A refrigerator is an electronic home appliance that can stay with you for even two decades. It is said that one buys at most 4 refrigerators in his or her life. Such infrequent buy warrants thorough research before making the purchase. Whether you are living alone or in a family, you need a fridge. A single-door refrigerator is best suited for bachelors, friends living together, or small families of 2-4 members.
Single-door refrigerators are not the most preferred choice of most families anymore, mainly because of their capacity. However, single-door fridges are making a comeback as many people are moving towards a minimalistic lifestyle. They are obviously cheaper than their double-door counterparts, but the biggest edge they have is that they consume 30-40% less power than double-door fridges.
mybest editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in India in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
Table of Contents
This buying guide will give you all the necessary factors that you must take into account before buying a single-door refrigerator for your home or workplace. It talks about space assessment, technical aspects, and the energy rating of a fridge. Go through the buying guide before exploring the 10 best products available.
While buying a fridge, the most commonly discussed and important factor is its capacity (in litres). With the capacity, it is also necessary to know the width of the area you are planning to keep your fridge in. We recommend that you make this a highly important criterion as this is one of the biggest limiting factors in refrigerator purchases.
Houses, especially apartments, usually have a dedicated space for keeping your fridge. Therefore, the height of the fridge can never really be a concern, so the width can be the only deciding factor.
You should also leave a little room at the back and sides of the fridge for proper ventilation. Keep this in mind while doing your measurements. You can measure the dimensions of the fridge you already have to make it super convenient for yourself.
The capacity is the most important feature of any refrigerator you buy for your house. The capacity of a fridge, marked in litres, gives you a fair idea about the number of people it is good for. For example, if you are a single person, living alone, you would not require a fridge over 200 litres of capacity.
Similarly, a single-door fridge with a capacity of 200 to 360 litres is ideal for a family of 2 to 3 members. It will enable you to store your everyday items like milk, water, bread, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, along with some extra food items like snacks and cake. If you are not sure about the right capacity for your needs, go for a bigger one.
Frost is produced by almost all single-door refrigerators out there. A single-door fridge has a freezer on the top that maintains a frigidly cold temperature. Because of this temperature, even the water vapours inside the freezer begin to freeze, eventually building ice.
To get rid of this ice, refrigerators come with different defrosting mechanisms - manual, semi-automatic, and cyclical. Other than these, some single-door fridges also come with frost-free technology, which does not allow ice to be formed inside a freezer.
In single-door fridges with the manual defrosting feature, you simply need to empty your freezer and unplug the fridge. After that, you will just have to wait for all the ice to melt. This melting can take anywhere between a few hours to a full day, depending on the company and model.
The upside of the manual defrost freezers is that they are cheaper than the other refrigerators. If you are looking to save money, then this fridge can give you good value. You just need to be patient enough to wait for some hours once every month or so.
Refrigerators with a semi-automatic defrosting feature come with a button to defrost all the ice that accumulates in the freezer over time. This requires you to empty your freezer and press that button that says "Defrost". This takes a few hours and needs to be done whenever you feel the ice is in excess.
Such single-door fridges are more expensive than manual defrost ones, but the extra money is worth it as it saves you a lot of hassle. These freezers also require defrosting once a month or so. Another big difference between manual and semi-automatic freezers is that the latter consumes more energy.
Cyclical defrost, also known as automatic defrost or frost-free, gets activated once or twice a day. After starting, it eliminates all the ice in the freezer within 20 minutes. This ice evaporates and no water is dissipated as a residue. This requires no human intervention, as the fridge has an electric timer set to go off every few hours.
For some modern fridges, this defrosting may even occur every two hours. If you have ever observed a strange noise from your fridge after a few hours, you most likely heard the automatic defrosting triggered by the freezer. These fridges are definitely the most expensive ones, but the technology is worth that money.
In India, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) awards star ratings to various electronic appliances. More stars represent the better energy efficiency of that product. One star represents that the fridge consumes a lot of energy and a five-star rating means that the fridge is highly efficient when it comes to energy consumption.
