Choosing A Mini Refrigerator
A compact mini refrigerator, can be a great choice if your lacking in space or need an extra refrigerator at home. A portable fridge can be useful if you just want to store a few cans but want to be able to carry your fridge with you to the office with your briefcase in your other hand.
If your off to college and you need a dorm refrigerator, if you work on a temporary site and need an easy to relocate small office fridge or if you just want a second side by side refrigerator for your home to store beers, wines and juices then there is now a wide range of cheap compacts for you to choose from on the market now, and best of all because of their size, you can buy on the internet and still get a good deal as delivery charges are not high.
There are so many choices when it comes to selecting the best portable or compact refrigerator that before you go shop you should look to limit your choices down to a reasonable number so you don’t end up wading through endless offerings. Before you go shop consider:
1. What size do you need?
Most of these coolers tend to be sized from 1.1 cu ft capacity through to 3 cubic feet capacity. Bear in mind what you are actually going to store in your refrigerator and where you are likely to place the fridge. The smaller sizes are great for desk top placement whereas the larger compacts are better placed on the floor under a desk or in a convenient area. Small portables are good for handling a few cans or bottles where as the larger sizes will obviously give you more storage choices but at a trade off of portability.
2. What color or design style?
Before you go shop consider what style you want the compact in. Are you looking for a sophisticated stainless steel design or a pop art style colour scheme, many manufacturers can offer red, black, and other color schemes as well as the more traditional white color schemes. Do you want a glass door mini refrigerator or are you looking for a standard door compact? If you are after a portable cooler does it need wheels? What type of carry handle might suit? Do you want a bright conspicous color or something that will blend in?
3. Are energy requirements important?
If the energy use is important to you, you can quickly narrow down choices by selecting a model that has the energy star marker available. Check energy labels to see if the product carries the energy star label. Refrigerators with these labels will be more energy efficient and therefore cheaper to run and better for the environment. If you are after a portable refrigerator do you want a car adapter, usb adapter or a normal plug? Consider how you intend to use the fridge.
4. What type of storage do you need?
Before shopping consider whether you want a compact or cube refrigerator with shelving or without, do you need a freezer combo model and if so how large a compartment or a door with or without storage. If you have already considered the size and know what you want to store then selecting shelving and compartments should be a straightforward choice. If you want a hand held refrigerator do you intend to store two cans or a six pack?
Once you have considered these factors you are ready to search the market for the best deal you can get. Picking up a compact mini refrigerator could cost as little as $60 or as much as $1000 all depending on manufacturer and specification, most fall in the $150 range. Portable models can be found for as little as $30 through to $100. Some of the most widely recognised manufacturers you should try are Haier, LG, Avanti, Sanyo, Danby, Igloo and Magic Chef. These manufacturers can easily be found in stores on the net without having to go checking out offerings on foot.
