If you can assemble furniture, you can do this. Make sure all fasteners are aligned and engaged before tightening. Look for weaknesses in the sealing design and caulk/seal the assembly. I used sealing tape around the compressor hole and added some ducting to separate compressor in and out airflow. Perhaps because of the ducting, the unit is quiet and unobtrusive in the kitchen.
By Amateur wine collector
from Boston MA
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
8/21/2009
So far so good
4.0
Pros
Precise Temperature
Attractive Design
Quiet
Adjustable Shelving
Cons
Lights are lame
Best Uses
Basement
I have only had this unit a month but so far I'm satisfied with it. Not as difficult to assemble as others have said but perhaps they have improved it over time. I had problems with some of the screws lining up but eventually got them all in. I am not a very handy guy and put this together alone in a couple of hours. I read the other reviews about the caulking and went out and purchased a tube of clear sealant for outdoor use. I suggest you do the same. I put it together with the supplied allen wrench and wish I had bought a better wrench with a handle. I have since picked up an allen wrench set that has all of the common sizes that fold out of a handle. Since this is made in China, I assume it's metric.
By Mr AH 2U
from Glendale, CA
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
8/21/2009
Don't Waste Your Money!
1.0
Pros
Cons
Not energy efficient
Loud
Unattractive Design
Best Uses
Tool Cabinet in Garage
You have to be Atlas and an engineer to put this thing together. Parts mislabeled and very heavy. Cannot hear TV over the noise. Power bill up [$] per month since installation. Spend the extra $ and get a quality, quiet, energy efficient pro unit.
By Wine KO
from Seattle
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
7/26/2009
Good device[...]
4.0
Pros
Precise Temperature
Attractive Design
Cons
Best Uses
Bar
This devices is well designed for the price. Comparing it to some $3000 models. The cooler works well, it does run frequently, however a good portion of the time it is running to circulate air, and the compressor does not run all the time. It is pretty simple to assemble, it does take more then an hour and two people to install the cooling unit, but it is not hard to assemble. You dont have to use all shelves. Even if you do use all shelves there is room for larger bottles, the bottom of the fridge has lots of room for the larger bottles. The shelves do not slide out, this can be a problem as the shelves are made to have bottles two deep. The LED lights are cheap magnetic AAA battery lights. There is a plug on the cooler to add your own lighting though. If you have a lot of larger bottles at least with this unit you can remove some shelves unlike some more expensive models.
By Cork Dork
from Atlanta GA
About Me Connoisseur
7/01/2009
Not as good as stated.
3.0
Pros
Adjustable Shelving
Attractive Design
Cons
Difficult assembly
Loud
Best Uses
Basement storage
Assembly time is definitely overstated-took nearly 3 hours by myself. Some difficulty in insuring all cam locks are locked. Actual bottle storage is more like 190 bottles, not 220. Good looking unit for the price. I usse this as my second storage frig, with a more decorative unit in my wine bar.
By Marcel
from Biloxi, MS
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
6/12/2009
Poor Workmanship
3.0
Pros
Precise Temperature
Quiet
Cons
Poor workmanship
Best Uses
A nice unit, but came with several molding pieces haphazardly glued with one piece completely fallen off. Looked like little care was taken to put the door together.
By HB Flyer
from Hilton Head, SC
About Me Wine collector, Cork Dork, Bargain Hunter
3/28/2009
(1 of 1 customer found this review helpful)
Excellent Long Term/Low Cost Storage
4.0
Pros
Holds Bottles Securely
Attractive Design
Good Capacity
Efficient Use of Space
Cons
Difficult To Assemble
Best Uses
Wine Cellar Storage
While the unit will take longer to assemble than advertised, I would fully recommend and endorse this BYO unit. This unit has deep shelves,so take advantage by placing bottles behind the racked ones. You'll pick up your storage count. We use it for medium to longer term storage, so we will have, 4 to 12 packs of a given wine. by placing bottles behind each other we get the max value for the investment. Our unit is away from the general living area so we're not able to comment on noise, although our time picking or storing wine has never had anyone comment that the unit is noisey. As far as stability, it's only top heavy when empty, something we don't have to worry about.
