The Danby Designer DCR044A2BDD 4.4 cu. ft. Compact Refrigerator is a top choice for a mini fridge. Here’s why we recommend it.
Danby Designer Compact Refrigerator
Highlights: Ideal for a dorm room, office, workshop, or guesthouse. Includes a full-width independent freezer section, making this an excellent bar fridge as you can make your own ice. Features 2 full and 1 half shelf, offering excellent flexibility for storage.
Danby Designer Compact Refrigerator at a glance:
Measurements: Width 20.688-inch; Height 34.625-inch; Depth 22.63-inch
Capacity: 4.4 cu. ft.
Energy use: 226 kWh/yr
Coolant: R600a
Overview
The Danby Designer DCR044A2BDD 4.4 cu. ft. Compact Refrigerator is an inexpensive, energy-efficient, Energy Star® certified model with semi-automatic defrost that uses the environmentally friendly R600a refrigerant and eats up just 226 kWh/yr.
This compact refrigerator is ideal for a dorm room, office, workshop, or guesthouse. It offers an impressive 4.4 cu. ft. of space while measuring just 20.7-inches wide, 34.6-inches high, and 22.6 inches deep. And it even includes a full-width independent freezer section, making this an excellent bar fridge as you can make your own ice.
The Danby includes a convenient CanStor beverage dispenser for your favorite drinks and has more than enough room for tall bottles. The unit features 2 full and 1 half shelf, offering excellent flexibility for storage.
This model is available in White, Black and smudge-free spotless Steel finishes, has an integrated door handle with a convenient reversible door hinge for both left and right-handed opening. Danby also offer an 18-month warranty on parts and labor with in-home service.
This model also has an all-fridge option (i.e., no freezer compartment) (View Price on Amazon), which uses a little more energy at 268 kWh/yr and is also available in Black, White, and Steel.
Danby Designer vs. other mini fridges
The Danby Designer mini fridge is the best in this category for energy efficiency and function, beating out the Midea (View Price on Amazon) and the EdgeStar (View Price on Amazon). It is economical both in upfront cost and running costs, comes in three finishes, and is compact and space efficient, with excellent flexible storage and a reversible door, so it can fit in pretty much any space and fit in with any design scheme.
All three models use eco-friendly r600a coolant rather than CFCs or HCFCs.
Danby vs. Midea
The Danby Designer offers greater functionality for the same energy use (226 kWh/yr) as the Midea. All three of its wire racks (2 full and 1 half) are removable and it features a true freezer compartment instead of just a chiller like the Midea.
The Danby has a semi-automatic defrost. The Midea only has manual defrost, which may make it less appealing for a student dorm room or office.
The Midea offers the same amount of space (4.4 cu. ft) as the Danby and has an attractive design. Both the Danby and the Midea are available in three finishes.
The Midea is also very quiet at 42 decibels, compared to the Danby’s 50 decibels, which is helpful in a dorm room. However, the Midea only allows you to set the temperature to 32-35.6 °F, while the Danby Designer’s temperature range is 32-50 °F.
The Midea offers a 90 days labor and 1 year parts warranty, compared to the 18 months parts and labor coverage with in-home service for the Danby.
Danby vs. EdgeStar
The EdgeStar, like the Danby, has slide-out shelves for easier cleaning and a true freezer, with a separate door for fridge and freezer. This is typically better for energy efficiency, but the EdgeStar has an automatic defrost, which might be why it uses almost 20% more energy than the Danby (with semi-automatic defrost).
The EdgeStar uses 270 kWh/yr and offers just 3.1 cu. ft. It has a temperature range of 34-60 °F, versus 32-50 °F for the Danby. It is only available in a stainless steel finish, versus the Danby and Midea with three finish options.
The EdgeStar comes with a 90 days labor and 1 year parts warranty, which is much shorter than for the Danby.
Both the Midea and the Danby Designer are less expensive than the EdgeStar by about 20% on average.
See: The best green mini fridges
Danby Designer Compact Refrigerator
Highlights: Ideal for a dorm room, office, workshop, or guesthouse. Includes a full-width independent freezer section, making this an excellent bar fridge as you can make your own ice. Features 2 full and 1 half shelf, offering excellent flexibility for storage.