That's actually the price on the website too, with free shipping if your order is over $249. $30 shipping if not, bringing it up to $177 even.

andyduncan wrote:"I'm not worried", Famous last words. Anyway, two years later (almost to the day!) my fridge has finally been replaced. I outgrew it about a year ago, but have been able to keep things shuffled between the fridge, my closet, and my.........

Andy,
I just read through all your posts on wine coolers and cellaring and not only found them informative, but entertaining. I wanna party with you bud. I too, I feel, am following along the same path you've already taken. I also would rather take the cheap route and save the $ for more wine. I've been reading up on wine cellaring and building a collection of wine woots over the past year. Just last week I cut a hole in the back of a closet under the second floor stairs, in hopes of expanding my cellaring space. Alot more room, but not cool enough. Considering a cooler. Also considering the cheaper but questionable thermodynamics engineering decision to cut a vent hole in the floor of the closet to allow the cooler crawl space air to equalize in the closet above, in hopes of drawing in the 60 degree crawl space air. Still looking at whether it would work before cutting the hole and realizing the oops later.

Great find on the 300 bottler Kyle. Don't have those kind of offers on Craigslist around here. Still looking tho. May get the Home Depot one.

Chargerrt500 wrote:Great find on the 300 bottler Kyle. Don't have those kind of offers on Craigslist around here. Still looking tho. May get the Home Depot one.

Keep your eyes open, I picked up a 250 bottle Vinotheque from Craigslist last year in Buffalo, NY for $250, since no one else was biting. Didn't think I'd see another for a while, and one just popped up.

Chargerrt500 wrote:Great find on the 300 bottler Kyle. Don't have those kind of offers on Craigslist around here. Still looking tho. May get the Home Depot one.

It's raining too much and the pass I'd have to take may see snow so I have to wait until Tuesday to get it.

Imagine4vr wrote:I think that is the one I bought last year. It's still working fine a year later.

I've got the Magic Chef version of this which I bought in May/June 2009 & I'm getting two different error codes which apparently have to do with the fan. Temp's holding around 58 so far.

The work around on the error codes involves a basic electrical reroute -- seems simple enough (I'm relatively handy . . . yes, I'll unplug the cooler first . . .)

That being said, I may bite at this newer version hoping that it can be a second cooler, or a replacement for #1 if my work around proves not to work.

Thanks for the link!

I'm looking at a 9 year old 178 bottle Transtherm Ermitage on CL. The owner says it runs perfectly and has no issues.

Do you guys have any feedback on things to look out for?

How about quality of the unit?

Finally, what do you think is a fair price for the unit?

Thanks in advance!

StarM wrote:I've got the Magic Chef version of this which I bought in May/June 2009 & I'm getting two different error codes which apparently have to do with the fan. Temp's holding around 58 so far.

The work around on the error codes involves a basic electrical reroute -- seems simple enough (I'm relatively handy . . . yes, I'll unplug the cooler first . . .)

That being said, I may bite at this newer version hoping that it can be a second cooler, or a replacement for #1 if my work around proves not to work.

Thanks for the link!

I think you have the upgrade to the one Home Depot has on sale. The cooler that's on sale doesn't have any sort of user feedback - the temperature adjustment is a dial with the numbers 0-7, with 7 being the coldest. (0.5 is roughly 55F for my Magic Chef cooler, but YMMV.)

Took a look at it the other day. They changed the shelves, or more specifically the railing the shelves rest on and how it locks in place. For the better or worse, I really can't tell.

The 500 bottle cooler (for which I am indebted to il Cesare) is in my house and settling before I plug it in! I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Cost:
$30ish in gas
1 40 bottle cooler purchased for about $75
3 bottles of wine
cost/time to fix the sealing and lock

WIN!

picked up the Vissani 52 yesterday at HD. ~$133 + tax with a mover's coupon. Quality is decent, but of course not excellent but at the price I can't complain. Letting it sit for a bit before turning on so will report back if anything goes unexpectedly.

FYI - found out the hard way that this is very *very* hard to get into a sedan (accord)!

kylemittskus wrote:The 500 bottle cooler (for which I am indebted to il Cesare) is in my house and settling before I plug it in! I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Cost:
$30ish in gas
1 40 bottle cooler purchased for about $75
3 bottles of wine
cost/time to fix the sealing and lock

WIN!

Congrats. Now the trick is not to turn into Sparky, and fill it + 3 off-site wine lockers.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

ddeuddeg wrote:Congrats. Now the trick is not to turn into Sparky, and fill it + 3 off-site wine lockers.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

You forgot one .....


