If you’re thinking of building a man cave, know that no man cave is complete without a refrigerator or two to keep your brews and snacks within easy reach! Maybe you want to keep your beer ice cold in your man cave bar, or just want to be able to reach your favorite brew without getting up out of your chair.
No matter what your goals are, you can almost certainly find a refrigerator that will meet your needs! There are hundreds of different refrigerator choices on the market today. Some are domestically manufactured, others are imported.
Some are full size while others are small. Sorting through the best man cave refrigerators to find the perfect one for your needs may take some time, but it’s worth it!
Afterall, can it really be called a man cave if it’s missing the refrigerator?!
How to Choose the Best Refrigerator
Obviously, one of the first things you need to think about is how many beers you want close at hand. You’re sitting in your favorite chair watching the game and reach over to find you have nothing to drink.
This is one of the worst experiences you can have in your man cave. Refrigerators can hold a wide range of cans and bottles, but how many it holds will depend on the size you purchase and ultimately your own personal needs.
What about snacks? Do you plan on keeping snacks in the fridge along with your beverages? If so, you definitely want to make sure there’s plenty of room for both!
Some fridges are specifically made for chilling canned beverages only, while others are made for keeping snacks and bottled products cold. If you want to keep some snacks in your fridge, be sure to consider the interior size as well as built-in shelves.
Is there a warranty? This aspect is often overlooked, but it can be something to keep in mind. Refrigerators may sometimes stop working after you’ve owned them for a short amount of time.
Instead of tinkering around on your own trying to make it work again, you may just want to call in your warranty coverage. You might be able to get it fixed by a professional on the same day, or request a new replacement.
Will the refrigerator be kept indoors or outdoors? This may seem like a trivial consideration, but if your man cave is in the garage and there’s very little climate control where your refrigerator is placed, you want to ensure the fridge you choose has a strong seal around the door.
This not only keeps things inside the refrigerator cool but also helps save on energy costs as well! If your fridge is going to be kept indoors where the ambient temperature is kept in a comfortable range, having a perfectly tight seal might not be as important of a consideration.
Choosing Between Large and Small Refrigerators
Refrigerators come in a variety of sizes, from full-size double-door units to smaller and much more discreet mini units. What size of refrigerator you need will depend on a range of factors:
- Will you be keeping enough beer in the fridge for just yourself, or for your buddies as well?
- Do you plan on just having canned beverages, or will there be bottles?
- Do you have space for a tall upright fridge or will you be installing it under a countertop?
All of these questions can help you decide on the right size fridge for your space. Obviously, every man cave would be so much better if there was room for multiple full-size refrigerators. You could have one for each of your favorite brews.
But even if you’re limited on space, there is a wide range of mini fridges that can fit into your chosen area and still hold an ample amount of beverages or snacks.
Mini fridges are also a bit more forgiving with poor handling. If you are moving the refrigerator into a basement or other location with stairs, it might be easier to move a mini fridge down there instead of a full-size unit.
A mini-fridge can take a fair amount of abuse before the cooling units malfunction. A larger unit, on the other hand, can suffer from imbalances in coolant if it’s tilted or tipped over.
Moving a full-size fridge downstairs might also take the help of a buddy or two, so keep that in mind as well.
Unique and Retro Refrigerators
Going for a certain look in your man cave? Trying to nail that retro look for your bar area? There are dozens of unique and retro-styled refrigerators on the market that can fit into almost any decor you might be working on.
Bring that 50’s diner look into your space with a round-topped red and white Coca-Cola cooler, or rock that 70’s disco-era feel with the avocado-colored sharp-edged fridge.
Whether your focus is on unique designs rarely seen today, or sleek and stylish modern designs, there is a fridge that will work for you and your man cave!
5 Best Man Cave Refrigerators for an Ultimate Man Cave Makeover
1. Frigidaire EFR-321 Stainless Steel Mini Fridge
Pros
- 3.3 cu ft storage capacity.
- The Frigidaire company has been around since 1919!
- Full 1 year warranty.
- Door can be adjusted for left or right handed use!
Cons
- Removing the protective plastic can sometimes also remove the paint.
- Some units may be more noisy than others of the same brand.
If you’re looking for a compact fridge to sit under or on top of a counter, this stainless steel mini fridge might be just what you’re looking for! It’s a standard mini size of about 3.3 cubic feet, which means it can hold around 120 cans of beer or soft drinks.
Frigidaire is a brand that most people have probably heard of. They’re well known in the appliance business and have been manufacturing and distributing a variety of home appliances for more than 100 years.
With that kind of experience, you would assume they know what they’re doing. With so much history behind them, you’ll be happy to know that this mini fridge also includes a full one year warranty.
So if something goes wrong or it just doesn’t work out over the long term in your man cave, you’re covered.
The interior offers a large adjustable shelf, with various shelf areas on the door to hold canned or bottled beverages. The temperature adjustment knob is just to the right of the freezer – yes, there is a freezer.
It also comes with a tiny ice cube tray in case you need some cubes in your slightly warmed beverage. If you have a small space in your man cave, this fridge might fit there perfectly.
It’s black and stainless steel so it should fit into any decor style you have going. It also only weighs about 40 pounds which makes it easy to carry down to a basement or up into a loft!
2. Galanz GLR46TRDER Dual-Door Mini Fridge
Pros
- 4.6 cu ft storage capacity.
- The Galanz company has been around since 1978!
- Full 1 year warranty.
- Includes an interior light!
Cons
- Temperature may need a day or two for adjustment before placing beverages in.
- Paint and metal components seem extremely prone to scratches.
If you’re rocking that retro look in your man cave, this stylish fridge might make the perfect addition to that space! It’s made in a bright red color and has a rounded retro shape to really turn some heads.
