- Easily converts from 0° compact freezer to a refrigerator
- Comes complete with lock and two keys; Full range thermostatic temperature control
- True stainless steel door with black cabinet; Reversible door
- External Dimensions: 19 3/8 x 18 9/16 x 17 3/4
- Internal Dimensions: 13.5" H x 14" W x 13" D
The EdgeStar has much to boast of: it is lightweight, easy to carry and move, roomy, attractive, and versatile as both a refrigerator and (marginally) as a freezer. Setup is simple, and the price is excellent. Strongly tainting this appliance however, is a thermostat dial which is either incompetently designed, incompetently calibrated, or both
Before continuing, let's not fail to note the advertised description for this product: "Just turn the thermostat to select the appropriate temperature for your application!"
Falling with equal snugness on the Things That Make You Go Duh list is the instruction manual telling us that "The knob has markings to indicate the relative temperature settings, but in general, turning the knob counter-clockwise corresponds to colder temperatures."
So if we turn the dial one way, it gets colder. Turn it the other way it gets warmer.We can handle that. The markings on the dial bear witness to and confirm this elegant conception of appliance design:
regrigeration------>MIN......OFF.....MAX
freezing----------->MIN......||......MAX
Interesting then, that in practice there is *no* temperature change in the freezer when dialed to "MIN", or dialed to "MAX". I measure both at a steady 20 degrees.
With some playing, one discoversthat colder temperatures are achieved, erratically, within the petite 1.5 millimeter space between the two vertical lines separating "Min" and "Max".
Moving counter clockwise per instructions along the dial after the arrow marked "Freezer", the temperatures I normally get are, in order:
20 (when dialed to "Min")
15 (when dialed to the left vertical line)
4 or 12 degrees (when between the two vertical lines)
10 (when dialed to the right vertical line)
20 (when dialed to "Max).
Perhaps the advertised 0 degree capability is buried someplace within the 1.5 mm space between the two vertical lines, but after several days of moving the dial minutely to the left or right, I'm unable to find it.
Additionally, after reaching the coldest discernable temperature of 4 degrees once, it took me 2 days to find it again while continuing my hunt for the elusive advertised0 degrees.
This is especially frustrating since it takes about half a day or more for a temperature change to be reached within the freezer after moving the thermostat dial -and when you move it, you don't know for certain if you're making it colder or warmer.
Which is to say, this isn't a particular fast appliance: The manual recommends not introducing frozen food to the freezer until it's been turned to the coldest setting (wherever that is) for at least 2 hours after turning it on. That seems wildly optimistic to me. In practice, it takes roughly 5 hours to freeze undersized 1" ice cubes from power-up using the tray bundled with this freezer.
To its credit, the EchoStar is fine as a refrigerator, and fine as a freezer as long as you aren't picky about hitting the the normally recommended 0 degrees for frozen foods.
But sorry, it should not require several days to find the coldest temperature on a device by nudging a dial back and forth within a space of a milimeter. And oddly enough, even without the instruction booklet telling me to do so, I fully expect "Max" to be colder than "Min", and not be actually located at some microscopicly ambiguous point between the two.
"Just turn the thermostat to select the appropriate temperature for your application!"
Yeah. Duh.
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I was concerned when I ordered this product based on other feedback.I let the freezer sit for a couple hours after unpacking.I turned it on and set to max freeze and placed an icecube tray inside.It took 75 minutes for the water to freeze.We took it camping with us and after unplugging camper it took six hours for the ice cubes to melt.
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Good points-
1) Small enough to carry up the stairs without help
2) Quieter than expected
3) Unlike a chest freezer, this one lets you have easy access to the contents
4) Low cost for electricity
Bad points
1) This is not for you if you're looking for something big enough to store a deer or other large item.For me, it's just the right size.
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Just got this little beauty around 5:00pm today and plugged it in shortly after with freezer temp set to max and putting in a new Freezer thermometer. I read the post about defective temp control, but saw that others had 'no problem' so I played dumb and just cranked it up. Just as well, as it is now 7:30pm and I heard the freezer pump go off. I looked in the door and the thermometer was at rock bottom minus 20 degrees. Wow am I happy. My main refrigerator freezer is set well enough to keep frozen foods at 0 degrees and that's what I want this little model to do also. I turned the thermostatic control back a quarter turn to rest it between max and min on the freezer side. I'm thinking that it will now level out at zero.
How it works was my first concern, so now that that is settled I can only also add what others have said: It looks great!
It looks beautifully made and I won't be surprised to have this unit for many years to come. I got it to hold frozen foods I take out of my main refrigerator while I am thawing out my main refrigerator. I'll bet I start cheating now and start using this little gem to horde my favorite Ice Creams or stock up on meats or who knows what. A very good purchase at a very good price. I would highly recommend to a friend.
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I've had this freezer for two weeks and am very happy with it.It got cold very quickly and reached a steady zero degrees with only two or three adjustments.(I've checked it repeatedly with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer to be sure it stayed there.)
I long wished I had a very small freezer in my room to hold ice packs when ill or recovering from surgery, because a small refrigerator doesn't get cold enough.It seems extravagant, but is well worth the cost when your family fridge and freezer are down the stairs and at the other end of the house.(Foot surgery finally drove me to buy this.)I use it for frozen foods as well.
It looks good, too I only wish the door had a brushed stainless steel instead of a dull mirror finish.
Two weeks is not long for rendering judgment (or I'd probably give it five stars) but I'm delighted to have it.It's good for recovery and makes things much easier for other family members while you're laid up.
This is an awesome side by side fridge.We've had it for a couple of months and we are very happy we bought it. We got it for about half price of what's listed here it was marked down, probably because it is wider than can fit in many kitchens.It's a great looking fridge with the cool blue lighted display on the ice maker. And there are many lights inside the fridge and the freezer. There isn't anywhere you can't see easily.There's even a light illuminating the ice!
