to OP would be to get a used old double door. We have a Samsung 5-Star double door from 2008. Still working fine. Once refrigerators make it past 4-5 years they seem to last forever. We had an old Godrej single door refrigerator from the 1990s which we had to donate because we didn't have the space to keep it.

 

[6pack]

Although I've not a clue what a vegetable ice cream is or its requirements.

They use a blend of hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of milk fat to produce ice cream like substance which is sold as frozen dessert. Tastes like icing on cakes. Even a lot of the chocolates are such icing type materials and not real chocolates. If you look at the product label and see frozen dessert or hydrogenated vegetable oil, then its not real ice cream. There's some talk of possible cancer risk of eating such frozen desserts but no co-relation has been found.

Btw, the freezer on my single door lg goes well below -4 degrees. Averages around -7 to -10 (lowest I've seen around -12/13 afair) and that was in scorching summer. Although I've not a clue what a vegetable ice cream is or its requirements.

good to know. then i guess i could get by with a single door fridge too. double door fridge would be empty for me most of the time since i would just be storing fruits and vegetables and water. probably a chocolate or two and some yogurt.

 

[6pack]

How is this Midea brand? 2 door 2 star for 19.9k

https://www.flipkart.com/midea-233-l-frost-free-double-door-top-mount-3-star-convertible-refrigerator/p/itm454471c68e09a?pid=RFRGRRUZHJHHHYYH

 

[VijayB]

I never faced any issue with regular single door refrigerator. However, my double door frost free refrigerator needed repairs under warranty period.

You also need to defrost regular refrigerator. It's a messy affair.

 

[blr_p]

i had a 2 door LG fridge which i got rid of months back. It had door cooling, ice in 60 minutes etc. Only con was it took too much power to run.

How much power? Did you measure

I don't know why, but most of the 2-3 door fridges don't have anything new in them now. No technological advancement i mean, other than the dual or triple inverter compressor. All of them look lack luster and frankly speaking it looks like manufacturers don't give a s--t about the product and just dump some random stuff to sell. All they are doing is overcharging consumers for decades old tech now.

A fridge that displays temperature in actual degrees for both fridge & freezer is worth having. Instead of dials with meaningless numbers on them.

Fridges with fans that circulate the air so temperature differences are less.

Top lit instead of back lit.

So what do i buy? nothing looks good to me. not even the 30k ones. just waste of money. but i want to drink cold water or eat ice cream at night. please help. i thought of going to shops at night but, shops are far off and close at 9 so...

Post your shortlist and I'd be flexible with the budget going up to 30k. Otherwise your limits are too low for anything better than you replace and likely worse than you had.

It won't be a waste of money if you get an upgrade or something better than you had. Why does being single mean it has to be small. Bigger is always better and it isn't difficult to fill it up. Max loading for a fridge is 70% volume meaning the rest is empty space for air to circulate. Both most people jam pack because space is available and wonder why power consumption is more.

Appliances are long term not like phones. Ten years plus. Get something that pleases you first and worry about budget after.

 

[6pack]

How much power? Did you measure

no, but with fridge running the electric bill was around 1k per month and without fridge it was just 300-350 a month. Meter reading came down from 100-110 units a month to just 40. It was a non inverter fridge.
Now my electric bill is just ~400 a month even with using water heater & induction stove daily.

Post your shortlist and I'd be flexible with the budget going up to 30k. Otherwise your limits are too low for anything better than you replace and likely worse than you had.

Old fridge is similar in design to this LG fridge. It was more than sufficient for my needs and i could store a weeks worth of veggies in it along with fruits and other stuff like dosa batter, milk, curd, eggs , ice cream etc.

https://www.amazon.in/LG-Inverter-Frost-Free-Refrigerator-GL-I292RPZX/dp/B08X72GY5Q/

I am searching for fridge with most internal space utilized for storing stuff. Most of them dont have any shelf in bottom half of door to store large bottles. All fridges look kind of empty to me. Not much shelves or compartments in them.
On Sundays, my place has 8 hour power cuts so I'm having second thoughts now if any frozen meat in fridge will last that long without going bad. I was planning on storing frozen chicken /fish, and ready to cook frozen foods, and ice creams.

 

[blr_p]

no, but with fridge running the electric bill was around 1k per month and without fridge it was just 300-350 a month. Meter reading came down from 100-110 units a month to just 40. It was a non inverter fridge.
Now my electric bill is just ~400 a month even with using water heater & induction stove daily.

Meaning the fridge consumed 60 - 70 units a month or little over 2 units a day averaging 83 - 97 watts per hour. If I were to guess that is almost 50% to double what it should be consuming for a fridge of that volume assuming it had an inverter compressor. Otherwise I guess the figure is normal. My previous Kelvinator averaged 144W per hour for reference but it was nearly 50 years old at the time I replaced it.

