Emerson Compact Refrigerator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm usually overall elaborate with my reviews, but I'll be brief on this particular one since more than likely if you're reading this, you're probably buying this fridge on clearance or it's coming to its end of life cycle.
First the positive aspects of the fridge. Emerson has accomplished what many could not successfully do with other brand models, in that you have a fully functional TRUE freezer space inside a compact fridge. It's amazingly large and can actually fit regular tubs of half gallon ice cream. (The horizontal cartons anyway. Vertical cartons can be laid down on their sides) It can keep things in a solid block of ice if needed, and due to the low volume space of the freezer, it acts as a better ice cube maker.
The fridge has a TRUE FLAT back. No wires are exposed, you can literally sit it against the wall. The trick is that Emerson ran the cooling coil around the fridge, so that the heat sink is actually on its sides and bottom. They then covered it with thin plastic on all sides. The fridge is warm to the touch, but never hot because of this.
With positives come negatives of course. The fridge itself would be comparable to 3.9cu Ft models, but because of the enclosed freezer door, it is cut down to total 3.1cu Ft. (2.2cu Ft for space, 0.9 for freezer)
The fridge is HEAVY. It's 57.5lbs is not entirely accurate. Although I don't have an exact measurement, it definitely is a lot heavier than similar compact fridge models. Typically other models would be around 45lbs.
The refrigerator space is surprisingly weak compared to the very powerful freezer space. I'm assuming the motor that it uses is the same one on other fridges, so they implemented more research onto keeping the freezer cold, but not the fridge as cold. If you're a person who likes ICE cold drinks, you'll be in for some disappointment.
Neutral things that you can see positive or negative are follows.
It runs quiet, but runs constantly. The freezer needs to be kept in check and because it uses such a small motor, it has to keep running.
It has key locks. This can be useful if you want to keep alcohol in the fridge, but if you LOOSE your keys. Well, good luck.
Its unusual weight is placed onto four peg legs. If you have sensitive flooring, this can cause dents.
In the end, I like the fridge but don't love the fridge. It's definitely pretty, quiet, and has good freezer space. It's also heavy, runs constantly, and has limited fridge space for its size. This is a true MINI FRIDGE. Take that for what it is.
UPDATE: June 13 2010
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Although I reviewed this fridge back in November 2008, I actually had the fridge in May. Now is past the 2 year point and I'm happy to say the fridge is still going strong. I decided to update the review since I saw how many people found this helpful and I wanted to make sure my words didn't loose meaning over time.
First of all - this fridge is available in retail chains. So for those of you who are getting bad shipments, I suggest you simply go pick it up. It's a shipping issue between you and the vendor; not Emerson and their fridge.
Second - Always remember that this fridge's big selling point is the freezer space. The fridge space isn't any different from other mini-fridges you happen to come across.
For those of you who have actually e-mailed me about the "flat back" - yes, this fridge literally has a flat back. The cooling coil you find on most fridges (take a look behind your big one in your kitchen for example) was covered up by Emerson on this model, so it runs around the fridge but is covered by that black thick plastic material you see in the picture. It's really sleek, and very useful for those who want to shove the fridge in a corner with it's back facing outward. KEEP IN MIND for safety reasons, you should still give the fridge some breathing room around the edges.
Still a great fridge, still love mine. I would gladly pick up another one if I actually needed another one. This little guy isn't an Energy Star fridge, but almost no mini-fridge is unless it's those horrible coolers they pass off as fridges now-a-days. Thanks for reading as always.

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