Wine Cellar - Good Deal?

Recently I found a listing for a Marval 54 bottle wine cellar (see model link below) for 700. The individual claims it is new and has pictures of it with the door hardware uninstalled, packing foam between shelving, and manual and warranty information intact. I am leery because that is about a 1000 dollar hit he would be taking on it. Any thoughts on whether or not I should trust it? Any ideas on how I can verify if the unit is in the new condition claimed? All help is appreciated everyone and it is great to finally be a member of the forum!

http://www.warnersstellian.com/products/9102

[David M. Bueker]

Joe - first of all welcome!

As for the unit's "new-ness" not really sure what to tell you otehr than a 54 bottle unit will turn out to be much too small.

I am also surprised that such small units cost that much these days. Lots of other manufacturers make them for much lower prices (even lower than the $700 asking price - I spotted the Marval for under $1200 full retail on the web). Not sure what the quality difference is that would make the Marval worth so much more.

Let me add my Welcome along with David's, Joe. I hope you come back here often.
I agree with all that David said: I can't believe the prices (I recently bought a small fridge for a college dorm and it was about $200 and these are very much like the small wine coolers that are being sold for so much more) and 54 botls is about right for the wines I'd expect to drink in the few months; if you are like many folks I know, your collection with grow well beyond that in short order.
As far as the newness of the unit you are thinking about, can you get the sertial numbner from the seller and than contact the maker? Other that getting an actual in-person look at it, that's all I can suggest and even that may be problematic.

Joe,

I recently purchased a 50 bottle Haier unit, to accommodate overlow storage, for $380, on sale. The $700 price tag seems quite high for the unit you are considering. I would shop around.

Also, all wine chillers, regardless of capacity, are too small. Buy the largest unit you can afford and you will still be stunned at how quickly it fills up.

The reason I am looking for a smaller unit is because currently my wife and I live in a 2 bedroom apartment while we do some house searching. As it is an under the counter unit I figure that it would continue to be a good piece in the future house while storing the majority of the rest in the basement (a new need to the house hunt). I have drank wine for years but have not really gained a true appreciation for it until within the last year or so (we even took a Napa trip recently and I am now HOOKED).

As for the listing itself. He said he bought it two years ago but never installed it because the project he was going to use it for fell through. The seller is local so I would have the opportunity to inspect it. I know to look for dents/dings on all surfaces including the bottom. I also have a temperature/hygrometer gauge that I could use to check the temp when I have him plug it in. If I were to go with this unit, any other recommendations to watch for?

For the model, I did quite a bit of research as for the quality of the Marvel units I was under the impression that they could act as a cellar substitute better than other models available. Was I misinformed on this? Basically what we need is something to maintain our wine for drinking and also age several (less than 10 at this point).

I use my chillers for long term storage. Any unit with limited vibration and adjustable temperature should be fine. The Marvel units are overpriced in my opinion. We looked at them several years ago, and I found nothing to justify the high prices. The $700 tag still seems high for what you are asking it to do - keep wine cool at a uniform temperature. I might offer him $450.

So are there any at about the same capacity that you would recommend? I am looking for something that is durable, quiet if possible, and will be consistant enough in Temp/RH to age wines.

Yes, the Haier unit that I have is 50 bottle capacity, though I have about 56 bottles in it. It is low vibration, has adjustable temperature, and is quiet. It does make a bit of noise when the compressor kicks on. I've been quite please with it thus far. I stuck a hand held thermometer in it for a couple of day and found that the actual temperature varies +/- 2 F. The digital read out on the unit varies about +/- 4 F. I get about a 4 F temperature variation from bottom to top of the unit.

[Jenise]

Joe,

The 50 or so bottle under cabinet mounts are great--I've installed one in my new kitchen and see no problem encouraging you to buy it, since you've made it clear now that you realize it will not meet all your needs in the future. What I'd do if I were you? Go see it. Marval is one of the two top brands for this kind of thing. Plug it in, take a parts list with you that you can download from the internet to verify that everything's there, and if it works, buy it. Sounds like a much better deal than the $1400 I paid for a Kitchen Aid brand new!

Hey Sam, what model do you have? You could send me a PM with a link if you wouldn't mind. Also, how long have you had it just out of curiosity? Any maintenance issues at all?

So are there any at about the same capacity that you would recommend? I am looking for something that is durable, quiet if possible, and will be consistant enough in Temp/RH to age wines.

Joe, first welcome to the forum. About a wine cabinet, have you checked Craig's List. I have (in my area) seen some real buys and they usually will hold more than the number of bottles that the Marval will hold. If you look and see something let us know and we will give advice. I too think the Marval is overpriced. Sam's Club has these things for sale for well under $700.Also, I wouldn't be to particular about RH range.

[Jenise]

So are there any at about the same capacity that you would recommend? I am looking for something that is durable, quiet if possible, and will be consistant enough in Temp/RH to age wines.

Joe, first welcome to the forum. About a wine cabinet, have you checked Craig's List. I have (in my area) seen some real buys and they usually will hold more than the number of bottles that the Marval will hold. If you look and see something let us know and we will give advice. I too think the Marval is overpriced. Sam's Club has these things for sale for well under $700.Also, I wouldn't be to particular about RH range.

