Danby DWC172BL 1.8-Cu.Ft. 17-Bottle Counter-Top Wine Cooler, Black

• 17-Bottle (1.8 cu. ft.) capacity
• Shatter resistant tempered glass door
• Auto-cycle defrost
• 2 Full Width Vinyl Coated Wire Shelves
• 1 Staggered vinyl coated wire shelf

I did a bit of research before deciding to purchase the Danby. The price was right and reviews of other makes tended to say things like "stopped working after n months". Also, the thermoelectric technology on many of the other makes doesn't seem to be able to keep things cool if the temperature reaches above 85 or 90, which is quite easy to achieve in NY during the summer. The Danby has an old tech compressor which is time tested and should be reliable for years. The major problem is vibration. When it's running the thing vibrates the wine bottles excessively. This is bad for long term evolution of wine. But, if you have bottles for long term this thing is way too small to begin with. My long term stuff is in a wine storage facility. The other problem is the temperature control. Wine shoud be stored at 53-55deg. At the very, very lowest setting (knob turned to just above where it turns off) it varies between 49-53deg, as tested by a Taylor 1458 wireless temp/humidity gauge. A little too low but acceptable for short term, at least it's not too high which will ruin wine faster than anything. Humidity is also diffcult to maintain and is too low (30-40%) even with a bowl of water and wet paper towel. These faults make it useless for long term storage of wine (several years), but for short term (months) it should be fine.

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This isn't even worth it for a basic collector. There isn't a temperature display, but the large problem here is that the temperature control switch offers NO range at all. You could for example set it to highest or lowest settings and get no difference AT All in actual temperature. Not only that but the temperature is too cold for red wine to be properly stored. I hate to be a perfectionist here but hey, isn't that why we buy these things in the first place? I've spoken with other former owners of this hassle of a cooler and heard the same review. The best part was when I called to tell Danby of the problem customer service told me the problem was an isolated problem they've never had before and that the temperature should be able to be adjusted. SO I sent back and received another, then another. None of them ever got warmer (or colder) than 45 degrees and I have sent it back a final time. KEEP SHOPPING AROUND!

Read Best Reviews of Danby DWC172BL 1.8-Cu.Ft. 17-Bottle Counter-Top Wine Cooler, Black Here

This reasonably priced, sturdy refrigerator seems to be doing the job it advertised. A great value for this discounted price, it is also an attractive item for your kitchen, bar or pantry. I don't know if they had Houdini doing the counting, though...I cannot possibly imagine how one could configure it into holding SEVENTEEN (!) bottles of wine!

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Bought this unit From TheFactoryDepot via Amazon at the end of July 2010, and it worked until late April 2011 (warranty is good until April 2012). When it ceased working, I visited the Danby website to find a service depot. Located one nearby, dropped off the unit. After a week went by, I was told the compressor had failed, and was directed (by the depot) to contact the seller for return/replacement. Called TheFactoryDepot and was told I need to contact the manufacturer. Called Danby, and they are closed on a Friday in anticipation of a Canadaian holiday (Victoria Day) on Monday. At this point, I am not optimistic about the outcome. Will post an update when I reach the end of this quest.

UPDATE, June 7, 2011: Was finally able to contact Danby's customer service department after many attempts and busy signals. Provided the information about my unit, and was told they would contact the service depot for specifics on the failure. Several emails and phone calls later, I was finally told that Danby was going to give me a refund and send me a check for the amount of purchase. That was one week ago... no check yet. Will post again when (if) I receive the refund.

UPDATE, July 9, 2011: The check from Danby arrived today. Case closed.

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There is indeed space for 17! bottles in this cooler, but three of them need to be eiswein! I doubt this will hold 17 .75 liter bottles; I might get one more eiswein in it for 18 bottles. It took some figuring how to do it, but 17 will fit. I haven't had the cooler long enough to note its efficiency, but it seems durable enough. For the price, it seems to be a good purchase.