Customer Reviews

Avanti WDP75 Hot and Cold Water Dispenser

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

While it took a while to get here, my husband agrees with me that the Avanti Hot and Cold Water Dispenser was well worth the wait.

After our old dispenser gave up the ghost after twenty plus years, we looked at each other and said, 'what do we do now?' We tried shopping for another one locally but nobody had what we were looking for and we were, quite frankly, spoiled.

What do we like about the Avanti?

As the poet put it, let me count the ways.

First of all, because of its Energy Saver feature, the Avanti consumes less electricity than our old dispenser which ran constantly. It was also noisy. The Avanti, in contrast, is very quiet.

The Avanti features a neat little safety lock on the hot water faucet, which the old dispenser did not The storage space in the bottom, while it doesn't keep anything cold, is quite handy.

The Avanti's white plastic square design looks clean and nice. Our old brown metal dispenser did not. Also, unlike some of the round dispensers we looked at, the Avanti is not 'tippy'. Since it sits next to the kitchen doorway and a heavy traffic area, this was a real concern.

We also looked at dispensers that pumped from the bottom as well as the reviews and decided they were not for us.

The only CON was a chemical, almost musty, taste in the water for a few weeks after we got the Avanti, but that is now gone.

All in all, we are extremely pleased with the Avanti. It's much, much better than our old dispenser and we definitely give it 5 stars.

After reading the reviews I was not sure what to expect. But we are really happy with the water dispenser. It arrived in very good condition. No water leakage etc. We left it in upright position for 2 hours before the first use, and it worked ever since!
I agree with the previous reviews in all the positive aspects and to our biggest surprise, only the very first cups had the 'burned plastic' taste. After the fist 5 gallon bottle, the taste was completely gone. Thumbs up!

Pro: This water dispenser does exactly what we wanted it to. We turned off the cold and just have two temperatures: room temperature and hot. That allows me to drink endless hot drinks made from bottled water without constantly resorting to the microwave.

Con: There isn't enough height under the dispensers to fit a small pitcher under them for making coffee. That is mildly inconvenient.

I spent a long time trying to find the best water dispenser in this lower-end price range, and I finally decided on the Avanti WDP75. I had two GE water dispensers for 8 years, one was a higher priced stainless model with digital features, mini frig, etc, and the other a white model similar in price and features to this Avanti. So my comparison is against the GE model that sells in Home Depot for about $120.
Pros:
Very Quiet operation.
Energy Star feature: this was important to me, but it's hard to know for sure how much electricity it consumes. I do not use the hot water, so I keep that turned off. The unit shows when the chilling cycle goes on, and it is not constant, so I believe the unit is energy efficient. I was happy that the bottom is not a mini-frig, since that was a waste of electricity, and I found that the refrig area got a musty smell from moisture.
The cold water is a perfectly chilled temperature, not as ice-cold as the $300 digial GE model, and that is a plus for me. The lower priced GE model would freeze up every day, and I would have to turn off the cold, let it defrost, then try again for a few hours before it froze up again. I would never buy that GE model again for that reason, and I am so happy to say that after 2 months of use, the Avanti has never frozen up, and the cold water is a constant temperature all day. That is what I got the dispenser for.
The unit has seperate reservoirs for hot and cold water, so if you turn off either the hot or cold, that side will dispense room temperature water.
The press down area to dispense the water is easy and the water flows very quickly. I read reviews of other models which said it took a long time to fill a cup. That is not the case with this Avanti.
It's a good height and very stable. Some dispensers seemed too low, but this is the standard height, with easy access to use.

Cons:
I followed the directions exactly, and also followed the optional step of using baking soda and water and let it sit overnight. It still had a metallic musty taste. I called Customer Service and they told me to put a half cup of bleach in a gallon of water and flush it through. I did that and it still had a bad taste. It took 3 days and many gallons of water, but it is good now. I wish they could go this before it gets to the customer.
I asked Customer Service if the reservoirs were accessible to clean, and was told no, there is no way to clean the reservoirs except by adding the bleach water to the top and flushing it through.
It's ok looking, but not exactly stylish. But its a water cooler, so ok.
It does not have the feature which punctures the water bottle top. You have to peel off the sticker of the water bottle and push in the plastic center before turning the open 5 gallon bottle upside down into the dispenser. I really do not like this feature, and I don't like the way the water bottle just sits in the top reservoir of water - it doesn't seem stable. The top of the 5 gallon water bottle should be cleaned with alcohol or bleach before inserting, because it literally sits in the water that is being dispensed. Despite all the other good features, I would not have bought this model if I saw this. The other models had a self-puncturing piece as part of a ring that supported the bottle. I thought all dispensers had this.

Compared to the similar priced GE dispenser, the Avanti is MUCH better because of the efficient cooling system. I also like the dispensing buttons and flow much better on the Avanti than the GE. In this price range, this model is fine. If the disadvantages are an issue, then it is necessary to go up in price to something with more features.

Bought this item as a gift for my son's family, so I had a lot of requirements to meet. Product for the price was the best I found. Main concern was safety of my grandchildren due to the hot water feature. Happy to say, with the temperature control and safety latch there has been no problems. Water tastes like it should and not "plastic" as some other brands have had reported. Very pleased with the service Amazon gives.

This is our second Avanti water cooler. The first one we had for over 10 years and the cooling went on it. Loved it and this new one is just as good. It has been udated and looks great in our kitchen. Cold water is available all of the time. We do not use the hot dispenser often so keep it turned off.

This unit works as described and looks nice. My first unit came defective as the hot water tube was broken. Customer service was wonderful and sent me a new one. Since September 2010, this unit worked fine until today, three months later. It started leaking. Found puddle of water on the floor. This unit WAS NEVER moved. I'm trying customer service again but will not purchase another one of this brand.

We have been using this water dispenser for several months now. No mechanical flaws to report. The water dispenses well and tastes as it should. No chemical taste. The hot water comes out nice and hot. If I have a gripe I guess it would be that the cold water is not all that cold. But very happy that the lines are not freezing up.

Great little water cooler. Dispenses both hot and cold water. Energy efficient. Easy to use. Storage space below the bottle for dry goods. Takes up no space, and makes no noise. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Nice looking unit, but quality is bad. Screws sticking out in the back, cold water is not really cold. And there was a nasty taste to the water that we never were able to get rid of, even after rinsing it baking soda per manufacturer's instructions. Returning.