I am looking to buy a used Le Cache cabinet (or similar style wine cabinet) and have come across a few on Craigslist. I was dead set on one until I heard it in person. The one I saw was a Vinotheque 150 with a WhisperKool 2300. I have a great spot in my living room where I planned to place it, but damn that unit was loud. No way would that work only a few feet from my sofa. I realize there are quieter cooler units than the WhisperKool, such as the CellarPro 1800 QTL, but will a Le Cache unit with a quieter unit be that much quieter than the Vinotheque I just saw?
I found a Le Cache cabinet that appears to be in great shape and is only a couple hours drive away. It is a pretty old (purchased in 2000) and the seller is uncertain of the model cooler. The seller mentioned the unit is pretty audible and while he keeps it in his living room, he said with the noise it might be best tucked away in a back room. At the price the seller is asking, I was thinking I would buy the unit and replace the cooler with a CellarPro 1800 QTL if it was too loud. My fear is that even after buying a new cooler, I may not be happy with the noise level.
Are refrigerator style units quieter than cabinet style? Should I wait for the Artevino to go on sale and Costco and just buy that instead?
I can’t compare to the other units, but I have a LeCache 2400 with an 1800 QTL cooling unit. It’s not horribly loud, but I don’t know if I’d use the word “quiet.” It’s definitely louder than my built-in refrigerator/freezer. I can hear it in other rooms on the first floor, but not so loudly that I notice it if I’m not listening for it. I don’t know. This stuff is so subjective, it’s impossible for me to say if it’s too loud or not. But I personally would probably not want it in a room I spend a lot of time in.
No help with LeCache. I am a Eurocave owner. Have a pair of admittedly older models now - one 10 years old and one 6 years old now. Even these older models are pretty quiet but I know the newer ones are even more quiet. Good luck in your search.
I have owned at various times a Le Cache, a Eurocave, and a Vinotemp. Vintage of each is from approximately 10 years ago. Of the three, the Vinotemp (fridge style) was the loudest, followed by the Le Cache (cabinet style), and the Eurocave (fridge style) is nearly silent. As such, I don’t think that you can simplify to fridge vs. cabinet style. If I were doing it again, I would look for the Eurocave style thermo-electric cooling units.