By Warren
from Crystal Lake, IL
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
1/27/2009
(1 of 1 customer found this review helpful)
Not as advertised.
2.0
Pros
Attractive Design
Adjustable Shelving
Cons
Difficult to assemble
Poor instructions
Loud
Too Small
Best Uses
Finished bsmnt fam room
[...]. Drivers very helpful and unloaded to my specifications. Fit of the components was at times very questionable. I had to leave out several screws in assembling the product. [...] The capacity of the product is FAR short of advertised (170 vs. 220)
By Sleeprdoc
from Allentown, PA
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
1/04/2009
Attractive but difficult to assemble
3.0
Pros
Best bang for your buck
Adjustable Shelving
Attractive Design
Cons
Top heavy
Poor assembly directions
Difficult assembly
Best Uses
Bar
This piece is very attractive and a great value, I just wish it would have come assembled. The directions were absolutely AWFUL and the pictures were extremely small and difficult to see. Somehow my husband and I managed to get it put together, but it took us over 3 hours. In other words, don't believe the product description that it will take an hour to assemble...it's simply not true! Also, the unit is very top heavy and will need to be secured to the wall if young children are around.
By Sammy Jankis
from Cape Cod MA
About Me Practical, Bargain Hunter
11/28/2008
(1 of 1 customer found this review helpful)
Perfect for my application!
4.0
Pros
Easy To Assemble
Sturdy
Cons
Best Uses
Wine Cellar Storage
Commercial Use
I agree with other comments regarding caulking and the lights, before even taking it out of the box I bought caulking and LED under counter light kit at local [...]. Easy to install lights and put them just where you want them.
By wine drinker
from Portland, Oregon
About Me Practical
7/09/2008
cooling unit runs constantly
3.0
Pros
Good Capacity
Holds Bottles Securely
Efficient Use of Space
Attractive Design
Cons
Hold constant temp better
Damages Labels
Best Uses
Wine Cellar Storage
This is the second "kit" I've purchased. The cooling unit on this one runs all the time. I have a 500+ unit that holds a constant temp and the cooling unit rarely turns on. My guess is this unit is not as well insulated making the cooling unit work harder.
By Jake
from Sigourney, Iowa
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
6/27/2008
(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)
Entry level best for basement
2.0
Pros
Adjustable Shelving
Cons
Loud
Best Uses
Commercial Use
Basement or remote area
Restaurant
Bar
Panel fasteners did not always thread correctly and made assembly frustrating. The cooling unit was oversized, noisy, and cycles too frequently. If maximally filled, the most bottles would be about 175, and this would leave some tilted up rather than flat. I was not satisfied (mostly because of noise), as my wife wanted a cabinet for use in our dining room. WineEnthusiast credited my money back, and I will purchase another of their Peltier based solid state (thermoelectric) cooling units instead.
By Stan
from Wichita, Kansas
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
6/24/2008
Very Good Wine Storage Unit
4.0
Pros
Attractive Design
Precise Temperature
Energy Efficient
Quiet
Adjustable Shelving
Cons
Best Uses
Bar
This is a very competitively priced wine storage unit for the price. It did take longer to assemble than the advertising implied. I did not like the fasteners that were used, and I hope that a better design is forthcoming. But, once the unit was assembled, it worked perfectly and I was happy to have my wines in place. The new cooling unit is much better than what the old design has in it. I will know more as the unit does it's job in the future.
By Bubba
from Scottsdale, AZ
About Me Aspiring Enthusiast
3/29/2008
(1 of 1 customer found this review helpful)
Outstanding!
4.0
Pros
Energy Efficient
Attractive Design
Quiet
Cons
Can Not Adjust Shelving
Best Uses
In our great room
We purchased our unit in early 2000 and it has run like a charm. Can't tell any increase in utilities for the unit. We keep it stocked to the max. Just now is the cooling unit starting to falter, but it's easy to replace for small dollars.