In 2023, if you are in someone’s house and lot and check out their kitchen, what you will most likely see is a refrigerator with two doors, at the very least.
With all the sleek, fancy, and huge refrigerators being displayed in supermarkets and appliance stores, as well as it being “the norm” around households, every refrigerator comes with its own set of pros and cons.
If there is no need to buy a fridge with two doors and you can settle for a single door refrigerator, then there is no need to force yourself to get a two-door fridge.
Nevertheless, a refrigerator is no ordinary purchase. You must take certain factors into account. Some factors include the size of your household, how willing you are to go to the grocery every so often, and what the fridge will be used for. However, the most important factor is your budget as refrigerators are very expensive.
If you are having difficulty choosing the perfect refrigerator for your household, the article will compare and contrast the two door versus one door refrigerator. Specifically, this article will talk about the pros and cons of each fridge as well as tips on how to best utilize each.
Single Door Refrigerator
A single door refrigerator is probably the refrigerator you grew up seeing, particularly for millennials and the older Gen Z.
Some single door refrigerators come in the form of a mini fridge, which is around 30 inches in height and 24 inches in width. They have no freezer and can be placed in your bedroom.
The most common single door refrigerators are tall, has a freezer in either the top door or bottom door, and for the kitchen. They are 55 inches tall and 22 inches wide.
As mentioned, this type of fridge has a top door or bottom door as the freezer. If the freezer is on the top door, it is usually opened from left or right like a door just like the refrigerator door. On the other hand, if the freezer is on the bottom, most single door refrigerators utilize the freezer like it’s a pull-out drawer.
Double Door Refrigerator
As mentioned in the introductory part of this article, a refrigerator with two doors is the new standard, with most households owning a double door refrigerator.
Modern day double door refrigerators are huge—they are at least 70 inches tall and 35 inches wide.
The French Door refrigerator is the first example of a double door refrigerator. It usually comes with a freezer on the bottom, which is pulled out like a drawer, similar to the single door refrigerator with a bottom door freezer.
This refrigerator with two doors opens independently or in opposite directions of one another. It is like opening your double door closet in your bedroom.
The other example is the side-by-side refrigerator. This fridge has its refrigerator just as tall as its freezer and you can access the latter without having to bend down, unlike the French door fridge.
The last example is not as common as the two aforementioned example. This is the four door refrigerator. This fridge allows its user more compartmentalization for storing food and beverages.
Two Door versus One Door Refrigerator
Consider this situation: you are planning your dream kitchen. In this dream kitchen of yours, you can use either a single door refrigerator or a double door refrigerator. This is where the factors—the pros and the cons—come into play.
Single Door Refrigerator: Pros and Cons
Beginning with single door refrigerators, perhaps price is the most obvious advantage. Since a one door fridge is smaller in dimensions, consumes less power, and does not contain the gawdy technology of a double door fridge, it will obviously be cheaper.
With a one door refrigerator’s smaller size, it will make it easier to clean.
Lastly, as mentioned, this type of refrigerator expends less energy, 30 to 40 percent lower than a refrigerator with two doors. This means that this refrigerator will produce less carbon footprint and lower electricity bills.
On a different note, being the cheaper alternative between two refrigerators, a single door fridge will have its disadvantages.
A one door refrigerator’s size works like a double-edged sword. While it does make it cheaper and easier to clean, the lack in storage space means less food to store and more frequent trips to the grocery.
To add further, what makes a single door fridge cheaper is its lack of technology. They do not come with digital controls, a water dispenser, nor a smartphone companion application. The point of technology is to make things easier to use so the lack of access to these technologies can put you, as the owner, at a disadvantage.
Double Door Refrigerator: Pros and Cons
Moving on to a refrigerator with two doors, more doors mean it is obviously bigger.
With more space to work with, along with more fridge drawers, shelves, and tiers, you have the liberty to stock up for a whole week or even longer. You are also given more organizational freedom as the extra space and shelves can help you compartmentalize your food and drinks.
In addition to being generally larger, double door refrigerators almost always will contain high-tech features.
These technological features include a water dispenser, an ice maker and dispenser, LED lighting, digital control panel, a smartphone companion application, and quick freezing and cooling.
As fascinating as these modern-day refrigerators can be, there has got to be its fair share of drawbacks, as with anything.
Because it is so big; equipped with all these technologies, acquiring a fridge like this has a price. The cheapest double door refrigerators go for 60,000 PH Pesos, give or take, while the most expensive refrigerators cost around 200,000 PH Pesos. Having to spend 60,000 PH Pesos to 200,000 PH Pesos is a lot of money so consider your budget before buying one. If there is no need to buy one, why force yourself to spend a lot of money?
Furthermore, double door refrigerators are typically designed with frost-free technology, which ensures that there is no ice-build up inside the refrigerator. As mentioned with single door refrigerators that consume less energy, for a double door refrigerator utilizing frost-free technology, it will take 30 to 50 percent more electricity to operate.
The smart purchase
In the end, three factors will determine whether what you buy between a two door versus one door refrigerator.
One is budget. You must ask yourself if you are willing to shell out an extra amount of cash for two door refrigerators that are much larger and higher tech.
When it comes to refrigerator size, then yes, you may need larger refrigerators like a two door fridge. On the flip side, if the household is not so large and you do not care about the fancy technology of newer; bigger refrigerators, then you can save up by buying a single door fridge.
In all, the aim of this article was to spell out the differences between a two door versus one door refrigerator. To add further, by spelling out the differences, the article hoped to distinguish each refrigerator’s strength and flaw.
That said, hopefully, you find the best fridge for your house and lot.