Any decent under the counter shop fridge recommendations?

[FTWingRiders]

Trying to find a fridge for under my bench that will last more than 6 months, had two Magic Chefs that both crapped out.. Been trying to research, but Don't want to spend $800 for something with a decent review.. Anything decent out there? Just trying to keep my beverages cold... it really shouldn't be this difficult.

The crazy part is I have an old kenmore dorm fridge I swear is at least 40 years old up at the camp thats still purring to this day.

Anybody have a brand they recommend?

 

[jumbo61]

I've had one of these Summit FF6 refrig for at least 6 yrs now. It doesn't have a freezer. No complaints. Got it through Home Depot. Shop around on the internet. https://www.goedekers.com/Summit-FF...5t2fzfReGdZaFDA-0OXHkC09WISJTTaRoCTlYQAvD_BwE

 

[66Caprice]

Are you sure its getting enough air movement being under the bench? They could be overheating the compressor.

 

[metlmunchr]

I've repaired 3 of the small Magic Chef refrigerators by replacing the PTC start relay. Its a less than $15 item and takes maybe 10 minutes to replace.

If you google the term, you can find out how a PTC works and how to test it. In a nutshell, if you put power on the unit and bump the compressor with the heel of your hand, and it acts as if its trying to start for a second or two, chances are the PTC is bad.

All that said, its always worthwhile to check at the compressor terminals for open or grounded windings prior to spending any money trying to repair as a bad compressor makes the fridge economically unrepairable.

 

[chrismenke]

If you live anywhere near a college look on Criaglist free. Here in San Francisco, I could literally build a fence around my property line out of free dorm fridges.

 

[FTWingRiders]

Thanks for the suggestions! It’s kept under an open bench, so air flow shouldn’t be an issue..
I’ll definitely check that PTC relay. One won’t turn on at all and the other will start if I turn it off then back on, but then won’t cycle.

Sometimes I’m more than willing to spend for a better quality, but I figured any should work longer than 6 months..I just want a small refer to keep my beer cool... lol.

Thanks again!

 

[yeldogt]

Are they leaking refrigerant ?

I agree on the relay -- I had to replace one years ago.

 

[b-boy]

I have a small GE model that's lasted through 2 kids going to college. It now sits on a bench in my pole barn. I'm guessing it's 12 yrs old. I normally avoid GE, but this thing has been pretty solid. If I turn it up all the way, I can use it as a small freezer.

 

[ford2019]

Nope, dude.

 

[nh_yota]

Buy another old dorm fridge off craigslist. They don't make em like they used to.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I have a Danby my dad gave me when I bought the house for under the existing bar. 26 years old and going strong in the boiler room now.

Don't get suckered into any of the thermoelectric (Peltier) cooling units. Pure ****. even the really good ones only live about 8 years.

Tommy

 

[Falcon67]

Buy another old dorm fridge off craigslist. They don't make em like they used to.

This. Just buy what's cheap, maybe you'll get lucky. We have a taller dorm fridge from Sams in our race trailer. Every indication is that you don't "RV" a domestic fridge designed to sit on the floor and never move. 2 years now, no problems. The $89 shorty Walmart special in the shop is going on 6 years now.

 

[b-boy]

I have a Danby my dad gave me when I bought the house for under the existing bar. 26 years old and going strong in the boiler room now.

Don't get suckered into any of the thermoelectric (Peltier) cooling units. Pure ****. even the really good ones only live about 8 years.

Tommy

True. Plus they only cool about 15F-20F below ambient, so your beer ends up being about 50F.

 

[Kevin54]

I have a GE that I've had for years. It only has the cheap plastic flip down plastic door lid for the crappy freezer though that ices up solid. So every summer I have to drink the beer that's in it, take it outside and tip it forward for a day for the freezer to defrost. Once the 10# of ices thaws and drops out, it's great to go for another year. No defroster in it. But it does keep drinks cold as can be.

 

[dcg9381]

Every indication is that you don't "RV" a domestic fridge designed to sit on the floor and never move. 2 years now, no problems.

Actually residential refrigerators are all the rage within higher-end RVs these days. They cool fast, recover quickly. Much much better than the RV-type Dometic-brand fridges that are so common and can take 24+ hours to get cool. The downside is that you need them to be on an inverter with a bank of batteries for travel.

FTWingRiders, I've had dorm fridges for years - I think you've been unlucky with that brand. I did have an edgestar kegerator die after 5 years - and the proximity cooling system generally sucked on it.. Prefer fridges with a fan, but that's just me.

 

[Git]

Look on your local Craigslist for one of these Monster Energy drink fridges. My daughter just bought one for her husband and spent around $400 for it. Commercial quality and even comes with a lock for the door.

Here is a listing on eBay for example
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IDW-Mini-F...189120?hash=item1a8687b040:g:7iUAAOSwjyddp3wV

 

[isb cornbinder]

My wife bought a short refreshment fridge for my shop. She picked it up at COSCO. She said it was $195cdn.
I have the fridge under the counter where the washing up sink is.