AW-280E NewAir 28 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler

I've owned this fridge for six months now, and for the price, it's performed reasonably well--so far. When you add together the price and the shipping rates, you probably won't be able to find a cheaper thermoelectric wine fridge with this storage capacity. (I think about the non-vibrating feature of thermoelectric fridges an important requirement for cellaring wine long term.) However, there's some positive deficiencies and four massive query mark about long-term performance.

As my wine collection has grown, I have purchased several wine fridges from different manufacturers. Of the six wine fridges I now own, this four has the cheapest look and feel. Yes, it looks pretty from a distance, but when you get up close, you notice that every element of its construction seems a little (and sometimes a lot) flimsier than my other fridges. For example, the material used for the inside walls of this fridge looks and feels like very narrow plastic that could easily crack or be punctured. (The plastic liner seems comparable in weight and thickness to the narrow plastic that is often used for packagaing little electronics accessories like headphones or video cables.) This plastic inside wall liner will probably hold up fine if treated gently, but it seems like a clue to overall quality.

With gentle and careful use, you can probably avoid problems with the flimsy physical construction of this fridge; however, the thing that worries me most about this fridge is the long-term endurance of the thermoelectric cooling device. This fridge sits side-by-side with another fridge I own that was made by another manufacturer and has exactly the same storage capacity. Compared to the other manufacturer's fridge, the AW fridge's cooling device kicks on and runs more often and longer--probably over four time as long--to maintain the same temperature. With the temp set at 55 degrees, this fridge's cooling method runs very non-stop, never shutting off for over a few minutes before kicking back on for another long stretch, and that is what makes me worry about long term durability. Because of my concern about the cooling device walking constantly, I have raised the temp setting from 55 to 58 degrees, and that seems to help , but this thermoelectric fridge's cooling device still runs much more often and much longer with the setting at 58 degrees than my other same-size thermoelectric fridge does at 55. It only makes sense that the more often the cooling device kicks on, and the longer it runs, the shorter will be its working lifespan.

Similarly, the chrome trays that hold the bottles are a little thinner, lighter, and flimsier than those in my other wine fridges. Speaking of the trays, with a tray loaded with bottles, you are supposed to be able to pull it out a few inches to get easier access to the bottles as well as a better view of the label. But the trays on this fridge do not slide smoothly four time they are loaded with wine. In lieu, they snag and get hung up. In fact, I worry that the force necessary to unstick and pull out a tray with bottles on it either might cause the bottles to come flying out on onto the floor or might tear the narrow plastic that lines the inside walls of the fridge. So to receive a tray out safely, you must remove the bottles first, which defeats the purpose of having trays that are supposed to slide partway out for easier viewing and access.

Four last word to the wise: For those who are beginning to appreciate the pleasures and advantages of cellaring your own wine, perhaps it makes sense to buy a little cheap "starter" unit until you can pick whether your wine bug is a temporary infection, a manageable disease, or a lifelong obsession. But before doing as I did--buying a second, and then a third, and then a fourth little fridge--consider taking the funds you'd spend on a bunch of little fridges and in lieu putting those dollars in to the cost of four higher quality, higher capacity unit that will solve your wine-storage needs over the long haul. Better yet, find 25 or 30 cubic feet of space under the stairs or in a closet of your house, wall it off, put in racks, insulate it, and buy a cooling unit to refrigerate it, to make your own mini-cellar where you can easily store several hundred bottles.

The Bottom Line: This fridge seems like a fair deal for the price, but if I had it to do over, I think I'd be better off in the long haul spending a little more for a probably more durable fridge of the same size (which you can find on sale for not that much more), or putting the funds in to a much larger fridge or cellaring method that would better satisfy both present and future wine storage needs.