Introduction

Front

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The {{product.name}} is a basic fridge with a freezer on the top and refrigerator on the bottom. There is no exterior ice maker or water dispenser on the door of the fridge.

Though this fridge has a glossy black finish, it still attracts fingerprints like costlier stainless steel as there's no texture to the finish.

Though "3" is the "normal" setting, we had to crank the knob on our tester up close to 5 to get a good fridge temperature.

Interior

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The top part of the {{product.model}} is a freezer, while the bottom part is the refrigerator.

Parent company Whirlpool hasn't significantly changed the interiors of their budget fridges for about two decades, and that same design is carried over to this Maytag. Heavy glass and metal shelves -- one full width, two half-width -- hook onto bookshelf-style slats. They'd be awkward to adjust for someone with limited mobility. One of the half-width shelves has a drawer hanging from it.

The crisper drawers sit within a plastic frame with a heavy, loose glass top. They're not the smoothest opening drawers, and require a slow, gentle pull. The drawers themselves are made of cheap plastic more brittle than any fresh produce. Put anything moderately heavy in one and it will fall forward when opened, lifting the glass shelf above it. Like most budget Whirlpools, the adjuster tabs for the crispers feel as if they could snap off any second.

On the door of the fridge, there are three adjustable clear-walled plastic containers. A dairy bin and removable tray span the top shelf and can be reversed -- a convenience that lacks function but makes for a flimsy dairy bin that feels as if it could fall off the door any second. A shallow bottom shelf is a fixed width and spanned by a metal bar. It fits 2 liter soda bottles with no problems, but unlike plastic shelving could easily be dented by too-large bottles and jars that get crammed into the space.

Nothing in the freezer is adjustable. The freezer's main compartment features a single, fixed wire shelf.

On the door, two fixed, walled shelves can hold smaller frozen dinner boxes or bags of frozen vegetables.

An icemaker and bin takes up a third of the top half of the freezer.

Back

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There's nothing on the back of the {{product.model}} except for a vast expanse of metal and a small water hookup.

Sides

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The sides of the {{product.model}} are made of the textured, matte black finish that was traditionally found on fridge exteriors from the early '90s until the stainless steel craze took hold.

Running Cost

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Assuming that electricity costs 9.1 cents per kWh, we calculated the {{product.name}} would cost around $52.70 per year to run. That's average for a fridge in this price range.

Power Use Per Cu Ft

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To accurately compare refrigerators of different sizes, we divide the fridge's energy use by its usable storage space to find out its power use per cubic foot of storage space. The {{product.name}} comes in at 0.11 kWh per cubic foot, which is average for a fridge in this class.

Fridge Temperature

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When we first got the {{product.name}}, we followed the instruction manual and set the temperature control to 3 for "Normal." After three days, the temperature in the fridge barely hit 40 degrees, which is not ideal for food storage. We turned the controls up to 4 and still couldn't get an adequate temperature. It was only when we cranked the knob almost to the maximum setting -- 5 -- that we got our tester in the ideal range for a fridge. This may only be an issue with our test unit, though a similar Amana-branded fridge also required the controls be set slightly higher than norbal.

Once it reached that sweet spot, however, it barely varied. The temperature sensors mounted inside simulated food in the {{product.name}}'s fridge compartment showed a variance of only 1.36 degrees in either direction, which is just what you want in a fridge to keep food from spoiling.

Freezer Temperature

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To find out how well the {{product.name}} kept foods frozen, we put simulated food fitted with temperature sensors in the freezer compartment.

Unfortunately, as this is a single compressor fridge, cranking up the temperature meant the freezer stayed a little colder than we'd like. Still, it did so with great consistency, barely varying in temperature. This is important for those folks who store frozen foods, as thawing and re-freezing causes ice crystals to form, which lead to freezer burn.

Vegetable Drawer

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Refrigerators move a lot of cold air around, which tends to dry out fresh foods. That's why they have dedicated vegetable drawers meant to lock in humidity. We test this feature by measuring the water loss from a piece of wet floral foam that simulates a real vegetable.

The {{product.name}} did pretty well in this test, losing only 0.21 grams of water per hour over four days. That's not as good a measure as on higher-end fridges, but fine for a refrigerator in this price range.

Power Loss

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Freezing Performance

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The {{product.name}} took 2 hours, 3 minutes to take a food from room temperature to freezing. That's about average for a fridge in this class.

