Avanti 16-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler - EWC16B

Avanti 16-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler - EWC16B
Product Description of Avanti 16-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler - EWC16B
Energy efficient silent thermoelectric non-compressor system with auto-defrostSolid components and no vibration bottle sediment is not disturbedAdjustable thermostat for ideal temperature controlReversible thermopane glass door with recessed handleSlide-out chrome shelves each holds four 2-liter bottles (not included)Soft interior light with on/off switch17" W x 20 1/4" H x 19" D weighs 32 lbs.

Review of Avanti 16-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler - EWC16B

Overall this is a nice looking product and well thought out. North Americans tend to drink wine at a slightly higher temperature than is ideal, I guess because our room temperature is 5 or 6 degrees higher than in Europe.

I have had this cooler for almost a year. Right now, this unit is working like a charm but it has gone through periods of making a strange whining noise - probably the fan as I think that is the only moving part.

Also, it has a potent plastic smell when opened. I suppose I should have washed it thoroughly before using but gee who wants to do that. They should wash it before packing it if that would get rid of the odour.
Its an OK product

Moderately Priced Decent Quality - NewAir AW-180E Thermoelectric Wine Cooler

I ordered NewAir AW-180E Thermoelectric Wine Cooler unit after trying to replace a 12 Bottle Avanti that worked for 2 years and then got extremely noisy and lost approximately 4 degrees of cooling capacity. I needed to replace it and after ordering an identical replacement that was on back order for a few weeks I gave up and ordered this one. The good news is that it shipped in one day and arrived in two. (We live in CA and it was shipped from Santa Anna, CA.) Because it is wider than the Avanti, but otherwise basically similar footprint, it has a higher capacity. As other reviewers have mentioned, you won't be able to get wide bottles to fit 3 to a shelf so if you have wide Burgundy type bottles capacity will come down. However, you can easily flip over a shelf and then the wide bottles fit perfectly albeit 2 to a shelf, so it will reduce capacity but you can play with this to make it have anywhere from 12 to 18 bottles depending on the type. The unit cooled down within two hours. On mine, the temperature gauge is off by six degrees. If you set it at 50 degrees (the coolest setting) the actual temperature will drop to 56 or so. I have a Radio Shack Thermometer/Hydrometer which I believe is more accurate than the gauge on this unit. I suspect other like units will perform exactly the same way. Also, like my old Avanti, this unit seems to cool to 20 to 21 degrees below ambient temperature. I haven't had this one during warmer weather, but it is a characteristic of all these units that they are greatly effected by Ambient Temperature. Most of the Instruction booklets say this. Though it seemss like one could switch the side from which the door opens easily, the temperature gauge and handle screw holes were oriented permanently to open from the left side. This is not a big deal but worth noting. I suspect they might make these opening from the right but I don't think Amazon offers.

Finally, I can't yet comment on how long this unit will last. But I think my previous experience with these units is valid. Expect 1 to 2 years. The units are very susceptible to dust so keep the fans clean and the exhaust vents clean. Don't expect to age wine in them. Useful to keep wine in house that came out of cellar or to chill newly bought wine.