Hisense HRF254N6TSE French-door Refrigerator Review

The Hisense HRF254N6TSE French-door refrigerator has a brushed stainless steel exterior. The left door houses the through-the-door dispenser, but otherwise the front of the fridge is featureless.

In lieu of traditional handles, the Hisense HRF254N6TSE has pocket handles, which we think contributes to a sleek design that is easy to use.

This fridge features a typical French-door layout, with two doors that open into a single refrigerator compartment. The interior features a sliding shelf in the top right and a full-width pantry drawer at the bottom. The freezer drawer is two-tiered, with a lower storage area and a drawer higher up to help partition the space.

About the Hisense HRF254N6TSE French-door refrigerator

Dimensions:70” x 35.98” x 33.07” (H x W x D) Measured capacity: 10.21 cubic-foot refrigerator compartment, 4.41 cubic-foot freezer Finishes: Stainless steel Dispensers: Through-the-door water and ice dispenser (cubed and crushed) User manual: Hisense HRF254N6TSE French-door refrigerator manual

What we like about the Hisense HRF254N6TSE

It offers stable, even temperatures in both the fridge and freezer

The Hisense HRF254N6TSE’s page advertises its stable temperature control, thanks to its inverter technology, as well as a “super cool function” that can quickly chill new groceries.

Of course, we needed to test that claim, and now we can confirm it does indeed offer excellent temperature control.

In general, refrigerators need to maintain a temperature that’s between 32°F and 40°F. Anything below this range can freeze and anything above will spoil much faster. In our lab, the HRF254N6TSE’s refrigerator compartment averaged 38.83°F, pretty close to the ideal temperature of 37°F. The temperature also barely budged over time, even through defrost cycles and us opening the door every so often to simulate regular use. This means consistent, safe temperatures over time.

Likewise, your freezer needs to stick as close to 0°F without wobbling, as temperature fluctuations are what causes freezer burn.

The freezer had similar test results in our lab, hovering around -0.34°F on average, with less than 1°F of variance over time.

Flexible storage options help accommodate awkward items

The HRF254N6TSE has a few interesting storage options that help set it ahead of the pack. For starters, the shelf in the top right corner of the fridge can slide underneath itself, making it half as deep and allowing users to store taller objects, like wine bottles, in front of it.

Lower down the fridge is a full-width drawer for deli trays, cookie sheets, or other large, flat containers. While we like the option to store these sorts of unwieldy trays, just be aware the drawer is only three inches high.

Its through-the-door dispenser is handy and easy to use

Our lab testers are big fans of through-the-door ice and water dispensers, because fridges with this feature provide an additional layer of filtration, the water always comes out cold, and dispensed ice is easier than maintaining a tray of cubes.

The HRF254N6TSE’s through-the-door dispenser is well-implemented, with clean, clear labelling, and can dispense both cubed and crushed ice in addition to filtered water. Its light will help you find the dispenser at night, but isn’t too bright as to be blinding in a dark kitchen.

Its energy efficient design will keep your utility bill lower

We were pleased with the Hisense HRF254N6TSE’s energy efficiency, which didn’t use any more energy to keep its square footage cool than the average fridge.

Fridges consume about 7% of a home’s total power draw, which is one of the more significant contributors to your monthly utility bill. As such, we were happy to see the Hisense HRF254N6TSE manages to offer its excellent temperature control without hogging the entire power grid to do so.

What we don’t like about the Hisense HRF254N6TSE

There is less usable storage than the average French-door fridge

While we like some of the HRF254N6TSE’s storage features, like the sliding shelf and full-width drawer, this fridge, unfortunately, has less raw storage space than the average French-door fridge, even though Hisense claims this is a large-capacity fridge. We measured the HRF254N6TSE’s refrigerator at 10.21 cu. ft., and its freezer at 4.41 cu. ft. Compare these values to the average French-door fridge, which offers 11.19 cu. ft. in its fridge compartment and 4.69 cu. ft. in its freezer.

The reasons for this discrepancy is twofold. For starters, if you compare the HRF254N6TSE to other French-door fridges in its budget-friendly price range, it actually is a bit larger than the competition: The LG LFCS22520S, for example, has an 8.66-cubic-foot fridge and a 3.43-cubic-foot freezer, both of which are even further from average than the Hisense HRF254N6TSE.

Still, if capacity is one of your key criteria for a fridge, the HRF254N6TSE doesn't quite measure up. Again, the fridge compartment is about 1 cu. ft. smaller than average. For context, a two-liter bottle is only 0.07 cu. ft., so missing a full cubic foot is significant—potentially requiring a trip to the grocery a day sooner than it may be necessary on an average French-door fridge. The freezer compartment is also smaller, but the gulf isn’t nearly as pronounced.

If you have a large family or if a fridge’s storage capacity is one of your key purchasing decisions, the HRF254N6TSE may not suit your needs. That being said, it still offers decent storage for a fridge in this price range.

What owners are saying

Owners generally like their HRF254N6TSE, which received 4.3 out of 5 stars across major retailers. Positive reviews highlight the model’s storage options, price, and through-the-door dispenser as favorite features.

Negative reviews mostly seem to be from users who received a lemon, naturally, but the number of these reports seem higher for the HRF254N6TSE than the average fridge.

Most claim their fridge and/or freezer stopped cooling properly within the first year or so. We don’t currently test durability or longevity in this way, so if you do have any issues with your Hisense HRF254N6TSE, we’d love to hear about them—and keep in mind Hisense’s warranty should resolve these issues free of charge.

Warranty

The standard warranty for major appliances is one year for both parts and service. Hisense offers a two-year warranty, effectively boasting twice the reliability of many other manufacturers. While we’re happy they’re willing to stand by their products, other manufacturers do offer much longer warranties—up to 10 years for certain components.

Should you buy the Hisense HRF254N6TSE French-door refrigerator?

Yes, if you just want a basic French-door fridge

The Hisense HRF254N6TSE is a high-performance fridge that nails the basics and won’t wallop your wallet. If you just want a basic French-door fridge, the HRF254N6TSE is an impressive value.

The HRF254N6TSE boasts rock-solid temperatures inside the ideal temperature zone. The sliding shelf and deli drawer offer changeable storage options, despite having less storage capacity overall.

If you want the latest, greatest features in a French-door fridge, the HRF254N6TSE isn’t it. And, it’s definitely not angling to be the command center of your smart home.

If you need a great mid-range fridge with a through-the-door dispenser, the HRF254N6TSE is an excellent option for its price. We also recommend researching the LG LFCS22520S, which is one of the best French-door fridge available under $2,000. But if money is no object and you’d like to try the best there is, you should instead look into the Frigidaire Gallery FG4H2272UF, which is the best French-door fridge we’ve tested that money can buy.