19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good price, decent construction, April 15, 2008
This review is from: Haier HVF042BBG 42-Bottle Capacity Wine Cellar, Black (Kitchen)
This unit has a reasonably large capacity and is priced well compared to others of this size. The construction is decent, but by no means would I consider it chef/gourmet quality. It's nice to look at and reasonably attractive, but does not boast some of the fancy stainless steel doors or outer shell as you can see. It has a bit more of a minimalist look, which may be what you're looking for if you'd like it to blend in a bit. We have it sitting in our dining room next to our dark wood hutch/china cabinet and it looks great.
The construction is decent, but you'll notice that it uses a fair amount of plastic where a nicer unit might use steel, and the shelves are all chrome wire. The top surface is plastic, but can be used to hold whatever chotchkies you have, such as flowers or a decorative what not. The glass in the door seems to be of pretty good quality and is dual paned for efficiency, and also has a bit of a tint to it. It has the standard refrigerator coils on the back of it, albeit not quite as large and substantial as a full sized fridge; but this does mean that it cannot sit completely flush against the wall at the back. It needs probably 2-3 inches of room behind it.
The lock on the door is little more than a joke really. It basically uses a star pattern type of key that is really not a key. Any teenager that can hold a screw driver could make quick work of it, so don't expect security here. Rather it seems useful for keeping toddlers (or anyone under 12) from getting into it.
The shelves themselves are quite sturdy, however they do not pull out so you have to either remember where you put your bottle, or pull each one out individually searching for the one you want. There is a light at the top that you can turn on and off via a switch on the front (outside) control panel. The light looks nice, however does not light up much past the first row when it is full.
The control panel also has a red LCD readout of the temperature and two buttons labeled "white/-" and "red/+". You can simply push one or the other to set it to a preset white/red temp, or you can put it into a manual mode where you can use the -/+ to set the temp exactly. The red temp seems to hold within 5 degrees (according to the readout), somewhere around 55-59 (haven't used the white). The unit is reasonably quiet - you can hear the fan kick on periodically, but it is much quieter than your average full size refrigerator.
Overall I think it's a great unit for the price. If you are looking for a high capacity, minimalist, decent quality, functional wine cellar at a reasonable price I think you'll be very happy with it - I am!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy as a wino, March 31, 2008
This review is from: Haier HVF042BBG 42-Bottle Capacity Wine Cellar, Black (Kitchen)
Easy to put together, quiet, and nice looking, what else can you ask for? Oh yeah, its inexpensive as well. Very happy. The only thing is that while it can fit 42 bottles, its a tight fit.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Inadequate packaging, December 15, 2008
This review is from: Haier HVF042BBG 42-Bottle Capacity Wine Cellar, Black (Kitchen)
This wine cooler weighing 103 lbs. comes with very poor protective packing. Our original and one replacement order was delivered with a broken door on both occasions. I can't believe that Amazon would ship this product with only the original manufacturer's packing which is not designed for the rough handling of third party shipping. Amazon refused to send a second replacement after promising that they would do so. It took a second call to Amazon to even find out that the product was not being shipped and that a refund had not been issued. Do not buy this worthwhile product through Amazon unless they promise to adequately repackage it to avoid breakage.
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