apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Nice -- perfect for 1 or 2 person households (especially those who don't cook every night). This appears to actually have a wider freezer than my side-by-side ... maybe my Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio Pizza would actually fit in here without having to bend it!

I wish there were a more affordable version of this... I wonder how many years it will take manufacturers to lower the price point. I really want one!!!

a year and a half ago, i bought this LG 24" refrigerator that has a similar look and feel though is about a foot shorter.

I always thought Fagor was a gay superhero.

I saw the Fagor line at the kitchen and bath industry show a couple of years ago. Their products all have cool designs and are considerably less expensive than the high end products they are modeled after. For instance, this fridge is very similar to Liebherr's but this one has only one compressor making the price much less than Liebherr's.

Pretty. 'Spensive.

On a similar note, *are* there any smallish counter-depth fridges that are Energy Star compliant? I have looked at some of the most obvious contenders (the LGs, Fisher & Paykel, and some Summits) and they don't seem to be.

The Graduate, and who ever wants the tall slim look for less
search this site for Summit or Conserve.

There's one around $1000 that has same footprint; several us have it and wrote about it. Speaking of . . .
Olga . . . Jill . . .
did yours frost up a bit this summer? Mine did.

Cassis-

I recently got a little Whirlpool fridge. I'm not sure if it is exactly counter-depth, but close. It is shorter than the one featured here, but great for one or two people. I got the stainless finish, and it was only about 350. Also, it wasn't officially energy star, but it used less energy than any of the other fridges that I looked at, just because of the small size I guess, and I figured that was ok.

We have the LG satamrit mentions in my office. I recently thought I'd love a fridge about that size in my apt (instead of the monster that came with it). It's a great size for a single or couple...

what a cute fridge

I'm still liking my conserv...no problems with frost yet and it keeps a nice temp and freezes cubes fast.

Does Fagor currently have a refrigerator distributor in NYC or is this their first attempt at fridges?

Guido,

had to run over to my lovely summit/vestfrost and check the frost; opened and slid out all the freezer drawers. Doing fine, some frost build-up but nothing monstrous.

Considering that it needs to be defrosted every 1-3 years, aren't you about due anyway, regardless of how hot the summer was?

I LOVE my fridge! It stops people in their tracks when they walk into my kitchen. I have a friend who just about wanted to hump it, it's so sexy. Every once in a while i hear it click and cycle, it's the sweetest non-sound. Thank you Guido for helping me in my decision to buy it 1 1/2 ys ago.

Yeah, this Fagor (Look up in the penthouse! It's an exotic bird!? It's a luxury upholstered plane!? No, it's Fagor!) looks swank -- and expensive. The conserv/summit/vestfrost is a commercial fridge and thus not eligible for energy star, yet it outranks it by much, esp since the manual defrost contributes to it's energy-saving capabilities.

Anyway, I wont go on about how great my fridge it, folks should search this site for posts. The Fagor will appeal to those that are afraid of manual defrost, commercial status, non energy star label. Once it gets on the market it will probably be a few hundred dollars more than the vestfrost and maybe even drive the cost of a new vestfrost down.

More choices, in this arena, is good.

"non energy star label" should read: "energy star label"

Fisher Paykel. Word.

Looooooove this!

I bought the LG version of this refrigerator and I couldn't be happier. I got it from PC Richard for about $ 750.

Wow! That looks just like my 24" Liebherr fridge - especially the interior shot.

http://www.liebherr-appliances.com/products_cs1350.htm

My parents just got a vestfrost and it was about 600 cheaper than this one, yet nearly identical (I think the freezer is slightly larger).

Am gearing up to do a big, scary gut-reno and have been up every night looking at what I have come to refer to as "kitchen porn"...

Desperate for a 24" fridge and aas pretty much sold on the Liebherr (too afraid of manual defrost for the Conserv) until I stumbled across the Fagor tonight...

Any idea if it's quiet??

Art mentioned that the Fagor has only ONE compressor to the Liebherr's TWO...Do I need 2 compressors?

What does a compressor do anyway?

This product appears to be currently available on-line at Kitchen Direct for $1700.00, with free delivery (on orders over $999.00).

http://www.kitchendirect.com/index.cfm/page/product:display/productId/3FCA%2D68NFX/manufacturer/fagor

So far it's the leading contender for my 8'x7.5' kitchen reno in my downtown condo. You'd think that American Manufacturers would have seen the gaping hole in the urban market where buyers want/need an upscale, counter-depth, compact (30" wide or less), stainless steel fridge with nice features that will fit in an apartment sized space. As usual, like in the auto industry, American Companies are asleep at the wheel while foreign companies (Liebherr/German- Fagor/Spanish- LG/Korean) are moving in to fill the niche.
After I make my choice, my concern will be to match my other appliances closely since not all stainless is exactly alike (you'd think it would be!). Also, I want to try to match the style of the handles and electronic displays somewhat. I'm leaning toward Bosch for the range, microwave & dishwasher, although The GE Cafe or Profile series are also in the running. Aah, decisions, decisions...

I have a Premier gas range and I find the shelving that holds the racks are not as wide as they should be. the racks slide off when I place heavy utensils in the oven and those that I've tested in the stores seem a bit week. anyone else agree?