The price of the refrigerator is directly proportional to the number of stars - the more the number of stars, the higher the price will be. It might look a little useless to pay around ₹2000-₹3000 extra for the same model, but you will recover that amount with saved electricity in no time. It is highly advised to buy refrigerators with a 3-star rating and above.
Any appliance that you buy comes with a warranty. Warranties are a great way for companies to establish trust with customers. Normally, refrigerators come with a standard warranty of 1 year on the product and 10 years on the compressor. However, it is advisable to get the product warranty extended to 3 years by paying a nominal fee.
Any problem with the fridge, including breakage in shelves, gasket, light, etc., is covered in the product warranty. So, make sure you keep the warranty card or the invoice of your single-door fridge with you to claim the warranty when required.
This beautiful blue fridge, with a spectacular floral design, is a direct cool refrigerator by Whirlpool. It has a decent capacity of 190 litres, in which the door has two racks to store up to three, 2-litre bottles or five, 1-litre bottles. This makes this fridge ideal for a mid-sized family.
It also has an extra-large vegetable crisper with a honeycomb moisture lock-in technology. This keeps your fruits and vegetables fresher for longer. Beneath the freezer, you will find a quick chill zone, ideal for cans and milk packets. A unique storage feature is in the pedestal below the fridge. It is a drawer that can be used for storing dry items like potatoes and onions.
Whirlpool has used IntelliSense Inverter Technology, which makes this single-door refrigerator highly energy efficient as it has a low starting voltage - 95V. The Insulated Capillary Technology used gives faster cooling and up to 9 hours cooling retention in case of a power cut.
Samsung has used its coveted direct-cool technology in making this single-door beauty. This technology saves a lot of energy, but the only drawback is that the ice formed in the freezer has to be manually defrosted periodically. Other than the manual defrosting, the fridge is filled with features.
The handle on the front is called the Garo Handle, which enhances the aesthetic appeal of the fridge and adds convenience. The base stand drawer is available in this fridge too, useful for storing potatoes and onions.
Being a 5-star rated product, it certainly saves a lot of energy. In case of a power cut, it can also operate using your home inverter. In a first of its kind, it can even run on energy from a solar panel. One solar panel installed on your roof can power this fridge even after sunset.
LG's Smart Inverter Compressor Technology is designed to give you many features: great performance, power saving, and silent and stabilizer-free operation. In the case of a power cut, it can be connected to the home inverter. A cool Moist n Fresh feature provides a special lattice-type box cover that maintains moisture at an optimum level in the veggie basket, which keeps your veggies fresh for many days.
This fridge also has LG's Direct Cool Technology that enables ice formation in about 108 minutes. Now, you won't have to worry about situations where you forget to make ice for your guests. The shelves are made of toughened glass, with a weight-holding capacity of 175 kgs. Of course, your shelves won't ever have such heavy items on them, but this shows the durability of the shelves.
Godrej has been making household appliances for Indians for over 60 years now. This fridge also delivers the quality we expect from Godrej generally. With a capacity of 190 litres and other features, this fridge is ideal for a family of 2 to 3 people. It has a jumbo vegetable tray for storing your veggies and fruits.
Advanced Inverter Technology uses the variable speed compressor that adjusts its operations intelligently. The shelves made of toughened glass can hold up to 50 kgs of weight, ideal for heavy items like watermelon and pineapple.
The chiller tray beneath the freezer can hold 2-3 1-litre bottles for quick chilling. Lastly, Technology Silver ions in the air duct and anti-microbial properties in the gasket keep the food germ-free and fresh for longer.
The most striking feature of this fridge by Haier is its 1-hour Icing Technology. As it has a semi-automatic defrost, you need to push a button for all the accumulated ice to melt. The toughened glass shelves can withstand heavy pots and pans. Despite being a small, single-door fridge, it has a great capacity for storing vegetables in the basket.
Being a 4-star energy-efficient model, you do not have to worry about power consumption with this one. The PUF (Polyurethane rigid Foam) on the borders of the door of this fridge is thicker than most other fridges, helping in retaining low temperatures efficiently for better cooling.
