I need to buy a free standing wine cooler. Is anyone familiar with the EdgeStar line? Looking at the 173 or the 332 if it will fit into the place we are moving into.Thanks
I think the 166 bottle one looks a lot like Le Cache’s Loft fridge. I wonder who makes it for both of these companies? Darn good prices.
Does anyone out there have this unit? Ready to pull the trigger, but having had the Le Cache big dog, it’s hard finding a smaller unit that I think will do the trick.
I think the Le Cache systems are the way to go, even on the BILD units. However going through Costco entitles you to their customer service which is a big plus. The one thing I will say is that the Le Cache units will almost certainly hold the listed amount of bottles whereas you may not be able to fit some non-Bordeaux bottles efficiently in other manufacturer’s units.
I had a Le Cache and it was amazing. I moved and don’t have the space for one, even the smallest Loft unit. Well, I have space for that, but I don’t want to pay $4k for that size of a unit. So that’s why I’m stuck looking at everything else. This seeeeeems to have all I need, just not a nice as the Le Cache.
Jeb,
Look at all of the pictures for this unit. it looks like there is very little clearance for anything other than bordeaux bottles
Jeb, the BILD 1400 has a similar form factor to that Wine Enthusiast unit and has a bulk top rack that holds large format bottles as well. 170 (actual) bottles and $1700 before shipping/tax. Now that’s certainly more expensive than that $1000 unit and you have to factor in shipping as well, but you’re getting the same cooling unit as the rest of the Le Cache family.
I thought that as well and then I watched the video and there are various types of bottles that all appear to fit. Guess we’ll find out.
Let me know how it is I am ready to buy a unit
I don’t have that large of an EdgeStar, but I do have a smaller 50+ bottle unit. It is reasonably quiet, although the compressor does run pretty regularly. Seal isn’t great and compressor relay blew 18 months in. However, their customer service directed me to their YouTube videos where I was able to self diagnose and replace the broken compressor relay (having no experience in this capacity) with a $5 relay from Amazon.
Despite these issues, I’ve still been happy with the unit given its price. I have the small unit at home and now up to two storage lockers, so looking at maybe getting a larger combo EdgeStar myself (although I think Le Cache or EuroCave would be better quality, with those at least double the price, I don’t think quality/efficiency is of that multiple).
A couple of nice perks are that you get free delivery and that Costco provides their own 2 year warranty. I know someone who had a circuit board go out on theirs and Costco sent a brand new unit and hauled off the old one with no issue.
Paul…
I’m right there with ya. Exactly what I thought too.
“Bartles and James? I drank that in high school!”
Probably buying today or tomorrow, but looks like shipping is 4-6 weeks. I think these had sold out when I look a couple of months ago. It’s not exactly what I want, but for the price delivered and the Costco warranty, it’s a serviceable unit.
hey all, i know it’s been a while on this thread but wanted to see how everything went with the wine enthusiast cooler you got and how it’s working out? I currently have a Allavino CWR-29-2SD Cascina Series but expanding my collection and want to go for something bigger 80+ bottles. Would you recommend the model you bought? are you planning on aging any bottles for over 10 years? Any help and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
thanks!
-Ali A.
After stalling and then seeing the Wine Enthusiast 166 cooler being sold out at Costco, I fiiiiiinally made the purchase a few weeks ago. Costco was definitely the way to go. $899 delivered. Here are my quick impressions.
Pros:
-Capacity is excellent. The way I loaded the unit was to alternative bottle size per shelf. So one shelf would have mostly Bordeaux bottles, then the shelf below would have burgundy bottles. Seeing that the shelves are wire, the do give a little, so but alternating, it’s really reduced shelf rub with the bottles below.
-Temperature is very consistent. I have a digital thermometer hanging inside the unit and it reads about 0.8°-1.5° cooler than what is displayed on the unit. That’s fine by me. I’m just happy to see a consistent temp.
-The unit is very sleek and seems quite well assembled. Nothing lose, or cheap feeling anywhere.
Cons:
-Digital display is VERY bright at night. No function to adjust brightness. So I bought some tint sheets off of Amazon and placed them over the top of the display. I actually like the look of this because the sheets cover the display and buttons, so it makes the unit look a little more sleek.
-The motor is sliiiiiightly loud upon cycling on, but then quiets down. I live in a one bedroom apt and the unit is in between my kitchen and living room, so when I’m sitting on my couch I’m only a few feet from it. So of course it’s going to seem louder than if this was in my basement or some other room.
-No function to lock the door.
-Interior light is basically useless because the top row of bottles block light from getting through.
So far I’m extremely pleased with the unit. If it can function as designed, I think it’s an excellent value at $899 delivered.
