Samsung RF28HMEDBSR review:
Some sneaky value with this Samsung fridge
THE GOOD: This four-door French door model doesn't have any glaring weak spots, and also sports one of the best adjustable-temp drawers we've ever tested.
THE BAD: Performance was just OK, with temperatures consistently running a few degrees warmer than the target in our tests. The ice maker also blocks off one of the in-door shelves.
THE BOTTOM LINE: This is a well-rounded and decent-looking fridge that you might be able to find at a discount as newer models start rolling in.
For $3,300, Samsung sells a "Food Showcase" French door fridge with a hidden door that lets you access the in-door shelves. The problem? Not all of us are sold on the utility of putting a door in our refrigerator door.
Enter the Samsung RF28HMEDBSR. For that same $3,300 asking price, it's a nearly identical model that ditches the Food Showcase feature and replaces it with a dedicated "Flex Zone" drawer that you can dial up and down between four temperature presets.
For my money, that's the more practical feature of the two, and also the feature that's more worthy of a high-end asking price. Think about it -- one is an entire additional section for refrigerated goods, complete with its own thermostat. The other is a latch.
My main problem with this fridge is that it wasn't a strong performer in our battery of tests. Most sections of the interior ran a few degrees warm at both the default, 37-degree setting and at the minimum setting of 34 degrees (though, in fairness, that Flex Zone drawer was a performance standout, with accurate, steady temperatures at both its highest and lowest settings). Overall, we saw better cooling performance from the comparable LG LMXS30786S, which retails for $3,600.
Still, the RF28HMEDBSR is over a year old at this point, and with retailers making room for 2016 models, you might be able to score it on sale. As of now, the average price is down around $2,600 -- if it falls any lower than that, I'd say it's worth considering.
Design and features:
It doesn't come in black stainless steel like Samsung's newer high-end fridges, but the RF28HMEDBSR is still good-looking, thanks in large part to the four-door design that you get with a dedicated flex drawer. Still, it isn't a unique look -- the very well-reviewed LG LMXS30786S has the same basic build, though it also costs a few hundred dollars more.
We bought the 4-door Samsung when we bought our new house in January. We keep produce in the lower right compartment, opened freezer items in the lower left, and then have a very large, easily organized refrigerator up top with french doors. We also have an upright freezer (Kenmore) for all of the rest of our frozen foods. So far, both units have performed exactly as they should, but I think I'll measure the temperature of the refrigerator based upon the test outcomes of this unit.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, we had a Samsung refrigerator some years ago. It was large and bright, but it had ice maker and controller board problems over the years. We weren't thrilled by those problems, but it generally worked well for many years. Most of these fancy, new refrigerators suffer from similar problems, so I don't think there's any brand that clearly bests the others.
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