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DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Interior

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Running Cost

  • Power Use Per Cu Ft

  • Fridge Temperature

  • Freezer Temperature

  • Vegetable Drawer

  • Power Loss

  • Freezing Performance

  • Usable Space

  • Ease of Access

  • Controls

  • Water Dispenser

  • Ice Maker

  • Cleaning

  • Noise

  • Other Features

  • Specs

  • Design

  • Performance

  • Storage Space

  • Usability

  • Specs

  • Design

  • Performance

  • Storage Space

  • Usability

  • Specs

  • Design

  • Performance

  • Storage Space

  • Usability

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Interior
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Running Cost
  • Power Use Per Cu Ft
  • Fridge Temperature
  • Freezer Temperature
  • Vegetable Drawer
  • Power Loss
  • Freezing Performance
  • Usable Space
  • Ease of Access
  • Controls
  • Water Dispenser
  • Ice Maker
  • Cleaning
  • Noise
  • Other Features
  • Specs
  • Design
  • Performance
  • Storage Space
  • Usability
  • Specs
  • Design
  • Performance
  • Storage Space
  • Usability
  • Specs
  • Design
  • Performance
  • Storage Space
  • Usability
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Front

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The front of the {{product.brand.name}} has a white matte finish. A rather large product logo is on the upper right corner, and there are small screw covers in place that can be removed if you want to reverse the doors.

The matte finish is resistant to stains and smudges, but make sure no colorful liquids dry in the small rivulets between the textured finish.

There's a small, rotating knob just inside the top of the fridge. It's on an arbitrary scale from one to seven, with no correlation to any actual degree measurement. There's also no marked manufacturer's recommended setting.

The handles are made of white plastic that are just a little bit darker than the fridge's finish. They're light and sturdy, and unlike other entry-level fridges, the plastic is smoothed down, making it easy and pleasant to grip. There are lots of little ridges, though, which may prove to be a haven for spills and could need frequent cleaning.

Interior

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No surprises here. A standard arrangement of minimal shelves in the fridge, with an open freezer and some additional storage spots on both doors.

The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

The fridge interior has three full-width shelves - two are wire and can be adjusted using rear-mounted hooks, while the third serves as the top of the two crisper drawers. Those drawers are identical and set at the bottom, with humidity controls on the front edge of the bottom shelf.

The fridge's door shelves are also full-width. There are three of them, and all of them are fixed. There's also a small dairy tray in the top left corner.

The freezer is essentially an ice box. There are no shelves and no light, though there is an opening in the upper left corner meant for an ice maker if you choose to install one. Though this model doesn't come equipped with one out of the box, it does provide two standard ice cube trays.

There are two shelves on the freeze door, done in the same style as those found in the fridge. They're full-width, and can't be adjusted.

Back

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The back of the {{product.brand.name}} is covered with a steel sheet, and has a clearly marked label for where to install an ice maker if you'd like to buy one separately.

Sides

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The sides of this appliance have a white matte finish that matches the front, giving it an overall uniform appearance.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS side views

Running Cost

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The {{product.brand.name}} costs a mere $36.75 per year to run. That figure is calculated using a standard average of $0.09 per kW-h, but no matter what your local energy cost actually, this fridge is going to give you a comparatively lower rate. It's impressive, especially when you consider that this appliance isn't Energy Star certified.

Power Use Per Cu Ft

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Not only is this fridge cheap to run, it uses energy very efficiently. For each usable cubic foot of storage space, it eats up 0.08 kW-h. This is on the very low end of energy consumption, making it better for the environment as well.

Fridge Temperature

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After figuring out what setting we needed for our {{product.brand.name}} to deliver optimum performance, we were gifted with pleasantly consistent temperatures in the fridge compartment. Over time, the actual degree fluctuation was just over half of a degree, very good for any fridge, let along an entry-level one. While temperatures stayed just under the ideal 37 degrees Fahrenheit at the top and middle, the bottom portion of the fridge was noticeably warmer. This isn't the worst thing in the world - produce typically doesn't need to be as cold as other refrigerated items - but an average temperature that's about three and a half degrees warmer than the rest of the fridge is a little concerning.

