Mini fridges are an office’s best friend, especially if you have one in arm’s reach from a desk. Many choose from their special qualities, but how do you narrow down the best models for an office?
A mini-fridge that we can recommend at the top of our heads is the Black+Decker BCRK17B. It’s compact, minimalistic looking, and does its job well. There certainly are other great mini-fridges, but this one is an easy pick for office use.
We will be going over our picks for the best mini fridges you can buy for an office. If you are still wondering what you should get, read on!
What Makes a Mini Fridge Good for an Office?
Mini fridges are designed to do one job – keep your beverages and food cool. But there is a lot to consider when deciding on a mini-fridge that works best for you. These appliances are miniature versions of their colossal kitchen counterparts, and some of them have all of the essential features of a full-size fridge.
The best mini fridges are reliable, quiet, and make full use of the space they have. If you want one for a personal office by your desk, you probably want something in a smaller size that can store your drinks and lunch. In this case, a 1.7 cubic foot fridge will work nicely for this purpose. And if you have a Microwave in your office, you might want a small freezer compartment for any frozen meals.
If you want to store many beverages, so you don’t have to keep restocking, you can go bigger, and there are plenty of mid-sized mini-fridges that strike a good balance between space and size.
In our experience, spending too much on a mini-fridge isn’t necessary unless you want to. Most mini fridges will cost you under $200 and work as intended – remember, they only have one job to do!
Best Mini-Fridges for Offices (2021)
Here are our picks for mini-fridges that we think most people would enjoy having in their office.
1. Black+Decker BCRK17B
We mentioned this one above, but we want to detail why this is one of our top picks.
This mini-fridge is a small size. 1.7 cubic feet of space means that it can integrate into many offices without issue and won’t be a distraction. You can put it next to a desk or even skip it under. This versatility will be appreciated by people who just need something to store days worth of beverages and their lunch.
There are two levels in the cabin with the shelf being removable for easy cleaning or if you want to store multiple large bottles. There’s also drink storage on the door with what appears to be dedicated space for a 2 liter.
Despite the small size, however, it still manages to incorporate a freezer at the top. It’s not spacious by any means, but it should be enough to keep a frozen meal or two in there. Amazon has a bundle with the Amazonbasics microwave.
It’s also quiet, not the quietest mini fridge out there, but quiet enough to the point it likely won’t distract you. And if you are worried about energy efficiency, it only runs at 70 watts and gets the Energy Star stamp of approval.
If you are going for a certain decor, look for your office, you also can choose between 3 different colors that are standard affairs for office appliances. The fridge’s appearance is modern minimalistic, with only Black+Decker’s logo appearing on the front door.
For under $150, you really can’t go wrong with this if you are looking for a compact mini fridge that has it all. It’s a good value and a good mini fridge overall that we can recommend to most people who need a refrigerator of this size.
If this sounds appealing, but you need something a little bigger, they have what are essentially larger versions of this with the BCRK25 (2.5 cubic feet), BCRK32 (3.2 cubic feet), and the BCRK43 (4.3 cubic feet). Each of which is close in price point to one another.
At this point, it’s just picking what size you want because other than holding capacity, there isn’t anything different about them.
2. TACKLIFE Compact Refrigerator
If you need something bigger than the previous mention, this one is certainly worth the look. You certainly get plenty of room for most personal offices with three storage levels, including a compartment for produce if you are keen on healthfully snacking while you work.
The door storage compartment has a dedicated compartment for canned beverages with three shelves surrounding it. You will be able to fit your various hot sauces, 2 liters, and additional beverages on the door alone.
But we aren’t done yet because the freezer that sits on top is decently roomy for this size. You can fit pints of ice cream in it to reward yourself for a job well done!
Energy efficiency gets a pass with a wattage of 65 watts, which is good for a refrigerator’s size. EnergyGuide estimates that it will cost you $25 a year to run overall, but your local electricity prices may provide lower or higher results.
It’s also relatively quiet and won’t get on your nerves. Just some ambient noise that is expected of most refrigerators. Keep in mind that all.
We hope you like the color black because that’s the only color you get to choose here, unfortunately. But that shouldn’t be too much of an issue to a lot of people. The design is inoffensive and will easily blend into most offices without trouble.
Overall, if you need a sizable mini-fridge for your office, you can’t go wrong with this! It’s a quality appliance that won’t let you down with good energy efficiency and doesn’t emit a lot of noise. It also costs about the same as the above mentioned, so you will not pay more for larger storage capacity.