Did the increase happen over the years? Do you remember what consumption was like when it was new.

If this increase happened over time it could be down to leaks. Gaskets get hard over time and don't seal well. Compressors are sealed so don't lose efficiency much over their life. If any heat sources were added to the same space then the fridge would have to work harder. Finally, over time the condenser coils fur up with dust and lowers efficiency. Periodic cleaning of those grills is required.

Old fridge is similar in design to this LG fridge. It was more than sufficient for my needs and i could store a weeks worth of veggies in it along with fruits and other stuff like dosa batter, milk, curd, eggs , ice cream etc.

https://www.amazon.in/LG-Inverter-Frost-Free-Refrigerator-GL-I292RPZX/dp/B08X72GY5Q/

That LG looks fine except it doesn't have a digital thermostat. Plus point is it does not expose the condenser which is an innovation over older designs.

I am searching for fridge with most internal space utilized for storing stuff. Most of them dont have any shelf in bottom half of door to store large bottles. All fridges look kind of empty to me. Not much shelves or compartments in them.

LG you linked above allows for 2 litre bottles.

The tradeoff for shelf at the bottom is a smaller vegetables box.

I think the ice box is fixed and not movable without removing the shelf.

Best to double check at a store if you can.

I don't see fewer shelves as a problem because the more there are the more likely you are to overload the fridge. Instead these fridges look less busy allowing for easy loading and unloading which is what you want from an ergonomics pov.

On Sundays, my place has 8 hour power cuts so I'm having second thoughts now if any frozen meat in fridge will last that long without going bad. I was planning on storing frozen chicken /fish, and ready to cook frozen foods, and ice creams.

Then the freezer needs to go down to - 18C at least. Does that LG you linked to above go down as low? There is no confirmation at all. My guess would be no lower than -10 or -12 degrees C. Which is why I prefer models that state temperature.

This happened once to me and the ice was good for ten hours. I make clear ice and was worried it would be gone but it was still good. So your meat should be fine.

You can always put some ice packs (bigger is better) in the freezer door shelves to help maintain temperature. These maintain temperature better than water due to the glycol in them. Or you could make your own ice packs.

Models to look at
LG

https://www.flipkart.com/lg-246-l-frost-free-double-door-3-star-convertible-refrigerator/p/itmf07c35fa98f8c

https://www.flipkart.com/lg-246-l-frost-free-double-door-3-star-convertible-refrigerator/p/itmd6c0e924e064c

^according to reviews this one doesn't have door alarm which is a handy feature to have

^Both are three star models with only a colour difference I think.


Samsung

Buy 236L Double Door Fridge - Silver RT28C3922S9 | Samsung India

Buy 236L Double Door Fridge with twin cooling plus. Explore the features, price, specs, & offers of this product & buy best Refrigerators at Samsung India.

www.samsung.com

Amazon.in

(2 star 237L without cool pack) (Digital thermostat for both fridge & freezer)

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BR3X65X6 (2 star 256L for little more)

^This Samsung's condensers are concealed. Check the 360 view on amazon

Models to avoid
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0C5M9W28S/ (3 star with cool pack) for 27k

^Why no 360 view for this model? Because this Samsung's condensers are NOT concealed. You don't want exposed condensers.

https://www.amazon.in/Samsung-Inverter-Refrigerator-RT28C3452BX-HL/dp/B0BR3XM824/

^This one is curious. Only has a digital thermostat for the fridge but NOT the freezer. It's freezer does not get below -10 or -12C

The Samsung that comes with that cool pack in the freezer states it's good for a 12h power cut. Curious that the LG doesn't come with an ice pack. Does that mean LG has better insulation in the freezer than the Samsung? Don't know

The only downside I see with Samsung is it has one pair of vents at the top for the fridge whereas the LG has a second pair below as well as door cooling which the Samsung lacks so cooling in the fridge will be more uniform with the LG compared to this Samsung. If that matters.

Best to check these models in a store

 

[6pack]

Meaning the fridge consumed 60 - 70 units a month or little over 2 units a day averaging 83 - 97 watts per hour. If I were to guess that is almost 50% to double what it should be consuming for a fridge of that volume assuming it had an inverter compressor. Otherwise I guess the figure is normal. My previous Kelvinator averaged 144W per hour for reference but it was nearly 50 years old at the time I replaced it.

Did the increase happen over the years? Do you remember what consumption was like when it was new.