With a 270-litre capacity, LG has come up with a great single-door fridge. This is useful for even families with 3-4 members. It has three shelves made of toughened glass, making it highly durable. Like most of LG's refrigerators, this model is also made using Smart Inverter Compressor Technology.
The manual defrosting is a drawback of this model, but the huge space, Direct Cool Technology, anti-microbial gasket, and other features compensate for this. The inside of its door has three bottle racks, along with three layers of other small racks for storing eggs, butter, jam, small packs, etc.
The Insulated Capillary Technology does not allow much cooling to be lost, helping in keeping the fridge cool for up to 9 hours in case of a power outage. It does not have an automatic defrosting system, but manual defrosting is quite hassle-free. The gasket (rubber on the edges of the inside of the door) is easy to clean, is easily removable, and prevents bacteria and fungi build-up.
Beneath the freezer is a quick chill zone, with an easy-slide option. This can be used to chill ice cream, milk, beer, and other cans easily and quickly. This fridge automatically connects to your home inverter in case of a power cut. Normally, it works without a stabilizer even when the fluctuation is high.
This refrigerator by Samsung has a cool LED touch display on its door. This digi-touch cool panel has a lot of cool features. It alerts you when there is a power cut while restoring temperature loss. The eco mode and door alarm help save energy. The e-Defrost allows easy defrosting of the freezer and the power cool option cools the food and drinks quickly.
This fridge has a stabilizer-free operation and can run on a home inverter in case of a power cut. It can also be connected with a solar panel on your rooftop or balcony. The Safe Clean Back is a smooth cover for the vital parts at the back of the fridge. This cover is easily cleaned and protects the parts from accidental knocks, a useful feature for families with kids.
This Samsung fridge is bound to grace any home with its mystic red colour and beautiful floral pattern. The curved top edge of this fridge is called the crown door design. The island handle provides ease of access with a minimalist design. Other than this, it has all the top features of a single-door refrigerator.
It operates without a stabilizer and can run on a home inverter too. A touch of a button helps you cool items in your freezer 31% faster. The bottle rack has a deep door guard, helping you store bottles without any risk of them falling. The only downside is that it has a 2-star rating and is not highly energy efficient.
Diamond Edge Freezing Technology ensures super-fast cooling. It has a reciprocatory compressor, ideal for optimum and uniform cooling. The fridge has two bottle racks in the door and a couple of more small racks for eggs, cans, and other small containers.
The shelves are spill-proof and made of toughened glass, with a load-bearing capacity of 150 kgs. It has a defrost button for regular defrosting of the ice that accumulates in the freezer. This fridge has a BEE rating of 2 stars, making it a less energy-efficient model. Its annual energy consumption is roughly 208 Kilowatt Hours.
Modern lifestyle needs modern appliances! Check out some of the best kitchen appliances that should grace your kitchen. Air fryers, rice cookers, and mixer grinders are some of the most useful devices a modern home needs. These devices not only make your life more convenient, but also make sure that you gratify your taste buds every time your prepare a meal.
A refrigerator is one of the most important appliances in any household. Bachelors or new couples should ideally go for a single-door one. This has scores of benefits - great price, ideal capacity, and less space occupancy. Today, single-door fridges have almost all the necessary features and technologies that their larger counterparts have. Many people are turning towards minimalism; a single-door fridge can be a great start.
Rudraveer
When you purchase products mentioned in the article, part of the sales may be returned to mybest.
The descriptions of each product is referenced from the content available from the manufacturer, e-commerce sites etc.
PC and Cameras
Home Appliances and Electronics
Cosmetics and skincare
Health
Food and drinks
Kitchen supplies
Clothing
Shoes
Accessories
Kids and baby
Household goods
Interior and furniture
Hobbies
Outdoor
Sports and fitness
Pets
Books, CDs, DVDs
Games
Cars and motorcycles
Gifts
Smartphones and mobile phones
Investment and asset management
Music
Smartphone applications