What are the best budget refrigerators?

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What are the best budget refrigerators?

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Sep 18, 2019

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3 Options Considered

Best budget refrigerators	Price	Capacity	Power consumption
9 Whirlpool WRT318FZDB	$609.99	18 cu. ft.	411 kWh /Year
-- GE GTE15CTHRWW	$566.10	14 cu. ft	337 kWh /Year
-- Kenmore 69313	$750.00	19 cu. ft.	521 kWh/Year

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score 12 · Answer 1

Whirlpool WRT318FZDB

Top Pro

Good temperature uniformity in the refrigerator compartment

Wide temperature oscillation can make your food go bad faster, so it's a great advantage of this fridge that the temperature inside doesn’t fluctuate for more than 0.5°F throughout the day, which is a very good result for a cheap, comparatively large refrigerator. See More

Top Con

Temperature fluctuations in the freezer can cause freezer burn

The temperature in the freezer can oscillate above 0°F, which may cause freezer burn to the food that you store. To avoid that, you could configure the freezer to the coldest possible setting, and if that doesn’t work, turn the kitchen thermostat down. See More

Specs

Capacity:18 cu. ft.

Power consumption:411 kWh /Year

Auto-defrost:Yes

Top Pro

A lot of storage capacity for a budget fridge

This refrigerator can store food for about three people with the total capacity of 18 cu. ft. See More

Top Con

Produce in the crispers goes bad fast

The crispers are very bad at retaining moisture, so they won’t keep your fruits and veggies from wilting for very long. See More

Top Pro

Fingerprints and smudges are not visible

Black matte finish hides fingerprints and small smudges on the housing of the fridge. See More

Top Con

The compartment layout is inconvenient

Since the freezer is on the top and the refrigerator compartment, which is usually opened more often, is right below it, you will have to stoop to reach for the food on the lower fridge shelves. See More

Top Pro

Good storage organization

The inner layout of the fridge can be easily reconfigured to fit all your groceries. You can put the shelves at different heights. There is a separate drawer under the first shelve for deli meats and snacks that can slide from side to side to free some space on the shelf below. The door shelf can be tilted up to make space for tall bottles. See More

Top Con

You don’t have a lot of control over the temperature

There are only three temperature settings, without any description or explanation about the temperature range. The recommended setting keeps the fridge compartment at about 36°F, which is a little bit colder than the conventional 40°F figure. See More

Top Pro

You have the option to install an ice maker

For an extra $99 you can buy and install an icemaker in the freezer of your fridge. You can watch a video installation guide here. See More

See All

score 8 · Answer 2

GE GTE15CTHRWW

Top Pro

Great value for the money

For only about $500, which is at the bottom of pricing range for refrigerators, you get an appliance that offers solid cooling performance, good storage organization, automatic defrosting, and a low power bill. See More

Top Con

There’s little storage space

This refrigerator can store food for 1 or 2 people max with a total capacity of 14 cu. ft. See More

Specs

Capacity:14 cu. ft

Power consumption:337 kWh /Year

Auto-defrost:Yes

Top Pro

Temperature is constant across the compartments

Being a small fridge, this GE top-freezer is good at keeping temperature constant across both compartments, keeping all food fresh. And it doesn’t require a lot of power to do so, keeping the electricity bills low. See More

Top Con

The shelves are not spill-proof

Both refrigerator and freezer compartments have wire shelves that are completely useless at containing spilled liquids. See More

Top Pro

Good storage organization

You can adjust the height of the shelves in the refrigerator and freezer compartments, as well as door bins, to fit all your groceries. There are two crispers with humidity controls that are good for storing fruits and vegetables. See More

Top Con

It’s not fingerprint-resistant

The housing is not fingerprint-resistant, so you will have to wipe it clean often to make your fridge look tidy. Although you could get your refrigerator in black, that makes smudges less noticeable. See More

Top Pro

You have the option to install an ice maker

For an extra $70 you can buy and install an automatic ice maker in the freezer. See More

Top Con

The compartment layout is inconvenient

The freezer is on top and the refrigerator compartment that is usually opened much more often is right under it, so you will often have to stoop to reach the food on the lower shelves. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 3

Kenmore 69313

Top Pro

A lot of space for a budget fridge

This cheap Kenmore fridge has enough usable space for a 4-people family, with a total capacity of 19 cu. ft. See More

Top Con

The power consumption is relatively high

For a small fridge, 521 kWh yearly power consumption is pretty high. You can find fridges that are twice as big and get the same electricity bill. See More

Specs

Capacity:19 cu. ft.

Power consumption:521 kWh/Year

Auto-defrost:Yes

Top Pro

You can set it to a precise temperature

Unlike many budget fridges, this Kenmore comes with digital controls that let you set the precise temperature in the refrigerator and freezer compartments to make sure that nothing goes bad. See More

Top Con

It’s not fingerprint resistant

The housing of the fridge has no anti-fingerprint coating, and so it will require regular cleaning to look neat. See More

Top Pro

Customizable and organized inner layout

You can adjust the height of the refrigerator shelves, as well as the door bins in both the freezer and refrigerator compartment. Two crispers at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment preserve fruits and vegetables from wilting and rotting. The freezer has an easily-accessible pull out bin. See More

Top Con

Ice maker is not available

Since the fridge is not compatible with any external ice maker kit, so if you ever need ice for your drinks, you will have to buy it from the store. See More

Top Pro

Convenient compartment layout

The refrigerator compartment that is usually opened more frequently is on top, so you don’t have to stoop to grab fresh food from the bottom shelves. See More

See All

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What are the best budget refrigerators?

3 Options Considered

Whirlpool WRT318FZDB

My Recommendation for Whirlpool WRT318FZDB

My Recommendation for Whirlpool WRT318FZDB

Good temperature uniformity in the refrigerator compartment

Temperature fluctuations in the freezer can cause freezer burn

A lot of storage capacity for a budget fridge

Produce in the crispers goes bad fast

Fingerprints and smudges are not visible

The compartment layout is inconvenient

Good storage organization

You don’t have a lot of control over the temperature

You have the option to install an ice maker

GE GTE15CTHRWW

My Recommendation for GE GTE15CTHRWW

My Recommendation for GE GTE15CTHRWW

Great value for the money

There’s little storage space

Temperature is constant across the compartments

The shelves are not spill-proof

Good storage organization

It’s not fingerprint-resistant

You have the option to install an ice maker

The compartment layout is inconvenient

Kenmore 69313

My Recommendation for Kenmore 69313

My Recommendation for Kenmore 69313

A lot of space for a budget fridge

The power consumption is relatively high

You can set it to a precise temperature

It’s not fingerprint resistant

Customizable and organized inner layout

Ice maker is not available

Convenient compartment layout

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