Usable Space

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The interior of the fridge features one adjustable full-width shelf and two adjustable half-width shelves, one with a drawer below it blocking much of the usable space of the shelf beneath. A fixed full-width shelf spans the top of the crisper drawers. The left crisper drawer is wider than the one on the right.

On the top of the door are a reversible dairy bin and removable shelf. The curvature of the dairy bin increases its usable space.

Below are three half-width adjustable bins. They can easily be configured to hold tall items like two liter soda bottles. The shallow fixed shelf at the bottom of the door is wide enough for soda bottles, too. All the shelves feel solid and sturdy with the exception of the flimsy metal bar on the bottom shelf.

Up in the freezer, there's a fixed wire shelf dividing the compartment into two widthwise. An icemaker and bin take up a third of the top half.

Two fixed walled shelves are on the door.

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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The {{product.model}} may not be the best choice for someone who finds it hard to hold and lift heavy objects. The weighty glass and metal shelves are difficult to adjust, and we imagine they'd be even more difficult for someone with limited mobility.

Controls

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Though "3" is the "normal" setting, we had to crank the knob on our tester up close to 5 to get a good fridge temperature.

A single controller determines the temperature for the fridge and freezer. It's calibrated on a scale from 1 to 5, with no indication of which temperatures those settings represent.

Water Dispenser

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Ice Maker

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An icemaker and bin takes up a third of the top half of the freezer.

Cleaning

Noise

Other Features

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Specs

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Both the {{product.name}} and GE GTS21KBXWW are similar fridges, both top-freezers with traditional designs. It's worth it to note the Maytag is selling for slightly more online than the GE.

Design

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The {{product.name}} features recessed handles, which are a clear benefit over the ones protruding from the GE. Why's that? Well, both fridges have reversible doors. The GE, however, needs a plug for the screw hole on the side where there is no door.

Performance

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While we had some issues obtaining an accurate temperature on our {{product.name}} tester, it still outperformed the GE, which had some issues keeping a consistent temperature.

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Storage Space

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Both fridges have very similar available storage space.

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Usability

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The GE has a better fit and finish, though the {{product.name}} has adjustable shelves in the fridge door.

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Specs

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The {{product.name}} and LG LTC22350SS can be found for about the same price, though the fridges are similar.

Design

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The {{product.name}} has a sleek black finish (though stainless is available for an extra cost), while the LG has a similar design with a stainless finish on the front.

Performance

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Both the LG and {{product.name}} had excellent consistency. However, we'd give the edge to the LG for not having to be recalibrated.

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Storage Space

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Both the {{product.name}} and LG's built-in icemakers cut into some available freezer space, but also add convenience.

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Usability

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We prefer the LG's fit and finish to the {{product.name}}. Shelves fit into place better and drawers close with less effort.

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Specs

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Though they sell for a similar price, the Frigidaire FFHS2311LW and {{product.name}} are very different fridges. The Frigidaire is a side-by-side that offers ice and water through the door, while the {{product.name}} is a top freezer that has less space and only ice in the freezer.

Design

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Aside from their obviously different configurations, which is a matter of personal preference, the Frigidaire has a more traditional textured exterior and the {{product.name}} has a sleek, glossy paintjob.

Performance

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While the Frigidaire was easier to accurately calibrate, the {{product.name}} showed more consistent all-around temperature performance in both the fridge and freezer.

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Storage Space

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The Frigidaire has more usable storage space, though wide packages may not fit in the narrow fridge and freezer cavities.

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Usability

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Both fridges have about equal interiors, but their utility depends on what your needs are. Side-by-side fridges are easier to access, but top-freezers have wider shelves.

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Conclusion

Energy Efficiency

Unless you've got solar panels on the roof, the {{product.name}} will cost you an average amount to run each year. For a refrigerator this size, the Maytag is a good performer.

Performance

Make sure you check the {{product.name}}'s temperature before you put any food inside, as our tester had to be cranked up to nearly its maximum temperature setting in order to properly chill food in the fridge compartment. However, once the freezer and fridge reached ideal temperatures, they hardly varied.

Storage Space

The {{product.name}}'s freezer compartment is somewhat squeezed by the inclusion of an icemaker. However, the rest of the fridge is spacious with deep, wide shelves -- the way a top freezer should be.

Usability

Like all entry-level Whirlpool-made fridges, the interior of the {{product.name}} feels at once cheap and clunky. Shelves are hard to adjust and not that great at preventing spills, while storage bins move with the ease of nails on a chalkboard. But we've got to give the {{product.name}} credit for adjustable door bins and adjustable half-width fridge shelves.