If this increase happened over time it could be down to leaks. Gaskets get hard over time and don't seal well. Compressors are sealed so don't lose efficiency much over their life. If any heat sources were added to the same space then the fridge would have to work harder. Finally, over time the condenser coils fur up with dust and lowers efficiency. Periodic cleaning of those grills is required.

I had bought it more than 15 years back. Already threw out the manuals, bills etc. It was a 2 door frost free model with door cooling etc same as the LG fridge i linked to, except the compressor, which, at that time was a normal rotary type. The only difference between the fridge model and my old fridge is the compressor type.

Gaskets was cleaned and was soft and magnetic. Had to change gas because the copper pipe in the container above the compressor burst (3-4 years back) after getting corroded in condensed water. As much as I remember the usage was close to 1.5 units per day first and then went up gradually as the years went by.

Then the freezer needs to go down to - 18C at least. Does that LG you linked to above go down as low? There is no confirmation at all. My guess would be no lower than -10 or -12 degrees C. Which is why I prefer models that state temperature.

I doubt that fridge could go below -10C in freezer. . Even before gas change, it could hardly freeze store brought ice cream at normal freezer setting. It could freeze ice in about 60-80 minutes technically (only form a thin ice layer on top of ice cubes) but take hours to freeze ice cream. Condenser coils were hidden like most fridge come now with a clean back. After repair it was even worse. The freezer fan would randomly stop or fail. Fridge compartment would form ice in top shelf or just wont cool. Too many problems. So got rid of it.

The tradeoff for shelf at the bottom is a smaller vegetables box.

I think the ice box is fixed and not movable without removing the shelf.

Best to double check at a store if you can.

I don't see fewer shelves as a problem because the more there are the more likely you are to overload the fridge. Instead these fridges look less busy allowing for easy loading and unloading which is what you want from an ergonomics pov.

Yes, I looked at the pictures and I see your point. The fridges with bottom shelf have vegetable box 2-2.5 inches smaller in width. If i remember correctly, the space at bottom is already small with compressor at back. It slopes inside the fridge if I'm not mistaken. So even smaller vegetable box in such fridge with bottom shelf.

Since the price seems to have come to 30K, how are Bosch fridge build quality? This one goes to -19C and can retain 0C in freezer upto 18 hours. Freezer space looks small due to the extra insulation.

https://www.amazon.in/Bosch-Refrigerator-CTC27S031I-Convertible-Silver/dp/B0C1N46N6Z/

What about the Godrej, Tata Beko, Liebherr, haier, midea & the rest?

 

[blr_p]

The only difference between the fridge model and my old fridge is the compressor type.

An inverter compressor will give you about 30% savings

As much as I remember the usage was close to 1.5 units per day first and then went up gradually as the years went by.

Expect upto a unit per day maybe less. The bee ratings label and their measured power was much lower than my measurements.

I doubt that fridge could go below -10C in freezer.

Was referring to the LG you linked. If there is no temperature setting that explicitly states the temperature then the freezer won't go below.

We did discuss this a while back and how confusing those dials are.

It's worth paying a little more to have intuitive temperature settings and get what you set without guessing.

If i remember correctly, the space at bottom is already small with compressor at back. It slopes inside the fridge if I'm not mistaken. So even smaller vegetable box in such fridge with bottom shelf.

You can always get storage containers to store vegetables but the problem we face living in the tropics is the fridge insulation is the thickest in the world. I was surprised how much smaller this made the freezer space compared to the fridges external dimensions. Which is why I upped the volume I eventually bought.

Since the price seems to have come to 30K, how are Bosch fridge build quality? This one goes to -19C and can retain 0C in freezer upto 18 hours. Freezer space looks small due to the extra insulation.

https://www.amazon.in/Bosch-Refrigerator-CTC27S031I-Convertible-Silver/dp/B0C1N46N6Z/

Looks decent, should have as good airflow as the LG. But I don't find many reviews for Bosch's recent fridges and this model you linked isn't available now.

If your power cuts exceed 8h a day then look into getting an inverter to maintain the fridge. The startup current is gentle and power consumption won't exceed 100W for the size you're looking at.

What about the Godrej, Tata Beko, Liebherr, haier, midea & the rest?

Can you get service in your area for those brands? Bosch included. With Samsung or LG you don't have any issues. They will come the next day.

With the new fridges they all have motherboards. Where will you get other spares. A lot of Chinese and rebrands won't have those available beyond five years if not less.

Easiest way to get around this problem is to have two smaller fridges. I did consider this at the time but didn't have the space for a second one and so ended up with one big one.

