Customer Reviews

Haier HVFO60ABL 60-Bottle Wine Cellar, with Slide-Out Racks

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

 

 

I have had this wine fridge for about six months and it's worked exactly as I hoped--which means it just sits there innocuously keeping my wine chilled to a temperature more amenable to long-term aging than the 76-80 degrees that is the usual ambient temperature of my apartment.

Although I had some initial qualms because the manufacturer was not familiar to me, this fridge proved to be very appealing right out of the box and has held up well since then. The strong points of this unit include: reasonably handsome appearance (including the smoked PLEXIGLASS door); study shelves that won't scuff labels; digital temperature readout; internal light; and quiet performance (virtually silent most of the time, except when it kicks in to lower the temperature, as when the door has just been opened).

Although I have no serious complaints, it's important to note that the quoted 60-bottle capacity represents a maximum theoretical capacity that could probably only be achieved by removing all the shelves (and to do so in order to cram 60 bottles in would impede air flow, which is important to maintain cool temperatures). In point of fact, there are 9 standard-sized shelves, each with five notches suitable for holding a standard 750ml bottle of wine. In addition, there is space to stack two more bottles on top of the five in the very top rack, plus 1 additional odd-sized bottom shelf, and some space on the "floor" of the unit to hold magnums, etc. Thus, 55 to 56 bottles is a more realistic statement of capacity.

Also, the built-in lock is basically just an allen wrench socket, which means a determined teenager will have no trouble getting at your Clos Vougeout! It will keep out an inquisitive child, though.

If you love wine and have the space, I'd encourage you to buy the biggest Haier unit you can afford... even if you don't have the 60 (or 56) bottles now, it's a remarkably convenient excuse to buy new wine to fill it!

When I told my friends about buying a wine cellar, one of them said I was silly. A portable cellar is not ideal for long term storage because the humidity is not controlled. Having said that, if you still want to use a portable wine cellar for long term storage, then please read on.

Before I bought this product from Amazon.com, I checked out the 2 reviews available for this product, and its sister product, the Designer Series one. One user gave this 5 stars, and one gave one star. So, I wasn't sure whether this was a good buy. I decided to take a chance anyway. This turns out to be an excellent purchase. The unit is beautiful and very easy to set up. One negative review said that the temperature fluctuated. Actually, it took about a day to stabilize. I have a calibrated digital thermometer inside right now, and it's at the exact temperature that I had set a day earlier.

The unit itself performed flawless. It is a bit noisy when the compressor kicks in to cool the temperature once in a long while. However, it is barely noticeable unless you are right next to it. The quoted capacity of 60 bottles is a bit of an exaggeration. In theory, you could fit 60 bottles in there. There are 9 standard shelves with 5 notches for 5 bottles of wine side-by-side. On each standard shelf, there is also an additional notch going width-wise across the cellar for the sixth bottle on each shelf. So, theoretically, 54 bottles can fit along the 9 standard shelves. There are also 2 half-shelves that can take 3 standard bottles each. The botton half-shelf can up to 2 magnums. However, I had some bottles that are slightly longer than standard bottles, those pretty much rendered the notch for the sixth bottle on each standard shelf useless. So, for me, the actually capacity is closer to 56 to 58 bottles.

If you store both red and white wines, the unit can hold both with ease. The unit, even with the temperature set to a certain range, will be colder toward the bottom, and warmer toward the top. The difference can be up to 10F. So, you can easily set your cellar to 50F, and have the top shelves be about 54 to 56F, and the bottom shelves be about 45F or so.

The lock, however, as one of the reviewers suggested, is just a simple allen wrench. Since I don't have kids, I don't even bother locking it.

In short, this unit is a great buy, because for the price, it does exactly what it says it will do: 1) display your wine with class and elegance; 2) store your wine within the recommended temperatures and keep them out of the temperature variation in the regular household; 3) do so with relatively low price; and 4) is very versatile for storing all types of wines. This wine cellar will meet or surpass any expectation you might have about it.

Like one of the other reviewers, I would suggest getting the biggest cellar you can fit nicely into your house. You'll fill it up very fast.

We so looked forward to our "60-Bottle Wine Cellar, with Slide-Out Racks". Unfortunately, it was delivered damaged but Amazon.com was great about sending out a new one quickly, etc. No problem with Amazon.com. The problem is that the racks do not "slide-out" as Haier claims. If you lift the back of the rack out of a groove the rack can be lifted out - careful if you have 5 wine bottles on there! No "easy access" as it says in the product description. Haier should be honest and call them "adjustable racks" like in a regular refrigerator. We called Haier and they said their "gliding" racks come out on a track. But who knew to look for "gliding" instead of "sliding"? So if you don't need racks that slide out on a track so you can see the bottles towards the back of each rack, then you'll probably be happy with this unit. We aren't.

