LorenAmelang's Profile

I chose the Summit FF1152SS for my off-grid solar home, because it is "off the chart" economical - estimated $33 yearly on an EnergyStar label that normally starts at $35. (There are similar 309 kWh/yr Sanyo and MicroFridge 10.3 cu.ft. models that aren't as nicely designed, and supposedly an Absocold model I couldn't find.)

Pricing and delivery costs varied wildly, some places asking over twice what others wanted, and several insisting they could deliver directly to my house when I know no freight van will ever get within three miles of here. It seemed every salesperson had to call Summit to find out this week's price, and they apparently got different answers...

Summit is indeed clueless, they can't answer even simple questions, and were no help at all on my technical questions. I was lucky - turns out the 1152 has simple mechanical controls that work fine even when my power inverter goes into sleep mode. It also has mechanical slider valves to regulate how much of the cold air goes into the freezer, so the freezer is frost-free and you can get it well below zero if you want. (My Sunfrost had no adjustment, and the freezer typically stayed in the twenties if the fridge was above freezing. The dual-compressor Summit CP171 would solve that problem very nicely, but it is rated 380 kWh/yr.)

The 1152 powers up at around 140W, quickly ramps down to around 100W, and typically has dropped to around 85W before shutting off. It cycles more frequently than the Sunfrost, but runs for much shorter periods. A typical cycle reads 0.030 kWh on my Kill-A-Watt. It uses a Panasonic compressor made in China, with classic external zigzag tubing and fine wire condenser "coils" outside the back of the cabinet. The sides and back of the cabinet are within a degree of ambient, so the insulation must be decent even though it is much thinner than a Sunfrost.

It makes a soft whirring noise, a combination of the compressor and internal fan. In a quiet space it is obvious, but it blends well with ambient sound and I often can't tell whether I'm hearing the fridge or one of the hydronic floor pumps.

The box was assembled in Mexico. Mostly the finish is perfect, but there are a couple of puckers in the stainless door that become obvious with just the wrong light. The dropped-edge shelves people used to complain about are gone, there is now a black plastic front edge that provides a tiny lip to keep things from sliding off the front, without interfering with the shelf space below. The single crisper drawer has its back corners relieved so it can be removed even if the door can only open 90 degrees. The door shelves are soda-can sized, just barely tall enough but far too narrow for a pint Mason jar, except for the very bottom one which is half-gallon carton sized. You can't easily open the door from the side, or with your elbow, or via any other means than the grip space between the fridge and freezer doors - but it looks great.

So far, I like it!