LG LDCS24223S Refrigerator Review

So, why don't we wholeheartedly recommend them? Well, for less than LG's sale price, you could buy any number of French door refrigerators that offer the same amount of storage space. Catch the right sale price, and you could get the Samsung RF26HFENDSR or Whirlpool WRF535SMBM for a hundred or so dollars less. On sale, the Amana AFI2539ERM costs less than $100 more and even adds through-the-door ice and water.

French doors are lighter and easier to open than a big, single-hinge fridge door, and most homebuyers think French door fridges look more modern. Still, entry-level French door fridges have drawbacks—like chintzy shelves that are difficult to adjust. If you prefer an upscale interior, or if your kitchen just can't accommodate a French door model, the LDCS24223 is a good choice. Just be sure to check out the competition before you buy.

Design & Usability

Keeping it simple

The LDCS24223 is a straightforward fridge with few frills and a fundamentally familiar format. Bright LED lighting illuminates a sizable interior—this fridge is advertised at 24 cubic feet—with adjustable glass shelves and white plastic trim.

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For a fridge in this price range, it’s a little surprising that the door shelves aren’t adjustable. That said, the small tray to the right of the dairy bin can be flipped up to make room for tall items like liters of soda or bottles of wine.

We had some accessibility issues with the pullout freezer, which is your basic upper and lower drawer configuration. Until we leveled it absolutely perfectly, the freezer door kept rolling shut when we were trying to get things in and out of the drawers.

Performance & Features

Good, not quite great

While the LDCS24223 is generally proficient at preserving food, it does have a few highs and lows. Efficiency, for instance, is a big feather in this fridge’s shiny metal cap. Even with an ice maker, this fridge ranks up there with the best of them when it comes to power consumption.

On the other hand, the crispers were flat-out disappointing. Sadly, that's not a surprise: In all our tests over the years, we’ve never been thrilled with LG's crisper designs, so keep that in mind before you stock up at a farmer's market or join a CSA.

Consistent temperature output—arguably the most important aspect of a fridge—was a mixed bag, but one that balances out mostly in this LG’s favor. Both the fridge and freezer were stable—good news for shoppers who buy in bulk and want to avoid freezer burn.

However, both compartments also ran a bit warm when set to the manufacturer-recommended 37°F and 0°F, respectively. You’ll want to turn down both zones by about two degrees to achieve the best cooling.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

Warranty

{{ amazon name="Reusable Produce Bags - Washable", asin="B012UBNQDE", align="right" }} Most of this LG is covered by an industry-standard 1 year parts and labor limited warranty. However, the evaporator, condenser, and rotary compressor actually get seven years of parts coverage. The linear compressor gets a whopping 10 years of parts coverage. You can ready all about the coverage on LG's support page.

Why We Like It

Size, style, and savings

As French doors gain in popularity, only Whirlpool Corporation, LG, and Fisher & Paykel still make traditional bottom freezers. We've found that all three manufacturers do a great job. Whirlpool's models—usually sold under the Amana brand—tend to be a bit smaller and less expensive. Fisher & Paykel specializes in counter depth.

As for LG, the LDCS24223 is another recommendable model from the Korean manufacturer that serves up a massive amount of storage in a conventionally comfortable package.

Even if you can catch the LG at a remarkably low retail price of about $1,100—for white, black, and stainless—it’s true that you can get an equally good French door fridge for roughly the same price, or even less. However, if personal preference—or kitchen layout—nudges you in the direction of the LG, we feel comfortable supporting your decision.

The Cold Hard Facts

The LG LDCS24223 (MSRP $1,499-$1,599) did well in our tests—enough that we're comfortable recommending it, but not enough to unseat the best models around.

Temperature Performance

The fresh food compartment was incredibly stable, displaying a shift in temperatures over time of just ±0.08°F. Average temperatures ran a bit warm when set to 37°F, though, so you'll want to turn it down about two degrees. Our data displayed average temps of 38.57°F at the top, 39.15°F in the middle, and 40.09°F down by the crispers.

In the freezer, temperatures shifted about ±0.47°F over time—more than in the fridge, but proportionally just as steady since colder temperatures are harder to evenly maintain. Our sensors recorded average temperatures of -0.54°F and 0.34°F at the top and bottom, respectively. That's good, but not quite enough to avoid freezer burn; we set our model to 0°F, and recommend that you turn it down about two degrees further.

Moisture Retention

LG's crisper drawers were probably the worst thing about it. Over the course of three days, we recorded an average moisture loss of 0.29 grams per hour. That's not great news for salad lovers; don't buy more greens than you can eat within a few days.

Freezing

The LG's large pullout freezer proved to be resoundingly average when it comes to chilling food. Our sensors recorded that it took this unit 1 hour and 32 minutes to bring our sensors down to 32°F from room temperature.

Storage Space & Energy Efficiency

While it's quite large, the LG's space is made up mostly of large and wide expanses. It may be tricky getting at items in the back of shelves, or in the bottom of the freezer drawer, without having to do some digging. Up top, our measurements determined that you'll get 12.34 usable cubic feet of fresh food storage. Down in the freezer, you get up to 4.46 usable cubic feet—and that's if you take out the ice bucket.

If nothing else, though, this bottom freezer uses its energy well. Even with the ice maker running, we found that you'll only need 0.06 kWh to cool each usable cubic foot of space. Using a fixed rate of $0.09 per kWh, that comes out to $31.37 per year.