Freezer Temperature

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Despite it's box-like appearance, we actually got some rather troubling results from the {{product.brand.name}}'s freezer. Temperatures fluctuated over time by between one and two degrees on average, with a high and low temperature that was about ten degrees apart. To top that off, the highest point in the freezer average about two degrees below zero, but the bottom was four degrees above it. Items in this freezer are going to be very susceptible to freezer burn, and things like meats that can easily spoil may not keep as well as they would in other models.

Vegetable Drawer

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The {{product.brand.name}}'s vegetable drawers performed superbly, offering some of the better moisture retention that we've seen. Our floral foam test material lost an average of 0.14 grams of moisture per hour over the course of three days. That is excellent, meaning produce stored here will keep for longer than average. The crisper drawers may not be huge, but you can stock them full of leafy greens without having to choose between gorging yourself on them quickly or having to throw them out at the end of the week.

Power Loss

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To simulate a power outage, we simply unplug the fridge and see just how well the freezer can retain cold air. Despite the other concerns that were raised by the freezer's performance, it managed to keep items frozen until well after our 36 hour test period.

Freezing Performance

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The {{product.brand.name}} managed to bring our room-temperature test materials down to a frozen degree in one hour and 32 minutes. This is about average for a fridge of this style - it's not so long that the texture of your food may be damaged when thawed, and not so fast as to be worth raving about.

Usable Space

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The {{product.brand.name}}'s uses an exceedingly basic design. The drawback to a minimal shelf approach is that you have to stack items more often than not, and storage space isn't as flexible as it is on some other models. That said, the fewer the shelves, the larger the storage space. Using three full-width shelves and two crisper drawers, the {{product.brand.name}}'s fridge can hold a substantial 10.3 cubic feet worth of products.

The fridge door holds a fair amount, as well, with space spread out over three shelves and a dairy tray. All the storage here is fixed, though, so if your item doesn't fit here, you'll need to find another spot for it.

The {{product.brand.name}}'s freezer is essentially a big ice box, with no shelves to speak of. This large square holds a total of 3.94 cubic feet of space, but to use it to its full potential, you're going to have to do a lot of stacking.

The freezer door has two wide shelves that also add to the storage capacity. It's not a huge amount, though, since they're not terribly deep.

Below are the manufacturers own figures for capacity, and our own measurements for usable capacity. The manufacturers figures do not take account of the shelves, drawers and other removable features, but our measurements do account for the space these take up.

Ease of Access

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One might think that having fewer shelves would mean easier access to food. This is potentially true, but it all comes down to how much food you regularly stock in your fridge. True, the wide open shelves offer unhindered access to most products, but if you take advantage of the full space and start stacking items, you may find yourself having to move things around a lot to get at what's in the back or on the bottom. This is particularly true in the freezer, which has no shelf and as such, requires you to stack items on top of each other.

Controls

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There's a small, rotating knob just inside the top of the fridge. It's on an arbitrary scale from one to seven, with no correlation to any actual degree measurement. There's also no marked manufacturer's recommended setting.

The controls are very basic, but have quite a few flaws. They are certainly very easy to read, but the lack of any degree correlation or a manufacturer's recommended setting means you'll be flying blind when you calibrate your fridge for the first time. It essentially requires you to purchase an external thermometer to know what temperature you're storing your food at. Also, it's unusually difficult to turn, as it rotates using a knob set on the bottom. Not being able to see it makes it difficult to grip, and the odd angle makes finding the right leverage a pain.

Water Dispenser

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Ice Maker

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Cleaning

Noise

Other Features

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Specs

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Many high-end fridges exhibit the same positive and negative attributes, and the same could be said of fridges on the other end of the spectrum. The Kenmore 72623 and the {{product.name}} are two entry-level appliances that offer decent performance for their cost, albeit with some glaring performance issues that deal primarily with the freezer. The Kenmore manages to come in with a slightly lower MSRP - at $692.99, it's about $50 cheaper than the {{product.brand.name}} - but since the Kenmore brand is sold exclusively through Sears, it may be easier to find the {{product.brand.name}} at a sale price.

