WHY PICK ABSOCOLD'S "ONE PLUG DORM SIZED" COOK 'N COOL® COMPACT MICROWAVE REFRIGERATOR FREEZER FOR YOUR COLLEGE DORM ROOM?

It's simple, experience. Absocold has been in business selling commercially to hotels, the military, and universities since 1969. They have a solid reputation and are a leader in the industry. They are now making their Cook ‘N Cool® product line available to students through DormSmart.com (Authorized Absocold Retailer).

We would like to give you some insight as to why we believe these appliances are  Dorm Smart over the competition without overloading you with product specifications. Aside from liking the Cook ‘N Cool® 3 in 1 appliance's good looks, auto defrost refrigerator, internal light, space layout, full width see through crisper drawer, programmable microwave, and separate zero degree freezer (a must have dorm essential to keep foods frozen), we like the fact that these units require no special circuitry. Want to learn more before making a decision? Read on...

UNDERSTANDING APPLIANCES WITH SAFE PLUG TECHNOLOGY / SPECIAL CIRCUITRY

A combo micro  fridge  freezer appliance with safe plug technology simply turns the refrigerator off when the microwave is in use to prevent the appliance from overloading the standard circuitry. Once the microwave powers off, the unit pauses then turns the refrigerator on again.

At DormSmart, we thought appliances with safe plug technology sounded like a must have essential for college dorms until we did our research. We found that in the past, due to supply circuit overload concerns, this circuitry was sold to prevent both appliances from operating at the same time. Even Absocold sold their Cook N Cool units with the "patented" Power Allocator to perform the same function. With today's Absocold Cook ‘N Cool® compact microwave oven drawing only 11 Amps and the efficiency of refrigerators improving more than 50% since 2001, the power allocator or safe plug technology for these dorm sized units (2.9 cu. ft.) has become unnecessary.

Before continuing, it's important to understand how a refrigeration unit works... The compressor in a refrigerator does not run all the time. For example, in the Absocold Cook ‘N Cool® model CC298C operating at ambient 80º F, the compressor runs approximately 23% of the time; so the refrigerator draws NO AMPS when the compressor is off, approximately 77% of the time.

Based on the example above, let's assume a student operates their microwave on an average of 4 minutes per day. This means that both appliances will operate at the same time, approximately 55 seconds per day  (4 minutes or 240 seconds X .23% = 55 seconds). So the chances of drawing the maximum Amps... operating both the refrigerator and microwave at full capacity...  are 1 in 1440 minutes daily. 

Now, let's compare the two models:

TIP: If a compact microwave refrigerator freezer appliance with built in safe plug circuitry fails, typically the microwave becomes inoperable and must be replaced. It's inconvenient and costly, especially if your warranty has expired. If you choose to purchase such a unit, be sure to ask the average life span of the built in safe plug technology (power management system) and purchase the proper warranty. Remember... you need this appliance to last at least 4 years of college.

MORE ABOUT ENERGY STAR® Rated Appliances / Protects the Environment

Our Cook ‘N Cool® unit is Energy Star® Qualified, 290kWh annually (30% Below The Federal Standard, also = CEE Tier 3), the same as our competitors. What we learned in our research is that the energy savings doesn't really come from the “Safe Plug Technology” power management system as competitors advertise. The “Safe Plug Technology” power management system only kicks in when the microwave is running so the energy saved is practically immeasurable due the small amount of time the power to the refrigerator is off. Any major energy savings is the result of the high efficiency Energy Star® Qualified Refrigerator/Freezer, not the “Safe Plug Technology” power management system.  

MOBILITY

Our Cook ‘N Cool® Microwave Refrigerator Freezer Combo breaks down easily so that it can be moved in pieces. Great when your dorm room is located in a residence hall with no elevator! Also, the bracket used to attach the appliances together is metal on the Cook ‘N Cool® appliance not plastic.  

CHARGING STATION

During our research, we evaluated our competitors appliance with a charging station located on the front of the microwave. In theory, this sounds great. However, as parents, we have concerns about our student's expensive iPod or iPhone charging on the front of an appliance where they cook their food, pour drinks, or can easily knock it off. In addition, the adapters for many of the electronics that typically use a charging station are often too bulky to conveniently plug into the unit while still allowing the student to easily operate the appliance.  Lastly, we do not want our student spraying cleaning product near or in an electrical plug. Of course, that's just our point of view here at DormSmart! 

PRIOR TO PURCHASING a Microwave Refrigerator Freezer 3 in 1 appliance, be sure to check with your College Campus Housing Office regarding their requirements for compact microwave refrigerator freezer combo units. Feel free to have them contact us or we can contact them on your behalf! If by chance the Cook N Cool is not on your school's approved list and you convince them to add it, we'll give you an additional 5% off our already low price as a thank you!

These combo units... compact microwave refrigerator / freezer units...micro / fridge / freezer units ... are also great to use off campus in your garage, study, office, rec room, or media room! Just call DormSmart.com 1-877-616-DORM ext 501 for assistance.

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(Updated: 04.02.2011)