Pros
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Counter-depth
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Steady temperatures
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Great value
Cons
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No extra features
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Lower capacity
The interior of the HA10TG21SS features a standard array of shelves and door bins.
The front of the Haier HA10TG21SS is featureless, just stainless steel panels and two black-plastic-lined pocket handles where the fridge and freezer doors meet.
Opening up the fridge compartment reveals a standard two-shelf setup with a crisper drawer at the bottom and several door storage bins. The shelves can be repositioned to one of several slots.
The freezer has a single shelf in its middle, and can be repositioned to one of three different heights.
About the Haier HA10TG21SS top-freezer refrigerator
Even the freezer shelf can be repositioned to some degree.
Dimensions: 59.5" x 23.4" x 25.3" (H x W x D) Measured capacity: 5.97-cubic-foot refrigerator compartment, 2.09-cubic-foot freezer Finishes: Black, white, stainless steel ($30 extra) Dispensers: None User manual: Haier HA10TG21SS top-freezer refrigerator manual
What we like about the Haier HA10TG21SS top-freezer refrigerator
It gives steady temperatures throughout the fridge
The shelving can be rearranged to a fairly high degree, ensuring you'll always have room to accommodate larger items.
One of the most important functions of a fridge is keeping food cool throughout its interior—obviously. To test this in our lab, we outfit each fridge with an array of temperature sensors, both to ensure there aren’t any warm spots and also to verify the fridge is able to maintain its temperatures over time.
Our testing showed that temperatures stayed remarkably consistent throughout the refrigeration compartment over time. The fridge was able to keep the temperature within 3°F of an average temperature of 36.77°F, which is just about ideal.
Budget refrigerators often struggle with temperature consistency and sometimes require significant calibration in order to get them more in line with expectations. We were happy to see that the HA10TG21SS doesn’t suffer from this common issue.
Spill-guard shelves with customizable height
It's rare to see spill capture shelving in a budget fridge.
Though a staple of mid-range fridges, you just don't see spill-guard shelves in many budget fridges—especially spill guard shelves that can be repositioned to this degree. Most other budget options don't let you reposition the shelves at all, making the Haier one of the more adaptable options in this price range.
What we don’t like about the Haier HA10TG21SS top-freezer refrigerator
It is light on raw storage capacity
The Haier HA10TG21SS is counter-depth, meaning it’s physically much smaller than a standard-size refrigerator. While its smaller footprint can be a boon for those looking to maximize their kitchen space, its reduced size has a significant impact on its capacity to store food.
The average top-freezer fridge offers 10.58 cubic feet of space in its fridge and 3.85 cubic feet in its freezer. Compare those values to the HA10TG21SS’s 5.97-cubic-foot refrigerator compartment and 2.09-cubic-foot freezer—the Haier has just over half as much total storage.
These numbers are more in line with other counter-depth units, but if you aren’t specifically in the market for a counter-depth unit, you’ll probably be left scrambling for storage space. In this case, we recommend checking out full-size refrigerators instead. A great standard-size budget buy is the Whirlpool WRT311FZDM.
Freezer temps are slightly inconsistent
While we were impressed with the HA10TG21SS’s fridge temperatures, its freezer leaves a little to be desired. During testing, its temperatures tended to fluctuate by about four degrees, which is a lot for a freezer; a great freezer would have fluctuations of about 1°F or less.
The HA10TG21SS’s freezer runs a bit warm right out of the box—we recommend calibrating it one notch colder than factory specifications.
Overall, while the HA10TG21SS’s freezer performance isn’t necessarily out of line, especially for a budget fridge, it also doesn’t impress us like the fridge compartment does. Expect it to work fine in most cases, but also expect to run into freezer burn when storing items long-term.
What owners are saying
Owners seem to mostly love the Haier HA10TG21SS, awarding it an average of 4.5 stars out of 5 across major retailers, with the most common points of praise being its value, reliability, and simplicity. If you just want a basic fridge, owners agree that the Haier HA10TG21SS delivers.
Most of the negative reviews we saw appear to have received lemons that should be covered by the fridge’s warranty.
Warranty
Haier covers their appliances for 1 year of parts and labor. This is a standard large appliance warranty, though some companies—like LG, Samsung, Maytag, and Hisense—offer longer warranty periods.
Should you buy the Haier HA10TG21SS top-freezer refrigerator?
Yes—if you’re looking for a basic, counter-depth fridge
You are getting great value in this fridge, even though the Haier HA10TG21SS is fairly bare bones. You won’t be getting a through-the-door dispenser or any smart features, here. If you want a basic fridge that keeps food cold at a low price, it’s very hard to beat the HA10TG21SS.
We also recommend checking out the Insignia NS–RTM18SS7, another excellent counter-depth fridge for its price, or the Whirlpool WRT311FZDM, which is a great, inexpensive standard-size model.
Meet the testers
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
David Ellerby
Chief Scientist
Dave Ellerby is Reviewed's Chief Scientist and has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester. He has over 25 years of experience designing tests and analyzing data.
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