can any1 reccomend a few places to purchase a 28 thermoelectric cooler? newegg is sold out. I recently got an incredible deal on an avanti 24 bottle cooler. Unfortunately i have to put it in my NYC apartment in my room and it is extremely loud...quite frankly ive woken up a few times expecting the thing to explode. Ive tried compact compliance but ive never heard of teh rband they offer and their shipping rates are a bit more than id like to pay.

I'm planning on purchasing a small wine cooler. Does anyone have an Avanti ewc28 or a wc492d ?? I seem to be torn as to whether I go with the thermoelectric or the compressor model. They both have their pro's and con's. I'm a little curious about how much more the thermo unit will cost to run, but most important is how they perform and what kind of lifespan they have. If anyone has experience with either or both of these models please leave me some feed back here.

The reason I'm stuck on the models above is that they are readily available(at P.C. Richard & Sons NY), they're some of the few that have any on-line reviews at all, the price is right, and both the bottle and dimension size is perfect for my needs

CREIGHTONatNY wrote:
I'm planning on purchasing a small wine cooler. Does anyone have an Avanti ewc28 or a wc492d ... both the bottle and dimension size are perfect for my needs

Buy bigger than you think you'll need. Buy bigger than you think you'll need. Buy bigger than you think you'll need. Seriously. Because soon, if you haven't already, you are going to discover how consistently wine.woot gets it right. And then you are going to contact a winery or two or ten to buy more directly. And then you are going to discover very few wineries will ship for $5. And then you are going to start buying almost every wine.woot in multiples.

In my opinion, the hierarchy of concerns would be adequate temperature stabilization, light reduction and capacity size. The vibration issue, or lack thereof, is icing. If you can afford to meet all 4, congratulations and have at it. If not, focus on the first 3.

Also, don't rule out scratch and dent sites, Craig's List and other resale options. Just make sure the door seals are intact and the compressor works. Hopefully, others with direct experience with your potential cooler will offer more specific and helpful info. In the meantime, that's my 2 cents. Happy shopping!

i got a compressor based one for about $150 (holds 48 bottles) from home depot here in tucson. i've had it for about 6 months now, and got a few notes about it that i hope help.

1. its not very loud. its much quieter than a computer, for example. the only noise i actually ever hear is the noise 'chick' of the compressor turning on and off.

2. the temperature varies about +/- 4-5 degrees from the median which i set to be about 55-58. i haven't noticed any slowly varying temperature changes though, which i think would be the worst. the heat capacity of the bottles and wines is enough that the wines wont get affected too much by this kind of temperature variation i think.

3. definitly buy one that holds at least twice as much as you think you need. i would have never ever thought i'd fill a 48 bottle cooler. now i've got about 20 bottles sitting in styrofoam in my office.

4. i have no idea about energy usage - its included in my rent, sorry.

5. its a great investment. i'm a young, impatient mid-twenty something. i would have NEVER thought i'd have the patience to age wines. but we end up getting alot of winese which could use some aging (in my opinion, the foppiano, monkey prize and highway 12 as an example). the cooler allows you to properly store the wines and drink one every X months, allowing you to learn how they age. and for that (and always having wine at the perfect temperature ready to go!) i LOVE it.

Well I took the plunge. I bought the Avanti EWC28 . paid $179.99 (+tax) at a P.C.Richard and Sons on Long Island in NY. Got the first one home and the top was bashed in and the light didn't work. It took them 2-1/2 days to get a replacement, which is ok, 'cause most on-line dealers were more money, long lead times and astronomical shipping costs. It seems to hold 28 bottles as discribed however the Coppolas and two of my Zins were a tough fit. It may not hold full litre bottles and I'm sure it won't take anything out of the ordinary. I'll try to post from time to time with my likes, dislikes, and/or any problems with it. And just a note, to those who say, "buy bigger than you think you need". No matter what size you buy it won't be big enough. I bought this size to limit my purchasing of wines, more than any other reason. I may backfire on me and just cause me to drink more of them, and more often, so I can make room for the new. On second thought that might be a good thing.

