The single door refrigerators are not only the most affordable home refrigerators but also the highest-selling type of refrigerators in India. India’s growing middle class has been known to use the ubiquitous single-door refrigerator for not just 2-3 people but also for a household of 5-6 family members. We would not recommend using just the humble single-door refrigerator for more than four people; we sure do need heavy-duty models!
In this day and age of nuclear families, especially in the metros, the single-door refrigerator has become the default option for most families. Online shopping in India has been gaining ground, and the ease and convenience it offers ensures that you can place your order in a few clicks and wait for the delivery guys to show your refrigerator and install it in your home, too.
Therefore, before you make the final purchase, we highly recommend that you go through this extensive list of features that we have compiled to understand what branded feature names mean and what exactly you should be looking for in your ideal single-door refrigerator.
So, let’s get started.
Here are some Key Features to Look for When Buying a Single-Door Refrigerator
Technology, Stabilizers, Child Lock, BEE Star Rating, Brands, Warranty & Accessories
Direct Cool Technology
Direct cool technology is the most basic type of refrigerator cooling technology used today. Almost all single-door refrigerators are of the direct cool type, which has both advantages and disadvantages. The main characteristic is that direct cool refrigerators allow frost to be formed in and around the freezer compartment. This happens because the cool air in a directly cool refrigerator is not circulated using fans and moves inside the refrigerator by the natural convection process, creating areas with uneven temperature distribution.
Frost formation may cause food to spoil; hence, you need to manually defrost your directly cool refrigerator from time to time. A defrost button is usually provided for this purpose. The bright side, however, is that direct-cool refrigerators consume less electricity than frost-free refrigerators, so when you buy single-door, direct-cool refrigerators, you will definitely be saving on your electricity bills.
Related: Direct-Cool Vs. Frost-Free Refrigerators
In-built Voltage Stabilizers
While single-door refrigerators traditionally needed a stabilizer to be connected to them to protect them from voltage fluctuations, only most entry-level refrigerators do need separate voltage stabilizers today. Most new models, although priced a little higher, feature an in-built voltage stabilizer.
The in-built voltage stabilizer usually has a range anywhere from 90V to 360V, within which it can protect the fridge from voltage fluctuations. Having this feature provides you convenience and peace of mind as you do not have to deal with the hassle of getting a separate stabilizer installed. It also saves you money in the process, as stabilizers for your fridge can easily cost up to two thousand rupees.
Therefore, this is a highly recommended feature that you should definitely be looking for in your new single-door refrigerator.
Child Lock
Most single-door refrigerators we have reviewed above do come with a lock and key to keep the refrigerator door locked. They also have a door open alarm, which goes off if the refrigerator door is left open for a long time. Both of these may be necessary for you if you have children at home.
You do not want them playing with the refrigerator door and dirtying the food items or even injuring themselves. Moreover, you may also want to keep them away from sweets, junk food, or even beer and other alcohol. Therefore, do not forget to check for a door lock on the refrigerator door if you have kids at home.
BEE Star Rating for Refrigerators
Whenever you look at a single-door refrigerator, you can easily spot a label at the front that displays its Star rating. In India, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) gives energy efficiency ratings to electrical appliances, in this case, single-door refrigerators, ranging from one to five stars. One star signifies the least energy-efficient ones, and 5 Stars signify the most high energy-efficient ones.
While your single-door refrigerator purchase may be a single up-front cost, running it daily means costs get added to your electricity bill, which you will be paying for years. Therefore, the Star rating is one of the most important things you will need to consider before you make your buying decision.
While we would highly recommend getting a 5-star refrigerator as its higher cost will eventually be offset by lower electricity bills, we do understand that it may not always be within your budget. Hence, depending on your budget, you could also go for a three or 4-star single-door refrigerator. However, we would still recommend steering clear of 1 or 2-star rated models.
Top Brands
The refrigerator market has many brands offering hundreds of different models in this category. However, the top, most trusted refrigerator brands for single-door refrigerators in India are:
- LG
- Samsung
- Whirlpool
- Godrej
- Haier
While LG & Samsung, both Korean brands, are the market leaders when it comes to refrigerators, Whirlpool, an American conglomerate, offers them tough competition. The largest India player currently is Godrej. While all of these brands offer great products, you should also look at which of these brands offer a service center in your city so that spare parts will be easily available and they will also have a faster response time in case of repair requests from your end.
Warranty
While almost all single-door refrigerators come with a 1-year product warranty, you should definitely check to ensure that your refrigerator has at least a 1-year warranty on the product. Besides that, some refrigerators come with a 5-year warranty on the compressor, while others may have a 10-year warranty.
You should definitely go with a refrigerator that comes with a 10-year warranty on the compressor, if possible, as the compressor is by far the most expensive component in your refrigerator, and you would certainly expect it to run well for 10 years.
Accessories
While your refrigerator will come with almost everything you need, you may opt to purchase a few accessories separately. If your refrigerator does not come with an in-built stabilizer, you should definitely get one separately.
Apart from that, you could buy a refrigerator top mat or cover with handy side pockets. You could also go for easy-to-clean refrigerator shelf mats made of silicone or high-quality plastic. You may also want to buy extra ice trays for the freezer. All of these accessories are easily available in online marketplaces.
Single Door Vs. Double Door Refrigerators
Before you make your purchase, you should also have a clear understanding of the differences between a single-door and a single-door refrigerator so that you can make an informed decision. Here are the primary differences between a single and a double-door refrigerator.
- Build: In a single-door refrigerator, the freezer is housed inside the main cabinet, at the top, whereas in a double-door refrigerator, there is a separate freezer with its own door at the top or at the bottom,
- Volume: While single-door refrigerators have a storage volume of 80 to 230 liters at most, double-door refrigerators can offer a storage volume from 240 liters up to 400 liters or even more.
- Users: While single-door refrigerators can be used comfortably to store food for a family of up to 3 people, double-door refrigerators can usually store food for a family of 3 to 5 people.
- Electricity Consumption: Single-door refrigerators consume much less energy than double-door refrigerators. This is the general trend, but electricity consumption may vary from model to model.
- Shelves: While most single-door refrigerators may offer wired shelves, most double-door refrigerators come with stronger, toughened glass shelves.
- Cooling: Almost all single-door refrigerators use the direct cooling technique; most double-door refrigerators are frost-free.
- Defrosting: Manual defrosting is needed in single-door refrigerators, but most double-door refrigerators come with frost-free technology, which removes the need for manual defrosting.