Consumer Reports Ranks This LG Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator The Best In Its Class

Though its distinctive two letter name has come to mean different things over the years, LG has risen through the consumer ranks to become one of the more trusted manufacturers of appliances and electronics. Televisions, of course, continue to be a big seller for the manufacturer, with it ranking among the best of the major brands in that market. However, LG has also earned a solid reputation for its refrigerators, which indeed features a bottom-freezer model that just got shouted out by none other than Consumer Reports.

That model is LG's 33-Inch Wide Bottom Freezer Refrigerator, and according to a recent study by Consumer Reports, it is the best refrigerator you can currently buy in the 33-inch class. The fridge out ranked its closest competitor by a wide margin, with CR giving it top marks for temperature uniformity and thermostat performance. The LG also showed well in terms of energy efficiency, operating noise, and ease of use, even as CR noted issues with the appliance's crisper.

LG is currently selling the 33-inch Wide Bottom Freezer Refrigerator for $1,699. The Energy Star-rated appliance features adjustable shelves, LED lighting, door cooling features, and is equipped with LG's Multi-Air Flow System for increased food freshness. Yet despite the CR raves, it does front a potentially worrisome user rating of 3.7 stars on LG's website, with many owners claiming their device was prone to malfunction and that the manufacturer's customer service was less than satisfactory. So, you'll want to consider that before buying one. 

If you're curious about how Consumer Reports came to its conclusions about LG's 33-Inch Wide Bottom Freezer Refrigerator, its ranking atop the bottom-freezer list was the result of extensive testing conducted by its in-house team of professionals. Those tests involve setting each fridge up with thermocouples in a climate-controlled chamber for one month. Millions of temperature readings were collected over that span, determining hot and cold zones and which device keeps food fresh the longest. Customer feedback is also taken into account, with CR combining all those stats into an aggregate score.

While LG took the top spot in the 33-inch category, it was not the only brand CR highlighted in its study. Whirlpool also placed highly on the list, with its 33-inch bottom freezer fridge (WRB322DMBM) placing second behind the LG. Meanwhile, a refrigerator from Hisense (HRB171N6ASE) slotted into third place in the 33-inch category, even as Consumer Reports notes that the model it ranked is technically only 32 inches.

For this particular study, the consumer ratings publication also set its sites on testing and rating bottom freezer refrigerators in the 30-inch market. Top scores in that category went to the device from luxury appliance brand Miele, with CR rating the Wi-Fi enabled fridge (KFN4776ED) a touch higher than LG's 33-inch model. Placing second to the Miele fridge is a 30-inch model from Amana (ABB1924BRM), though this device also earned low marks for ease of use. Ditto for the last 30-inch fridge, another high-end model from Miele (KFN4799DDE); the company also makes a pretty good vacuum cleaner that can compete with the likes of Dyson in case you didn't know.