I am starting to come to the conclusion that I need something. One of my favorite places to get medium sized appliances these days is CircuitCity.com, since shipping is free. That was a REAL plus when I got my son's college-room fridge. Not having to lug that thing made it worth the price of admission (so to speak).

CC.C mostly carries Haier (including a 42-bottle unit for $280 and a 35-bottle dual compartment unit for $330), along with a few Sunbeams. Are these any good? Should I hold out for something better?

I am also intreagued by the idea of getting a used non-frost free freezer, converting it and sticking it in my basement. That way, I could hope that my wife doesn't notice it.

okay, now i've got a question about my wine cooler - most things say to 'avoid direct sunlight' for the wine. i'm sure when i move to boston it wont be a problem, but for now i live in tucson where sunlight is abundant. my cooler has a narrow plastic window on the front door - would it be better for the wines to cover this window up to keep all sunlight out?

[quote user="pagreen"]CC.C mostly carries Haier (including a 42-bottle unit for $280 and a 35-bottle dual compartment unit for $330), along with a few Sunbeams. Are these any good? Should I hold out for something better?quote]
Pagreen, as I said on the main forum, I have a Haier and I love it. Mine holds 35 bottles and is not dual compartment, but the owner's manual says the bottom of the unit stays about 10 degrees colder than the top, so you should put your reds on top and your whites on bottom--I have followed this instruction and find the wines are kept at good temps with the unit itself set to 55. The unit I have is quiet and attractive. Plus, for me a bonus is that my wife's aunt found it at a yard sale for $100. I was a bit leery of buying a used one, but when we got it home I discovered it had NEVER been used--still had the styrofoam packing on the shelves. Good luck!

dnarayanan wrote:okay, now i've got a question about my wine cooler - most things say to 'avoid direct sunlight' for the wine. i'm sure when i move to boston it wont be a problem, but for now i live in tucson where sunlight is abundant. my cooler has a narrow plastic window on the front door - would it be better for the wines to cover this window up to keep all sunlight out?

I would think that unless the sun is streaming right into the unit constantly you dont have anything to worry about.

cathyk39 wrote:
Pagreen, as I said on the main forum, I have a Haier and I love it. Mine holds 35 bottles and is not dual compartment, but the owner's manual says the bottom of the unit stays about 10 degrees colder than the top, so you should put your reds on top and your whites on bottom--I have followed this instruction and find the wines are kept at good temps with the unit itself set to 55. The unit I have is quiet and attractive. Plus, for me a bonus is that my wife's aunt found it at a yard sale for $100. I was a bit leery of buying a used one, but when we got it home I discovered it had NEVER been used--still had the styrofoam packing on the shelves. Good luck!

That's interesting - I have 2 thermoelectric units and they are the opposite - the top is cooler than the bottom.

I got the 11 bottle Cuisinart cooler that was a woot sidedeal a while back....looks great & works perfectly so far, which apparently wasn't the case with everyone. Anyway, it has an option to keep a (dim) display light on constantly, or just have the light come on when you open the door. I really like it with the light on constantly, it just looks ribs. Can that have any effect on the wine? With an 11 bottle cooler (which is already waaaaay to small, but whatever), I obviously am not keeping wines around for more than like 2 months. I assume that it will be fine due to my turnover.....but can anyone tell me I'm ok (or otherwise). Thanks.

LTU99 wrote:I got the 11 bottle Cuisinart cooler that was a woot sidedeal a while back....looks great & works perfectly so far, which apparently wasn't the case with everyone. Anyway, it has an option to keep a (dim) display light on constantly, or just have the light come on when you open the door. I really like it with the light on constantly, it just looks ribs. Can that have any effect on the wine? With an 11 bottle cooler (which is already waaaaay to small, but whatever), I obviously am not keeping wines around for more than like 2 months. I assume that it will be fine due to my turnover.....but can anyone tell me I'm ok (or otherwise). Thanks.

