Indesit LD85 F1 S fridge freezer review
Price, quality and practicality are all essential when buying a fridge freezer. We review the Indesit LD85 F1 S fridge freezer to see how it fares against other similar products.
Indesit LD85 F1 S fridge freezer
Pros: Relatively cheap, larger than average freezer, multi-functional fridge drawer, smart external appearance, auto-defrost.
Cons: Limited shelf space and temperature control, slightly lower energy rating (A +) than the majority we tested.
Overall score: 3.5/5
A fridge freezer is probably one of the most important household appliances you'll buy, in continual use every day of the week, by all the family. Therefore, there's so much more to consider than price and appearance. Indesit was one of the cheaper brands we tested and its simple, functional appearance placed it alongside more expensive options. But but how did it match up when it came to practicality and quality?
Available from Appliances Direct (£359.98)
Read our full review of the best fridge freezers.
First impressions of the Indesit LD85 F1 S fridge freezer
The appliance has an attractive modern appearance despite the grey plastic recessed handle that is visible for the freezer – we'd have preferred an all stainless steel look. Inside, we were struck with the lack of shelving in the main compartment. Drawers appear prominent with two taking up much of the main compartment space. Three shelves and one box would be a more useful layout for most people. The freezer appeared roomy enough.
Is the Indesit LD85 F1 S fridge freezer easy to set up?
Like most fridge freezers this simply requires a period for the coolant to settle before plugging in and then a wait for the appliance to cool before adding food.
What is the overall quality like?
The main body of the appliance is solid and well-made. The top drawer in the fridge has a door which flips up and pulling out the door feels a bit awkward and clumsy. The door shelves are lightweight plastic but do come in and out easily.
Capacity vs usable space
The fridge holds 188 litres. Indesit has prioritised drawers at the expense of shelving but there's still potential to fill the space, it's just a question of whether this suits you.
The freezer holds 106 litres, which is on the larger side of the ones we tested. Four drawers do allow for more storage but you might need to take one out to create double height for larger items.
What's the handle like?
We took marks off for the plastic but this recessed style of handle is sturdy and provides optimal clearance in your kitchen. Strangely, the freezer handle runs almost the full width of the appliance but the fridge handle, which isn't visible, doesn't, meaning that you'll have to get used to exactly where the handle is or find yourself groping around for it.
What are the shelving options in the fridge?
There are three glass shelves, two of which have drawers attached. The positioning of the drawers dictates whether you have use of two or three shelves and there are limitations. One shelf is particularly narrow front to back and when three shelves are in use, the gap between two of them is close only allowing for short items, for example a tray of tomatoes. The door shelves are well spaced so you can easily fit in tall bottles on the lowest shelf with jars on the upper shelves.
How are the fridge drawers?
There are three fridge drawers. The smaller one is called the 'flexi use box' and the idea of this is that if you place it directly above the bottom drawer, the temperature is just above freezing and suitable for preserving meat and fish, for cooling warm food and defrosting. Positioning it here does mean you only have the use of two shelves above. If you put the flexi use box higher up, it's designed for more produce and if spaced correctly with the shelf above, can allow for an extra shelf. The bottom drawer is a generous size.
What benefits does the freezer offer?
There are four freezer drawers of varying depths which are useful for organising contents. We also like the option to remove a drawer and sit taller items on the shelf beneath. There's no fast freeze option but it does auto-defrost.
How's the overall visibility?
The bases of all the drawers are opaque white plastic so this does obscure the view into the drawer beneath but apart from that it's transparent glass and plastic throughout.
Is it easy to control and monitor the temperature?
There's a dial inside the fridge door, marked with a snowflake design from small to large indicating increasingly colder temperatures. There's an eco setting too which is billed as offering optimal performance over consumption. There's no ability to select a specific temperature, no temperature readout and no option to adjust the freezer temperature.
Is there a door alarm?
No.
What is its footprint?
The footprint is 189cm (H) x 59.5cm (W) x 63cm (D) with recessed handles for maximum clearance when closed.
Is it easy to clean?
The shelves in the main compartment are hard to remove and there are quite a lot of ridges and rims around the drawers which could collect food. The door shelves are easy to remove and clean.
Are there any accessories?
There's a removable egg cup holder and ice cube tray but no bottle rack.
Are there any accessories available for purchase?
There aren't any additional accessories.
Overall star ratings for the Indesit LD85 F1 S fridge freezer
Quality 4/5
Practicality 3/5
Capacity vs usable space 4/5
Temperature control 3/5
Ease of cleaning 2.5/5
Value for money 4.5/5
Overall score: 3.5/5
Our conclusion
This fridge freezer, along with the Hoover HMNB 6182 X5K were the cheapest we tested. Drawers have been given priority in the fridge, which we feel is quite limiting but if this is your preference, the flexi-box does offer versatility. It's suitable for singles and couples, not for a big household.
Available from Appliances Direct (£359.98)
Product specifications at a glance
Dimensions:
189cm (H) x 59.5cm (W) x 63cm (D)
Capacity:
Fridge 188 litres
Freezer 106 litres
Energy efficiency class: A+
Annual energy consumption per year in kWh: 329
Fast freeze: No
Automatic defrost: Yes
Reversible door handle: Yes
Separate controls for fridge and freezer: No
Fridge can be switched off separately: No
No. of fridge shelves: 2 - 3
No. of fridge door shelves: 3
No. of fridge drawers: 2
No. of freezer drawers: 4
Digital display: No
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This review was last updated in July 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
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