domestic appliances
Cooling combinations in the product test – be careful with the side-by-side devices
Double door refrigerators are becoming increasingly popular.
© Andrey Popov / Getty Images
The product testers looked at refrigerators with a large freezer compartment. There are many good ones with the classic structure, but with the chic side-by-side cooling combinations there are also nasty blunders.
There is movement in the refrigerated combos. Not only are the new EU energy labels reorganizing the market, but at the same time the favor of buyers is wandering. The classic structure of the combination devices with a refrigerator compartment at the top and a freezer compartment at the bottom still dominates. But the wide double-door devices – “Side by Side” – are increasing in popularity. Which also says a lot about the size of the apartment: Such a wide device calls for a large kitchen. The narrowest double-door vehicle is 88 centimeters wide, the widest even 163 centimeters wide. It’s as big as a standing double bed. The dimensions are with the doors open. With cooling devices, they protrude beyond the pure cabinet dimensions. All devices in the test are free-standing.
Prices from 600 euros
The new cooling machines are not cheap. The prices of the station wagons range from 605 euros to 1,390. The side-by-side station wagons from 900 to 1680 euros. The double-door cars are on average 300 euros more expensive. In the case of the station wagons, only the best devices are represented in the test, so all of them, including the cheap ones, come off with good or very good. Among the nine side-by-side cabinets, on the other hand, there are only four good ones, two scored satisfactory, three with sufficient. In view of the prices, you should insist on a good device.
Samsung dominates the test
German brands are likely to be confused when looking at the results: Samsung is the shining winner in the test and Ikea also triumphed. Of the four top-placed refrigerated combos, three come from Samsung, and one device comes from Bosch. The test winner with a classic structure and the only device with very good (1.5) is the Samsung RL41R7799SR for 1180 euros, followed by the Samsung RL38T776CB1 (1.6) for 965 euros. In the evaluation, the combination devices are all close together, so the cheapest device with the rating good is the price-performance winner. It’s the Liebherr KGNf 1860-3 (1.9) for 605 euros.
The grades for the side-by-side coolers are noticeably worse: One of the two top devices only got a 2.2, compared to 1.5 for the station wagons, that’s a noticeable drop. A test winner comes from Ikea. The model Vinterkall (604.901.28) 9006 costs 900 euros and is relatively cheap for a refrigerator with two doors. However, the structure of the Ikea device is a hybrid. The double doors are only available for the refrigerator compartment, the freezer compartment below is opened with two horizontal drawers.
As big as a double bed
At 190 centimeters, Vinterkall is quite high, but not particularly wide at 88 centimeters. The Samsung received the same grade (2.2) RS6GA8521B1 / EG. According to the product test, the costs here are 1250 – but the device is currently also available for 1000 euros. It is only 100 euros more expensive than Vinterkall from Ikea. The device from Samsung has two continuous doors and is therefore kept in a chic side-by-side look. In addition, it offers an ice cube dispenser, which you have to do without at Ikea. However, such a dispenser only makes sense if it is used and does not take up unnecessary space. The device from Samsung is 178 centimeters high, but needs 160 centimeters in width. The cooling volume is therefore also significantly larger than that of the Vinterkalls from Ikea. When choosing a side-by-side device, however, it is not only the price and the test result that are important. Due to the different dimensions, only a small part of the offer for a specific kitchen will ever be considered.
You can take the whole test for a fee here see.
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