Best Portable Refrigerators

If you have a recreational vehicle, a small, compact refrigerator is a must. You want to have some means of keeping food and drinks cold, especially in warmer weather--but it has to be more versatile than an electric cooler. And even in your home--you’ll see compact refrigerators that are perfect for the garage, or even for outdoors, if you’re throwing a party on your patio or in your backyard. Many appliance companies make compact fridges that are small enough to easily fit underneath a table, and yet can still store a good amount.  You can find cube refrigerators, mid-size refrigerators, and counter-high models. You can also find compact fridges specially for drinks--for example, for keeping wine at a specific temperature.

We've put together this guide to help you select the best compact refrigerator that answer to your needs. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of compact refrigerator,

• See useful tips about that type of compact refrigerator,    

• Read reviews of different brands of compact refrigerator, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of compact refrigerator, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Cube refrigerator: These are the ultimate in compactness. They will have a volume of under 2.1 cubic feet, and typically be less than 20 inches tall. The Danby DAR195BL 1.8 ft3 refrigerator is a cube refrigerator, but it still has the capacity to hold 6 cans and a 2-liter bottle on the door, besides three levels of storage space inside.

• Mid-size: These will be larger, holding somewhere from 2.1 to 3 cubic feet. They can also accommodate a freezer, and more shelves than the cube refrigerator.

• Counter-high fridge: The largest compact refrigerators will hold from 3.5-4.5 cubic feet, and may have single or double doors. The SPT RF-444SS Compact Refrigerator has a volume of 4.4 cubic feet, and has 3 shelves (i.e., 4 levels). It can also accommodate 8 cans of soda and bottles of drinks on the door.

Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:

• Energy consumption: One caveat with portable refrigerators is that many are not energy efficient: hot air tends to leak into the device, making it work harder and not achieving good results. The larger models will also have more insulation, to keep cold air inside. But some, such as the Whytner FM-85G, are top loading, where the door opens much the same as in a cooler, instead of from the side, as you expect in a typical refrigerator. This way, the cold air stays inside the fridge, and it cools more efficiently.

• Adjustable legs: A refrigerator should be level in order to function properly. (Otherwise, the door will tend to swing open, or simply will not stay shut.) There are refrigerators with adjustable heights to the legs, to make sure that the fridge stays level, even if the floor isn’t.

• Weight: To help determine how “portable” a portable refrigerator is, consider the weight of the appliance. For example, the Danby DAR440BL 4.4-Cubic Foot Refrigerator is around 72 pounds--you might want to take that into consideration, if you plan to move your fridge around.

• Number of shelves: The number of shelves can help determine how many drinks can you put standing and how many lying horizontally. Obviously, the larger the fridge, the more shelves it will have.

• Reversible door: Some refrigerators allow you to reverse the direction in which the door opens. Whereas a fridge will typically open from left to right (with the hinges on the right-hand side of the fridge), some models allow you to reverse where the hinges are situated, to place the hinges on the left. This might be a lifesaver, considering your space arrangements.

• Thermostat: Even though a thermostat is a given in your kitchen fridge, not all compact refrigerators have a thermostat. A thermostat is convenient in lowering the temperature when the weather is hotter.

• Automatic defrost: Compact refrigerators might have a problem of ice collecting over time. A fridge with an automatic defrost will solve that--otherwise, you’ll have to defrost your fridge manually from time to time, to prevent ice from building up. On the other hand, a model which requires manual defrosting will have one less thing that can break down. 

• Refrigerator and freezer: The Whytner FM-85G is a portable refrigerator that functions as a freezer as well. By just lowering the temperature of the thermostat, it will freeze the food, instead of just keeping it cold.

Danby--Danby is a manufacturer of compact refrigerators, founded in 1947 in Guelph, Ontario. They make dual door refrigerators, full- and half-width refrigerators, in a number of different designs and finishes. Their refrigerators are designed for drinks and supplying slightly more refrigeration to your home.

SPT--(= Sunpentown International, Inc.) is a retailer of a wide selection of home and kitchen appliances, located in Chicago, Illinois. They sell air-control devices, fitness machines, power generators, refrigeration units, and more. They make compact refrigerators, ice makers, freezers, and beverage coolers.

Whynter--is a manufacturer of electric appliances for the home. They sell cigar humidors, wine coolers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, refrigerator/freezers, ice and ice cream makers, and more.

Edgestar--is a retailer of home and outdoors appliances. They sell refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ice makers, air conditioners, and washers/dryers. They also sell outdoors refrigerators and freezers. They also have a compact refrigerator that can also function as a freezer---you simply dial down the thermostat to below 0 degrees Celsius.