LIght is bad for wines. However, being under a dim light for no more than two months is not exposing the wine to any more light that it would be exposed to, say, on a retailer's shelf. I think you're fine enjoying the aesthetics of a lighted, full wine fridge!

should you use a wine cooler to store long term? or only short term?

i'm debating between a cooler and a rack. at the moment i have about 12 wines at any given time.

clayfu wrote:should you use a wine cooler to store long term? or only short term?

i'm debating between a cooler and a rack. at the moment i have about 12 wines at any given time.

i think for long term storage one of the most important things is stable and constant temperatures - in that light, i think a cooler is the best option. that's the main reason i got one, was when I got the pepperbridge wine offering as I wanted to be able to store them for long term for a special occasion.

my guess is for short term (< 6 moths) a wine rack is just fine. though an added bonus of a cooler is your wine is always close to a nice temperature for serving.

I'm looking into picking up this 42 bottle unit from CC: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Haier-42-Bottle-Capacity-Wine-Cellar-HVF042BBG/sem/rpsm/oid/170063/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#tabs

I've heard good things about Haier units in the past. Anyone have any experience with this particular model?

- Justin

tru2chevy wrote:I'm looking into picking up this 42 bottle unit from CC: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Haier-42-Bottle-Capacity-Wine-Cellar-HVF042BBG/sem/rpsm/oid/170063/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#tabs

I've heard good things about Haier units in the past. Anyone have any experience with this particular model?

- Justin

I recently sold the one I've had since October. Seems I outgrew it, quantity-wise, not quality-wise. Other than the capacity limitations, I was very pleased with it. It was relatively quiet, reliable, and kinda pretty. Just be sure it's big enough for your needs, because 42 bottles really means more like 38 if any of the bottles are not standard Bordeaux bottles, and 38 bottles is less than it seems once you start wine.wooting.

dnarayanan wrote:

i think for long term storage one of the most important things is stable and constant temperatures - in that light, i think a cooler is the best option. that's the main reason i got one, was when I got the pepperbridge wine offering as I wanted to be able to store them for long term for a special occasion.

my guess is for short term (< 6 moths) a wine rack is just fine. though an added bonus of a cooler is your wine is always close to a nice temperature for serving.

hum i have a sears gift card, must go to sears and hunt down a cooler!

LTU99 wrote:I got the 11 bottle Cuisinart cooler that was a woot sidedeal a while back....looks great & works perfectly so far, which apparently wasn't the case with everyone. Anyway, it has an option to keep a (dim) display light on constantly, or just have the light come on when you open the door. I really like it with the light on constantly, it just looks ribs. Can that have any effect on the wine? With an 11 bottle cooler (which is already waaaaay to small, but whatever), I obviously am not keeping wines around for more than like 2 months. I assume that it will be fine due to my turnover.....but can anyone tell me I'm ok (or otherwise). Thanks.

My two cents on the light thing, I noticed when I had the light left on in my cooler, it had a harder time getting to temperature. It seemed that the light generated enough heat to cause a problem. Not 10 degrees or anything, more like 5, but since I use mine to keep whites chilled I wanted it to be cooler.

hmm... good deal? okay deal?

http://detroit.craigslist.org/hsh/322196181.html

i emailed the seller and apparently it is an hvd036e. Anybody have any experience with this Haier model?

Haier 36 Bottle WINE CELLAR Cooler Refrigerator BC112G

any thoughts? i can't really find any reviews on it.

I just ordered the Haier 42-Bottle Capacity Wine Cellar (HVF042BBG) from CircuitCity.com for $251.99, plus tax but including shipping. That's $280 less the 10% discount I get for being a AAA member (no, not A-Alcoholics Anonymous). Who knew? Anyway, I will be really distressed if Woot puts up a 65 bottle cellar for $100 tomorrow.

clayfu wrote:
Haier 36 Bottle WINE CELLAR Cooler Refrigerator BC112G

any thoughts? i can't really find any reviews on it.

