Mini-fridges are quintessential for hosting parties to stash all your drinks and keep them ice-cold. After all, what’s a party without a cold one? It’s convenient, and you don’t have to jam them into your regular kitchen fridge with the rest of its contents. Plus, a home bar would feel more complete with one. However, there are many types of bar fridges available — so what’s the perfect choice for you?
NewAir NBC 126SS02 Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler
Our Pick
Benefits
- 7 custom temperature settings
- Spacious design, adjustable shelves to fit cans, wine bottles, etc.
- Double-paned doors to ensure efficient cooling
- Cools down to about 2.7ºC
- Glass front door for visibility
Drawbacks
- Shelves can’t handle too much weight
Marshall 3.2 92L Litre Bar Fridge
Premium Pick
Benefits
- Interior LED lighting
- Custom temperature control
- Matte black inside and outside fridge
- Clear shelves that are removable
- Features authentic Marshall brand and amp design
Drawbacks
- Not an actual amp, yet still quite noisy in operation
Heller 70L Mini Black Bar Fridge
Best Value
Benefits
- Built-in icebox
- Versatile wire shelves and compartments inside the door for maximum storage
- Adjustable legs
- Adjustable thermostat
- Quick cooling
Drawbacks
- No interior lighting
Best Bar Fridges For Your Drinks in 2024
Buying Guide
In this section, we talk about some pointers to consider to help you choose the perfect bar fridge to keep your drinks ice cold and party-ready. If you couldn’t find the right fridge for you in our recommendations, we hope this buying guide helps you in your search.
Size & Capacities
During your search, you may come across listings that indicate the beverage cooler or bar fridge’s capacity in terms of can quantities. In our article, we included as much product dimensions as possible to help you visualise the size. However, when you only have can quantities to work with, it can be hard actually gauge capacity and size especially if you intend to store other items instead of cans. As a guide, here is a table for an estimated comparisons.
Important Features
1. Good Doors
Good doors can differ across different customers. For some, a good door could mean a transparent door that allows visibility. Others may expect a heavy-duty solid door that ensures maximum insulation. When you have better insulation, you use less energy as your fridge is able to keep its contents colder for longer periods of time.
A plus point for many customers is if the mini fridge has a reversible door hinge. This allows the comfort of choice to change the direction of the fridge door. This is extremely convenient if you have to place your fridge in a position that is awkward to open, or if you are left-handed and vice versa.
2. Compressor
This is the most important part of the mini fridge. It’s the specific system that keeps the contents cool. With an impressive compressor, you get better efficiency and improved fridge lifespan. It turns off when the interior of the fridge reaches the optimal temperature, but starts up again when the temperature changes. However, because it works hard to keep things ice-cold, it can emit a bit of noise when in operation. If you plan to get a bar fridge to put in your bedroom or your uni dorm, we highly recommend finding one that emits little to no noise.
3. Thermostat
When it comes to beverages, most of us love it extra cold. Having a mini-fridge that allows you to control the temperature your drinks cool at is an advantage. Most of our recommendations have this feature! However, it is important to also note where the placement of the thermostat controls is located at. If it’s at the back of the fridge, this could be inconvenient, especially if you intend to keep this under a desk or in a shelf. For example, the NewAir NBC 126SS02 Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler has a convenient control panel at the front of the fridge for easy access.
Conclusion
No one likes a semi-cold drink, so make sure you’ve chosen an efficient bar fridge or beverage cooler to keep your party going. Whether you need a back-up fridge for parties, an extra one at work, or just a small cooling unit to store your skincare — we hope our picks has helped to address that there are many mini-fridges for every concern.
Capacity (L) | Cans (Average sized 350ml) |
---|---|
25 | 27 |
35 | 47 |
40 | 60 |
50 | 72 |
65 | 106 |
80 +/- | 120 |
FAQ
We don’t recommend storing frozen food or relying on mini fridges for freezing items. Most of the time, mini bar fridges are just back-up beverage coolers or just a handy unit for a workdesk. While some units, like the Heller 70L Bar Fridge, have a built-in ice box, it’s too small to store frozen food and is usually only reserved for ice-cubes.
Rest assured, this usually just means your bar fridge’s compressor is getting back to work. Like we explained in our guide, the compressor switches on and off throughout the day because it’s working hard to keep your contents cold at your chosen temperature. Sometimes, this makes the compressor emit some noise during operation. However, here are some scenarios that could cause the noise:
1. The fridge is not levelled. This could make the compressor system emit louder noises.
2. Shelves aren’t properly placed, could rattle inside during operation
3. The fridge door is left open for a long time
4. The thermostat is put at its maximum
5. Your fridge is getting dusty and needs cleaning!