3. Midea WHS-65LB1
Here is another compact mini fridge that we can recommend easily if you can snag at under $100. You could say this is our budget pick of the list.
Like the Black+Decker mini-fridge, this is suited for those who want something that can easily fit into their office setup and doesn’t require a lot of space to get the job done. You have two levels of storage and beverage compartments on the door with a dedicated spot for a 2 liter.
We say to buy it if it’s under $100 because it doesn’t have a freezer like the mini-fridges we went over thus far. But if you don’t need that and just want something to keep your beverages and food chilled, this will certainly do the job. But if you want a freezer, definitely spend the extra money if you think you’ll need one!
Because this is a tiny fridge, the power consumption is going to be low by default. It will settle down around 52 watts of power after running for a few minutes. It’s also quite like the rest of the refrigerators on this list, so you don’t have to worry about distractions!
Overall, if you can find this for cheap, we recommend it!
4. TACKLIFE Mini Fridge 3.2 Cu. Ft
This is the most fridge-like mini-fridge on this list, with a conventional 2-door system for the refrigerator and freezer compartments. If you spend long hours in your office or share with others, this could be the option for you.
Despite the 3.2 cubic feet size, this fridge isn’t too large, and you should be able to find a place for it in your office, although it does dwarf 1.6 and 1.7 Cu.Ft options. But what you get with the increased size is more storage space.
The refrigerator cabin has three shelves, with the bottom one intended for production. If you tend to snack healthy, then you are going to love that part! It’s designed to store conventional food such as a carton of eggs, meats, and fruits, and the door handle is where the drinks are intended to go.
It has by far the best freezer section on this list. They are designed to mimic a “real” freezer on a smaller scale. Because of this, you get a storage compartment on the freezer door for bagged goodies.
Aesthetics-wise, it looks like a traditional fridge, which may or may not appeal to you, but if you want to feel at home in your office, then this will do the trick! You also have two colors you can choose from black and silver, which are the standard options many refrigerators offer.
It is also energy efficient as well with only 0.84/kw—h/24 h energy consumption. Energy guide rates it as costing $37 a year to run, which will fluctuate depending on your area’s electricity costs.
And despite this being the largest mini-fridge on this list, it is still pretty quiet, emitting only 37 decibels when running.
5. Black+Decker BCRK25B
We briefly mentioned this one in the previous Black+Decker listing, but we think it deserves its own listing. It’s not particularly special in comparison to BCRK17B. It’s pretty much just a slightly larger version of that, which is a good thing!
This mini fridge is for those who need a little more space than a 1.7 Cubic foot fridge but don’t want to go all the way up to a 3.2 cf. It’s a happy medium, we would say. You get three storage levels in the refrigeration compartment with more space on the door handle than its smaller brother.
The freezer gets a major upgrade in size, and you will be able to fit more food in there overall and even objects that wouldn’t fit in the smaller version.
Energy consumption and sound are identical. Energy Guide rates it as costing $1 more to run for a year ($25), so you don’t have to worry about any major energy spikes for a larger refrigerator.
Overall, it is a bigger version of our recommended mini-fridge. It provides just enough extra storage without becoming too large, and we think many people will find this size the sweet spot and enjoy the minimalist design that will fit in just about any office decor.
6. AstroAI Mini Fridge
Here is something neat before we close this list off. An appliance that takes the term “mini-fridge” and applies it to its most literal sense. Yes, this is a tiny handheld refrigerator with a carrying handle.
It’s designed to fit on a desk and hold your drinks and/or lunch. This can be useful if you have an office outside of your home and want to pack your food and beverages into something that is the size of an admittedly large lunchbox but runs off of electricity. That way, you don’t have to worry about your stuff not being cold enough.
The 4-liter capacity is enough for this purpose. It can fit 6 to 12-ounce cans, which is decent for this size, and the two levels allow you to separate products. It’s also designed to work in a car, which can be useful on road trips where you want to keep your food, and beverages cool instead of relying on a watery cooler.
But that’s not all; it also doubles as a warmer – that’s versatility for you!
For under $50, it is certainly worth it if you think you could utilize something like this.
Conclusion
You can’t go wrong with many mini-fridges; they are designed to do one thing well, which makes them reliable most of the time. As long as you stick to trusted brands, choosing a mini-fridge that works for you will come down to size, how the cabinet is arranged, how it looks aesthetically, and if it has a freezer or not. And if you ever want to go smaller, you can always pick with a 4-liter fridge!