Design

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The {{product.brand.name}} uses a white matte finish, while the Kenmore has a steel front with a very visible grain. These two top freezers use nearly identical internal layouts, with three full-width shelves in the fridge. The difference there is that the Kenmore's are glass while the {{product.brand.name}}'s are wire, something that could affect your storage of smaller items. Shelves on both appliances doors are non-adjustable. The freezers are actually quite different - unlike the {{product.brand.name}}, which has what can essentially be called a cold storage box, the Kenmore has a single shelf dividing the compartment, as well as a pre-installed ice maker.

Performance

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The internal temperature in both models suffers from similar issues. The fridge in the Kenmore had a warm spot at the top, while the {{product.brand.name}} had a warm spot near the bottom, and both displayed a wide variance in freezer consistency. The {{product.brand.name}} pulls ahead with its moisture drawer, though, which only lost 0.14 grams of moisture per hour while the Kenmore lost 0.22.

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Storage Space

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The Kenmore is a very tiny fridge, and it's very much reflected in the available storage space. It has almost three cubic feet less in its fridge than the {{product.brand.name}}, a very substantial difference, and just under one less cubic foot in the freezer. If you're not economizing space in your kitchen, the {{product.brand.name}} is a clear choice here.

{{score_bars comp_num="1", scores="Freezer Usable Space Rating, Fridge Usable Space Rating"}}

Usability

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These two models both minimize the number of fridge shelves, using three full-width shelves each. Unlike the {{product.brand.name}}, however, the Kenmore's are solid, offering much greater spill protection. Both appliances have poor damage control on the doors, with an open front in the Kenmore and slits on the bottom of the {{product.brand.name}}. This means small items or liquids have an easy escape route. Controls are easy to read on both, and neither have any degree correlation, but the Kenmore gets points for having the bit you grip facing out rather than hidden underneath.

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Specs

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Budget appliances frequently offer similar traits for similar costs, and these models are no exception. The Frigidaire FFHT1817LS and the {{product.name}} are top-freezers for consumers shopping with a budget in mind. The Frigidaire is the more expensive of the two, with an MSRP of $849 - about $145 more than the {{product.brand.name}} - but other than sturdier shelves, it doesn't have a great deal more to offer than the cheaper model.

Design

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Both of these appliances are top-freezers. The {{product.brand.name}} has a white matte finish, though, while the Frigidaire is stainless steel. The interiors are very similar, with three full-width shelves in the fridge. Using glass shelves with added spill protection, the Frigidaire does manage to feel less flimsy and of a higher quality than the {{product.brand.name}}. Also of note is the shelf in the Frigidaire's freezer- unlike the {{product.brand.name}}, which has no freezer shelf, it splits the compartment into two sections, meaning you don't have to stack so much of your food.

Performance

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Both fridges did quite well, though the Frigidaire did manage to avoid the frequent pitfall of entry-level fridges - no warm spots. Both freezers had their issues with consistency, meaning you'll likely wind up with freezer burn no matter which appliance you choose. The {{product.brand.name}} did manage to offer superior moisture retention in the crisper drawer. The Frigidaire lost an average 0.19 grams of moisture per hour, while the {{product.brand.name}} just lost 0.14.

{{score_bars comp_num="2", scores="Power Use Rating, Running Cost Rating, Fridge Temperature Rating, Power Loss Rating, Freezer Temperature Rating, Freezing Test Rating"}}

Storage Space

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The Frigidaire turns out to be a slightly smaller appliance, but not by a great deal. The {{product.brand.name}} has just about one cubic foot more storage in the fridge, and an extra half of a cubic foot in the freezer. It's a difference that could be noticed if you like to stock your fridge to the point that it over flows, but otherwise it's not a great enough gap to indicate a clear choice between the two.

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Usability

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The glass shelves in the Frigidaire offer more spill protection than the wire ones in the {{product.brand.name}}, but the door has equally large containment issues. Controls on both machines are very straightforward, without using any actual degree scale to speak of, but the dial on the {{product.brand.name}} is a bit harder to adjust due to the grip being on the bottom of the device.

