Hisense RS694N4ICF Freestanding American Fridge Freezer, No Frost, 562 liters, Stainless Steel, Noise level: decibels 42 [Energy Class F]

Very stylish and virtually silent. A word of warning though. This comes in a massive box that will not fit through any conventional doorway. Had to put it in the garage, de box it and then pay someone to move it.

It arrived 2 days before our 2 week holiday, when we returned i found the ice bucket and contents had frozen solid to the door. After about half an hour with the hairdrier i managed to free the bucket and defrost it in the sink. It looks like it needs to be used on regular basis to stop this happening again, but overall i’m pretty pleased with the Fridge/freezer.

We have had this Hisense since November 2019, so I thought a review might help others. I have to say I am very impressed, especially when you consider the price, which back then often started with a 5!

We replaced an older Samsung American Fridge Freezer and I would say the cooling capacity of the Hisense is far superior and more evenly distributed as the air is circulated via various vents running down the back of the fridge/freezer. The Samsung had a single vent at the top (which would freeze the dairy products), so the Hisense is much better in terms of chilling the various areas of the fridge, with few if any hot spots. Temperatures are very stable (wireless thermometers) with the fridge set to 4c (maintains 3c – 4c) and the freezer set to 18c, which actually gives a very steady 21c, although this may be due to the location of the wireless thermometer, which I can no longer find in a very full freezer.

Despite being marketed as Total Frost Free, the contents of the freezer always have a fine layer of frost unlike the photos in the marketing material but it never turns to ice whilst the interior panelling of the freezer remains frost free.

The Fast Chill & Fast Freeze functions are very effective, bringing the fridge temperature down very quickly, so we activate this a couple of hours prior to a big supermarket delivery, especially if the fridge is empty. The freezer is always full, so we don’t use its fast freeze function, although this would be useful if you actually have room in your freezer and want to quickly freeze items. My brother paid almost double for a Samsung equivalent, which is missing both the fast chill feature but also the multiple cooling vents.

Being an inverter it’s much quieter than our previous freezer to the extent we can’t here it. The ice maker being door mounted means a much smaller capacity for storing ice cubes but this is quickly and automatically replenished plus you gain freezer storage space as a result. I have read elsewhere that the ice crushing feature is not very reliable on these and easily fails, so we don’t use it unless the ice cubes have fused together and won’t dispense, which is when we switch to crushed ice and run this for 5 sec or so, which then frees up the cubed ice.

I would recommend leaving the fridge/freezer to stand for 24 hrs after delivery before plugging in as this will allow the refrigerant to settle, which should prolong the life of the various components. I can also recommend switching it off from time to time and vacuuming the lower back panel as the vent holes can easily become blocked with dust/hair, especially if you have a dog. These panels are also easily removed for a more thorough cleaning including around the compressor with a vacuum cleaner brushed attachment. Our old freezer died due to blocked vents and an overheating compressor, so I have learnt my lesson.

Hopefully this review will be of use to future owners.

Really happy with this fridge freezer, looks great and really happy with it so far!