I own this cooler and I think its great. Cooler at the bottom for whites, a bit warmer at the top for reds, you can use temp presets or choose your storage temp. Its got a decent sized foot print, looks nice and 36 bottles is about right for my "drink now" rotation.

pagreen wrote: I just ordered the Haier 42-Bottle Capacity Wine Cellar (HVF042BBG) from CircuitCity.com for $251.99, plus tax but including shipping. That's $280 less the 10% discount I get for being a AAA member (no, not A-Alcoholics Anonymous). Who knew? Anyway, I will be really distressed if Woot puts up a 65 bottle cellar for $100 tomorrow.

how is the temperature set on this? Is it a dial or an actual button you press to adjust the temp?

clayfu wrote:

how is the temperature set on this? Is it a dial or an actual button you press to adjust the temp?

It is supposed to arrive today (according to the tracking report, it is "on the truck for delivery"). I will let you know when it arrives. I believe, however, that the specs indicate that the controls are digital, which would imply push buttons rather than a dial.

pagreen wrote:

It is supposed to arrive today (according to the tracking report, it is "on the truck for delivery"). I will let you know when it arrives. I believe, however, that the specs indicate that the controls are digital, which would imply push buttons rather than a dial.

darn it, i'm | | that close to returning mine and buying that! sigh.

Help please?

I found this wine fridge on Craig's List, but I don't know if I should buy it or not. The guy says he's selling it because "I don't really use it. I can't seem to keep my wine around long enough to store it." He's had it for 2 years.

Here are the details:

Haier BC112G 30-Bottle Wine Cellar, with Contoured Smoked Glass Door - $100

In excellent condition. I have never had any problems with it.

30-bottle wine cellar with LED read-out and contoured smoked glass door
Electronic thermostat ranges from 45 to 60 degrees
Automatic settings for red and white wines
Soft interior lighting for elegant presentation
Measures 22-2/7 by 24-2/5 by 39-4/5 inches

Thanks everyone!

you'll have to worry about warranty, if that thing breaks the day after you buy it you have no way of getting your money back.

But you might be lucky and it might work for awhile, but that's the risk you'll have to take.

Just a note incase anyone was considering a larger cooler/cellar.

I invested an a Le Cache Model 2400. It's been a wonderful addition, but just as info...

It's advertised to hold 286 bottles. In order to achieve that capacity, you need to be able to slide 2 bottles into each little cubby (stem to stern). I've found that some of the wines I've gotten here on Wine Woot (the Tempranillos, the Highway 12, the Chateau Souveraign Zin's, etc.) are too tall to fit two per cubby, the cabinet door won't close. This will reduce the capacity of the cellar/cabinet pretty significantly if you have a lot of those bottle types.

clayfu wrote:how is the temperature set on this? Is it a dial or an actual button you press to adjust the temp?

When I got home from work yesterday, there was this big box sitting in my driveway! I wheeled it around back, brought it in, unpacked it, set it in place, turned it on and filled it up. And when I say filled it up, I really mean filled it up. I am not sure how you would get 42 bottles in there. 35 fits easily, I have squeezed in 37, and I think I can probably squeeze another 2 in there, but 42? Still, I knew when I ordered it that it would not be big enough. But, there is a cost/benefit/space analysis that goes into this kind of purchase.

Otherwise, it is really nice. The temperature is set with push buttons. It has a "red" (58 degree) and "white" (48 degree) button, but it can be custom set to any temperature within its range (I have not explored the maximum and minimum of the temperature range). It has a digital temperature readout as well. Being a thermostat-controlled device, it has a 3 degree bracket around the set temperature. It also claims to be colder at the bottom than the top (some good physics there). At some point, I will stick my probe thermometers in there to measure the accuracy. The one curiosity--there was a handle-looking thing stuck inside and a set of screws, but no instructions on how to install it. I think I will check the website.

