- 75 bottle capacity freestanding wine cooler
- LED temperature indicator with easy to read display
- Interior display light
- 8 full width wooden shelves
- Tempered glass door with platinum door trim and reversible door hinge
In choosing a wine cellar/cooler I bought the largest model I could get with some style, and price was important, so Danby got my business.
Here's a little info good and bad on the unit I got (and note that I am happy with the unit and would recommend it, but I'm also not blind to the shortcomings which would certaily affect other's decisions) :
+ Danby DWC612BLP from BigBuyCity on eBay (for example current item on 10/23/2006 #180041697894) for $488+$129.90(shipping)=$617.90 (pretty good deal for 75 bottle system...(was $600 total a few months ago but I see they raised the shipping so a bit more)
+/Freestanding (not a build-in) which is what I wanted, and the "BLP" model has the coils on the back of the unit. I think that they make another one that has the coils underneath so you can put it up closer to a wall.
Stupidly noisy compressor. It's a small little Samsung model...but I don't know why it is not more quiet (it might be the system design not the compressor I can't tell). No issue for me as it is in the kitchen, but if you have a very quiet house you may have an issue with this. Absolutely Not for a bedroom.
Took about 4 weeks to get (This was expected since it has to be trucked in, so just a pain that there were no local dealers and closest next-state in-store retailer wanted $900+ ! )
+ real wood shelving, sealed, solid, and can take the weight
It's a bit tight inside, although two shelves can be taken out for more room and allows you to stack bottles on top of each other.
+ Styling is quite good for the price. Typical black metal sides, and nice glass door.
+ The door is built SOLID. Double-pain tempered glass, UV protect, good seal (I had to reverse the door, and this thing is heavy !)
-/+ Door glass is not tinted (but it has UV protection, however no general light protection, and the "platinum" trim is actually a type of, what looks to be, solid color plastic. Still looks good and has a solid feel to it...Not flimsy
NO childproof door lock (Take careful note of this if you have kids!). Guess they had to save money somewhere.
+ energy efficiency is Quite good. Since I bought it, it averages 0.75KWH per day set at "59F" (the warmest setting) in a 78 degree kitchen. (so less than $42 a year to run at $0.15 KWH electricity cost). And for those that care about such things, the unit has a Power Factor of 0.93 which is very good...almost looks like a resistive load to the power grid (so very little wasted power).
+ has a basic but nice digital temp control panel and incandescent light pod. Of course if you have a fully stocked unit, the light at the top doesn't help much. Replace the low wattage bulb with a small fluorescent or white LED type if you want to keep the light on all the time (to keep the heat generated from the light down).
+/Temp variance of 3 degrees once the unit is fairly full. Not too bad I think, but would have been improved if they had a small circulation fan. On the good side you can put whites and roses on the bottom shelve as it stays cooler than the setting (thermostat is in the top control panel / so takes the temp form the top/warmest place).
Very stupid: if there is a power outage the thing looses it's memory and the temp goes back to a factory preset ! Whoever heard of a modern day digital appliance not remembering the last setting? Well, they had to cut corners somewhere to keep the price down I guess...
+ Mine was missing the "humidity reservoir" (little plastic container), but a quick fax of my purchase info to Danby and they got me one in no time. So GOOD service from Danby at least on this small issue.
Hope this helps. There are not too many reviews about this model, and very few cooler manufacturers publish the energy consumption, which on mine I was actually able to measure and monitor for this review. Danby did a good job producing a cheaper large cooler with some tradeoffs. The biggest concern would be the noise and the lack of a LOCK.
exubri/Dallas area
(I also posted this review on which has another review of this model as well.)
Buy Danby DWC612BLP 75 Bottle Wine Cooler - Platinum Now
I am pleased with this wine cooler. My collection had grown to the point where I needed somewhere temp regulated to store my wine.
PROS
* As mentioned by others, the unit is very nice looking; especially with the wooden shelves.
* Freestanding with rollers on the back to make it easy to move if needed
* Door is very solid and seals well with the magnetic strip
CONS
* Noisy ... I was planning on putting this unit in the garage anyway but if you are thinking about putting in the house, might want to reconsider.
* The spacing between the rows of bottles is very VERY tight. Couple this with the fact that the shelves do not slide out and you have a difficult time seeing what is on each row. I ended up buying bottle tags.
* I've not had the problem of the temp setting resetting itself on power loss but if that would happen, that would suck.
Read Best Reviews of Danby DWC612BLP 75 Bottle Wine Cooler - Platinum Here
75 Bottle Wine Cooler (Black with Platinum Door Trim) (58 13/15"H x 23 5/8"W x 25 11/16"D)
I bought the Danby Cooler through another retailer in Houston, and got a great deal. It looks nice, has good storage, but is definitely a bargain cooler.
1st) The temperature varies by about + or 5 degrees, for a total fluctuation of 10 degrees! I think this is a non-issue for the average wine, but I think it would likely not be best for real collectors.
2) Noisy compressor.
3) Shelves not easy to slide, etc. Wooden shelves look nice, though.
4) Overall, a great bargain buy.
Want Danby DWC612BLP 75 Bottle Wine Cooler - Platinum Discount?
We've had this unit for almost four years now. It's worked quite well since day 1. We put a temp and humidity recorder in the unit and it's been fairly consistant with temp, and humidity has been averaging about 50%. Not bad for a cooler that really has no humidity control. It's just like a regular refrigerator for noise. No real change noticed with energy usage either.
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I have been shopping for a large upright Wine Cooler for over a year. In order for it to fit into the designated space the footprint had to be small, but the capacity had to be large! The price from Amazon was rock bottom. The shipping schedule was right on time. The freight company called to set up delivery and the cooler was delivered on time. It is high quality, beautiful, and all that I was looking for. My wine is chilled perfectly. My friends and family are filled with compliments...I could not be more pleased with this purchase!
Reading up a bit on the internet, it seems the Whirlpool Side by Side refrigerators have a tendency for the fridge side light and temperature control panel to go out, with this unit being the culprit. (You'll find it in a small white plastic box, near the compressor, in the back of the fridge on the lower left side). Our fridge was a 2005 model, and the equivalent unit was on a white circuit board, with a slightly different arrangement of the capacitors and resistors compared to the picture here. But, this replacement does indeed work and fit in the white box. It is a fairly quick and simple fix, so well-worth just buying the unit and trying it yourself. Here's hoping with the redesign it lasts a little longer than 7 years.
