Are mini-fridges worth it?

Aravind Ram

Aravind Ram

Broken In
I'm living alone in Bengaluru and am a beginner-level home-cook. It's a bit hard to manage without a refrigerator here as local shops don't sell some veggies in smaller quantities most of the times. And I need to store cooked food as well like curries/pastes, etc. So I started thinking about getting a mini fridge or a second-hand fridge. Now, I'm not a big fan of buying second-hand goods when it comes to electrical appliances. When I asked my colleagues about mini-fridge, they said it's only fine for storing alcohol and other beverages and it won't be much useful for me as I don't drink. I'm not sure how much that is true, and I've never seen someone using a mini-fridge in real life. None of the big brands have a separate category/page for mini-fridges in their websites. I can only see two good models from recognizable brands in Amazon:
1. Haier 53 L 2 Star Direct-Cool Single Door Mini Refrigerator (HR-65KS, Black)
2. Godrej 30 L Qube Personal Standard Single door Cooling Solution (TEC Qube 30L HS Q103, Black) - Here, the LG product description says 'Cooling solution' and not a refrigerator. No compressor and no refrigerant. So I'm not sure about this.

The main reason I'm looking for a mini-fridge is I want something portable so that it doesn't bother me when relocating (both inter-city and intra-city). Also another reason is the building that I live in - the entrance/pathway to my door from the stairs is very narrow. So bringing in large appliances like washing machine, fridge, bed/cot, etc., even an office-chair will be a mess and there is a risk of items hitting the wall or the pillar when dragging/carrying over the shoulder.

Irrespective of all that, is the mini-fridge as a product really worthy enough to invest in? Does anyone have any usage experience? Or should I go with a regular single door fridge? And should I go for used/second-hand fridges in Olx, any tips?
 
mitraark

mitraark

Decrepit
Owner of a 90L fridge here. The size 90L itself feels too small on most occasions.. bottles dont always fit, vegetables dont always fit, and god forbid you have some leftover stuff to store and preserve, it wont be able to accomodate much of it. My fridge can only keep about a dozen beer bottle "cool", thats about it.

Instead of 8k on a 50L fridge, spend 4-5k more and get a 165L minimum. A 50 L fridge is more of a novelty item, as you mentioned it is marketed as a cooling solution. hence either save to buy a better appliance or dont spend at all. Consider buying 2nd hand, its highly recommendable. Areawise it is almost the same space so you cannot cite space constraints as an issue.
 
Vyom

Vyom

The Power of x480
Staff member
Admin
I thought about getting a mini fridge, but the thoughts mentioned in this thread always use to occur in my mind.
Glad I am not the only one who didn't find it much useful in Indian context and for someone who doesn't drink. :p
 
bubusam13

bubusam13

Human
Not worth. Waste of money. If you are hard on cash, get a single door 165L. Else get a bigger one. As your purpose is to store food and not just bottles, 53 L is useless, 30 L is a joke :p
You mentioned you are in Bengaluru, why dont you rent one ? I also did the same long back.
 
OP
Aravind Ram

Aravind Ram

Broken In
bubusam13 said:
Not worth. Waste of money. If you are hard on cash, get a single door 165L. Else get a bigger one. As your purpose is to store food and not just bottles, 53 L is useless, 30 L is a joke :p
You mentioned you are in Bengaluru, why dont you rent one ? I also did the same long back.
Click to expand...
Thanks.. are there any specific things that I should be aware of while renting?
 
bubusam13

bubusam13

Human
Nothing much. Keep the rent as low as possible. And check if you can get a brand new one. Also click pictures of the product and send it to them immediately so that they can't come back to you later for compensation of any damage that you have not done.
 
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