Your refrigerator is probably the first thing you notice about your kitchen. If it keeps your beer and fresh food cold, and your frozen food frosty, then all is well. And if it looks good, too, you have something to be proud of.
Here at Reviewed, we’ve tested hundreds of refrigerators, from plain white top-freezer models to sleek black stainless French doors. The LG LFX25973D (available at AppliancesConnection for $2,200.10) fits into the latter category, and you’re unlikely to see a single fingerprint on it. It’s a 36-inch-wide, 24 cu.-ft. beauty with room for a fair amount of groceries.
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There’s no doubt that it was the prettiest fridge in the lab during its week of testing, and the performance was just about equal to its visual appeal. We loved the consistent temperatures in the refrigerator and freezer compartments, the brilliant LED lighting scheme, and the dual icemakers that can make enough ice for a party. On the other hand, the crisper drawers do not hold onto moisture well, so you can’t expect the ideal environment for your fruits and vegetables.
Design and Features
LG has one of the most beautiful black stainless steel finishes on the market. This model could be the star of any contemporary or traditional kitchen, and it looks fine as the highlight of a kitchen with regular stainless appliances. In 2018, mixed metals are a thing, and a matchy-matchy look isn’t necessary. Still, the fridge comes in a regular stainless model (the LFX25973ST) for the same price.
The interior of this refrigerator is beautifully lit, so nothing gets lost inside. The shelves don’t go all the way across, so you give up a little bit of space there. The crispers open smoothly, though the cold drawer feels a little wobbly. The freezer has upper and lower drawers, which gives you more options for storage and organization than a single giant drawer for everything.
Don’t count on storing too many gallon containers in the door on the right, because there’s only one gallon-sized bin there. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: doors aren’t the best place to store milk in any fridge because they’re not as cold as the back of the refrigerator. But if you want the kids to be able to pour their own, it’s a moot point for your family.
The icemaker in the left-hand door is slim, but so are the bins on that side. You can certainly keep salad dressing bottles and other skinny containers in there, but pickle jars and the like have to go in the right door. The other icemaker, in the freezer, has a nice big bin, though it doesn’t use freezer space particularly well to have it there. It’s a tradeoff, though—with this model, you’re unlikely to run out of ice.
Performance
The temperatures stayed rock solid, and the freezer did amazingly well, staying at a very consistent 0.2°. The refrigerator temperature was also very consistent, though the average was 39°—we prefer 37° for optimal food safety. Luckily, the control panel in front is straightforward and slight pressure actives a change.
The fridge’s efficiency is average. We calculate that it will cost you approximately $38 for energy to run this fridge for a year.
What the users say
There were not many online reviews, but most owners who commented were thrilled with this fridge, and 97% would recommend it. A few owners were dissatisfied with the crispers, as we were. A very small number of buyers said they had reliability concerns in the first few months of ownership.
The Bottom Line
If you want a beautiful fridge, this one will fill the bill. As far as the temperature goes, the freezer is great, and the fridge is a just couple of degrees too warm. Make sure you use the control panel to lower the refrigerator temperature to 37° degrees, easy enough. We suggest you use a refrigerator thermometer, so you can see at a glance what the temperature is.
If you’re looking for a comparison, when we tested the Samsung RF260BEAESR, a French door fridge at a similar price point, we thought it did a great job, and awarded it our Editors’ Choice and Best of Year badges. Of course, if you bought the Samsung, you’d have to give up the dual icemakers. And with party season coming up (isn’t it always?), that could be a tough choice.