A Review of the Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator: Convenient Access to Everyday Foods

Frustrated with Outdated Fridge, I Search for an Upgrade: My Experience with a Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator.

Our old fridge was a source of frustration with limited storage and a cluttered interior that made finding what we needed a challenge. We’re avid cooks and constantly struggled to access items like potatoes and sauces. After years of admiring stainless steel fridges, we finally made the upgrade to a Hisense model and couldn’t be happier.

Why We Chose Hisense Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators:

• Convenient Design
• Decent Capacity
• Affordable Price
• Sleek Look

Our Experience with Hisense Refrigerators: Half-Year Review.

Dimensions and design

The Hisense Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator comes in several models with varying capacities. I reviewed the 17.1 cubic-foot HBM17158SS model, which is currently unavailable, but 17.2 cubic-foot options are available, like the HRB171N6ASE model.

Bottom-Freezer Design for Easy Access to Fresh Foods – The freezer is positioned at the bottom for easy access to frequently used fresh foods at eye level. It has two compartments for organizing larger and smaller items.

This 70-inch tall, 31-inch wide refrigerator is designed to fit in small kitchens, requiring only 33 inches of clearance to pass through doorways during installation.

Door is reversible for left or right opening with a Philips screwdriver and an 8mm socket wrench needed for installation.

Setup process

Moving a new fridge into a NYC apartment is a challenge, but it went well thanks to the help of the building’s maintenance worker who transported it to the 6th floor on a large dolly.

This fridge was the perfect choice for our small NYC apartment as it fits through narrow doors, including the elevator and entrance to our home, with ease.

To get the fridge into our kitchen, we had to cut open the box in sections with a box cutter, then remove the protective foam and wrap it. After that, we slowly wiggled it through the doorway inch by inch.

We removed the protective Styrofoam and plastic wrap, freeing the wheels. Then we rolled the fridge into place and plugged it in.

Next step: Handle Installation. The handles were safely inside the fridge, so we followed the instructions, used the included Allen wrench, and easily attached them. We aligned the handles with the screws on the front of the fridge, found the hole in the handle, and tightened the screw using the Allen wrench.

Inside the fridge

The interior of the fridge has 3 adjustable glass shelves and 6 durable plastic shelves in the door that can be arranged to meet your needs. However, you may face some limitations in customization due to the requirement of fitting the shelves into grooves for stability.

The fridge features a large crisper drawer with two compartments to store fruits and vegetables. You can control the humidity by sliding the vents open or closed. However, accessing the contents requires removing the whole drawer, which requires opening the fridge door widely.

The fridge has a 12.1 cu. Ft capacity, making it much more significant than our old, small fridge. We could fit tall items like a 1.53L Tropicana juice and a 1L Coca-Cola bottle on the bottom door shelf, unlike before, where we had to find awkward spots. We even chilled a bottle of wine upright for New Year’s Eve.

The door shelves, with their ample space, make storing small items like sauces and eggs a breeze, freeing up room inside for larger foods on the 3 large glass shelves. We now keep our sauces and jams on the door shelves, making meal prep much easier as we no longer have to search for the hoisin sauce amidst a cluttered interior while the tofu cooks.

Negatives: Only a full gallon of milk fits in the fridge if one of the interior glass shelves is removed, reducing the number of shelves to two. To keep all three shelves, you have to buy half-gallons instead. This is crucial to note if your family frequently buys gallons of milk, as is common. Everything else fits well.

You can adjust the fridge’s temperature using the control panel on top of the refrigerator. The adjustment process is simple: hold the “Fridge” button on the control panel for 3 seconds until it beeps, then continue to press it to reach the desired temperature. The recommended temperature by Hisense is 39 degrees, but after using it for a few months, we found it to be too cold and adjusted it to 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

Inside the freezer

The freezer is at the bottom of the fridge but accessible with ease via a smooth-opening handle.

The freezer has 5.1 cu ft capacity and two sections: a top drawer and a lower one. We placed frequently used frozen items, ice trays, and small foods in the top drawer for easy reach and reserved the bottom compartment for larger items like a bag of frozen peas and smoked salmon. Note: heavy items in the top drawer may cause it to come off the tracks when pulled.

The recommended temperature for the freezer is -2°F. To adjust, press the “Freezer” button on the fridge control panel for 3 secs until it beeps, then continue pressing to choose the desired temperature.

The -2-degree temperature is adequate. We put a new Coca-Cola bottle in to chill before dinner, and within 20 minutes of cooking, it was cold and partially frozen. This was a vast improvement compared to our old fridge, which wouldn’t have been chilled even in that time frame.

In daily use

The Hisense fridge has improved our daily life after six months of use. Its ample storage and organization options make cooking more accessible, as finding what you need takes mere seconds rather than minutes, preventing meal and mood mishaps.

The bottom line

• Is it worth purchasing? Absolutely! If you have limited kitchen space or prefer smaller fridges, it is a great option due to its ample interior. It is also ideal for those seeking a fridge with a bottom freezer. Compared to similar capacity fridges, it is priced reasonably and is one of the few bottom-freezer fridges that can be bought for less than $1000.
• Alternatives? Plenty to choose from. Check our guide to the best fridges under $2k. At Home Depot & Lowe’s, bottom-freezer fridges with similar capacity under $1k are not available (at the time of writing). You can find top-freezer fridges with equal capacity for less – prices at Home Depot start at $710 and go up to $800 (at the time of writing), but you’ll miss the convenience of a bottom freezer.