For those of you who are familiar with my blog, I am fortunate to be a great relationship with the lovely team at AO.com who ask me to review a selection of appliances. They believe in honest reviews to feature on their website and therefore regularly get in touch to ask if I can help out, this time taking a look at the Hisense Integrated Under Counter Freezer, model number FUV126D4AW1.
I’ve reviewed a Hisense product before and was pretty impressed but that was a television and this is a freezer so couldn’t be further away from each other in the appliance spectrum if they tried. The first good thing about this integrated freezer though is it actually comes with the fixed door fixing tools. These typically are bought separate and can add up dependant on your type of appliance so it was a refreshing chance to not have to worry about this.
Fitting the kitchen door was also relatively easy, granted I left it to my father in law and his experience (I’m not that stupid) but he managed to get it fitted within around 20 minutes and he’s a perfectionist too so I’m sure it could be completed quicker 😉
My first negative note was the feet of the freezer, these are made of plastic and feel a little flimsy… as the kitchen floor isn’t grouted, I was worried one of the legs would catch within the grout gaps and snap but thankfully we took our time and was ok but its definitely something to look out for.
Inside the freezer you’ll find 3 identical plastic drawers, I make the point that they are identical but it really helps not have to work out which drawer will store varying sizes of food like I’ve previously done. The drawers also come with handy handles on the sides of them so if you choose to pull them all the way out to get a closer look, you can carry them easily thanks to these.
Underneath the bottom drawer is what I like to call a secret compartment, or what the makers will probably call additional space. This is a smaller space than the shelves but great for storing treats you don’t want the children to find or for filling with a bag of ice in preparation of a party, a cool drink or in my case, the impending World Cup. You do have to access it by pulling out the bottom drawer so its important to remember not to make it too heavy but its pretty useful nonetheless.
Looking further into the specs and this 91 litre freezer does have an analog dial which allows you to control the temperature (Cold / Mid / Colder), it also has a ‘super freeze’ function to allow you to really bring down the temperature and freeze things quicker, ideal for ice pops (or more grown up things I’m sure). There’s a built in alarm to alert you if the temperature goes any higher than -10 degrees but NO frost protection. The omission of the latter means that if you leave you door open and frost does get into the freezer, its likely to freeze the drawers shut and you may have to fully defrost the unit manually in order to regain that nice clean frost free effect again.
Elsewhere the door can be hung on the left or the right so it does mean you can ensure your kitchen cupboard flow is retained and for those conscious of efficiency ratings, the unit is an A+ energy rated appliance meaning it will cost around £30 a year to run which is pretty cheap. The door and seal around it does feel pretty premium and I’d like to hope that the suction achieved when closing the door will ensure I don’t need to worry about any such frost creeping in.
For a closer look, check out the review video below and if you need more information be sure to check out the full specs of the Hisense Integrated Under Counter Freezer FUV126D4AW1 by clicking the AO link now.
Until next time
NB: I was gifted with Hisense Integrated Under Counter Freezer, model number FUV126D4AW1 in exchange for an honest review on their website, all opinions are my own.