Whirlpool Fridge 190 Litre 3 Star Single Door: YES/NO?

After 3 days of research and analysing more than 10 products at multiple dealers shops, I decided to pick this budget Whirlpool 190 L Direct Cool Single Door 3 Star Refrigerator (WDE 205 CLS 3S BLUE-E). This is a first-hand experience about the fridge after using it for 3+ years. Keep reading below!

I know you are looking for an affordable refrigerator which should serve all the purposes at a reasonable price. Whirlpool has a series of refrigerator models for every budget, starting rom Rs. 10,000. The ‘WDE 205’ line-up is quite popular and it’s available in different capacities, colours, printings, and BEE energy star ratings.

Let’s get into the honest review.

Whirlpool 190 L Direct Cool Single Door 3 Star Refrigerator (WDE 205 CLS) review

Product features and specifications at a glance:

Size: 190 L
3 Star Energy Rating
Single door
Manual defrosting
Stabilizer-free
Compressor type: Reciprocatory Compressor
Cooling retention – 9 hours

Whirlpool 190 L Direct Cool Single Door 3 Star Refrigerator (WDE 205 CLS)

A quick video of the product:

THE GOOD

Perfect size for a small family: I had been using an 80 Litre Videocon refrigerator and I wanted to upgrade to a little bigger one, which should be sufficient for a small family but at the same time should not look bulky and occupy your whole kitchen. So, this 190 L looks perfect when it comes to size and dimensions (net height – 1182 mm; net width – 535 mm).

The colour: All the other refrigerators I researched do have similar features and there wasn’t a huge difference when it comes to price. Some of the fridges even have better features than this one. But I somehow didn’t like the colour. This Whirlpool fridge is blue in colour and it really impresses me (also available in other colours).

Less power consumption: A refrigerator is something that you use 24×7 for whole year. It means you should look for a refrigerator, which is 3 Star or above. The more the better. But, a fridge at a price below 15000, 3 Star is just fine. This Whirlpool refrigerator has energy saving up to 35%.

Fast cooling & good cooling retention: As per my experience, the freezer can turn the water into ice pretty quickly. You can even set the temperature (low, mid, to high) using the Cooling Control knob. In winter, I usually keep it at lowest level. And when it comes to cooling retention, the brand says it can chill the items inside the fridge even for 9 hours – which I agree.

Less noise & heating: Most budget fridges have heating and noise issues. The whirlpool fridge makes less noise, even during nights. Also, there is no heating outside the wall body.

THE BAD

Honestly speaking, I am all satisfied with the things above. But, after owning it for years the Whirlpool 190 L Fridge WDE 205 CLS 3S is really unsatisfactory.

1. Fragile materials: From freezer door, bottle racks to crisper cover, all are made of fragile plastic/low quality materials. The chiller door broke while opening, crisper cover cracked – all have to be handled with care? Whirlpool engineers need to improve on this.

Low quality materials of Whirlpool fridge — Left one happened after 30 days of the purchase

2. Hard to balance: Not just me, many users complain about this as well. It’s hard to balance the fridge because of the stand. You need to place something under the stand to balance it. I am using a piece of wood with 1 inch thickness to handle the imbalance.

3. Loose door & defective gasket: After a few months, the grip of the door started to loose and the gasket came off. Now, I can’t close the door without using the key provided. I tried a couple of times to fix and align the gasket properly, but it didn’t seem to work.

Loose door and gasket — Loose door – there’s always a gap

4. Short plug wire: The wire is too short and you’ll probably need an extension cord to reach the main power socket. This is another disadvantage for many.

Verdict

So, should you buy this Whirlpool 190 L Direct Cool Single Door 3 Star Refrigerator?

Short answer – NO

I definitely won’t recommend it to my readers. There are many options available out there from other popular brands. Shell out Rs. 3,000 – 4,000 extra and get a better one. You won’t at least regret like me.

3 basic things you need to know before buying a fridge

Trust me, you only need to know these three things while finalizing the refrigerator you want.

Types of refrigerators
Capacity
Power consumption

Types of refrigerators:

All refrigerators function in same way. A refrigerant passes around the food you keep inside the fridge. The refrigerant then absorbs the heat from those food items and transfers this heat to the surrounding outside. As simple as that.

Here are the four common types of refrigerators:

Single door
Double door
Side-by-side door
Triple door

Single Door Fridges, also called Direct Cooling Refrigerators have a single door. They are more common and cheaper. They usually have a capacity up to 300 Litres.

Most of these fridges require manual defrosting. It is ideal for a couple or a small family.

Double Door Fridges or Frost-Free Refrigerators have two separate doors with different compartments – a separate freezer and refrigeration space. This type of fridge is frost-free because of its mechanism. It means that those annoying ice will not be built up on the freezer making your life much easier.

These types of fridge are ideal for large families. So, if you have more than 6 members in your family, double door fridges are the right option.

But, be aware that they consume more energy.

Side-by-side door refrigerators have two separate components vertically, side by side – a refrigerator and a freezer. They look stylish, premium, and occupy less space.

The greatest advantage of this type of fridge is that you can get ice or cold water on demand without opening the door.

Triple Door or French Door refrigerators are quiet popular in the US with Samsung dominating the market. This triple door fridge has side-by-side doors at top and a drawer styled freezer at the bottom.

Some new French Door refrigerators even have 4 doors.

Capacity: which size do you need?

The more the capacity, the more the price is. Every refrigerator has different size and capacity. So, decide the capacity according to your family size.

If you live alone and use the fridge only for chilled water, cold drinks, or ice cubes, then go for 40 – 99 Litres.

If you are a couple or a small family with 4-6 members, then get a refrigerator with the capacity of 90 – 240 Litres.

For larger families, a refrigerator with a capacity above 240 Litres will be an ideal choice.

These are some basic knowledge that will help you decide what capacity of fridge you should choose.

Power consumption: know the Energy Star Rating

Be it air conditioner, mini washing machine, or a refrigerator, energy efficiency is something you should always check.

Energy Star Rating is given by Bureau of Energy Efficiency or BEE, especially for home appliances. As technology changes with each passing year, the BEE also updates their energy rating every year for every models and brands.

The Whirlpool refrigerator I am using has 3 Star. If you are looking for a refrigerator that consumes very much less electricity, you should buy a fridge with 4 or 5 Star label.

But remember, the more the Energy Stars, the more the price of the product is.