Pros
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Solid fridge temperatures
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Flexible-temperature drawer
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Customizable aesthetic
Cons
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The custom-color panels are a separate purchase
Like many French-doors these days, this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator features a four-door design, with two doors that open to the main fridge compartment, a flex drawer, and a freezer drawer.
You can open the outer portion of the left door to get access to the fridge’s beverage center and items stored in that door’s bins.
Opening both doors fully reveals a standard French-door interior with one full-length shelf, two half-width shelves (one that can fold to be half-depth), and two large crispers. The control panel is on the right wall.
The flex drawer opens to show off two dividers that can be repositioned to further customize the storage space.
The freezer has an internal drawer to help break up the storage. This drawer is mostly dedicated to the freezer’s ice troughs, but it does offer some storage. Underneath is a storage bin separated by a divider down its center.
About this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator
The fridge’s control panel is located along its right wall, remaining easily accessible even when the fridge is packed.
- Dimensions: 70" x 35.75" x 34.25" (H x W x D)
- Depth: Standard depth
- Measured capacity: 10.61-cubic-foot refrigerator, 5.28-cubic-foot freezer
- Finishes: White glass, charcoal glass, matte gray glass, Morning Blue glass, clementine glass, pink glass, Sunrise Yellow glass, stainless steel, matte black steel, navy steel, Tuscan steel, emerald green steel
- Dispensers: Internal ice and water
- User manual: Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP French-door Refrigerator manual
What we like
It has solid fridge and freezer temperatures
The temperatures in the fridge were consistent, both over time and throughout the compartment.
To pair with its pretty looks, this Samsung French-door refrigerator offers up some seriously ideal temperature control.
In the fridge compartment, temperatures averaged 36.9°F, which is just about perfect. Over the testing period, these temperatures remained remarkably consistent, only varying by about 2°F at most, and staying well within the appropriate range. During testing, temperatures also didn’t vary from one spot in the fridge to another. This is less than 2°F of variance throughout—meaning you won’t have to worry about warmer or cooler spots within this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator.
For those readers who don’t spend their time in a refrigerator lab like we do, it can be oblique as to why refrigerators need to maintain precise temperatures. In the fridge compartment, you need temperatures to stay between 32°F and 40°F: any colder and items will freeze, and any warmer and food will spoil faster. In the freezer, you need temperatures to hover right around 0°F to ensure proper freezing, and any inconsistencies in the temperature will cause freezer burn.
In the freezer of this Samsung French-door refrigerator, temperatures weren’t as consistent—but they weren’t bad by a long shot. We saw one spike of about 4°F and another that was 2°F, but other than those two instances, temperatures remained steady over the entire week of testing.
Door-in-door storage provides easy access and helps prevent cold air loss
We are fans of Samsung’s door-in-door design, which splits the left-hand door into two parts. Opening both simply opens the door normally, but only opening the external portion gives you access to the fridge’s beverage center, as well as items stored in that door’s bins.
The goal of this design is to provide easier access to some items without needing to open the door fully, because whenever the door is opened, it lets cold air escape. In turn, this makes the fridge work overtime to cool everything back down to correct levels again.
Using the door-in-door to access items lets less cold air escape, which means temperatures are able to remain more consistent over time without taxing your fridge’s compressor too much.
Its flexible-temperature drawer with extra compartments keeps things organized
The inside of the flex drawer features adjustable dividers to customize the space to your storage needs.
Nestled between the fridge and freezer is the Samsung Bespoke refrigerator’s flex drawer. This isolated compartment adapts to your storage needs by providing a third compartment that can be set to a custom temperature.
This allows you to store items at a temperature that may be too warm for most of the items in your normal fridge compartment—set the flex drawer to a perfect 55°F and pop in a few wine bottles for chilling.
You can also crank temperatures down below zero for extra freezer space. This extra freezer space could be a boon for those who rely on frozen foods, as it actually gives this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator more total freezer storage space than the average French-door. With the dedicated freezer and flex drawer combined, you get 5.28 cubic feet of storage, more than the 4.69 cubic feet in the average fridge.
