Frigidaire FAD704DWD and Keystone KSTAD70B Comparison

The Frigidaire and Keystone 70 pint units are two of the most popular large capacity dehumidifiers on the market, mostly because they offer great value at an affordable price point. The Keystone is substantially less expensive than the Frigidaire. You’ll find it for at least $30 to $40 (approx.) cheaper at most online retailers. The question then becomes, is the Frigidaire worth the extra approximately $40?

We’d love to give you a straightforward one word answer – “yes” or “no” – but unfortunately your decision as to which dehumidifier to go with won’t be that simple. First and foremost, you’ll need to determine what aspect of each dehumidifier is most important to you. If you need a highly portable dehumidifier, then the Frigidaire is our recommendation. If you only care about value and price then we would recommend the Keystone, and so on. But the burning question remains, which is the best dehumidifier overall? Let’s take a look at each category that might differentiate these two units from one another and see if we can come to a better understanding as to which unit you should go with if you’re not quite sure which features to look for and you just want to know which unit is best overall.

Energy Efficiency

The Keystone is more energy efficient than the Frigidaire, but not by a large margin. The Keystone measured in at 590 watts of power draw while the Frigidaire drew 632 watts of power in the same test and under the same conditions. The Frigidaire is also rated by the manufacturer to draw more power. Compare the Frigidaire’s rated power draw of 745 watts to 720 watts for the Keystone.

Winner: Keystone

Noise Output

The Frigidaire was the most quiet top exhaust 70 pint unit we tested and the Keystone was the most quiet side exhaust 70 pint unit we tested. We give the edge to the Keystone in this category if only because it exhausts out of the side of the unit, which means that you can more easily direct noise output should you require the most quiet environment possible.

Winner: Keystone

Moisture Removal

The Keystone performed better in both moisture removal tests. If you want a dehumidifier that can remove moisture as quickly as possible then we recommend either the Danby or ArcticAire 70 pint units. Between these two units, the Keystone is the better choice.

Winner: Keystone

Hygrometer Accuracy

While neither unit’s performance in this category was above average, the Keystone’s hygrometer was more accurate than the Frigidaire’s

Winner: Keystone

Durability

We observed the Frigidaire to be much better built and constructed than the Keystone. The plastic parts used on the Frigidaire were thicker, appeared more rigid and durable than comparable parts on the Keystone. The Frigidaire’s water tank was also stabilized by a brace while the Keystone’s water tank appeared much more flimsy and less durable.

As we noted in each review, however, we highly value consumer feedback in determining the durability and reliability of the dehumidifiers we tested. The Frigidaire had a fairly low rate of negative reviews compared to most other 70 pint units we tested. However, the Keystone, still outperforms it as it has received an overwhelmingly low percentage of negative consumer reviews thus far.

The bottom line – our own observations make the Frigidaire the clear winner. Consumer reviews indicate that the Keystone is the winner.

Winner: Tie

Adjustability

We don’t have much to say about the Frigidaire – it’s performance is average. The Keystone lacks two properly distinct fan speeds as we discuss in our review.

Winner: Frigidaire

Versatility

Once again, we have no real complaints with the Frigidaire. The Keystone, however, requires that the user install a drainage adapter for gravity drainage. We definitely recommend the Frigidaire over the Keystone if you plan on utilizing gravity drainage.

Winner: Frigidaire

Extra Features

Neither dehumidifier has a separate temperature display, most likely to cut cost in manufacturing these units. The Keystone, however, comes equipped with a defrost mode while the Frigidaire does not. We discuss the benefits of buying a dehumidifier with a defrost mode at the end of our general buyer’s guide. For low temperature operation, we recommend the Keystone over the Frigidaire.

Winner: Keystone

Ease of Use

Neither unit has a very high quality LED display. The Frigidaire is the clear winner in this category because of its much larger tank size. The Frigidaire’s water tank can hold up to 16.3 pints while the Keystone’s tank can only hold 10.4 pints of condensate, a difference of 5.9 pints!

Winner: Frigidaire by a landslide

Aesthetics

The Frigidaire is more rounded design while the Keystone is a more square design. Which you prefer comes down to personal taste. We will mention here that the Frigidaire has a matte finish while the Keystone has a glossy finish which makes the former much less susceptible to dirt and dust.

Winner: Tie

Portability

The Keystone is lighter but the Frigidaire has a top extendable handle and superior cords storage which makes it the clear winner.

Winner: Frigidaire

Warranty

Both units come with a standard 1 year warranty and extended warranty on the sealed system.

Winner: Tie

Value

The Keystone is less expensive and therefore wins this category.

Winner: Keystone

Conclusion

The final count is 4 category wins for the Frigidaire, 6 for the Keystone, and 3 ties.

We recommend the Frigidaire if you need a highly portable unit (you plan on moving it around a lot) and definitely if you plan on utilizing gravity drainage.

We recommend the Keystone if you need a more quiet, more energy efficient unit that removes moisture more quickly.

Overall, we have to give the nod to the Frigidaire. Even though it didn’t perform very well against the Keystone in most head to head matchups as we’ve present above, there are certain negative aspects to the Keystone that we just can’t overlook in declaring an overall winner.

Most importantly, we really felt like the Frigidaire was the better constructed more durable and reliable dehumidifier. Reliability and longevity are very important qualities you should look for in making your purchase decision. At just under or around $200, purchasing a large capacity dehumidifier is a sizable investment. You really don’t want to spend several hundred dollars only to have the unit fail after a few years of use. Yes, consumer reviews for the Keystone indicate that it’s the more durable unit right now, but all of these reviews are fresh and have been left in only the last year or so. The Frigidaire has a longer track record that proves that it’s been a fairly reliable option for several years now.

Secondly, the fact that the fact that the Frigidaire has a much larger water tank than the Keystone, was also a big factor in our choosing it over the Keystone as the best buying option. Smaller tank size may not appear to be that big of an issue prior to your purchase. However, trust us when we say that you’ll be thanking us later for recommending a unit with a larger capacity water tank, especially if you have a substantial humidity problem. The problem with recommending the Keystone is that even if you dismiss the small water tank as being a non-issue and plan on utilizing gravity drainage, the Frigidaire is still the better option as it offers far superior drainage functionality.

We end this comparison by saying again that you really can’t go wrong with either one of these units. Yes, we do recommend the Frigidaire as the better purchase, but the Keystone is still at least (approx.) $30 less expensive and it really isn’t a bad option by any stretch of the imagination. You may be fine with emptying the water tank more frequently. The Keystone may also prove to be the more durable unit over time despite its inferior build quality. Customer reviews certainly indicate as much at this point in the unit’s lifespan.

Our final recommendation – go with the Frigidaire if your budget allows it. Go with the Keystone if you find its lower price just too appetizing to pass up.