I spent a long time online trying to find something to store my wine in. I live in an area (SF bay area) that has pretty cool winters, but summers can get very hot, and in an apartment without AC, I was worried that my wine would get messed up if I didn't get something to put it in. There are several different avenues one can go down when searching for wine storage. If you have a lot of wine (like 15 cases or more), renting temperature controlled storage makes sense. Also, if you have a house or are pretty well settled in, then some of the other wine storage cellars with capacities in the 150-200 bottle range start to make a lot of sense. (For example, check out the Sub-Zero units - wow!). That said, those larger units are *expensive*, and if you want something to keep a smaller number of bottles in, or move often, then such an option makes little sense. This is where the Haier 60 bottle cellar comes in. It's not tiny, but in a pinch (and hopefully with a friend) you can definitely move it. It holds enough wine that most collectors starting out won't feel like they run out of room too fast. It's quiet - a bit louder than a cube type dorm fridge, but not as loud as a full size fridge. It holds it's temperature fine, with an easy to read digital LED indicator. Best of all, the price, just shy of $500, is definitely something to be happy about. Kudos to Amazon for adding shipping for just $9!!! I had the fridge delivered to my door, and wheeled into the room where I put it, for a fraction of what you would spend from another retailer for a much smaller fridge. Pretty amazing. I've now had the Haier for about 3 months, and so far no complaints - no frost, fogging, rattling, failures, etc. If you're thinking of a mid size fridge to store your wine, and don't want to spend a ton of money, this is an excellent choice!

Already had the 20 bottle Haier, but my collection outgrew it. Attractive, affordable and fairly quiet. Had some difficulty adjusting the temperature to where I wanted it, but once I got it set it has done a good job of maintaining it--the temperature within a particular region only varies by 2-3 degrees.

However, the temperature from top to bottom vaires by 8-10 degrees. Not a problem--according to Wine Spectator, 50-60 degree range is acceptable for storing red wines (in my case vintage ports). A slightly higher or lower temperature just means the wine matures faster or slower (but don't get too far out of this range, which the Haier can prevent). I have 4 thermometers in mine, spread from top to bottom. The top varies from 59-62 and the bottom 51-53. The other two thermometers show the middle region maintaining a temperature of 53-57 degrees. The bottles I plan to drink within 10-15 years of the vintage year are on the top two shelves, the rest lower.

NOTE: This unit should not be used in an area where the temperature may excede 80F. It will still cool, but not as well and will run more frequently.

BOTTOM LINE: I will probably by another unit of this model or a larger Haier when my collection grows enough to need it.

This unit may work fine but it arrived in non-working condition. It had no power when plugged in. Haier was called and service person came out but could not get response from Haier. No call backs, no nothing. Haier parts and repair service is not satifactory. Unit is still unrepaired and will be returned after a month of trying to get part and response.

I bought this cellar over a year ago. You can't beat the price and delivery from Amazon.

Note from the other reviews - you can fit 6 bottles per shelf. 5 fit in a row front to back (it also helps to alternate each bottle in a different direction, not all my bottles are the same size). The 6th will fit length wise in front - also nice for showing the label through the glass door.

9 shelves x 6 bottles = 54. There is a shelf below the last standard shelf that fits 3 more bottles. And space below that for 2 or 3 bottles (I have one 1.5L + one bottle on the very bottom.) I then gently place 2 bottles on the very top rack, above the 6 bottles. This will give you a total of 60 to 62 bottles, without removing any shelves to keep the cooling constant.

The compressor can be noisy, but once at your set temp, it doesn't activate that much.

... this is the cellar! Especially if you are looking for a basic model to hold your growing wine collection. This model has standard features, nothing fancy: double-lined plastic? door (outer convex door is plastic, not sure about the inside door); basic shelves (I wouldn't slide them out, though); adjustable temperature (mine seems to run 2-3 degrees cooler than it's programmed for) that is easy to read. And it works just fine.

If you are on a budget, have limited space or are just looking for a basic temp-controlled, convenient place to keep your best wines, you can't go wrong with this. I haven't seen other 60-btl. chillers in this price range.

If you're thinking about getting a smaller model, consider upgrading to this 60-bottle unit. Your wines will add up quickly and, for the slightly extra cost and height, you'll be glad you have the storage available. My friends thought it was too much for me to get a 60-btl chiller (and I live in FL where temp control IS NEEDED), but they've come around as the cooler's become fuller. And a couple of wine novices are now interested in getting a cellar for their homes.

It should be said -- as one of the reviewers below noted -- the compressor is not silent. You'll hear it kicking in. So don't get this one if you are looking for a quiet deluxe chiller.

Last note: kudos to Amazon for including this item with my Free SuperSavers shipping options! Not having to schlep the big box home from the store and up the stairs was worth it!!

Good Luck !

I took it out of the box, plugged it in and 10 minutes later it made a really loud continuous high pitch sound. Called Haier; finally got a guy to come out and he said we needed a new compressor! I wish I would have got it at Bestbuy so I could have returned it. I wouldn't recommend buying this on Amazon.

This wine cooler is great - lots of space and we really like the LED readout. It has a nice look to it. The temperature seems to stay fairly stable at what we set it to, however when the unit does turn on, it is LOUD. Sounds like a wind tunnel. The owner's manual indicated that it could sound like "boiling water". It's louder than boiling water, believe me! We can hear it in our family room one room away. Thankfully, once the temperature gets back to the preset temp, it becomes quiet again. It is louder than our large regular fridge in the kitchen.

Also, it's advertised as a 60 bottle cooler - but we only count enough space for 55 bottles.

Even though it is not a dual-zone cooler, it pretty much functions as one with the upper shelves being about 5 degrees warmer and the lower shelves 5 degrees cooler. We keep the reds at the top and the whites/sparkling ones at the bottom.

Other than the noise, we like the cooler and it functions well. Looking at other reviews on the Internet for similar coolers from this manufacturer, it seems the noise factor is something mentioned by more than one individual.