Whirlpool WRB322DMBM Bottom-freezer Refrigerator Review

The Whirlpool WRB322DMBM doesn’t hold a lot of design surprises. The exterior is a lean, minimalist facade with a set of robust handles for each compartment.

Inside, a standard array of bins occupy the refrigerator door, with one that’s full-width and five that are half-width. In the main cavity, spillguard glass shelves also split into halves that can be adjusted independently; all of them feature lips meant to prevent leaks from becoming a fridge-wide mess.

The freezer drawer consists of a large wire bin with a smaller wire shelf nested within it. The nested shelf is also home to the fridge’s internal ice maker.

The WRB322DMBM has a standard amount of usable storage space compared to other standard-depth bottom-freezers. If you're looking for additional storage, a French-door or side-by-side fridge would be better options.

About the Whirlpool WRB322DMBM bottom-freezer refrigerator

• Dimensions: 70" x 32.625" x 33.375" (H x W x D)
• Depth: Standard depth
• Measured capacity: 9.64-cubic-foot fridge, 3.89-cubic-foot freezer
• Finishes: Black, white, stainless steel
• Special features: Internal ice maker, internal LED lighting
• Dispensers: None
• User manual: Whirlpool WRB322DMBM bottom-freezer refrigerator manual

What we like

Its temperatures hold remarkably steady

Whirlpool really knocked it out of the park with this one.

The ideal temperature for your fridge is 37°F and 0°F for your freezer. The fridge temperature is important, because anything warmer than 40°F will spoil quickly and anything under 32°F will freeze—that’s only 8°F of wiggle room.

The freezer temperature needs to be around 0°F to ensure everything is properly freezing, but more importantly that temperature needs to remain consistent: Any temperature fluctuations can create the defrost-and-refreeze cycle that causes freezer burn.

The Whirlpool WRB322DMBM’s fridge temperature averaged 38.7°F, which is close to ideal. Furthermore, its temperatures hold remarkably steady, both over time and within the compartment (i.e. we didn’t find any warm spots during our testing).

Normally fridge temperatures can vary by a few degrees over time, due to defrost cycles and users opening the door during regular use. The WRB322DMBM manages to keep all its fridge fluctuations to under 1°F, which is remarkably consistent.

The freezer also did a great job, averaging -0.2°F and keeping all changes in temperature to under 1°F. Since an insufficiently cold temperature and freezer burn are the two main ways a freezer can spoil food prematurely, the WRB322DMBM will be a boon to those who live out of their freezer.

Veggie lovers will love these crispers

Even those who love leafy greens might not be aware that there can be a significant performance difference between crispers. Crispers are humidity-controlled compartments that, when set appropriately, can keep produce fresher for longer.

The trick is to let just enough humidity escape so the humidity controlled crisper drawer doesn’t turn into a Devonian swamp forest, but not too much to cause your veggies to wilt and lose their crunch.

The Whirlpool WRB322DMBM is downright miserly with its humidity control, thanks in part to its FreshFlow produce preserver system, which filters out ethylene gas, a hormone some plants give off that can cause other fruits and veggies to rot prematurely.

In terms of humidity retention, the WRB322DMBM is an all-star: It only lets out 0.09 grams of humidity per hour, outperforming some of the best crispers we’ve tested. For a sense of scale, the average crisper lets humidity escape at a rate of 0.2 grams of water per hour, with better crispers at 0.1 g/h and worse crispers at 0.4 g/h. With the WRB322DMBM, your leafy greens will stay crisp and fresh longer than they would in most other fridges, fancy French-door refrigerator models included.

The crispers also feature a FreshFlow air filter, which removes odors. While a nice feature, just be aware that it is just an odor-neutralizer and not an ethylene gas filter.

What we don’t like

Some of the components feel cheap to use

This is a minor complaint, but the plastic drawers and bins are the only real areas where the Whirlpool WRB322DMBM may let someone down. They feel a bit cheap for a fridge in this price range. While Whirlpool isn't known for its fancy fixtures, other models we've reviewed, such as the Whirlpool WRX735SDHZ didn't have this issue.

The spillguard glass shelves have a number of available slots within the fridge where you can reposition them exactly how you want them, but you should do so with caution. This isn’t to say that we felt like we could snap the shelves in half with our bare hands, but if a shelf or bin is a little stuck in its slot, you do get the sense you should apply force with care.

Likewise, the shelves in the freezer are simple wire racks instead of full shelves. We tend to not like this design as much, because it provides insufficient surface area for smaller items and allows them to fall all the way down to your floor.

What owners are saying

Owners generally love their WRB322DMBM, awarding it an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars across major retailers.

Most users who are happy with their purchase have vague praise, saying that they are happy with the fridge's “performance, features, appearance and history of reliability” without mentioning anything in specific. Overall, most owners seem pleased with their purchase because the fridge does what they want it to do and presents no real problems.

Those who aren’t happy with their purchase seem to mostly find fault with an element of the fridge’s design that seems specific to them, such as the size of the door bin relative to the crisper drawers, or wishing it had a water dispenser or other features.

Warranty

The Whirlpool WRB322DMBM’s warranty covers parts and labor for one year, with up to five years of coverage for the sealed refrigeration system (this includes the compressor, evaporator, condenser, dryer, and connecting tubing).

The industry-standard warranty is for a single year, so we’re happy Whirlpool went above and beyond to guarantee the WRB322DMBM’s core components will remain functional for longer.

Should you buy the Whirlpool WRB322DMBM bottom-freezer refrigerator?

Yes—It’s a top option.

Ultimately, the Whirlpool WRB322DMBM is a high-performance fridge available at a reasonable price for what it offers.

By far the best aspect of the WRB322DMBM is its temperature management system. Its fridge and freezer offer almost exactly the ideal temperature we look for in refrigerator models, and these temps barely vary at all, either over time or within either compartment. Its even, nearly-perfect temperatures will ensure the maximum shelf-life for your food.

Otherwise, the WRB322DMBM is just a solid fridge. It has some good storage options, provides a decent amount of raw storage space, and has nicer lighting that some other fridges (although not quite as nice as this Café LED-equipped fridge). The ways in which the fridge falls short are all relatively minor, and we generally think it’s an above-average value for its price.

If you still want to see another option, take a look at the Hisense HRB171N6ASE. This high-performance bottom-freezer is the best we’ve tested to date. It also has steady temperatures (once it’s calibrated) and costs almost half as much as the WRB322DMBM.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.