Fisher & Paykel Elegance

Don't buy this crap! I'm not touching any F&P products again – First off, the electronics on this fridge have been a source of annoyance from nearly day one. Returned for warranty when the lights flash error code and it incessantly starts beeping loudly at 2am. They replaced the circuit board which didn't make a difference. Got so fed up with loading it on the trailer and taking it back that I simply gave up… Read more

on this crap. I simply unsoldered the buzzer and it's been working ok, however muted, with the error code flashing perpetually. Second, the seals on this fridge didn't last long at all and had to replace them with some non-genuine ones in the hope that they are better. Third, the cabinet and handle paint job is of poor quality such that it looks shabby fairly quickly. My 23 year old Westinghouse that sits right next to it with equal use is in far better condition and has given me much better service. I will never buy any F&P products again. I mean, honestly, the New Zealanders should really stick to farming sheep.

Noise noise noise – If you don't wish to put up with incessant irritating noise then don't buy this or any other FP fridge. We've had two and they have both been appallingly noisy. Clearly this a systemic problem with FP fridges. I'll never buy another one and will check noise ratings before buying my next fridge. This is 2012 and you would think industrial design… Read more

would have progressed beyond such poor attention to liveability. It is a fridge. It keeps stuff cool. Noise and more noise

Good – We've had this fridge for over 6 months now and it's performing perfectly. I bought this as an outdoor bar fridge and has been fine for the task of keeping the beer and wine chilled so far. Even though the fridge is kept outside, under a verandah, it has experienced a recent 2 week heatwave in Adelaide, when the temperature reached 45.7'C. Even… Read more

though you could fry an egg on the outside of the fridge, inside the drinks remained perfectly cool. The compressor worked overtime during the heatwave and not having much air gap behind the fridge, I did wonder if it would be too much, but no, it kept whirring away exactly as it should. As it's an outdoor fridge it's hard to tell if the compressor runs loud as other comments have made, but I haven't noticed it much different from the old inside fridge (a 30 year old Admiral). When buying I had no intention of using this fridge for any other reason than a "decent" sized bar fridge and so far cannot fault. With glass shelves I was worried that stacking bottles of wine would crack or shatter them, but no problem, they seem to cope with the occasional crashing of bottles on them and I have 10-12 wine bottles squeezed in per shelf. Freezer is great, I've not had frost free before and it keeps the walls clear of ice build up. Overall a good fridge 6 months down the track and if you want something as a good sized bar fridge or for a small kitchen, I'd recommend it. Keeps the beer and everything else cold. Nothing yet

Excellent – A quiet fridge that doesn't require alot of work to maintain. Enough options in shelving arrangements and storage compartments to suit, I would expect, most people. Energy rating four and a half stars out of six (508kw per year). Based on having owned and operated the F&P E521TRE for 12months trouble free (and no sign of impending problems), I… Read more

can recommend it. Purchased this fridge 12 months ago. Very quiet operation and automatic defrost works well especially in the summer humidity (unlike a 'General Electrics 360' we owned many years ago on which the evaporator tray around the motor used to continually overflow). Steel door handles on the F&P E521TRE fridge and freezer door are very robust. We streered away from plastic handles as on previous fridges they have broken.We also liked the type of plastic used in the fridge door trays. It looks like it won't go brittle and crack like we have experienced before with clear plastic trays (again the old GE 360). However, having said this the freezer door trays are clear plastic but have not presented any problem to date.The F&P E521TRE is well laid out. It has clear,solid glass shelving which allows you to see through from one shelf to the next. There are also 20 positions to which you can adjust the 3 glass shelves to. The fridge door also has 9 position to allow height adjust of door compartments.The aluminium bottle holder will hold six large bottles but care needs to be taken if small, stubby like drink bottles are placed on this shelf.There appears to be enough shelving/comparments (including for eggs and veges, ice cube trays in the freezer section) for our needs (family of four).The vegetable crisper has variable adjustments depending on whether you are storing veges or fruit. It is divided into two sections but to be honest our fruit and veges never stay there long enough to see if the settings make any difference to storage quality or time.Overall we are very happy with our purchase to date. Nil so far.

Good – We have been using it for 2 years+ now and the fridge is still working perfectly well. The chill is keeping the food fresh & safe, hence you don't get stink smell in the fridge that you constantly have to wash the interior. It is not chinese made refrigerator. It works well, the chill is keeping the food fresh & safe. It has good storing capacity as well. Not fancy looking. But the stainless steel one is much more expensive.

Good – Great fridge, basic fridge a bit boring in the looks department but if you don't need it to tell the time and pour your water go for it. There is enough space to accomadate the average family. It is quite deep, works well, has all the standard features- ice cube compartment, frost free, vegie compartment, egg holders and so on. Clean cut style and… Read more

practical. Not fancy enough for my taste but I can not complain oh actually yes I can it beebs madly at you and shuts down if you don't close the door quickly, this is very annoying when you are trying to put the groceries away and could have you in a real dilemma if you leave it open and go out as the fridge will switch off.