Hisense KitchenFit RB5K330GSFC Review
A large fridge freezer only as deep as a counter top
Verdict
At just 60cm deep, the Hisense KitchenFit RB5K330GSFC will sit flush with most kitchen counters, so you get a built-in effect without having to sacrifice internal space (most built-in models have around 50-litres less internal space).
There’s a good amount of room inside, although a bit more flexibility on door pocket positioning would be nice, and a split shelf would be good in the main cavity. Running costs are good, under my tests, and the temperature control is exceptional, although I did find I had to knock the fridge down 1°C to get close to my ideal of 4°C.
Pros
- Lots of room inside
- Incredible temperature control
- Only as deep as a kitchen counter
Cons
- Slightly inflexible shelving
Key Features
- CapacityThis fridge freezer has a total of 330-litres of space, with a large 215-litre fridge and a smaller, but still useful, 115-litre freezer.
Introduction
The problem with a lot of fridge freezers is that they’re deeper than a standard kitchen counter, so protrude and take up valuable space. An integrated model sits flush, but you lose valuable space inside to allow for the fridge door and external cabinet door. The Hisense KitchenFit RB5K330GSFC is a good alternative, as it’s just 60cm deep, so will sit flush with your kitchen.
It runs a touch warm in the fridge, but knock the temperature back by a degree and you’ll get brilliant temperature control, and a flexible amount of space inside.
Design and Features
- Shallow depth
- Large fridge
- Simple, but good-size freezer
At just 60cm deep, the Hisense KitchenFit RB5K330GSFC is designed to sit flush with kitchen cupboards. An integrated model, such as the Hotpoint HTC20T322UK, will do that, but you lose some space inside, as there needs to be space for two doors: the standard fridge/freezer plus the outside cabinet door that matches your kitchen.
In that regard, the Hisense KitchenFit RB5K330GSFC is a good compromise: you don’t lose kitchen space, and you don’t sacrifice much space inside, even if this model has slightly less storage space than with a regular model, such as the Liebherr CBNsda 575i.
Finished in a gorgeous glossy black, this fridge freezer stands out for all of the right reasons and will integrate well with most kitchens, becoming a neat focal point. This finish does pick up fingerprints, but a quick wipe-down is enough to keep it looking its best.
There’s no external control panel to ruin the look of the fridge freezer, and the control panel is inside, with dedicated buttons to select the fridge and freezer temperatures and turn on Super Cool and Super Freeze, both of which run the compressor harder to quickly cool down a load of shopping.
This model is also compatible with Hisense’s ConnectLife app, with full remote control over the fridge and freezer temperatures and the extra cooling modes. Neatly, this app will also send a notification if you leave either the fridge or freezer door open, which is handy if you walk off and one of the doors doesn’t quite close.
A 60:40 split between fridge and freezer, this model has a 215-litre fridge and a decent 115-litre freezer, giving a total space of 330-litres. That should be enough for most families, although if you’ve got a bit more width and depth, the Samsung RB53DG706AS9 offers a staggering 538-litres.
Inside the fridge, the space is nicely organised, with three standard shelves, and one MultiTray. Two glass shelves and the MultiTray can have their positions swapped to suit the layout you want, but the aren’t multiple choices for shelf positions.
I’m a big fan of the MultiTray, which is a ribbed shelf that can accommodate bottles of all different sizes, stopping them from rolling around. And, the fridge is deep enough that even large 2-litre bottles of drink don’t stick out and prevent the door from shutting.
Shelf space is a touch inflexible. On the top shelf, there’s enough room for cans of coke, but not taller bottles of pasta sauce or the like; larger items only fit on the bottom shelf.
The lower shelf is suitable for flatter items, such as pizzas or packets of ham. I’d have liked a split shelf here to make space for taller items below.
There are three door pockets, with the middle one having a choice of two positions. I found that I had to put this shelf in a higher position to get larger bottles of milk to fit on the shelf below.
All of the door pockets are quite deep, so will easily take larger bottles, jars and cartons, and the tall sides prevent items from falling over when the fridge door is opened.
There are then two drawers. The 0°C drawer is for fresh food, such as dairy, fish and meat, where you want to preserve it for as long as possible.
The drawer below has a humidity dial, so you can tune it to store foods that require high humidity, such as carrots, or low humidity, such as tomatoes.
An LED light at the top of the fridge nicely highlights everything inside, so it’s easy to see what you want, even if the dark grey interior makes it feel as though the interior is darker than with a fridge that has white walls.
The freezer is split into three drawers, with the top two full depth and able to store everything up to large pizzas, while the bottom drawer is a little shallower.
Performance
- Decent running costs
- Stable temperature control
- Fridge runs a little warmer than programmed
How good a fridge freezer is comes down to how well it can hold and maintain temperatures, and how much it costs to run. To test all of these, I load up the fridge and freezer with freezer blocks, to simulate a load of food, and then use temperature sensors throughout to log temperatures every fifteen minutes.
I also use the Trusted Reviews automatic door openers, to open and close the fridge door on schedule, to simulate use in a home.
I set the fridge to 4°C, but found that, on average, the fridge was 5.48°C, which was 1.48°C warmer than the target. I changed the target temperature to 3°C, which got me much closer to the target temperature without affecting running costs, and is the temperature I would set this model at.
What’s impressive about the RB5K330GSFC is how stable its temperatures are. Looking at the standard deviation, I could see that most temperatures fluctuate +/- 0.38°C from the average. That’s incredibly low: I like a standard deviation figure to be below 1°C, but this result is exceptional and shows that temperature don’t vary hugely.
That’s important as it shows that this fridge doesn’t allow food to get quite warm, and then compensate by making them very cold; instead, food is held at a constant temperature.
Moving to the freezer section, the RB5K330GSFC recorded an average temperature of -18.09°C, which is about as close to my target temperature of -18°C as you can get. Often standard deviation in freezers is much higher, with temperatures fluctuating more, but again the result was excellent, with a figure that showed most temperatures fluctuate by +/-0.6°C.
This fridge freezer is a C-rated product, but by measuring power consumption over a two-week period and then extrapolating for a year, I estimated that it would cost £20.56 a year to run, assuming a unit cost of 24.5p per kWh.
Given the size of the fridge that works out to 6p per litre of space, which is only 1p per litre of space more expensive than on the A-rated Samsung RB53DG706AS9
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Should you buy it?
You want a shallow fridge freezer that doesn’t compromise on space
Only as deep as an integrated model but with more room inside, this is a great choice and ideal for small spaces.
You want more flexibility or more internal space
If you want a bit more shelf flexibility or you need more physical room inside, a wider or deeper fridge freezer may be a better choice.
Final Thoughts
The Hisense KitchenFit RB5K330GSFC is all about its depth (or lack thereof). At just 60cm deep, this fridge freezer will sit flush with most kitchen counters, but it doesn’t noticeably give up fridge space; buy an integrated model, and you can expect around 50-litres less space.
Temperature control is excellent, although I’d run the fridge a degree or two colder than normal. I’d like to see slightly more flexible space in the fridge, particularly in terms of the door pocket positions, and having a split-shelf as an option. That aside, this is really a great choice for those that want to maximise space in their kitchen. If you’ve got more space, then my guide to the best fridge freezers can help you find a suitable model.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every fridge freezer we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We test for at least two weeks.
We use temperature sensors to monitor the internal temperature to help us accurately compare models from different manufacturers.
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
