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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Interior

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Running Cost

  • Power Use Per Cu Ft

  • Fridge Temperature

  • Freezer Temperature

  • Vegetable Drawer

  • Power Loss

  • Freezing Performance

  • Usable Space

  • Ease of Access

  • Controls

  • Water Dispenser

  • Ice Maker

  • Cleaning

  • Noise

  • Other Features

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Interior
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Running Cost
  • Power Use Per Cu Ft
  • Fridge Temperature
  • Freezer Temperature
  • Vegetable Drawer
  • Power Loss
  • Freezing Performance
  • Usable Space
  • Ease of Access
  • Controls
  • Water Dispenser
  • Ice Maker
  • Cleaning
  • Noise
  • Other Features
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Front

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The {{product.name}} has a through-the-door water/ice dispenser, plus thick handles and vertical-grain stainless that will match the exteriors of many other brands.

Fingerprints show up easily on the {{product.name}}'s stainless exterior, and they're also difficult to remove without stainless cleaner.

The {{product.name}}'s water/ice dispenser offers a choice of crushed or cubed ice and also can be illuminated at the touch of a button.

Interior

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As a side-by-side fridge, there are few surprises here: freezer on the left, refrigerator on the right.

The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

Inside the fridge, three adjustable shelves slide into place, while three drawers are beneath.

The water filter is at the top of the fridge and integrated with the interior light fixture.

Shallow shelves are moderately moveable. You'll probably be storing large bottles of soda inside the fridge cavity.

An icemaker is at the top of the freezer, with a very small storage space above. Below are three shelves and two drawers.

Fixed shelves in the freezer door tilt out for easy access.

The ice maker opens for easy access. It's controlled by buttons on the door.

Back

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On the back, the {{product.name}} trumpets that its polystyrene insulation is made with CFC-free pentane. There's also a water intake for the water and ice dispenser.

Sides

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The sides of the {{product.name}} are gray.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS side views

Running Cost

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Assuming that power sells for 9.1 cents per kW-h, the {{product.name}} would cost you $41.83 a year to run. That's less than other fridges in this class.

Power Use Per Cu Ft

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Breaking down how much energy the {{product.name}} uses to cool each cubic foot of usable space gives us a more accurate tool to compare this fridge with others. The Bosch is a little above average, using 0.13 kW-h of electricity per cubic foot.

Fridge Temperature

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We placed a temperature sensor inside a food package right below the thermostat, and it stayed almost exactly at 37 degrees -- the temperature registered on the external display. However, a sensor in a food package on the middle shelf showed 38 degrees and a sensor inside a food package on the lowest door shelf never registered lower than 41 degrees. That's a big variation, and you might end up with milk spoiling more quickly if it's stored in the door.

The variations in temperature are unfortunate, as the {{product.name}} obviously has a very highly-tuned thermostat. As shown in the above graph, the internal temperatures of individual food packages we tested rarely fluctuated more than 2/10ths of a degree. However, its obvious the fridge had trouble circulating that air to all of its nooks and crannies.

Freezer Temperature

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The good news is that individual food packages didn't change temperature very much while stored. It's that temperature variation that causes freezer burn. The bad news is that the temperature in the freezer also varied based on placement. At the top, near the air vent, food stayed around -2.6 degrees. In the bottom drawer, food was 5.11 degrees. If you move food between the top and bottom shelves, you may find that it gets freezer burnt despite the Bosch's highly accurate thermostat..

Vegetable Drawer

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That vegetable drawer that glided open and shut so easily? It didn't do any better at keeping vegetables hydrated than a drawer with a cheaper feel. On average, our simulated vegetable lost 0.24 grams of water per hour, which means your carrots may end up crispier than you like.

Power Loss

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When the power goes out, you want to know your fridge is capable of keeping your frozen food below 32 degrees. That's why we unplug the fridge and measure the internal temperatures of our simulated food packages. The {{product.name}}'s contents stayed frozen for well over 48 hours, proof that the freezer is well insulated.

Freezing Performance

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When a fridge takes a long time to freeze food, ice crystals form and damage the texture of the food. The {{product.name}} took 2 hours and 6 minutes to freeze room-temperature food, which is longer than average. There is a rapid freezing option, but that requires more energy.

Usable Space

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Manufacturers measure the total interior space inside a fridge, not counting shelves or curvature. That's like saying a house has an ocean view even though it's blocked by trees. We measured the usable space of the {{product.name}}'s fridge cavity, and found 9.72 cu. ft. where fresh food could be stored. The top shelves inside the Bosch are adjustable, and only the middle drawer has adjustable humidity. The whole compartment is 18 inches wide -- keep that in mind if you find yourself storing leftover pizza in its box.

Only one shelf on the {{product.name}}'s fridge door is adjustable. Even then, it can only move a few inches. One shelf may be able to hold 2 liter soda bottles, but you'll probably end up storing condiments here.

The {{product.name}}'s freezer features two adjustable shelves, one fixed shelf and two clear drawers. Those clear drawers are especially useful for holding frozen bags of vegetables that can get lost behind boxes and bags of other frozen food. Total usable space is 4.48 cu. ft.

The freezer door shelves are fixed and narrow, but may work for holding thin containers of frozen meats or reusable ice packs.

Below are the manufacturers own figures for capacity, and our own measurements for usable capacity. The manufacturers figures do not take account of the shelves, drawers and other removable features, but our measurements do account for the space these take up.

Ease of Access

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We've never tested a fridge whose drawers glide so smoothly. Freezer door shelves tilt for easy access, and all adjustable shelves easily glide into place.

Controls

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Temperature controls for the fridge and freezer are on the water/ice dispenser display. Additionally, the ice maker is turned on and off by a hidden switch next to where the ice comes out of the door. The whole fridge can be turned off by a switch above the fridge seal, though we're not sure why you'd want to do that.

Controls are in a few places on the {{product.name}}. Fridge and freezer temperature are controlled on the water/ice dispenser display panel. The ice maker shutoff switch is next to where the ice comes out on the door and the overall power control is at the top of the freezer compartment.

Water Dispenser

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Like "shoot the clown" at a carnival, the {{product.name}}'s water dispenser doesn't offer a clear indication of where its very strong stream of water will go. Usually, it sprayed on the glass or dribbled down the front of the fridge, which was a real pain to clean off. It'll take some practice to avoid scattered showers in your kitchen.

Ice Maker

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The ice maker opens for easy access. It's controlled by buttons on the door.

Cleaning

Noise

Other Features

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With a touch of a button with a snowflake symbol, the freezer will rapidly cool to the lowest temperature its capable of reaching.

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Conclusion

Energy Efficiency

The {{product.name}} is a little higher than average when it comes to energy consumption. That's not a surprise, since highly accurate refrigerators need to run often to keep a consistent temperature.

Performance

Though the {{product.name}} has a highly calibrated temperature sensor, temperatures still vary based on location within both the fridge and freezer. Hot spots in the fridge can get as warm as 41 degrees when cooler spots are 36 degrees.

Storage Space

There's plenty of space inside the {{product.name}}, but not all of it is easy to use thanks to lots of shallow, fixed door shelves.

Usability

Fit and finish is where the {{product.name}} shines, with the highest quality interior feel of any fridge we've tested. Unfortunately, the spill-prone ice/water dispenser isn't as impressive.

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

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