A word about the packaging. The box was pretty bruized and battered, but they had double-boxed it, putting the manufacturer's box inside a larger box lined with bubble-wrap. The result was that, despite the battered outer-box, the unit itself was totally undamaged.

Most importantly, it looks sharp, dark grey with a smoked glass front, and it's nice to have a place to stash my stash.

Lilithe1 wrote:I found this wine fridge on Craig's List, but I don't know if I should buy it or not.

Is there room to haggle? If you can get it down to $75 or $80, I would jump on it (figuratively, that is).

pagreen wrote:

Is there room to haggle? If you can get it down to $75 or $80, I would jump on it (figuratively, that is).

Lilithe, I agree. My Haier cooler I got at a yard sale for $100 BUT it had never been used, still had the packing on the shelves. If this one has been used I'd say $75 might be closer to the "right" price.

I just looked at my local Craigs List. There are several for sale here. One guy has a Magic Chef 40-bottle capacity for $50. He says the unit is only a year old and in great shape. This looks like a deal. (If I hadn't just gotten one, I would consider schlepping out to Reston to get it myself.) Another has a similarly-sized, similar vintage Haier and wants $200 for it. Dream on, pal.

pagreen wrote:I am not sure how you would get 42 bottles in there. 35 fits easily, I have squeezed in 37, and I think I can probably squeeze another 2 in there, but 42?

Now that I have had a chance to play with it for a while, I finally figured out how to pack it. Under optimal conditions, it can hold a total of 44 bottles--two more than its promised capacity! Right now, I have 40 bottles, and could easily fit at least 3 more (I would have to work at the fourth).

By the way, thanks cathyk39 and nallie for your favorable comments on the Haiers (which helped me to make my decision).

pagreen wrote:
Now that I have had a chance to play with it for a while, I finally figured out how to pack it. Under optimal conditions, it can hold a total of 44 bottles--two more than its promised capacity! Right now, I have 40 bottles, and could easily fit at least 3 more (I would have to work at the fourth).

By the way, thanks cathyk39 and nallie for your favorable comments on the Haiers (which helped me to make my decision).

what'd you do different? i can't get all 40 in my cooler unless i stack them ontop of each otehr on the top rack...can't be good for the rack.

dnarayanan wrote:

what'd you do different? i can't get all 40 in my cooler unless i stack them ontop of each otehr on the top rack...can't be good for the rack.

stack them in alternating reserve. (cork to the door and opposite and on and on)

dnarayanan wrote:what'd you do different? i can't get all 40 in my cooler unless i stack them ontop of each otehr on the top rack...can't be good for the rack.

clayfu wrote:stack them in alternating reserve. (cork to the door and opposite and on and on)

Actually, not. The bottom two shelves hold three normal bottles (left-right), plus one short bottle (front to back). The "short" space is just the right size for the Woot Sake. That makes 6 normal bottles plus 2 shorties.

Then, each of the next six shelves holds five bottles (front to back), plus one bottle sideways across the front (I guess the Pinots should go there?) This part can be a challenge, since some bottles are a little long. Depending upon the bottle, putting the narrow end to the back can add another 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space (by tipping it very slightly upwards above the back of the shelf--fortunately not high enough to dry out the cork). That makes 6 x 6 = 36.

Finally, I can fit two extra bottles on the top shelf on top of the bottles. Depending upon the width of the bottles, this can be a little tight, but it doesn't seem to stress the shelf or top particularly.

Adding it up, that's 6 + 36 + 2 = 44 (plus 2 shorties). Actually, my wife and son have remarked that, despite my unbelievable sloth, disorganization and just plain messiness, I have a real knack for packing a lot of stuff into a small space. Just ask my son after I moved him home from college last month, fitting everything into the ol' minivan.

pagreen wrote:The one curiosity--there was a handle-looking thing stuck inside and a set of screws, but no instructions on how to install it. I think I will check the website.

