We know Smeg for its iconic FAB50 refrigerators, with a very elaborate fifties aesthetic, but with less sophisticated technological innovations. With the FQ960P5 multi-door, the Italian manufacturer wants to reconcile design and performance.
Who does not know the Smeg FAB50 refrigerators? An emblematic model of the Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla for many years, it owes its undeniable success to its particular design, reminiscent of the fridges of the 1950s. A true icon of household appliances, this fridge has greatly contributed to the retro wave. Nevertheless, the embedded technologies also seem straight out of the fifties.
The FQ960P5 multi-door, with a more seventies-oriented Victoria aesthetic, is a little better equipped than its glorious big brother. First, it has two independent cooling systems so bacteria and odors don’t travel from freezer to fridge and vice versa. In the refrigerator part, a brewed cold ensures a uniform temperature throughout the compartment. This humid atmosphere prevents food from drying out, thus guaranteeing better preservation. In the freezer, on the other hand, Smeg has chosen a No Frost cooling system, totally devoid of humidity; there is no risk of an insulating layer of frost forming in this area where the temperature is well below 0°C, and therefore of the cooling circuit being more stressed to maintain a stable temperature. This would wear it out prematurely and lead to overconsumption of electricity.
The refrigerator has a comfortable capacity of 385 l. In order to preserve the food in the healthiest possible atmosphere, Smeg has provided an ionizing system to purify the air. The idea is to “permanently propagate natural ions with negative electrical charge, which neutralize unpleasant odor and dust particles in the air”. It is difficult to comment on the relevance of this technology, but many manufacturers are already using it on their devices.
More interesting, a freshness drawer, placed under the vegetable drawers, is supposed to keep fragile foodstuffs such as meat or fresh fish even longer by maintaining the temperature just a little above 0°C. We extend the life of these foods without the water they contain freezing, which would have a negative impact on their aesthetic, taste and nutritional quality. Once again, Smeg is not the first to offer this kind of drawer, which tends to spread more and more in our refrigerators.
Finally, the two vegetable bins are lit by blue LEDs. Still according to Smeg, this light source would extend the shelf life of plants.
The freezer of the Smeg FQ960P5 (196 l) contains a little less technology, but there is still a Twister ice cube maker. Just turn the wheel placed above the collection tray to get the ice cubes. Attention, it is not possible to connect the FQ960P5 to the water network; the Twister system works thanks to a reserve of water that you must not forget to fill, at the risk of being deprived of ice cubes at the critical moment of the aperitif.
So as not to disfigure the aesthetics of the FQ960P5, Smeg has placed the controls behind the upper doors, which also have no fresh water dispenser or ice cubes. This control panel is used to change the temperature in the fridge (8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1°C) or in the freezer (-16, -18, -19, -20, -21 , -22 and -24°C). It also offers the possibility of engaging a rapid freezing mode before storing a large quantity of frozen products, or of activating the vacation mode which limits the electricity consumption when it is known that the appliance, after having been emptied , will not be used for a long time.
As is often the case with Smeg, the FQ960P5 is intended more for well-stocked wallets since it costs a whopping €4,320. And for those who do not appreciate the cream color, the Italian manufacturer has declined its multi-door in light blue (under the reference FQ960PB5) and black (FQ960BL).