Comparison Atlant XM-4421-009 ND white vs Indesit IBF 181 white

The total capacity of the refrigerator is the total capacity of all the main working chambers: refrigerating, freezing, zero, and wine chambers. The set of these chambers, of course, will be different in different models (see more about them above). Here we note that large volumes, on the one hand, simplify the storage of numerous products and, on the other hand, affect the dimensions and price of the unit. It is also worth considering that refrigerators of the same total capacity may differ in the capacity of individual chambers.

Various special features provided in the refrigerator, such as holiday mode, control via smartphone, child lock, ( LED display or TFT display), door alarm reversible door. And now in more detail:

— Holiday mode. A special mode of operation in case of a long absence of users — when there is no foodstuff in the refrigerating chamber and there is no need for the unit to work intensively. In holiday mode, the temperature inside is maintained at about 12 °C; this prevents the growth of mould and unpleasant odours, while the energy consumption is very low.

— Control via smartphone. The ability of access to control the refrigerator via the Internet. The refrigerator, usually, is connected to the World Wide Web using Wi-Fi — via a router or a smart home system. The convenience of this function is obvious: it allows you to control the operation of the unit from anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection. However, the specific implementation of such control may be different: some models of refrigerators use an application installed on a smartphone or tablet, and others allow you to work through a web page available in any browser. However, the user can thus obtain various data on the unit's opera...ting mode (temperature and humidity in the chambers, the use of special functions, malfunctions and emergencies, etc.) and, if necessary, change its settings.

— Child lock. Various features to keep your refrigerator safe from small children. Often, it means blocking the control panel — so that a curious baby cannot change the settings.

— Display. Refrigerators of any level can be equipped with displays — from the simplest to the most advanced. Anyway, the screen provides additional convenience in operation: it can display various detailed information about the operation of the unit, as well as other useful data (for example, time). But the specific type of display may be different.
— LED display. Usually, they are very simple — they display one colour (maximum two or three basic colours) and a limited set of characters (numbers, individual letters and some special icons). However, such limited functionality is enough even for fairly advanced refrigerators, and LED displays are inexpensive.
— TFT display. These are already the most functional screens — like those used in smartphones, tablets, etc. They are capable to display a huge variety of information and can even be made touch-sensitive. And some units with TFT displays are not just refrigerators at all but multifunctional smart home components. However, such an appliance costs accordingly.

— Door alarm. An alarm system that warns that the refrigerator door is open for a long time (or not closed tightly enough). After some time after opening, such a system gives a signal (usually sound), notifying the user of the need to check the status of the door. It avoids a critical increase in temperature in the refrigerator chamber and damage to the contents. In some models, this system is also complemented by a light indicator that confirms the correct closing of the door — this further reduces the risk of leaving the refrigerator loosely closed.

— Reversible door. The ability to choose from which side the hinges on the refrigerator door will be located and, accordingly, in which direction it will open. It allows you to optimize the space in the kitchen, providing access to the contents of the unit from the most convenient side. Please note that this function is only available for classic design models, including display refrigerators (see “Product type”). In Side-by-Side and French Door refrigerators it makes no sense to provide this feature.

The total capacity of the main working chamber of the refrigerator. If there are separate zero chambers, compartments for wine and other additional functions, this paragraph takes into account only the volume of the refrigerating chamber itself, without additional equipment. In the smallest modern units, this figure does not even reach 100 liters, in the largest it can exceed 400 liters.

The choice of capacity depends on the actual storage needs of the products. At the same time, both the volume of stocks and the frequency of their replenishment (every day, once a week, etc.) matter. The chamber should not be stocked completely; this adversely affects the quality of the refrigerator. On the other hand, it is worth remembering that large volumes accordingly affect the dimensions and price of the unit.

In general, for one or two people, a capacity of 200 – 250 liters, or even less, is considered quite sufficient. The optimal capacity for a family of three is about 250 – 300 liters, for four to five people — 300 – 350 liters, and larger volumes are really needed mainly for specific situations when food has to be stored in large quantities and for a long time.

Forced cooling mode, in which the intensity of cooling the refrigeration compartment is significantly increased. It is an analogue of the fast freeze described above, used in the refrigerator compartment. Fast cool is also intended mainly for situations where a lot of foodstuff must be loaded inside at a time — it avoids a critical increase in temperature inside the refrigerator. This mode also needs to be turned on in advance and turned off after a certain time. In some models, the shutdown occurs automatically, but the presence of this feature needs to be specified separately.

The capacity of the freezer installed in the refrigerator. Such a chamber is designed to store products at temperatures well below zero (on average -18 °C). Its capacity is related to the total capacity of the refrigerator (and the capacity of the main, refrigerating chamber). However, there is no strict dependence here — models with a similar volume of the refrigerating chamber can be equipped with freezers of different sizes.