{{score_bars comp_num="2", scores="Usability Ease of Access Rating , Usability Controls Rating, Usability Water Rating, Usability Icemaker Rating, Usability Cleaning Rating"}}

Specs

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A pretty package does not necessarily make for better performance. The GE GTS21KBXWW, with an $899 MSRP, looks and feels better than the cheaper {{product.name}}. Costing $195 more than the appliance with the less familiar brand name, it actually performs worse in every respect. It may look nicer in your kitchen, but when you open the doors to the GE interior, you may find that the food in there will end up looking worse.

Design

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These two white top-freezers are nearly identical in design. The {{product.brand.name}}, though, does feel somewhat cheaper, using full-width wire shelves in the fridge and lacking any shelf in the freezer. The GE, on the other hand, contains half-width glass shelves in the fridge, giving it a higher-end feel by comparison and greater storage flexibility.

Performance

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With issues in almost every test, the GE didn't offer a level of performance that could match the {{product.brand.name}}. Not only did both appliances have issues with temperature consistency in the freezer, the GE also had similar problems in the fridge. This means food in both appliances are subject to freezer burn, but your refrigerated goods are likely to spoil faster in the GE. It also lost more moisture in the vegetable drawers over time, meaning produce will dry out faster, and it took almost half an hour more to freeze our room-temperature test materials.

{{score_bars comp_num="3", scores="Power Use Rating, Running Cost Rating, Fridge Temperature Rating, Power Loss Rating, Freezer Temperature Rating, Freezing Test Rating"}}

Storage Space

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The GE trumps the {{product.brand.name}} all around with respect to storage. It has almost a full cubic foot a half more room in its fridge, and the freezer - even with the presence of a dividing shelf - squeezes in yet another full cubic foot.

{{score_bars comp_num="3", scores="Freezer Usable Space Rating, Fridge Usable Space Rating"}}

Usability

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The GE is very much a mixed bag when compared to the {{product.brand.name}}, but on the whole it's a definitely a more user-friendly appliance. Both appliances use temperature controls with bottom grips, which aren't the easiest to adjust, but at least the GE offers dual temperature control. This allows you to tweak the fridge and freezer independently if needed. It also uses glass half-width shelves, meaning you get greater storage flexibility and superior spill containment.

{{score_bars comp_num="3", scores="Usability Ease of Access Rating , Usability Controls Rating, Usability Water Rating, Usability Icemaker Rating, Usability Cleaning Rating"}}

Conclusion

Energy Efficiency

Cheaper refrigerators aren't exactly known for their energy efficiency, but this low-cost {{product.brand.name}} actually does a really good job in this respect. Despite lacking an Energy Star compliance label, its yearly operating costs are on the lower end of things, and it distributes consumed energy in a very efficient fashion.

Performance

This fridge is very much a mixed bag, and isn't the perfect fridge for everyone. Fridge temperature is more consistent than a lot of entry-level models, but the freezer is noticeably sub par. Freezing time is nothing special, and temperatures vary widely from top to bottom despite the single-unit design. On the other hand, the vegetable drawers retain an excellent amount of moisture, making this a great fridge for produce lovers.

Storage Space

The {{product.brand.name}} actually has slightly more fridge space than the average entry-level top-freezer. On the other hand, the freezer has slightly less despite its wide open design.

Usability

A smaller number of shelves overall is a double-edged sword. If you don't typically pack your fridge or freezer to the brim, you'll be able to get to things in the back with increased ease. If, however, you prefer to buy groceries as though there's a natural disaster on the horizon, stacking food to use up vertical space may mean having to do a lot of shifting. The wire shelves and the slits in the bottom of the door storage also means there's virtually no spill containment, and the lack of a degree scale on the controls means you'll need to invest in an external thermometer.

Meet the tester

Matthew Zahnzinger

Matthew Zahnzinger

Logistics Manager & Staff Writer

@ReviewedHome

Matthew is a native of Brockton, MA and a graduate of Northeastern, where he earned a degree in English and Theatre. He has also studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and spends most of his free time pursuing a performance career in the greater Boston area.

See all of Matthew Zahnzinger's reviews

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