Haier HBCN05FVS 4.0 cu. ft. Beverage Center, Black

Having read the reviews about the lowest temperature this gets to, I was skeptical, but decided to buy this one anyway. Mostly because of the price and the fact that it fit almost perfectly in the space where the old one was.Although this is NOT meant for built in spaces, I had a planned workaround. Anyway, my first tests were with the fridge in the middle of an 80F room with plenty of air circulation and no direct sun. Note that this unit does not have a condenser fan (the fan on the back of most larger refrigerators). Instead, the coils are behind the side panels, so they do get very warm. Anyway, because there is no fan, you should not use it built in.So how did it do? I used a temperature logging device with my laptop and a power meter. On the maximum setting, it cycles on for 30-45 minutes and then off for about 30 minutes. It uses about 80 watts when on (0 watts when off, unless you have the LED's on so maybe a watt) and the temperature ranged from 35F to 45F with a median temperature of 41 (that's what a can of beer or soda would be at any given time because of its thermal mass).80 watts seemed like a lot of energy for such a small unit, but since Amazon doesn't provide energy data for these, there's no way to compare.Just for grins, I tried putting the unit in the cabinets (with 1/2" side clearance, 2" on top and 4" in the back) with no modifications. While it did cool about as well as in the open, it ran almost continuously, turning off only for about 5 minutes every 2 hours. That would be a huge energy hog so what I did was put a ~5" diameter muffin fan in the side of the cabinet such that it drew cool air from an adjacent area (the drawer section) and exhausted it into the area where the fridge is. Since the only openings were towards the front, that gave good circulation all around. I had an old Sears Craftsman power switch that I wasn't using (the kind normally used to turn on an accessory when a tool is turned on) that now turns the fan on whenever it senses the fridge is running. The added fan draws 10 watts, but it keeps the fridge from running constantly so it will save electricity. In fact, it may actually may run less than when it was in the open because of the added air circulation.I find the unit is quiet (sorry don't have a decibel meter), but it is in the family room where the TV is and is not objectionable. Even when it was out in the open and not in the cabinet, it wasn't too loud.I wish it was more energy efficient, but considering the price it is a good buy.UPDATE 8-9-12:I found that having the blue LED lights on affects the temperature inside. That's because the power supply for the LED is in a section of the housing where the thermostat is. If you have the lights on all the time, they generate a small amount of heat which makes the thermostat think the whole fridge is warmer. Thus it will run longer and get the inside about 5 degrees colder. This could explain why some people say the temperature inside is too warm. If you want to get it colder, try turning ON the blue LEDs!I lowered my initial rating from 4 to 3 stars because of poor Haier customer service. I needed to get a new plastic plug that covers the hole in the door left from reversing the hinges (it was jammed in so tight and it is soft plastic so it got mashed up when I tried to remove it). The manufacturer basically said too bad, you have to buy a new one! This is for a part that couldn't cost more than a quarter.

My beverage center arrived quickly and we were quite eager to get it up and running as my husband always takes too much space in the fridge with his bottled water, soda pop and beer. Just as advertised, it holds a lot of stuff! The honeymoon ended quickly though, when we found that we could not get the temp to go below 49 degrees, which is pretty tepid for any cold beverage and absolutely unacceptable for beer. We tried everything, reread instructions, etc. You can only set it on a dial, there no indication of what the temp actually is...so we bought a thermometer and got the bad news that despite being on the coldest setting possible, we weren't getting below 49-50, which according to the thermometer we bought is actually in the "danger" zone of letting bacteria breed. So, we call the manufacturer who says that we should have know it is a "cooler" not a fridge and will only keep beverages 20 degrees cooler than the ambient temp in the house. What a crock!!!!!!So, we're stuck with a piece of equip that barely cools things down.I suggest anyone interested in purchasing these things, now matter the price, be well informed between the differences of cooler and refrigerator. I have learned an expensive lesson.

If you are going to buy, be aware: I bought it from Super Bargain and it took 5 weeks+ to come in. I took the measurements from Amazon and gave to my cabinet builder and he built a spot in the island for it. When it arrived, it was 1" wider. Also, it was 3/4" taller due to door plate cover on top. You can see this in the picture. I had to cut and rebuild my new cabinet myself to correct. It works fine, but keep it set to the middle on temp; if set to coldest setting you can hear a humming noise that never seems to stop. Other than these issues, works as it should.

Make sure to let you unit sit for a day before plugging it in. This will give the oil a chance to work its way back down to the compressor where it belongs. The heat dissipation coils on this unit are on the sides. Having said that keep this area clear for airflow. I have mine freestanding and can get the internal temperature to get down to 30 degrees. I have had no problems with the unit except for the following:1. There is a slight amount of dust that I can not clean because it is in between the panes of glass for the door.2. The Wire racks could have been slightly larger gauge wire.

Seems to work pretty good so far, only had it for about a month. I knew about the prior complaints of how it doesn't get cold enough, so I went ahead and turned the internal screw a few turns. I put a digital thermometer inside the unit and it averages between 42-46F degrees. I have it next to my TV in the living room and it does make noise, but not so loud that it's annoying. The other beverage cooler (different brand Edgestar) only lasted 1 1/2 years, so hopefully this will last for a while....

The appliance is exactly what was advertised and we like the way it works. Note to shoppers: My wife and I wanted the clear door because we thought it would look spiffy and would be handy for people to see their choices before opening the door. It does look nice when empty or when stocked with an orderly row of wine bottles. Neither of those situations prevails at our house and now we are wishing we had not gotten the glass door so it is not so obvious how cluttered the inside is.

My previous beverage cooler was a Haier and it lasted over 10 years. I only considered this brand because of the longevity of the first one. It does make some noises but nothing that I would consider to be an annoyance. It keeps the beverages cold and is deep enough to lay down wine bottles. I have no complaints.

Fridge is fine but two glass shelves inside had the plastic around them broken when I opened it the first time. I have tried twice to get someone with the company to respond with no reply. Disappointing!!