Fridge that just fridges (Candy CFLE5485S)

Member Name: nickn5

Product:	Candy CFLE5485S
Date:	28/07/09 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loads of space inside, nice looking

Disadvantages: Can be a little noisy at times

Shortly after moving house I decided to make a change to hopefully reduce electricity bills a little, and purchase a dedicated refrigerator along with a separate freezer unit, rather than a fridge-freezer.

After looking through various online catalogues, I finally found something that fit the bill. I didn't want a fridge with a freezer compartment - I find these freezer compartments often are a real nuisance, as they fill with ice, and take up valuable fridge space, and never get used to their full potential.

So it seemed that a 'larder fridge' was what I needed. These have the entire inside space at the same temperature, around 5-8 degrees C, and are thus able to hold quite a bit more than a standard fridge. I needed one to fit under a kitchen worktop, and this Candy model does just that, being 830mm high and 550mm wide.

I chose the silver version which is the one shown here, I rather like silver appliances instead of white as they fit in with most kitchen designs and also don't show up the dirt so much... So without further ado, how did I get on with it?

UNWRAPPING AND FITTING:
I bought my model through Argos, who delivered it to my home. The unit can fairly readily be moved though not lifted by one person, so I placed it in the kitchen myself. It has small rotating legs on each corner, which can be turned to allow raising or lowering of each corner, ideal for unlevel floors.

The only bit you need to fit yourself is the handle, but that was very simple with the relevant screws provided, though you will need handy a Philips (cross head) screwdriver. On the silver model the handle is a very solid feeling and looking steel/chrome plated affair, really makes the fridge look rather posh.

The fridge comes with door opening on the left as standard (as shown in picture), but there are some very basic (drawing only) instructions as to how to change it if you wish. To be honest it does look a little complicated and I wouldn't be too keen to try this out, fearing breakages in the process.

Once unwrapped and unpackaged and placed in position, there's a fairly generous length of cable with a pre-wired plug attached, so it's quite easy to get it plugged in before sliding it into its final position. Do be sure to let the unit stand for a few hours after its journey before switching it on, as this apparently lets the coolant sort itself out.

OPERATION AND PERFORMANCE:
Once switched on the fridge proved to be nice and quiet, a reassuring hum was a sign it was working. There is a lovely bright interior light provided too, handy for those midnight feast sessions when everyone else is asleep. The only negative point about the noise is that after a while in operation the fridge does make some rather odd swooshing and gurgling noises, with the odd thump here and there. I gather this is something to do with its self-defrosting mechanism, but it's a little disconcerting at first!

The fridge cools things down nice and quickly, although after tests with a thermometer I did find that it needs to be turned up quite high to keep the temperature below 8 degrees C. There is an easy to use rotary dial inside the fridge to adjust the thermostat setting.

The door seals work well and the door itself has a nice gentle closing action, with enough springiness to make sure it stays closed firmly.

There's plenty of space inside for all sorts of goodies, and unlike many fridges I've had in the past, there is ample room to stand 2-litre pop bottles on the bottom door shelf, which is great. There's a clear plastic vegetable/salad drawer in the bottom too, easily taken out to clean, and above that you'll find three shelves.

OTHER POINTS OF NOTE:
One big reason for my purchase of this particular model was the A+ Energy Rating certificate, which means its annual energy usage is around 140 kwh, not bad all things considered.
You can also buy this identical model in white if you prefer, it's the same product code but with a 'W' instead of an 'S' on the end.

Summary: Great if you don't need a freezer compartment

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