Are Smeg Refrigerators Worth the Hype (and Money)?

The smart refrigeration market may the world leader right now, with a predicted worth of $6.2 billion by 2026, but you can’t beat a retro Smeg if you’re looking for a fridge that ticks all the beauty-boxes.

Smeg, which is an acronym for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla, is a leader in luxury kitchen appliances. It’s been a leading brand since its debut in 1948 and it comes with a price tag to match.

The curvy lines and glossy, sometimes pastel-hued, surfaces make them the fashion icons of the kitchen scene. Find out if these trendy refrigerators are worth it before you splash out all your hard-earned savings on one of these beauties.

Here’s a Smeg refrigerator review that tells it like it is.

Smeg Refrigerator Review of Design Options

The most outstanding feature of any Smeg appliance is its gorgeous design. You can’t fault the retro appeal of their curved sides, chunky metal handles, and colorful exteriors.

Through various collaborations with lifestyle brands like Dolce and Gabbana, Smeg’s cornered the market for instantly recognizable appliances coupled with oodles of status appeal.

It’s the go-to brand for trendy man-caves in need of a refrigerator with a fiat veneer, and top-of-the-range kitchens that suit a dash of designer counter bling in the form of colorful small appliances.

If preferred, you can also opt for plain-colored fridges in 14 different colors including plain stainless steel, pastels, and lime green. Patriots can pick a Union Jack, the Stars, and Stripes, or the Italian flag for their door decoration. Does it all end when you open the door though? Let’s find out.

Read Also: Top Rated Retro Mini Fridges

Energy-Efficiency of Smeg Refrigerators

Smeg refrigerators are supremely green boasting eco-friendly recyclable, non-polluting materials. They’re energy star rated and use just 305 kWh per year.

Bear in mind that it seals pretty tight to maintain this energy efficiency, so you’ll need to tug the door pretty hard to get it open, but it snaps shut like a clam with very little effort. That makes them the most energy-efficient refrigerator in their size range.

Different Styles Available

While the basic design remains the same throughout, you have a few choices when it comes to picking your perfect Smeg refrigerator. You can opt for one of the swish designs in any one of these models – for an extra fee of course.

The three main types of Smeg refrigerator are:

FAB5ULO Mini

This single door fridge weighs in at 65 lbs., is less than three feet tall, and has the following features:

• Balcony shelf
• Bottle shelf
• Two adjustable interior shelves

It’s perfect as a bar fridge or for an on-trend bachelor pad. Thanks to its super low noise levels, it’s also a good fit for your home cinema or offices.

FAB28 or Regular

Another single door model, the regular Smeg has a small freezer compartment and a more spacious interior than its miniature counterpart.

This fridge has an automatic defrost, adjustable shelves, bins, an icebox, and generous storage. It’s perfect for small families but doesn’t boast the huge interior volume of most modern-day fridges.

If you opt for this fridge as a showpiece in your kitchen, you’ll probably need a second, larger fridge tucked out of sight for extra storage.

Tall Smeg

This tall statement piece has about ten times the capacity of the mini and has plenty of convenient features. These include:

• Adjustable shelves
• Pull-down flap compartment
• Bottom freezer

The handy fast-freezing compartment lets you chill drinks quickly or fresh food with one press of a button.

Classic Double-Door Refrigerator

This model may be more convenient but it lacks the pizazz of the other retro models. Yet, what it lacks in swish design it makes up for with interior features.

It’s the serious one in the family with more modern features, like:

• A fingerprint-proof stainless steel finish
• LCD touch display
• Fast cooling
• Energy efficiency mode
• Child safety lock and door open alarm
• Abundant shelves, balconies, and drawers
• An internal light
• No-frost freezer
• An automatic icemaker

This more serious model isn’t nearly as popular as it’s pretty stablemates, even though it has better features.

Pros Relating to the Smeg Range of Refrigerators

Looks are by far the biggest benefit of Smeg appliances and most of the pros associated with the retro models revolve around appearance. These include:

• You can get small appliances and dishwashers to match or complement the design of your fridge.
• The sides are attractive, so they suit kitchens with no upper cabinets
• They are shallow enough not to stick out in front of your cabinets
• Super easy cleaning thanks to the smooth edges
• Higher and slimmer than normal fridges
• It looks like an authentic vintage piece

With Smeg, you get what you pay for, so after-sales Smeg service levels are exceptional too.

Drawbacks of Smeg Refrigerators

Unfortunately, these fridges maintain a retro functionality that goes with their design. You won’t find many of the mod-cons we take for granted with more advanced fridges, so it’s a trade-off of looks against functionality.

These are some of the cons associated with Smeg refrigerators:

• You can’t reverse the doors
• Poor packing on arrival making them difficult to transport
• No light in the freezer compartment
• Smaller size
• No automatic ice maker

If these few things aren’t enough to put you off your Italian-designed kitchen eye-candy aspirations, and you can afford it, Smeg is the perfect refrigerator for you.

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