When choosing by capacity, it is worth considering how much frozen food you plan to store at a time. Note that it is undesirable to fill the freezer completely — this negatively affects the efficiency of work. However, if this chamber is planned to be used only occasionally, and you do not plan to keep numerous products in it, you can not chase after the capacity: for such cases, 25 – 50 liters, or even smaller capacities, are enough. In the smallest modern refrigerators, the freezer capacity does not exceed 10 liters. And vice versa, very roomy freezers come across — for 176 – 200 liters and even more. Such volumes are typical mainly for side-by-side and French door units (see "Product type"). However, they are also found in models of the classic two-chamber layout.

The operating temperature of the refrigerator freezer.

The generally accepted standard for freezers is actually -18°C. It allows you to effectively store pre-frozen foods, as well as freeze them (with certain precautions). At the same time, for most modern refrigerators, lower temperatures are claimed — at -24 °C, and in some models even lower. However, such indicators are not always standard — in many units, they are achieved only in the fast freeze mode (see "Features"). This should be clarified separately. However, the temperature of the freezer below -18 °C means good freezing features.

In turn, chambers with more modest minimum temperatures — -12 °C, or even -6 °C — are only suitable for storing pre-frozen products; they are not suitable for freezing any significant amount of contents. However, there are very few refrigerators with such indicators on the market — mostly low-cost or outdated models.

To indicate the temperature of the freezer, markings in the form of asterisks (snowflakes) are often used, each of which means a decrease in temperature by 6 °C. For example, in models at -24 °C, you can find the designation * (***) — four asterisks, one of which is highlighted. This usually means that in the standard mode the freezer operates at -18 °C (three stars), and at another 6 °C (down to -24 °C) the temperature drops during fast freezing.

The autonomy time provided by the refrigerator when the power is turned off.

Often, this parameter describes the capabilities of the freezer. In such cases, the autonomy time is indicated as the time during which, at an outside temperature of +25 °C, the temperature in the filled freezer does not rise above -9 °C (this level is considered critical for the storage of frozen foods). Accordingly, the actual autonomy time may differ from the claimed one — depending on the ambient temperature, the frequency of opening the refrigerator, etc. However, this parameter describes the quality of thermal insulation quite accurately, and it is possible to evaluate different models and compare them with each other.

Also, autonomy time can be given for models without freezers: in such cases, we are talking about the time during which the temperature in the refrigerator compartment remains at an acceptable level under approximately the same conditions.

Approximate amount of fresh food that a refrigerator can completely freeze from room temperature to freezer operating temperature in 24 hours. Power up to 10 – 15 kg/day will be quite enough for everyday use, but if you plan to freeze food in large volumes and often — you should pay attention to more performant freezers.

The type of controls for refrigerators is indicated primarily by the type of control panel. Often its location is also taken into account. According to these criteria, nowadays, the following options are distinguished: rotary knobs, internal push-buttons, external push-buttons, internal touch controls and external touch controls. Here are the features of each of these options:

— Rotary knobs. Control using rotary knobs. Such knobs are traditionally installed inside the refrigerator, so in this case, the location is not specified. In general, this is the simplest and most inexpensive option used in units of the appropriate level. Most often, there is only one rotary knob; it is directly connected to the thermostat and regulates only the temperature inside the refrigerator (and even then very approximately). However, even this is often quite enough — especially if the refrigerator is operated in more or less constant temperature conditions (for example, in a home or office kitchen). In many cases, the matter is limited to choosing a more or less suitable knob position once and then not touching the settings at all. In addition, the unambiguous advantages of this type of control are reliability and ease of repair.

— Internal push-buttons. Push-buttons are generally considered m...ore advanced than rotary knobs. The specific functionality of refrigerators with such control may be different, but among them, models with additional functions and the ability to fine-tune the temperature (and sometimes even humidity) are noticeably more common. As for the interior layout, it allows you to hide the panel behind the refrigerator door, providing a neat appearance with a minimum of protruding parts. And if the door has a child lock, in this case, it also performs the function of protecting against children. However, to access the controls you have to open the refrigerator — but this moment is generally not critical: such access is not needed so often, and changing settings does not take much time.

— External push-buttons. Like the internal push-buttons (see above), such controls are typical mainly for fairly advanced models (although exceptions are possible). And the external location is convenient because you do not need to open the door to access the settings. On the other hand, the real need for such an arrangement is not so often, and push-buttons must also fit into the overall design of the unit (which is not always possible to do in the best way). As a result, the external version of push-button controls is much less common than the internal one.

— Internal touch controls. Internal touch controls are considered the next step in the development of controls, after buttons. So, they look stylish and technologically advanced, they do not need to be pressed hard (just touched), and there are no protruding parts, corners and cracks on the surface of the panel, which simplifies cleaning from dirt. Accordingly, the presence of touch controls is typical mainly for refrigerators of the middle and top levels. It costs a little more than a push-button one, but this is imperceptible against the background of the total price of the units. But specifically, the internal location is much less common than the external one. It is because there is no need to hide the touch sensors behind the door — they can be easily fit into the external design of the refrigerator.

— External touch controls. The general features of touch controls are described above. And external touch panels in refrigerators are used much more often than internal ones: such panels can be given almost any appearance, optimally fitting them into the design of the refrigerator. Besides, placing them outside allows you not to open the door again to access the settings.