I did figure out how to attach the handle, by the way. Not instantly obvious, but I finally saw a picture, which led me to find the holes. Plus, the holes in the handle itself were beveled, giving me a good clue as to its orientation.

By the way, Overstock has a wine cooler featured today: Urbina Design ThermoElectric Wine Cellar with a stated 28 bottle capacity for $199, with only $3 for shipping. Deduct their 10% off coupon (good today only), and that sounds like a decent price (although I don't know anything about this unit, and would advise research before buying it).

Well, I researched for a little bit and purchased the EdgeStar12, despite a couple people's (which sort of grew to my) concern of quickly outgrowing a 12-bottle cooler. However, for the price, I decided it would be best. I just can't dole out more than that at this point.

I chose it over the Avanti 12-bottle cooler because it was a little cheaper and had the digital LED. I can only gather that maybe somehow Avanti has a better repertoire or something? Because I didn't see anything that would have been much better, comparatively. The reviews that I had read for both were positive, so I just opted to save $30.

Thanks for your help, and hopefully we'll hear great and positive things about this particular cooler.

philpotpie wrote:Well, I researched for a little bit and purchased the EdgeStar12, despite a couple people's (which sort of grew to my) concern of quickly outgrowing a 12-bottle cooler. However, for the price, I decided it would be best. I just can't dole out more than that at this point.

I chose it over the Avanti 12-bottle cooler because it was a little cheaper and had the digital LED. I can only gather that maybe somehow Avanti has a better repertoire or something? Because I didn't see anything that would have been much better, comparatively. The reviews that I had read for both were positive, so I just opted to save $30.

Thanks for your help, and hopefully we'll hear great and positive things about this particular cooler.

i think edgestar is a pretty good brand. i do predict that within 6 months that guy is on craigslist trying to get you money for your next bigger cooler!

pagreen wrote: I did figure out how to attach the handle, by the way. Not instantly obvious, but I finally saw a picture, which led me to find the holes. Plus, the holes in the handle itself were beveled, giving me a good clue as to its orientation.

By the way, Overstock has a wine cooler featured today: Urbina Design ThermoElectric Wine Cellar with a stated 28 bottle capacity for $199, with only $3 for shipping. Deduct their 10% off coupon (good today only), and that sounds like a decent price (although I don't know anything about this unit, and would advise research before buying it).

I bought that very same Urbina unit (make that 2 units, lotta woot wine to deal with) from Overstock a couple weeks ago. I'm loving them so far, and they are virtually silent, as advertised.

Quick look into how I decided upon these: 1) there is an ongoing 10% off at Overstock for AMEX Cardmembers (check http://www.americanexpressofferzone.com); 2) $2.95 flat shipping — you people with cars may be able to drive yourself to a better deal, but we folks in NYC certainly aren't taking cabs to Costco. (it would spoil the savings ;-)

While I had originally intended to get a much larger (75-bottle) unit, the $75-$150 shipping costs were driving me batty.

jeffek wrote:I bought that very same Urbina unit (make that 2 units, lotta woot wine to deal with) from Overstock a couple weeks ago. I'm loving them so far, and they are virtually silent, as advertised.

Quick look into how I decided upon these: 1) there is an ongoing 10% off at Overstock for AMEX Cardmembers (check http://www.americanexpressofferzone.com); 2) $2.95 flat shipping — you people with cars may be able to drive yourself to a better deal, but we folks in NYC certainly aren't taking cabs to Costco. (it would spoil the savings ;-)

While I had originally intended to get a much larger (75-bottle) unit, the $75-$150 shipping costs were driving me batty.

From the picture, it's a nice looking unit. Plus, no vibrations (thermoelectric). Even as a suburbanite (former exurbanite now victimized by creeping suburbia) who regularly drives to Costco, I appreciate the convenience of having someone deliver big and heavy stuff to my door. Anyway, the Amex link is a good tip. Thanks.