SMEG Fab 30: Refrigerator for prestigious tasks
12.2.2025
Translation: machine translated
The fridge looks stylish and offers plenty of space. This makes the SMEG Fab 30 particularly attractive for offices, meeting rooms or conference rooms. It's too big for private use...
I actually wanted to test the largest possible Smeg fridge with my club. It was delivered and was so big that we couldn't possibly set it up in our clubhouse. There simply wasn't enough space, which is why it ended up being the second largest. To explain: our association rents out a conference room in Zurich, and we also organise evenings with good food for association members in the summer.
At 173 centimetres, he is as tall as the actor Tom Holland or the singer Dua Lipa, and 60 centimetres wide, which is roughly the width of a beer tent bench. So I've now named Tom Holland, Dua Lipa and bench in one sentence, which wasn't on my bingo card for 2025. What I also want to say: The design is nice to look at, but the rounded edges are a bit wasteful, similar refrigerators are more space-saving with a similar capacity (around 300 litres).
Source: Simon Balissat
Installation is very simple and self-explanatory, and operation couldn't be easier. A rotary dial adjusts the temperature continuously, which is simple, but the dial only displays levels and not temperatures. I would have liked a more precise indication here.
Two compartments initially cause confusion
The special feature of this refrigerator is that it has two vegetable compartments. The top compartment is the freezer drawer, which we realise because drinks tend to freeze in it. My homemade puff pastry was also partially frozen. The instructions explain: "Food stays fresh for longer in this drawer. Delicate foods such as meat, fish and food placed on ice stay fresh for longer in this compartment at a constant temperature between -2°C and +3°C." This has little to do with what is commonly referred to as a "freezer". It also exists and has its own door above the fridge.
Source: Simon Balissat
We mainly use the freezer compartment for ice cubes and for quickly chilling drinks when someone hasn't filled the fridge. The temperature of this compartment cannot be regulated separately. That would be desirable.
Other than that, the refrigerator offers what a refrigerator should offer: shelves inside and in the door. A light starts to pulsate if the fridge has been left open for too long. And it cools, which is noticeable from the typical humming and gurgling. This doesn't bother us, we've never actually noticed it.
The SMEG Fab 30 is perfect for our use as a fridge in an event venue, as it looks really smart. If the door were magnetic, it could even be used as a whiteboard extension and plastered with SWOT analyses and mind maps. At most, a few Post-its from the presentation case would stick to the door ("Beer empty!" or "It's mouldy, who did it?").
Outside the seminar setting, I miss the ability to control the temperature to the exact degree and the separate control of the freezer compartment. This would be a weakness in a SWOT analysis.
In a nutshell
Nice design with sparse functions
The SMEG Fab 30 is a gem among ugly fridges. Plenty of space, good cooling capacity, two drawers and a separate cooling compartment are its strengths. However, the simple operation also means that I have too little control over the temperature.
Pro
- beautiful to look at
- Two drawers
- Separate freezer compartment
Contra
- Little control over the temperature
- Takes up more space than a normal refrigerator
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
Home + Kitchen
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