Got an ad the other day from TuesdayMorning.Com that shows a 21-Bottle 2-Zone wine cooler.

Supposedly original retail was $400, but they are now offering it for $200. Thermoelectric, which I believe has more problems (can only maintain a temperature of up to 20 degrees cooler than the surrounding area) than the other type (vapor compression system), but as long as the temp isn't over 80° you should be fine.

BJ's Wholesale has a "Black Friday" special posted on their site: Haier 20 Bottle Wine Cellar

Just a FYI I noticed as I was looking for other things.

Pictures of my new 500 bottle cooler. I need to remove some of the vertical bars to allow larger Rhone bottles and Champagne bottles to fit. Project for next weekend. The lock needs to be fixed and I need some new weather stripping on one side of one of the doors. Other than that, a FANTASTIC deal since I traded a 40 bottle cooler for it!

I'm helping my parents select a new wine cooler, they are looking for a significant amount of storage (300+ bottles). They are leaning towards this one: N'Finity 340

They are limited by 74" high, and want to spend less than $4000.

This WLTV episode seems very apropros for this thread. Something to dream of... and perhaps one day.

kylemittskus wrote:Pictures of my new 500 bottle cooler. I need to remove some of the vertical bars to allow larger Rhone bottles and Champagne bottles to fit. Project for next weekend. The lock needs to be fixed and I need some new weather stripping on one side of one of the doors. Other than that, a FANTASTIC deal since I traded a 40 bottle cooler for it!

WOW Kyle, quite the deal. WTG.

I'm looking at this one used for $150. Does this look like a good deal? Retails for $450.

Magic Chef 44 bottle dual zone cooler

Chargerrt500 wrote:WOW Kyle, quite the deal. WTG.

I'm looking at this one used for $150. Does this look like a good deal? Retails for $450.

Magic Chef 44 bottle dual zone cooler

Eh... if you want the dual-zone, then yeah. There are similarly sized coolers new for that much. There was one at Home Depot when I as there a couple days go for about that much.

kylemittskus wrote:Eh... if you want the dual-zone, then yeah. There are similarly sized coolers new for that much. There was one at Home Depot when I as there a couple days go for about that much.

Nah I don't need a 2 zone. Would likely set both zones for red, since that's what I have the most of. Guess I need to keep looking. As Woots continue to grow, so does the size of the cooler. I think you helped me talk myself out of it. That is unless I can talk the seller down to a ridiculously low price.

Chargerrt500 wrote:Nah I don't need a 2 zone. Would likely set both zones for red, since that's what I have the most of. Guess I need to keep looking. As Woots continue to grow, so does the size of the cooler. I think you helped me talk myself out of it. That is unless I can talk the seller down to a ridiculously low price.

I'd grab it for $100. I'd definitely grab it at $80. But $150 seems a bit high. Swing by Home Depot and see what they have. The one I saw was on the end of an aisle and was marked down for whatever reason.

I found a craigslist ad for a remodeler warehouse moving sale. They have Sub Zero wine coolers. I know they are way pricey but I've got to take a look and try for one. Going to look tomorrow.

52 bottle Haier Wine Fridge on Craigslist in Chicago...for 50$ - link.

I'd be sorely tempted to jump on it myself, if Chicago wasn't roughly a 2.5 hour drive from my place. And if I had a hatchback or truck.

My Pops has heard me talk about wine a lot since I have been on woot for the past 2 years and just bought me a small 8 bottle chiller from Lowe's on a whim.

I have a condo and was waiting to move to delve into the cooler/celler market.

It is a Frigidare for $50. So far so good.

Lowes Chiller

RaiderSPE wrote:My Pops has heard me talk about wine a lot since I have been on woot for the past 2 years and just bought me a small 8 bottle chiller from Lowe's on a whim.

I have a condo and was waiting to move to delve into the cooler/celler market.

It is a Frigidare for $50. So far so good.

Lowes Chiller

Sweet deal from your dad, but that's not going to last very long. One woot order stored. Next!

ciaranannrach wrote:52 bottle Haier Wine Fridge on Craigslist in Chicago...for 50$ - link.

I'd be sorely tempted to jump on it myself, if Chicago wasn't roughly a 2.5 hour drive from my place. And if I had a hatchback or truck.

I think I might go for that as I'm in the city... I need to read up a little more though before I contact that guy.

kylemittskus wrote:Sweet deal from your dad, but that's not going to last very long. One woot order stored. Next!