Hi Lou -
We're in the same boat with the size of our kitchen reno. (ours is slightly larger 7.5x15.5). And I like this Fagor alot. Would like to chat with you directly about other appliance choices. Thanks.
-julie
jslotnik@msn.com

I asked the Kitchen Direct rep about this fridge, and he said that it used 1.307 kWh/day, which adds up to 477 kWh/year. Running some quick numbers the Energy Star adjusted volume of this refrigerator is 14.96 cubic feet. The federal standard (per 2004 guidelines) for this size bottom-mount freezer model would be 448.64 kWh/year, and to qualify for the Energy Star label the Fagor would have to use 15% less energy than the federal standard, or less than 381 kWh/year. I'm not sure whether this will end up qualifying, which is a shame because it looks great and the manufacturer makes all sorts of eco-friendly claims.

Maybe someone can point out where I went wrong with these numbers or tell me why it's still okay to buy this fantastic fridge? Perhaps the issues people have with their Vestfrost/Summit models make this a better choice for durability.

I had ordered a ConServ fridge direct from the importer for $1300 $199 shipping. They have already charged my credit card (which I think is a bit dicey), and have been a bit difficult to deal with. At the moment they don't even have any refrigerators available to fulfill outstanding orders with - they've been waiting for a container-full to arrive "real soon now."

So - we're cancelling the order for the ConServ and will get a Fagor instead. One thing I especially like about the Fagor vs the Conserv is that it has over 2 cubic ft more refrigerator space and only about 0.2 cu ft less freezer space - more space, by the way, than the Liebherr. As another plus, we can get it from a local retailer - Reno's in Patterson NJ (though they don't list Fagor on the "Brands" page).

Just confirmed with the Fagor rep that this fridge uses 485 kWh of energy per year. No way that will qualify for Energy Star given the small size -- it's almost as much energy as Energy Star refrigerators with 20-25 cubic feet of space. We were excited about the Fagor but will go with the Summit as they now have a frost-free model.

to CJL,
Did you end up going with the frost free Summit? I've been looking at their 13.8 cu ft model online and am thinking of ordering it. Would love to hear if you're happy with yours.

Hi Alvin,

I am intereseted in the 24" LG but read some bad
reviews that are making look at other options.
Are you still happy with yours? Is it "titanium" and
did you have to match other appliances?


rosie t.

I'm seriously considering this Fagor 24" as well as the Blomberg BRFB1150. Has anyone gotten either of these and have any comments? Both seem to look a bit nicer than the Summit but not as expensive as the Liebherr.

We did a gut reno. of our kitchen which was completed about 3 months ago. Our first choice for a fridge was the Conserv, but after charging our Amex card they told us they had none in stock and weren't sure (beyond "Real Soon Now") when they'd be getting new ones - so we decided to go with the 24" Fagor. A little more money, but also a bit more interior space. What we really wanted was a Liebherr but, for twice the money, it was out of the question.

So far we're very happy with the Fagor. It does what a refrigerator ought, with no fuss. It's quiet, has the bottom freezer (my preference) and fits our "empty nest" 2-person household very well. The freezer, in particular, allows very efficient use of the space

OTOH, if I didn't have another refrigerator in the basement I'd have second thoughts, because there is nowhere in this unit to store tall open containers such as opened bottles of wine or large bottles of ketchup, and our Brita water carafe takes up much of the door shelf space.

With those caveats in mind, I'd recommend this refrigerator wholeheartedly.

Jeff

The Blomberg BRFB1150 is the closest competition to this Fagor in terms of volume (space) and features.

I like the Fagor for its division of space between the freezer and the fridge. Less freezer, bigger fridge. This would be our only fridge. We could put a freezer in a storage space later if we wanted to keep big frozen items.

For years I have been hunting for the perfect fridge, while I renovated bathrooms. Now my wife and I are studying the advantages of a LARGE undercounter fridge because of its optimal use of space. Something 36" wide or 48" would give more counter, more view, more elbow room in a small kitchen. Ideally it would have a drawer at 20" height, and then optimize the bottom volume for space (not a drawer). I've looked at Perlick models beginning with H2..., and even considered building my own like a Waeco CB-110 or SunFrost 10.

A larger surface area per shelf makes sense, for two reasons. More things can fit together before the wall's straight edge starts. And, it leaves less wasted volume between shelves (less empty air, between shelves). So, a 6-8 cu.ft. volume can hold as much as a 7-10 cu.ft space in a tall narrow fridge. No matter how narrow they are, they are still obstructing view and elbow room. The narrower they are inside, the more your stuff hits the walls so it's not optimal. And there is more empty air between more shelves.

In the 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 cu.ft. range, we've seen LG, Fagor, Arcelik-Blomberg, Bosch, Thermador, Samsung, Liebherr, ConServ-Summit-Vestfrost, Northland.

Please, What means: "allows very efficient use of the space" ? The comment above on the freezer is hard to understand.

David
p.s.
I contacted Fagor, and got this by email:
Total Net Capacity: 12.29 ft3 (cu.ft.)
Fridge Net Capacity: 9.85 ft3 (cu ft) - i.e. approx 280 liters
Freezer Net Capacity: 2.44 ft3 (cu ft)
These numbers still look a little too high to be real.