High Design, Strong Performance, Incredibly Quiet
Submitted by Jetshine -
7/19/2021
There are a lot of things I like about this refrigerator. It's about the best you can find in a free-standing fridge, before stepping up to a built-in fridge that will cost 2-3x more. As a side note, I wish there were options between free-standing and built-in fridge price points.
The interior design reminds me a lot of built-in refrigerator. Everything is easy to see and get to -- Bosch avoids using curvy or bulbous shapes, and instead uses clean flat surfaces throughout. There is a lot of transparent acryllic plastic and glass used, making everything easy to see. Most other fridges use a lot more white plastic, which hides contents and blocks light. The construction & most hardware is a step up, especially compared to Whirlpool and GE brands. The two crisper drawers use full extension, ball-bearing slides, rather than nylon wheels; this allows the drawers to open smoothly and fully. The freezer drawer is soft-closing and will draw itself closed, much like high-end Blum hardware on kitchen cabinets.
I have the black stainless version, and the look is stunning. Many friends have commented on how nice the fridge looks. The finish is unusally bold, with a noticeable grain to the steel. It seems much more durable than other black stainless finishes. The color looks great with my cherry cabinets. I really love the clean look of the front of the fridge, without the distracting door dispenser and associated displays, lights and buttons. The minimalism aesthetic is well executed, and makes the fridge look premium. You never see built-in fridges with in-door ice/water dispensers, it cheapens the look. Again, I'm glad Bosch decided to emulate a built-in design. The last bit of built-in design that Bosch borrowed is the height. At 72 inches tall, it's only about 2-3 inches taller than most other fridges, but that extra few inches makes the fridge seem a lot more spacious, and from the outside it looks more substantial.
The cripser drawers and the included ethylene filter (part of the "Farm Fresh" system) do seem to keep produce noticeably fresher for longer. I like that the two drawers can be set indivdually for temperature. The deli drawer is not adjustable, but I found it keeps the environment at a suitable temperature and humidity for meats and cheeses.
The only real design miss is in the French door hinges. As many other reviews have stated, the right door does not close easily on its own, because it needs a extra little push for the mullion flap to flip to the closed position. I'm really surprised that Bosch messed this up, considering they have powered door closer motors on their high end Thermador line, so clearly they know how to over-design a door hinge. This flaw is the reason I knocked one star off my review. I hope Bosch will address this in an update to this product.
My previous fridge had an in-door ice and water dispenser, and although I miss the conveniece, the truth is that the interior ice and water dispenser is far superior. The ice machine can make and hold a fantastic amount of ice, and it does so very quickly. I've found it can completely fill the ice drawer in about 48 hours. That wasn't the case with my previous fridge -- with its compact space saver icemaker in the door, it barely could keep up with a family of two. It's a minor detail, but even the included ice scoop is well-designed. The pyramid-shaped ice produced by the ice maker is aesthetically more pleasing than the crescent-shape produced by most other manufacturer's designs.
This fridge is unbelievably quiet - I have yet to hear the compressors or fans running under any conditions. Actually, I haven't heard anything at all from this fridge, with the exception of a fresh batch of ice dropping into the bin. Bosch did an amazing job with controlling noise. Despite the lack of noise, this fridge does very well keeping the contents cold, and I've not noticed any fluctuations in temperature. The dual compressor design (this is the only free-standing fridge with dual compressors) is likely to thank for its strong yet quiet performance.
I really hope this refrigerator holds up. The initial design impresses, but hopefully Bosch was equally thoughful in the design & robustness of the sealed system and other mechanical parts. The included warranty is just OK (1 year full warranty, 5 year parts-only warranty), and the extended warranty, which really just extends the labor warranty, is quite expensive.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Bosch refrigerator, based on my experience so far.
Originally posted on Bosch.com
Yes, I recommend this product
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