I know. . . the woman hates this website, @ least my closet looks nicer with an bunch of wine bottles instead of stuffed with random junk. It will be good for keeping the daily drinkers cold until it konks out in 8 months.

Anyone have any thoughts on the most reliable brands? I've been looking at WineEnthusiast coolers and they're generally much more expensive but the customer reviews are better. I figured it's probably worth it to sink a little extra money into it for something that will last.

ericclem wrote:Anyone have any thoughts on the most reliable brands? I've been looking at WineEnthusiast coolers and they're generally much more expensive but the customer reviews are better. I figured it's probably worth it to sink a little extra money into it for something that will last.

I have been researching this topic for a long time....much too long not to have come to a conclusion.

If you're looking for a large cooler (I'm looking for 250-325ish), my research indicates you might want to stay away from all the name brands as they are poor QPR and often have problems even from time of arrival.

I am now researching some brands I have never heard of before and also contemplating the possibility of used commercial-quality units.
You might also want to look at the posts here and elsewhere online (on how-to sites) about modifying a refrig or freezer (temp and humidity) to a wine cooler.

smartheart wrote:
If you're looking for a large cooler (I'm looking for 250-325ish), my research indicates you might want to stay away from all the name brands as they are poor QPR and often have problems even from time of arrival.

I'm currently in the market for a much smaller unit (20-50 bottles).

ericclem wrote:I'm currently in the market for a much smaller unit (20-50 bottles).

Don't worry about brand. You can get a great cooler for around $150 vs. a WE one at like $400.

Again, SEARCH CL!

ericclem wrote:I'm currently in the market for a much smaller unit (20-50 bottles).

keep checking overstock.com (though their prices on everything seem to have increased this year somewhat substantially)

I had good luck in the past on some approx. 45 bottle thermoelectrics which I was able to get for an unbelievable price as somehow we were allowed to combine multiple discounts.

All have functioned perfectly (except for my increased electric bill).

ericclem wrote:I'm currently in the market for a much smaller unit (20-50 bottles).

Ad in Dec. 31st Wine Enthusiast has free shipping on orders over $95.

Under 40 bottle capacity

The ad showed:

28 bottle Stainless Steel for $299.95,

24 bottle Touchscreen, 2 Temp for $299.95

35 bottle VinoView for $359

28 bottle Touchscreen for $329

48 bottle Stainless Steel, 2 Temp for $599

MarkDaSpark wrote:Wine Enthusiast

So overpriced, IMO.

kylemittskus wrote:So overpriced, IMO.

Agreed.

Found this on craigslist. 360 bottle cabinet. She wants $800 for it. Good deal? Trying to get a reply from her on make and model.

Chargerrt500 wrote:Found this on craigslist. 360 bottle cabinet. She wants $800 for it. Good deal? Trying to get a reply from her on make and model.

Not too bad. I don't think the deals that Cesare, HAK, and I got are normal. Depending on how old it is and if you can negotiate a bit, that's a pretty good deal (IMO, of course).

kylemittskus wrote:Not too bad. I don't think the deals that Cesare, HAK, and I got are normal. Depending on how old it is and if you can negotiate a bit, that's a pretty good deal (IMO, of course).

It's quite the overkill on size. I think I could live with something half the size and never fill it. But then again, I've never had this much wine in the house before in my life.

Chargerrt500 wrote:It's quite the overkill on size. I think I could live with something half the size and never fill it. But then again, I've never had this much wine in the house before in my life.

The best idea is to always buy bigger than you think you need. If you are really into wine, and getting deeper, your collection will only grow.

After serious consideration, researching, and soul searching, I'm pretty close to pushing the button on the Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler at Home Depot. It's high capacity, really cheap, and the reviews don't seem to give any indication that it's built to die after a short period like so many Haiers and others on the market. Also, craigslist seems to be lacking in NYC these days.

Anyone out there have any long-term experience with this unit that can offer any last minute advice or warnings? It would be greatly appreciated.

ericclem wrote:After serious consideration, researching, and soul searching, I'm pretty close to pushing the button on the Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler at Home Depot. It's high capacity, really cheap, and the reviews don't seem to give any indication that it's built to die after a short period like so many Haiers and others on the market. Also, craigslist seems to be lacking in NYC these days.

Anyone out there have any long-term experience with this unit that can offer any last minute advice or warnings? It would be greatly appreciated.

I've had mine a year now and it's working just fine.