Friday, May 6, 2011 Avanti 166 Bottle Wine Cooler - WC681BG (Black) (71"H x 23.5"W x 26.75"D) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought the Avanti because it was one of the cheapest wine fridges on the market at the time (in 2007) for the number of bottles held.I've come to somewhat regret that choice.Before I start with the problems, I will say it is an attractive cellar.The glass door, the lights at the top, and the shelves look nice.The brown-painted metal walls are similar to regular household refrigerators.The engine/fan noise is definitely present, but it is quiet enough that I keep mine in a formal dining room without a problem over dinner.

Now for the problems:

First, the off-gassing is a serious problem.When I first got it, I cleaned the shelves and the inside fridge walls over and over, aired them in the sun, and left piles of baking soda in it.I still felt uncomfortable leaving my higher priced bottles in it, the chemical smell was so strong.The smell lasted 4-5 months!

Second, the shelving slots and the distance between shelves were designed to only fit the smallest shape of all standard (750ml) wine bottles: Bordeaux bottles (Cab/Merlot/Sauvignon Blanc).With anyone other type of wine, the shelves are a pain.If your bottle is slightly fatter, the next one won't fit in the adjacent wooden slot.If the bottle is slightly longer, you can't oppose necks to stagger bottles in the back row.So instead of 11 bottles on shelf, you may only get 7 to 9 and they roll around since they don't sit in the slots.
The bigger problem is the shelves are too close together, so except for Bordeaux bottles, the shelf above your bottles won't slide well, and it scrapes the labels off the bottles beneath it.The worst case is with some Rhone wines (incl. Syrah), Burgundy (Pinot Noir) and Champagne bottles:you have to remove every other shelf to allow enough head room.
All of which dramatically impacts how many bottles you can really hold.In my mixed collection, I can probably store about 100 bottles.

Finally, my compressor quit after 18 months.It was still under warranty but the company will not pay for labor, just the part, and the part is back-ordered for at least a month.To make matters worse, none of our local refrigeration companies want to service Avanti products.We called numerous companies, and they all said it was an "off-brand".Avanti was no help either - they offer no service for the entire states of Georgia and South Carolina.

So, the old lesson lives:you get what you pay for.

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Product Description:
This is the ultimate in wine coolers. This Avanti wine cooler stores up to 166 bottles of winebeautifully. It also has all the great features you'll want when it comes to storing and cooling your collection. Features include the one touch dual function electronic display for monitoring the temperature - this includes settings for red, white and sparkling wine - an auto defrost and an interior built-in fan for additional temperature control. There is an interior cavity LED lighting system, slide-out wooden shelves and a reversible tempered double-glass door with a built in handle. Keep your collection safe with the included security lock.Assembly level/degree of difficulty: No Assembly Required.