The model
FAB30 P5 with a left hand hinge
The look
This truly is the don of retro fridge freezers. It's classy, sassy and a real fashion statement in the kitchen. This fridge freezer exudes cool.
The cost
Ok, so here's the downer, these fridge freezers range from approximately ... Read review
Advantages: Stylish, makes a statement in any kitchen Disadvantages: expensive to buy and replace parts
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I'd always wanted a smeg fridge because of the way it looked and thought I'd have to make do with a 'normal' fridge freezer when I bought my first place but my mum talked me round. She had a really valid point. She said that if I bought something else it was only money that I could put towards the fridge I wanted which I was going to get at some point anyway. So her theory was that if I bought this straight away I'd save myself the £300 or so ... ...
I've got to say I fell in love with these fridges years ago - they just make such a statement.
Advantages
It's a real talking point. Every time someone new comes into my house they comment on the fridge. And as all the best parties happen in the kitchen you could be talking about it for hours!
It has a huge fridge section with separate spaces for wine, salad, eggs
Disadvantages more
The model FAB30 P5 with a left hand hinge
The look This truly is the don of retro fridge freezers. It's classy, sassy and a real fashion statement in the kitchen. This fridge freezer exudes cool.
The cost Ok, so here's the downer, these fridge freezers range from approximately £900 to £1100 depending on whether you get a decent deal on the internet or in a sale. Mine cost me £1099 from Allders about 5 ½ years ago. I bought on an interest free deal which I wouldn't have been able to do on the websites at the time. Now there are probably more options to do this.
The fridge freezer The freezer part of the appliance is at the top and is quite small (68 litres). Perfect for a couple but probably a bit on the small side for a family or big house share. There's 1 plastic coated wire rack shelf (making two levels) which is adjustable. Attached to the shelf is an ice tray holder which comes with the ice tray that just slots in place. Sometimes the freezer gets really iced up and you have to defrost it by literally turning everything off. I've done this about 3 times in all the time I've had it. The automatic defrost mentioned in the bumpf only refers to the fridge part. Also the ice tray has been used so often that it's started to crack but I guess this is average wear and tear for a much used item.
The fridge is actually massive. There are 3 glass shelves plus a half shelf at the bottom underneath which is a large salad drawer. You also get a small plastic container with lid to store extra vegetables. There's also a wine rack with enough room for 5 bottles and you can adjust this so it tilts which is great for storing wines.
In the door you get 2 long racks - the width of the door plus 3 halve racks (one on 1 side 2 on the other - one's taller) and 2 egg racks. The racks are made of plastic and the long ones have a piece of metal with plastic flaps on it to hold everything in place. Here comes the big problem. On my appliance I have put something into the long racks and knocked these pieces of metal out. Over time they've broken the plastic and I've had to replace the actual rack part that sits in the door. This costs A LOT of money. If I remember correctly it was something in the region of £25 just for a piece of plastic. The glass ½ shelf also got broken (a careless friend was a bit heavy handed! Not a product fault at all) and to replace that cost over £40 and took ages - they lost my order, then it got broken when it was being delivered so they had to send a new one. I've broken the plastic shelf again and just make do now rather than replace it because phoning and ordering a new part seems more hassle than it's worth.
I guess that when you pay a lot for an appliance you expect the parts are going to be durable and you won't have to replace parts.
The other thing with this fridge freezer is it is very efficient. You can't put it on more than 3 without literally freezing everything in your fridge. As you have it on a low setting all the time it should in theory reduce your bills and as far as I know the official energy efficiency is A which is great
One thing to bear in mind if you do decide to buy this product is the way the doors open. They don't open like a conventional fridge where the door almost turns in and is flush with the appliance. The door literally swings open. You have to allow something like 18cm for this or the appliance needs to stick out so you can open it around whatever it is stood next to. In my kitchen I can't open my kitchen drawer and the fridge at the same time. I don't mind it but could see how it could get annoying. Bearing this in mind you also need to make up your mind which way you want the door to open. The doors aren't changeable like other fridge freezers because of where the handles are situated and because of the hinges etc. so you have to order right hand or left hand opening.
Why did I buy this product? I'd always wanted a smeg fridge because of the way it looked and thought I'd have to make do with a 'normal' fridge freezer when I bought my first place but my mum talked me round. She had a really valid point. She said that if I bought something else it was only money that I could put towards the fridge I wanted which I was going to get at some point anyway. So her theory was that if I bought this straight away I'd save myself the £300 or so on the one I didn't really want. Good old mum. I've got to say I fell in love with these fridges years ago - they just make such a statement.
Advantages It's a real talking point. Every time someone new comes into my house they comment on the fridge. And as all the best parties happen in the kitchen you could be talking about it for hours! It has a huge fridge section with separate spaces for wine, salad, eggs
Disadvantages It's very expensive and expensive to replace any of the parts. You have to have the space for it too because of the way the doors open. Defrosting manually can be a bit of a pain too. Also the small freezer compartment isn't great for big families
highly recommenced the company in general. As I was leaving our local Comet having decided to check out the price of my chosen Miele on the Internet I spotted a real thing of beauty. I stopped and marvelled at the gorgeous black retro fridge freezer before me. On opening its huge door I was immediately hooked and knew no other would do. What was it? A black Smegfab30 NE4!
What you get for your money
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Smeg is an Italian company and are renowned for their innovative designs. In addition to a beautiful looking fridge freezer you also get a high quality interior consisting of-
7.3 cu ft of fridge space-or 243 litres if you prefer!
3.65 cu ft of freezer space-or 68 litres.
3 adjustable glass shelves in the fridge. These are made of safety glass and feel very thick. They are easy to remove ...
anwar 20.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Smeg FAB30 B
Advantages: good, solid, very attractive piece of kitchen furniture Disadvantages: Expensive
I have been the proud owner of a bright red Smeg fridge freezer for about six months now, and have never been less than delighted with its performance. We needed a new fridge because the old one was on its last legs, and this seemed to be particularly nice.
We chose it because it is a good size for a small family (just the 2 of us, no children) and the red colour makes it really stand out. It is well finished off, looks lovely and has a satisfying solidity about the doors which makes it seem as if it will last forever.
There is plenty of space in the freezer compartment, although I worried that there wouldn't be - it is more spacious than it looks, and there are bits for eggs, for salad, lots of space in the body of the fridge too.
It is also very easy to take all the shelves out for cleaning, and hasn't needed a manual defrost ...
amuir1019 26.04.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Smeg FAB30RS1