 

[jiith77]

I had bought it more than 15 years back. Already threw out the manuals, bills etc. It was a 2 door frost free model with door cooling etc same as the LG fridge i linked to, except the compressor, which, at that time was a normal rotary type. The only difference between the fridge model and my old fridge is the compressor type.

Gaskets was cleaned and was soft and magnetic. Had to change gas because the copper pipe in the container above the compressor burst (3-4 years back) after getting corroded in condensed water. As much as I remember the usage was close to 1.5 units per day first and then went up gradually as the years went by.



I doubt that fridge could go below -10C in freezer. . Even before gas change, it could hardly freeze store brought ice cream at normal freezer setting. It could freeze ice in about 60-80 minutes technically (only form a thin ice layer on top of ice cubes) but take hours to freeze ice cream. Condenser coils were hidden like most fridge come now with a clean back. After repair it was even worse. The freezer fan would randomly stop or fail. Fridge compartment would form ice in top shelf or just wont cool. Too many problems. So got rid of it.


Yes, I looked at the pictures and I see your point. The fridges with bottom shelf have vegetable box 2-2.5 inches smaller in width. If i remember correctly, the space at bottom is already small with compressor at back. It slopes inside the fridge if I'm not mistaken. So even smaller vegetable box in such fridge with bottom shelf.

Since the price seems to have come to 30K, how are Bosch fridge build quality? This one goes to -19C and can retain 0C in freezer upto 18 hours. Freezer space looks small due to the extra insulation.

https://www.amazon.in/Bosch-Refrigerator-CTC27S031I-Convertible-Silver/dp/B0C1N46N6Z/

What about the Godrej, Tata Beko, Liebherr, haier, midea & the rest?

can vouch for godrej. Excellent service.

 

[chetan99]

Fridges are buy-it-for-life items so makes sense to invest in a good one. Since you care about energy usage, make sure you get a FIVE STAR one. The other big factor is the size of the fridge, smaller one will consume less power. My current fridge is 10 years old samsung, was 5 star when I bought it, and never had any issues at all.

 

[blr_p]

Since you care about energy usage, make sure you get a FIVE STAR one.

Check Bee's website

There are no 5 star fridges available in the frost free section at present. Direct cool has them but that's out as it doesn't get cold enough.

Of the 4 star fridges listed none are available or the model numbers listed on bee's site are incorrect. Two from Bosch and two from Godrej. When you go to Godrej's website they don't even have a 4 star to select from.

There are many 3 star available.

 

[chetan99]

There are no 5 star fridges available in the frost free section at present. Direct cool has them but that's out as it doesn't get cold enough.

Of the 4 star fridges listed none are available or the model numbers listed on bee's site are incorrect. Two from Bosch and two from Godrej. When you go to Godrej's website they don't even have a 4 star to select from.

There are many 3 star available.

Oh, I wasn't aware of the current market, looks like they might have changed the way they measure the ratings, because it was quite common to find 5 star rated double doors back then.

 

[6pack]

Not much cost saving between 2 star and 3 star refrigerators wrt initial cost price or energy tariff. 2 star consume around 260-290 units per year. 3 star consume around 210 to 250 unit per year. Difference in energy bill is max around 600 per year but price of 3 star is close to 5k to 6k higher than 2 star ones. So it will take 10+ years to make up for that cost difference if price of electricity is same. By the time you get back your initial "investment" the fridge would be close to dead. Most new fridges last 10-15 years now. If you go to repair them, the spares are cheap chinese knock-offs or don't work as expected. Companies dont keep spares more than 10 years. Even if we got the spares, changing gas or any pipe will cost 3k onwards. I think everyone can safely go for 2 star fridges now. And the BEE ratings last only 2 years. So 3 star today and after Dec 2024 its like 2 star fridge. 2 star becomes 1 star and 1 star has no rating.

 

[blr_p]

Oh, I wasn't aware of the current market, looks like they might have changed the way they measure the ratings, because it was quite common to find 5 star rated double doors back then.

Things have changed and I couldn't replicate BEE's ratings in my tests.

My figures were at least 50% higher than what they state consumption should be for the fridge I got.

Have you by any chance tested your fridge and verified whether it matches the daily consumption that BEE says it should be.

 

[chetan99]

Things have changed and I couldn't replicate BEE's ratings in my tests.

My figures were at least 50% higher than what they state consumption should be for the fridge I got.

Have you by any chance tested your fridge and verified whether it matches the daily consumption that BEE says it should be.

No I haven't done any verification on my end. I think it's going to be quite hard to accurately test it as too many factors are at play which are hard to control outside a standardised test setting, like how many times you open/close the door, what the ambient temp is, how much food stuff you add to the fridge from outside, etc. So with these ratings it's more about comparison rather than the actual value, which may not match.