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Gadget grump
15 Nov 2008 14:41I'm sure that at least 1% of you will give a damn . . . but as it has put me in a hacked-off mood, I'll rant here in public. That's what blogs are for, right?
<rant>
As our Real Life™ associates know, Bonnie and I are fans of wine (in the sense of "oenophile," not "wino"). Since we don't belong to the Moneyed Classes and can't afford a house with a wine cellar, we saved up our pennies and bought a climate-controlled wine cabinet in November 2001. This was modest – a mere 110 bottles in capacity – but well-built, and worked perfectly until May 2007, when the cooling unit abruptly expired. As anybody who has ever owned a display fridge knows, 5.5 years is neither great nor lousy mileage for the cooler in a box that sacrifices a thick insulated door for a thin glass pane. We ordered a replacement cooling unit and were back in business the same week.
This week, though, the new cooling unit is reading 20°C when it's supposed to be at 14°C. That's not good. Fortunately, the cabinet has very good seals, and the internal temperature is still in the safe zone. Unfortunately, it means that our replacement cooling unit has expired after a piddly 1.5 years. That's crummy whatever way you slice it. Naturally, we had a one-year warranty . . . so I guess another full-price replacement is in order.
Anyway, for those in the market for such things, be aware that the original Vintage Keeper-branded cooling unit is a workhorse, but that the Drobot-brand "Nuvo" units sold to replace these aren't so hot. Actually, they aren't so cool, which is the problem. I'd ask for alternatives, but the warranty on the cabinet itself requires us to use this lousy cooling unit. So take it as a friendly product alert.
</rant>
<rant>
As our Real Life™ associates know, Bonnie and I are fans of wine (in the sense of "oenophile," not "wino"). Since we don't belong to the Moneyed Classes and can't afford a house with a wine cellar, we saved up our pennies and bought a climate-controlled wine cabinet in November 2001. This was modest – a mere 110 bottles in capacity – but well-built, and worked perfectly until May 2007, when the cooling unit abruptly expired. As anybody who has ever owned a display fridge knows, 5.5 years is neither great nor lousy mileage for the cooler in a box that sacrifices a thick insulated door for a thin glass pane. We ordered a replacement cooling unit and were back in business the same week.
This week, though, the new cooling unit is reading 20°C when it's supposed to be at 14°C. That's not good. Fortunately, the cabinet has very good seals, and the internal temperature is still in the safe zone. Unfortunately, it means that our replacement cooling unit has expired after a piddly 1.5 years. That's crummy whatever way you slice it. Naturally, we had a one-year warranty . . . so I guess another full-price replacement is in order.
Anyway, for those in the market for such things, be aware that the original Vintage Keeper-branded cooling unit is a workhorse, but that the Drobot-brand "Nuvo" units sold to replace these aren't so hot. Actually, they aren't so cool, which is the problem. I'd ask for alternatives, but the warranty on the cabinet itself requires us to use this lousy cooling unit. So take it as a friendly product alert.
</rant>
