Best wine cooler model?

[ChazHollywood]

Hey guys,

Wondering what the current prevailing wisdom is on wine cooler brands. I'm looking to start with a 28-bottle capacity unit, ideally one that I can easily get shelves/drawers made for. So far I'm looking at Edgestar, NewAir and Vinotemp. I've seen mixed reviews on all of them, so I'm wondering what y'all think.

The room I'm looking to keep it in will get up above 80 degrees in the summer so I'm a little concerned about a unit that's up to the task. I've also read what seem to be a lot of reports of failures in 1-2 years. Regarding cost, I'm willing to spend money for a better unit if it's really better, but the reliability problems I've read about seem to be pervasive across price ranges. Maybe I'm better off just buying something cheap and resolving to replace it if it breaks?

I'm also potentially looking to wire up an ETC. Ideally I'd like to replace the thermostat itself with a hard-wired ETC, rather than cutting power to the whole unit (including lights and whatever else) with a plug-in ETC. Not sure if that's practical and beyond that, I'm not sure if it really matters, but if anyone knows brands that are friendly to this sort of modification, I'd love to hear.

Anyways, that's where I am, any advice would be appreciated it. Once I've got a model picked out I'm looking to prep it as per the threads here and find someone to build some nice drawers. Thinking 4 double-high drawers and 1 shelf for boxes from wineadors.com with the false front at the bottom for the beads, but again, I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks, guys!

-Charles

 

[AlohaStyle]

I haven't owned a Vinotemp so I can't really "recommend" it... but I have owned 2 Edgestars and although I've had good success with them, I can tell you a couple things I didn't like about them which Vinotemp does better. The main thing is a dial vs digital temp controls. The Edgestar only has a dial at the back of the inside so you don't really know what temp you are turning it to. You just have to wait for it to stabilize and read your hygro temp readout, then adjust if needed. The other thing is that a lot of Edgestars temperature stays pretty low. Both of my units would only go up to 61-62 degrees. That really isn't bad, but I would've preferred 65 degrees. When it gets really hot in your house, the unit has to work that much harder to keep it at 61 degrees. But others have said there's would go up to 67 degrees or so.

Like I said though, I used mine for 2+ years with no mechanical problems.

Something to think about anyway...

 

[ChazHollywood]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Even 65 degrees seems a little on the cool side. I was planning on using an external temperature controller to maintain a 68-70 range. In that case it actually might suit me better not to have a visible readout with the thermostat setpoint, as the ECT will be powering the unit on/off independently of the built-in thermo. My main concern is that it'll be powerful enough to actually reach 68-70 in an 80+ degree room.

How long have you had your edgestars?

-Charles

 

[zirotti]

The fact you can pick up Edgestars for $150 shipped quite regularly, can't be beat. Both mine stay at 64 degrees, which is perfect.

 

[Strickland]

Vincent Price, easily...

[video=youtube;uVMXkj9DvMk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVMXkj9DvMk[/video]

although I'm not sure he'd like being referred to as a "model"...

 

[SmokinNukie]

I have a Vinotemp in a room that stays inthe 80's all summer. It maintains 66F with good success. I am likely going to add an ETC to stay at 70-72F this summer. I have to refresh my beads weekly using a small bowl that I keep in the bottom to catch the moisture. I also have an auxiliary fan on a timer to aid in the circulation. Forrest made an awesome set of drawers for me. Overall I'm quite pleased with the complete package, even without the ETC. Good luck

 

[TravelingJ]

Vinotemp is the one I use, with an ETC, and I couldn't possibly be happier with it. I've had it for over 4 years, without a single problem. The RV currently has a rough time keeping cool, and when temps are over 80, I can still count on the Vinotemp to stay below 70. I think it can cool 20 degrees below the room temperature. If you find a way to get one to cool 40 degrees below the room temp-let me know! Until then, my Vinotemp has been nothing less than a work horse-that includes with all the miles it spends bouncing around on the highways.