Small Wine Coolers?

I've had both Sub-Zero and U-Line wine coolers in the past - big ones - but as I'm approaching retirement, it's time to move to a smaller home and downsize. I'm looking at a number of smaller under-counter coolers but have little credible information to compare them with. I'm not in a position to buy the high-end brands now so what can be said about the middle of the pack? I see Danby, Edgestar, Haier, Whynter & Avanti heavily advertised on the internet but what do real users have to say about these? Any experience, impressions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Quiet operation is a must for the wife.

Bob,
Not sure what your budget is, but Vinotemp makes some decent ones!
-Shaji

I have a 36 bottle Haier unit that I picked up on sale several years ago. I have been very happy with it. There is a bit of noise generated when the compressor shuts down, but nothing too annoying.

[Jenise]

Bob, if Kitchen Aid is middle of the pack enough for you, it's what I chose for our kitchen under-the-counter needs (we have the approx-50 bottle size, and we've been very happy with it). It was quite a bit less money than the brands you name, does what it's supposed to in two temperature zones, and it's dead-quiet.

Well, in my quest, I just completed an extensive internet search looking for customer reviews of small wine coolers. Amongst responses, for all brands, there were always a few reviews saying the units are "noisy" but, of course, that could be very subjective. Let's do a blinded, randomized and controlled study of 1000 wine coolers? However, it's interesting that responders here mentioned Haier & Vinotemp... I think, quantitatively, I saw a few more poor reviews about Haier units and two vendors I contacted recently specifically mentioned that Vinotemps were "noisy" - all anectodal evidence? I'm a little hard of hearing and my wife is always pointing out something that's "noisy" in our house - ceiling fans, the refrigerator, the old U-Line wine cooler, etc.!

[Jenise]

Well, in my quest, I just completed an extensive internet search looking for customer reviews of small wine coolers. Amongst responses, for all brands, there were always a few reviews saying the units are "noisy" but, of course, that could be very subjective. Let's do a blinded, randomized and controlled study of 1000 wine coolers? However, it's interesting that responders here mentioned Haier & Vinotemp... I think, quantitatively, I saw a few more poor reviews about Haier units and two vendors I contacted recently specifically mentioned that Vinotemps were "noisy" - all anectodal evidence? I'm a little hard of hearing and my wife is always pointing out something that's "noisy" in our house - ceiling fans, the refrigerator, the old U-Line wine cooler, etc.!

Bob, my only experience with Haier is the little $100 air conditioners they sell which we use as coolers in our garage wine cellar. We're on our third one in about seven years, and we installed this one a year ago. On average, then, they only have a three year life. For most things that would be unacceptable, but we went into this deliberately choosing the disposable route so we're fine with it--if one breaks a cheap same-day replacement is locally available at a Lowes or Walmart. Would be nervous trusting them with a permanently installed appliance (though in all fairness, the third Haier we bought was definitely a step up from the first, so they seem to be self-improving.)

After some exhausting research, I'm leaning towards Danby. They appear to be somewhere in-between Haier and the big names like U-Line, Sub-Zero, Marvel, etc.

Bob,

Be careful. We have three friends who bought Danby units and had problems with them. Two of them had the 50 bottle size and one had the (approx.) 150 bottle size. They all had trouble with the compressor and/or the refridgeration loop leaking very quickly after purchase. To make matters worse they had trouble getting customer support/repair service from the company.

Those incidents were 5+ years ago. Perhaps the quality of the Danby product has improved over that time, but I would be sure to do lots of research.

Anecdotal evidence abounds! I said it before, let's do a blinded, randomized and controlled study of about 1000 wine coolers!

Anecdotal evidence abounds! I said it before, let's do a blinded, randomized and controlled study of about 1000 wine coolers!

Have at it my man! Please post your results.