<p>I rented my son's fridge/freezer/micro last year, but decided to buy one this year. Can anyone suggested a good brand? Does it make a difference if it has separate fridge/freezer doors or is flush on the back or has manual defrost? Sorry for the questions, but any help would definitely be appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>this is the one son has had for 2 years
3.1</a> Cu. Ft. Compact Refrigerator (Color: Black)</p>
<p>He likes it. Judging by how it is used, though, I don't think the separate freezer compartment has been important. He has a separate microwave. I think the flush feature allows it to look more "built in" in a kitchen, but I could be mistaken. I have heard about no defrosting issues, but I will inquire!</p>
<p>Mafool, are you referring to the Frigidaire?</p>
<p>My daughter has a frigidaire compact refrigerator with a seperate freezer. Having a seperate freezer was important to her as she had a job where she had to leave early a.m. and she wanted to keep quick breakfast items in her own fridge not in the communal fridge (shared by 20 rooms) where she would have been upset at 6 a.m. to find her breakfast stuff missing. She ended up quitting that job but has loved the fridge and likes that the freezer is big enough to keep some ice cream and other frozen goodies. She likes to make smoothies so the freezer is handy - does make it a bit more expensive than the ones with a little freezer in the body of the fridge but for her it was the better choice. </p>
<p>edit:She has the slightly larger version of the one linked by mafool. Loves it.</p>
<p>Yes, it is a Frigidaire.</p>
<p>This is the one my d. has:</p>
<p>I bought a used, "approved" microwave/refrigerator combo last month on ebay. It seems there's an auction for 1 or 2 daily. I may have overpaid a little ($200+), but it works perfectly, and I was able to get replacement shelves from the manufacturer for under $20. Just a thought.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that, when we shopped for the fridge (it was probably this time of year), the store was marking them down substantially.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help. Enjoy the rest of the summer.</p>
<p>I am jealous that your kids dorm rooms can accomodate a big fridge. My s said he had to go with the smallest possible, so we had to go with the 1.7 cu one. Of course, one went on sale at Target for a few bucks cheaper than what we paid the week before at Sears.
Galaxy</a> 1.7 cu. ft. Compact Refrigerator - Model 9177 at Sears.com</p>
<p>Before you buy, make sure that bringing your own fridge is allowed by school. At my Ds school we do not have this option, we must rent. In addition, she can use only microwave that meets certain specifications.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies and also about the sale at Lowe's. The refrigerator I saw came down $40! We picked up a small microwave at Best Buy yesterday (with a coupon) so this will mean I can stop looking. Thanks again. BTW, I did check and the school limits to 4.0 cu.ft. refrigerators and no limitations on microwaves, but thanks for the heads up.</p>
<p>My son likes the ones where you can fit a OJ or Milk carton in the the upright position (usually in the door).</p>
<p>Caution - Some schools only allow the approved micro/fridge combo. I assume this is for power consumption reasons.</p>
<p>This year my son was planning to share micro/fridge rental fee with roommate. It would have cost I think $120 each. The roommate lives fairly close and opted to pay $400 to buy it. My son gave him the $120 instead. This can be a good option when there is one local and one fly-in roommate.</p>