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  • Design & Usability

  • Performance & Features

  • A Unique Aesthetic

  • The Cold Hard Facts

  • Temperature Performance

  • Moisture Retention

  • Freezing

  • Storage Space & Energy Efficiency

  • Design & Usability
  • Performance & Features
  • A Unique Aesthetic
  • The Cold Hard Facts
  • Temperature Performance
  • Moisture Retention
  • Freezing
  • Storage Space & Energy Efficiency

Unfortunately, its performance isn't as stunning as its design. We measured temperatures over time that were less consistent than similarly priced competitors, and crisper drawers that had issues with moisture retention.

If you want a big, professional-looking, four-door fridge, you’d be hard pressed to find one that looks better. But in terms of performance, you can do better.

Design & Usability

Industrial chic

While the MFX2876DRM has an overall layout that's familiar, it also features Maytag's new design language. On the outside, door handles are bookended by cast caps painted in a silvery grey. We're divided on whether or not this was an improvement over traditional, tapered handles, but they certainly make this Maytag distinct.

The controls are also a bit busier than we’d normally expect, but they match the handles well, giving the fridge exterior a unified aesthetic. While some icons fade off when the fridge is dormant, several symbols are always visible, though not too brightly. Dispenser buttons break up an otherwise unified panel—while a rear paddle is still present, the buttons actually made dispensing water and ice easier.

At first glance, the inside appears quite normal: Half-width shelves, one with a retracting front half, offer plenty of adjustable space. A recessed panel in front offers convenient snack storage, while the right door has several gallon-sized buckets.

The Maytag MFX2876DRM's main fridge compartment looks great and has plenty of adjustable storage options.

The main fridge compartment looks great and has plenty of adjustable storage options.

There is one very unusual touch, though: stainless steel shelves. Two of the four adjustable shelves are solid metal panels. They’re not all that heavy, a pleasant surprise, but they did raise an important question: If the shelves are opaque, wouldn't they cast a shadow on the food below?

Maytag’s solution was to build small LED lights under the front lip of the shelves. They’re bright, and are powered through the rear mounting slots. The lights turn off when you remove the shelves for cleaning or adjustment.

The pull-out freezer is standard fare, with sliding drawers and a thin section zoned off just inside the door for storing thin, boxed items like frozen pizza. The separate central drawer has adjustable partitions for organizing your food.

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Performance & Features

Big and efficient, but inconsistent

Both the fridge and freezer sections of this large Maytag ran just a hair warm—about a degree in each compartment. But that’s easy enough to fix: Simply turn the thermostat down by one or two degrees for optimal temperatures.

What you can’t do anything about, however, is consistency. In both compartments, we measured shifts in temperature that were slightly wider than we've seen in other fridges in this price range. These temperature shifts weren't large enough to make any major impact on food.

Even the Maytag MFX2876DRM's control panel, with its ridged lower section and large buttons, and an industrial feel to it.

Even the control panel, with its ridged lower section and large buttons, and an industrial feel to it.

On the other hand, our tests showed that crisper drawers were ineffective. Not only do they lack user-adjustable humidity controls, they also lost moisture quickly. That could make produce spoil sooner than expected.

Other test results were acceptable: The Maytag is roomy, efficient, and could freeze room-temperature food in a decent amount of time.

The door-mounted icemaker can hold plenty of ice, and Fast Ice and PowerCold options are available for folks who need chill meat or churn out cubes quickly.

The divided central drawer has four distinct temperature settings: Cold Drinks, Meats/Cheeses, Assorted Items, and Fruits/Vegetables.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

A Unique Aesthetic

If you like an industrial look, this fridge gets points for style

With its industrially inspired exterior and unique stainless shelves, the Maytag MFX2876DRM certainly has personality. That said, an MSRP of $3,299—and retail prices hovering just under $3,000—demands something more than just a pretty face.

For that kind of money, you could easily find a fridge with better temperature stability and more useful features. Consider the GE Café CFE28TSHSS, our 2014 Best of Year award winner.

If you’re specifically on the prowl for a four-door French door, we recommend the KitchenAid KFXS25RYMS as a more affordable—alternative.

The Cold Hard Facts

Inconsistent fridge and freezer temperatures kept the new Maytag MFX2876DRM (MSRP $3,299) from earning a stellar score. Lackluster crispers didn't help much, either.

Temperature Performance

The main fridge section ran a bit warm, averaging 38.72°F at the top, 38.21°F in the middle, and 39.72°F at the bottom. Simply turning the thermostat down a degree or so should help mitigate this, but there’s nothing you can do about the average temperature fluctuation. Shifts of about ±0.38°F are roughly double the ideal we've tested, but shouldn't pose too much of a problem for foods. They aren't wide enough to drop fridge temps below freezing or above 42ºF.

The freezer proved similar. Average temperatures clocked in at -0.04°F at the top and 0.83°F near the bottom. But an average deviation of ±1.07°F is high: about three times what we’d expect to see out of a fridge this expensive. You’ll want to turn the thermostat down at least two degrees to help combat freezer burn, which happens when temperatures go above and below 0ºF.

Even the Maytag MFX2876DRM's control panel, with its ridged lower section and large buttons, and an industrial feel to it.

Even the control panel, with its ridged lower section and large buttons, and an industrial feel to it.

Moisture Retention

Crispers were disappointing, especially with the absence of an adjustable humidity control that might help improve performance. Over the course of three days, our test materials lost an average of 0.36 grams of moisture each hour—more than double the norm.

The Maytag MFX2876DRM's crispers don't offer any form of adjustable humidity control, and weren't very good.

Crispers don't offer any form of adjustable humidity control, and weren't very good.

Freezing

Freezing times were acceptable. It took the Maytag’s freezer one hour and 27 minutes to bring room-temperature items down to 32°F. That's about average.

Storage Space & Energy Efficiency

If nothing else, the Maytag is definitely roomy. Four adjustable half shelves, a full-width shelf, two matching crispers, a third thin drawer, and a recessed tray in front comprise the main fridge section. It’s all bolstered by a small shelf under the icemaker and plenty of gallon-sized storage on the right door, totaling 12.28 usable cubic feet of space.

The freezer was proportionately roomy, albeit with fewer shelves. Two sliding drawers with adjustable central partitions, as well as a separate pizza caddie just inside the door, offer 5.35 usable cubic feet of frozen space.

Even with all that space to cool, this model is quite efficient. Given a fixed rate of $0.09 per kWh (average in the U.S.), we estimate this fridge will cost you about $55.06 each year to run with the icemaker running. It breaks down to about 0.09 kWh per usable cubic foot—not the best we’ve seen, but pretty darn close.

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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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