It’s also somewhat larger than a standard mini-fridge, having just over 4.5 cubic feet of space for beverages and snacks.
This brand is not as well known as some others. Galanz is a Chinese company that has been making a variety of home appliances since the late 1970s.
A lot of their products started being imported into other countries around the world in the 1990s, and they have since become a popular supplier of retro-styled fridges.
This fridge stands about 50 inches tall, so it’s not suitable for placing under a countertop or in an overly compact spot. If you have a spacious man cave that can benefit from a retro red-colored fridge, this one might be the choice for you!
In addition to having a refrigerator compartment that can hold around 200 canned beverages, it also includes a spacious freezer. You’ll find it has plenty of room for alcohol bottles and mixed drinks, or you can simply store some ice cream and other snack items up there.
While the unit does not offer a glass door, it does have an interior light which makes seeing how many beverages you have remaining much easier.
3. hOmeLabs Glass-Front Mini Fridge
Pros
- 3.2 cu ft storage capacity.
- Holds more than 100 canned beverages.
- Weighs less than 70 pounds for easy movement into your man cave.
Cons
- Unit seems to struggle to reach the desired temperature when full of canned beer.
If you’re looking for a glass-front fridge, this hOmeLabs unit might be the one for you! It’s classed as a mini chiller, so you can tuck it under a countertop or desk, or have it sitting on a side table near your favorite recliner.
The glass front gives you a great view of exactly what is inside so you don’t have to waste electricity while deciding what to grab with the door open.
You can store around 120 canned beers in this mini-fridge, but the biggest issue with that seems to be that it struggles with maintaining the right temperature.
Since it’s more of a chiller than a proper refrigerator, reaching the best temperature for your canned beer will sometimes take this unit a bit more time than average.
And when you open the door the temperature drops pretty rapidly. If you don’t plan on opening the unit too often, it can definitely keep a large number of canned beverages chilled for you and the boys.
You can also mix and match what you store inside. Keep some canned beverages, some bottled drinks, and some snack dips inside for the perfect game-day nourishment.
The three shelves inside are easy to adjust or completely remove to make larger cans or bottles fit inside a bit easier.
If you’re looking for a fridge to store fresh fruit and deli meats, or want to keep your beer much colder than average, this unit might not be the one for you. It’s great for keeping beer, wine, and soft drinks chilled.
4. Colzer Glass-Door Mini Fridge
Pros
- Lockable unit keeps children away from your alcoholic beverages.
- Includes a double-paned glass door which eliminates condensation build up.
- Can maintain a steady 36 degrees Fahrenheit interior temperature.
Cons
- Weighs 90 pounds making it a bit of a hassle to move up and down stairs.
Slightly more spacious than your average mini-fridge, this awesome little unit might be just the fridge for you.
If you have a smaller space but still want to hold an ample amount of beverages, you’ll find the Colzer to stand about 24 inches tall and hold more than 150 canned beverages.
It’s also got a powerful chilling system that helps ensure temperatures don’t fluctuate much when the door is opened. You can reach in and grab a drink every few minutes and they’ll still be chilled and ready to drink.
If you happen to have a curious child or two in your home, you can rest assured knowing your alcoholic beverages are safe in this mini-fridge. It is the only locking unit on this list and includes a set of two keys for you to keep hidden or out of reach of curious little hands.
Locking mini-fridges are rather rare on the market as it is, and this unit is not only lockable but also includes a double-paned glass door. It’s a sleek and modern design that can fit into any modern man cave decor.
Slide it under a countertop, under a desk, or have it sit next to your media center for easy access to your favorite drinks and snacks. You can also use it as a wine chiller as the interior shelves can be adjusted or removed to fit larger bottles.
This mini fridge weighs right around 90 pounds, so be sure to get some help moving it into your man cave. Dropping the unit can damage its cooling coils, which means you’ll have to call in your warranty and move it back out of your man cave for replacement.
5. Premium Levella Glass-Door Merchandiser
Pros
- Double-glass front door gives you a full view of what’s inside.
- Has more than 12 cu ft of storage space.
- Includes a 1-3 year warranty depending on your purchase preferences.
Cons
- Commercial-focused unit, so it can be rather expensive!
- Large sized unit which may be difficult to move up or down flights of stairs.
As the largest option on this list, the Premium Levella brand merchandiser could make an incredible option for the man cave that has everything!
While normally seen in a more commercial setting, this fridge can store a wide range of beverages, snacks, produce, and deli meats. You can invite the boys over to watch the big game and rest assured knowing there will be plenty of drinks and snacks to go around.
With more than 12 cubic feet of usable space, you won’t have any problems getting several cases of beer in there. You’ll even have room for bottled beer, as well as wine and soft drinks too if that is your preference.
Additionally, you’ll find your beverages are kept at the perfect temperature with no warm spots because of a faulty door seal. That has been one of the biggest complaints with other full-size units; the seal around the door isn’t strong enough over the long term to keep the temperature controlled inside.
One of the things you might like most about this fridge is that it has a full size glass door. You can see at a glance exactly how many beverages you have left and whether or not you need to worry about restocking it before the big game.
Which One’s Our Top Pick?
With so many choices on the market and so many different price ranges, it’s hard to narrow down the best refrigerator for every man cave.
When it comes to the above five options, however, the one that seems to pull out ahead is the Colzer Glass-Door Mini Fridge.
This little fridge not only offers a fair bit of storage space for canned beverages and glass bottles, but it also includes a securely locking door which is great for households with children.
Regardless of what you may be looking for when it comes to your own man cave, there is such a wide range of choices you can definitely find one to meet your needs.