Bob, but Joe specifically said he's interested in the fact that this one he's looking at is an under cabinet mount, and the 54 bottle size is the largest of that type. These are about dishwasher size--24 wide x 36 tall. Eventually, he'll use it in his new home. About ones like Sam's Club has, Costco also sells such things, the racking systems aren't neccessarily created equal. The one I used to have (bought at Costco for $400, sold for $100) had flimsy wire racks and bottles easily got loose, tumbling through the lower racks and crashing all the bottles. As a consequence, we barely used it. The Marval style (and my new one) has pull-out drawers. Bottles are very secure. Anyway, point is, price doesn't tell the whole story.

Anyway, point is, price doesn't tell the whole story.

Jenise,

I agree. It all depends on the level of functionality you are after. Bascially, I am looking for a box that keeps my wine cool and at a uniform temperature. If price were no object I might invest in a 30 bottle Eurocave; attractive design, excellent shelving, very low vibe, and whisper quiet. I simply can't justify the extra $2000 for half the capacity. However, I am pretty confident in my Power Ball pick this week.

I recently bought an Eurocave 266 after doing a lot of research. One nice thing about the Eurocaves is you can keep in your garage if you don't live in an extreme climate. The Eurocave 101 retails for $1,495 (incl. shipping) and doesn't have a much bigger footprint than the Marvel (41"H x 26"W x 27-1/4"D vs. 34"H x 23-7/8"W x 26-1/4"D). I'm not sure whether or not you could put in your cabinet space, but you could keep outside if your temperatures are not too extreme (between 32 Deg F and 95 Deg F). Maybe more importantly, the Eurocave holds over twice as many bottles. If buying new for similar money, I would buy the Eurocave with twice the bottle capacity over the Marvel.

As far as buying the used Marvel, I would take a look at it and check out the warranty information. Call the manufacturer and see if they will honor the warranty. Since it hasn't been installed or run, they might. If you get a year warranty, it might be worth a shot. Otherwise, I would buy new or buy a dented model or something that still has manufacturer's warranty.

Joe, regarding my mentioning Sam's Club wine cabinets, click the link below for a 75 bottle unit for about the same as the Marvel 54 bottle unit. From the looks of it on the web page, it too seems to have wooden shelving. I've never had a Danby cabinet, so am not speaking to the quality, just the availability. As David said earlier, be as sure as possible about the amount of storage you will need. It usually winds up being far more than one anticipates.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/naviga ... tem=339185

Wow lots of responses folks, let me see if I can cover everything and clear a few things up.

First of all, cabinet mount or no cabinet mount. I did not make myself really clear on the matter. Right now I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and space is limited. Therefore, currently the unit would be standing. Regardless, when we move I would have no problem put a standing unit in the basement. Really the only reason I was considering this mounted unit was because of the price. That being said I would be open to a standing unit OR mounted. It would need to be able to stand alone regardless, however.

Also, I do not have a ton of money to spend on one right now so the 700 tag is probably towards the upper end of my limit.

So I went and took a look (glad I did). The model is actually the Marvel Chateau 6SWC model and not the 6SWCE. That little E means it does not have the Sentry system outline above or the Vibration control. See below for the correct specs. The fact makes me reconsider if it is worth what he is asking or not or whereabouts. The unit appears to be in almost perfect condition and if I am interested I will be going back to check the temp when he has been able to leave it on for longer. Thoughts anyone?


http://www.lifeluxurymarvel.com/product ... n/6swc.php

A quick search shows it is still half of retail, new. However, I wonder if the 6SWC is a little older model as it was more difficult to find. I would still see if Marvel would honor the warranty. If it has never been used or installed, they might. That would be a huge factor in my decision.

As others have mentioned, welcome!

First, Marvel. I believe Marvel comes to the wine cooler market from its bigger market which is cool storage containers for laboratory and medical facilities. As such, my knee-jerk assumption would be that the quality of this unit will be pretty good.

Second, it was suggested you look at Craigs List. I agree. I got a pretty good deal on a 220 bottle Vinotemp cabinet. Now, I had to pick it up....and I knew going in that the chiller needed replaced....but I got the box and built-in racking for $90. I will need to pay about $900 to replace the chiller. But the unit retails for about $2300 delivered. So I am happy.

Third, we are coming up to Christmas season. For a lot of the big box stores, wine coolers are seasonal items. I picked up a 102 bottle Haier unit from SteinMart for $550, less than 50% of their pre-holiday asking price, because it was still on the floor at the end of January.

Fourth, a local winery/retailer told me they picked up one of their chillers from a Craigs List ad.

I realize these examples are of units bigger than you want.....but they demonstrate that if you aren't in a hurry, you can find some deals if you know where to look.

As always, great information!

I have been checking Craigslist for a couple of weeks (the marvel is actually from there). There are a couple of other ones that seemed so so but I have not been fully impressed (I am in the Minneapolis area by the way so if anyone is an avid researcher )

If it goes past the holidays I will definately take a look at stores, thanks for the suggestion.

I am also checking with Marvel to see if the wrrenty can be honored.

Checked with Marvel and the warrenty would not be valid.

Checked with Marvel and the warrenty would not be valid.

Joe, I have no earthly idea whether other producers would honor a warranty under the same circumstances, but it sure makes me think it would be something worth checking. I expect the warranty issue might be a little bit of leverage to lower an already good price. And, I would say that if other makers would honor a warranty in this kind of case, it means I would not want to ever deal with Marvel.