Servis M7262S

...model in question is the Servis M7262S. Although the brand name comes secondary to the specifications of the unit, it does help when you know they have a decent reputation for being reliable, which is why I was so pleased when I saw the Servis brand name on the door. We paid for it and eagerly awaited the delivery of our first home purchase...

Four days later it arrived intact and ready for putting into position. I'll add here that ...
...who like uncomplicated yet stylish simplicity in their appliances, as well as reliability and functionalism. I am very satisfied with the quality of this Servis appliance.

I rate this product 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it to you!

  ... more

Moving in with my husband after our wedding day (very traditional, I know) was a really wonderful, exciting yet eye-opening experience. You can probably guess the wonderful and exciting aspects, but the reason I say eye-opening reflets how shocked I was at how much furniture/appliances were needed to make a house a home. Up until this moment I had lived at home, where everything 'automatically' exists in the house...obviously it doesn't, though you only realise this when you move out and find you have nothing!

We knew we couldn't afford to get everything at once, so after much delibertion we concluded that the first item we needed the most was a fridge-freezer. We were fortunate that the flat we were renting at the time already had a cooker built in to the kitchen units, otherwise we would have been stuck!

Our flat was tiny, and the kitchen was more of a kitchenette, so our mission was to find a fridge-freezer that didn't take up too much space; height was not a problem but the width was crucial. I also wanted one with a stainless steel effect (as real stainless steel is very expensive!), so we jumped in the car and headed down to our local Currys outlet.

We found what we were looking for almost immediately. Among the mass of fridge-freezers was a small, narrow, stylish stainless steel-effect fridge-freezer, which fitted our criteria perfectly. The price was also (just) within our range, at £245.99, which sealed the deal for us. The model in question is the Servis M7262S. Although the brand name comes secondary to the specifications of the unit, it does help when you know they have a decent reputation for being reliable, which is why I was so pleased when I saw the Servis brand name on the door. We paid for it and eagerly awaited the delivery of our first home purchase...

Four days later it arrived intact and ready for putting into position. I'll add here that whenever you buy a fridge-freezer you must let it stand for about an hour before plugging it in to let the refridgerating chemicals settle after transit. After ripping off the miles of selophane and sticky tape we placed it into position, where it fit just right. Now all we needed was food...

The fridge-freezer is freestanding with a compressor cooling system, with the refridgerator compartment ot the top and the freezer compartment at the bottom. The refridgerator is larger than the freezer; the nett capacity for the refridgerator (in litres) is 138 L; the nett capacity for the frrzer is 76 L, adding up to a combined total nett capacity of 214 litres). The dimensions are 58 cm x 53 cm x 165cm (width x depth x height).

The unit has two doors, and as I mentioned before it is metallic silver in colour, with wavy bands of silver at the top, centre and base sections of the model. It has the brand name 'Servis' on the top of the fridge door, raised off the surface in the same colour as the rest of the unit. The durable plastic handles form part of the door and do not stick out from the unit. To open the fridge you grasp the handle (which is an indent in the bottom of the door) with your hand twisted, so your wrist is facing up, and pull; with the freezer you grasp the handle (an indent in the top of the door) with your hand and wrist facing the floor and pull. Both of the handles are incorporated into the door structures and are situated just below the centre of the unit. They are hidden in the design and form part of the wavy silver bands that stretch across the face of the fridge. The design is sleek and neat, without any sharp edges and bulky handles, and looks modern. At the base of the fridge are adjustable feet, which is good if you have an uneven floor. These are a little fiddly to adjust and involves someone else lifting the unit slightly off the floor while you unscrew the feet to the desired level.

The door is hinged on the right-hand side, though this can be adjusted to suit the rest of your kitchen. The manual gives instructions of how to do this with helpful diagrams.

When you open the refridgerator door an internal light automatically illuminates, as you would expect. The light is attached to a white oval piece of plastic which also houses the electronic thermostat. This has a small dial surrounded by silver numbers, indicating cooling levels from 1 - 5 (1 being the warmest). The manual recommends the optimum level to be '3', which is what I personally set mine at. There are two lights next to the words 'Electronic Control', one which illuminates green to show that the fridge is working and one which illuminates orange to show that the freezer is working. When you first get the fridge-freezer you will need to manually set the temperatures for both, of which instructions to do so are in the manual. After this it regulates itself, which is ultra convenient.

