You may be buying your first compact refrigerator for your first home. Or it can be your second and you're planning to put it inside your room. Or you might be planning to put it in your office or workplace and offer your guests and colleagues cold drinks. Or this compact refrigerator can be your gift to a newly-wed couple or to your college son off to live in a dormitory.
Whatever your reason is, you have to buy the best compact refrigerator there is in the market. Wait, put down that wallet and sit first. Before you make decisions, read these 7 guidelines on choosing the best compact refrigerator.
1. Decide on how compact it should be.
The sizes of compact refrigerators range from 1.5 cubic feet to 6 cubic feet. You should know how you're planning to use the compact refrigerator because a small mistake in size can make a big difference. If this is going to be your first personal refrigerator in your own house, go for the larger ones. You are going to need it to store your groceries and the like.
A medium-sized compact refrigerator would be best for college dormitories as students would have to have space to put in their food and drinks. Of course, you should take into consideration the space available inside the dormitory room. If it's really small, you have no choice but to stick to the smaller refrigerators.
2. What features should it have? What features can it do without?
Again, the purpose of the compact refrigerator should be clear. If this is going to be your primary refrigerator, you have to choose a model that has all the important features. These features may include a chiller, a freezer, shelves and a vegetable compartment. You may also want to have one with water and ice dispenser. It's up to you.
Be careful though that you do not get carried away with the new innovations and features available in the market today. You can be enticed with one interesting feature and soon find out that it has nothing of use to you. You will fin this out after you already made the purchase. To avoid getting the buyer's remorse, stick to what you need and only consider the "cool" factors if you have some extra money to spare.
3. You can actually choose one according to your personality!
Today, the market contains so many different brands to choose from. If your budget allows it, you can choose compact refrigerators according to your personality. Some brands carry products that have different colors such as red, blue, green and pink. You don't have to stick to the normal refrigerator colors. There are also some companies that will personalize the design of your compact refrigerator for a fee.
But remember: do not do this if you are on a tight budget.
4. How much are you willing to spend?
I have been mentioning money and budget in the first three guidelines. Nobody will argue that money indeed the most important factor to consider before making a purchase. In some cases though, when we don't plan our budget specifically before going out to the market to buy, we easily get carried away and are attracted to amazing features. In the end, we find out that we have bought something we do not really need at a price we could not really afford.
Stick, stick, stick to your budget. The best compact refrigerator out there is not necessarily the one which has the highest price. The best compact refrigerator is the one that will suit your needs without emptying your pockets.
5. Read on product reviews.
Since you are already sitting there, reading my guidelines, go further and search on some reviews made by customers of some compact refrigerator brands. Get a clue from them. What is good about product reviews is that they are not raving at the positive aspects of a product all the time. There are many reviews wherein you can find out the cons of a certain compact refrigerator you've been eyeing. Reading these reviews will save you money, time and heartache in the future.
6. Ask your trusty friends!
If you already have a product in mind, consult your friends, especially those whom you know are knowledgeable in the area of home appliances, especially compact refrigerators. Your friends will also suggest products and brands you did not consider before. If they bring up new names, names you aren't familiar with, do yourself a favor and repeat guideline #5.
7. Go on store hopping
Now you're ready to face the world! Because you followed the six guidelines above, you now have a concrete idea, even a concrete refrigerator in mind. You can save time, money and effort by making a beeline directly to where your future compact fridge is waiting. But before you buy it in that store, try other stores if they sell the same product. You'd never know; the same compact refrigerator might be sold in the next store for a lesser price.