An extra 0.59 cubic feet of space may not seem like a lot, but it’s actually two full-size bowling balls’-worth.
Its customizable aesthetic can fit in every kitchen
Our model of the Samsung Bespoke RF29BB8600AP had orange glass fridge doors and white glass panels on the flex and freezer drawers.
One of the main reasons to buy into the Bespoke line of appliances is that it’s a lower-priced option for a customized look.
Other custom fridges, from brands like Miele and Dacor, can cost over $6,000.
Even though the RF29BB8600AP’s panels are sold separately—$184.99 for the bottom panel, $74.99 for the middle drawer, and $119.99 each for the two top panels—this fridge is still at least $1,000 cheaper than many of the alternatives out there.
Currently the Samsung Bespoke refrigerator line-up consists of seven color options in glass finish and five colors in steel finish. This means there’s a total of 343 combinations in glass, 125 combinations in steel, and if you don’t mind mixing and matching the two finishes, 1,331 combinations in total.
That’s significantly more choice than traditional fridges, which typically offer between two and six options.
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What we don’t like
The custom panels are an additional cost
If you want to take advantage of the Bespoke custom panels, which is, afterall, the point of having a Samsung Bespoke refrigerator, they’ll add an additional cost on top of the purchase price.
Again, while Samsung’s Bespoke custom panels are a relatively inexpensive way to get a custom look, that doesn’t mean they’re cheap: You’re still spending an additional $500 on pure aesthetics.
Whether or not this fits into your budget is up to you, but if you don’t care about getting a custom look, you can get a better-performing fridge for about the same price or lower.
What owners are saying about this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator
Owners generally love their Samsung RF29BB8600AP, awarding it an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars across major retailers. Most of these reviews seemed clustered around 5 stars, with 4 stars coming in a distant second and the remaining ratings only having a handful of reviews amongst them.
Those who love this fridge are first and foremost fans of its appearance: Almost every positive review gushes about how beautiful the fridge looked in their kitchen.
The negative reviews that were less than 5 stars didn’t have much connective tissue amongst their individual complaints, outside of a general consensus that through-the-door dispensers are better than internal dispensers.
Warranty
Samsung offers one of the better warranties in the appliance space. The standard warranty is a single year of coverage for parts and labor. On top of that, Samsung guarantees the sealed refrigeration system for up to five years and the digital inverter compressor for up to 10 years.
Should you buy the Samsung RF29BB8600AP?
Yes—If you want the Bespoke look, this is an excellent option
Looking at its different test scores, it is difficult to come up with any salient criticism for this Samsung Bespoke refrigerator aside from its price. It has near-perfect fridge temperatures, its freezer performance was pretty good, and it comes outfitted with internal dispensers, a door-in-door design, and a flex drawer. It has a lot to love.
If you do wind up springing for this Samsung French-door refrigerator, just keep in mind that you are paying a premium for its customizable Bespoke look.
While Samsung’s Bespoke line-up is one of the cheaper ways to get a custom fridge like this, that’s not to say it’s inexpensive: You could easily buy the excellent Frigidaire Gallery FG4H2272UF for this price, for example, which also has a flex drawer and even better performance.
If you do want a custom fridge in your kitchen, the Samsung RF29BB8600AP will deliver, both on looks and performance.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Meet the testers
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
Michael Elderbee
Product Test Technician
Born in Seoul and raised in New England, Michael is currently a Product Test Technician at Reviewed and strives to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. In the Reviewed lab, Michael regularly tests refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry large appliances, as well as all types of science-based activities. His 5 years as a behavioral technician has given him a strong appreciation for data collection and research. Michael has a variety of different passions outside of testing appliances including volleyball, snowboarding, and video games. You can also find him nerding out about EDC gear, custom keyboards, and Warhammer 40k.
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