The inside of the fridge is white, which looks nice and clean. On the back of the door there are three deep shelf compartments. These are all removable for ease of cleaning, and simple to fit back. The bottom shelf is the deepest and is ideal for storing bottles and cartons. The second shelf is ideal for small jars. This also contains a removable egg tray which can hold 10 eggs. The top compartment has a transparant plastic lid which is on hinges and lifts open. I have found this useful for keeping cheeses in or strong-smelling food (such as garlic sausage) as when the lid is down it seals the compartment and protects the other food from absorbing the smell. On the inside of the fridge is a label with a helpline and replacement parts phone number, which I think is a great idea as these things always end up getting lost or thrown out.

The main compartment of the fridge is made up of one glass shelf, located at the bottom of the compartment, and two plastic-covered wire grids, which are adjustable. All are easily removed for cleaning and can be re-arranged to cater for your personal preference as there are several shelf rests on either wall. Underneath the glass shelf (which has a white plastic edge protector, fiited but removable, for safety) are two fairly large clear plastic meat boxes. These are also removable and easy to wash. When all of the shelves/grids/boxes are removed you are left with a fridge that is really easy to clean. It is very hygenic as each removable part can be washed properly, rather than just wiped down, which I like. It is easy to reassemble and takes no time at all. The back wall of the fridge is an evapourating sheet and will begin to frost if your cooling level is set too high.

The freezer compartment is smaller than the fridge compartment, is white plastic and divided into four small drawers. The drawers are fronted with white plastic and slide out from the shelf when you pull on the handle (concealed indentations on each drawer). This reveals plastic-covered wire baskets in which you place the food. Under the bottom drawer is a small hole which houses a litle white piece of rubber. This is the discharge membrane and swivels out to let the excess water run out. When defrosting the baskets need to be removed and the plastic interior cleaned (try using a solution of sodium bicarbonate and warm water which will stop the cloth from sticking). Also remember to place a tray under the membrane to catch the water!

This model has been rated as A for energy efficiency and the freezer compartment has 4 stars, which is very good. It doesn't have an energy saving function like some freezers, which is a disadvantage. The other slight weakness this model has is that it is a little noisy at times. The noise isn't loud and doesn't last long, but is is quite frequent and annoys my husband!

It came packed with an A4 instruction manual (which features just about every other European language!) and this uses uncomplicated diagrams and explanations on how to instal, set up and maintain the running of your new appliance. It is relatively easy to use but lacks actual product specifications. It has some useful hints and tips on caring for your fridge-freezer and a page dedicated to maintenence/what to do if something happens. Inside the fridge-freezer we found a plastic fitting which can be used for steadying bottles and fits into the bottom door compartment in the fridge. It also provided an ice scraper and ice-cube tray.

After using the appliance for over a year we have been absolutely deighted with its performance. It hasn't malfunctioned once, it cools/freezes food as it should and is very easy to clean. It is a basic fridge-freezer and doesn't include some of the more modern commodities such as drinks dispenser on the door or warning noise to remind you that the door has been left open. It isn't frost-free, either, though so far I haven't needed to defrost it once as the little frost that is present is more of a dusting. We bought it because it was simple, though if you like your high-tech appliances or modern conveniences this may not be the model for you.

It looks lovely and neat as it is a small model, and suits the needs of a small family. However, if you have a large family this will almost certainly be too small for your needs. The fridge space is small compared to many standard fridges, and the freezer compartment is very compact indeed. If you pack the fridge/freezer to the brim you will need to adjust the cooling level to allow the food to cool effectively, as is the case with most fridges.

The thing I like most about this fridge-freezer apart from its energy efficiency, stylish appearance, relability...is how simple and convenient it is to clean. My mum's fridge-freezer is not as versatile as this one and takes a lifetime to clean because it has so many nooks and crannies, shelves and compartments. This one is small and simple, which is something I am finding less and less available in this technological, have-it-all society. It suits people who like uncomplicated yet stylish simplicity in their appliances, as well as reliability and functionalism. I am very satisfied with the quality of this Servis appliance.

I rate this product 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it to you!

 

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