Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

OK – Here’s the scoop – If you need a BUILT IN appliance, and want TWO zones, this one does the job very well.

The Good :
Extremely nice looking unit. No one fails to comment about it’s good looks when they see it.
2 zones of operation – easy to set up and start using – acceptable temperature control
Built IN operation. ( fans are necessary )
Not too loud. It’s a real compressor – but an efficient one, the loudest operation is the pop of the starter as the compressor is started.*

The Bad :
The interior light is not very useful ( except as mood lighting ) =)
No control panel lock *

Now the details –
The unit can be used as a stand alone or as a built in appliance. I can understand those that have mentioned noise as an issue depending on the use.
*This has a real compressor, and a fan that operates independently of the compressor. If you are keen to these noises, you will notice them, however – as an appliance, it is quiet overall, and does what it’s supposed to, while maintaining EXTREMELY good looks. If you build this under your counters the noise of it running are negligible, with the occasional small pop of a compressor starter being the only thing that is real noticeable.
If your intentions are to use this as a standalone – consider a unit that is therm o-electric. ( No moving parts ) There are other considerations when going that path, outside the scope of this review, so read up if you’d rather have something that is essentially solid-state.

Once up and running – the set temperatures for each side do seem to wander quite a bit, BUT – and this is BIG… as you fill the cooler, the temperature stabilizes greatly. The shelves are nice – they do not extend very far and you do have to move more than just the bottle you are looking for many times to get it out, but I am OK with this – as I prefer the smaller overall size of the unit.

The operation of the controls are straight forward. You press an arrow pointing towards the zone you want to change repeatedly to cycle through the available temperature range.

The interior light is sort of a joke. It makes the interior of the unit glow blue and if you have some bottles already in the unit, the light is quickly bounced around and useless to read labels by. It is however, a nice blue glow, if you like that sort of thing.

* Our installation has it UNDER the counter. This is great for our layout, and everyone – and I mean everyone that comes in, remarks on the cooler. Our complaint – as the home owner, is that the units control surface – CAN’T BE LOCKED. Don’t confuse this with the doors. The Doors Can Be Locked !

This is the control surface where temperature, interior light and unit power are controlled. It is right at the top edge of the unit and typically where your fingers are when you are at the counter. Other body parts have changed settings as well if you are leaning against the counter edge. This is ANNOYING. Thankfully ( maybe ) there is an audible chime when a control setting is changed, you will simply be amazed at how often it happens in an under counter installation.

OVERALL – this unit does what it’s supposed to, in an extremely attractive package – and the manufacturer is also very nice to contact. ( Fahrenheit – Celsius display change – remember that control surface lock issue? )

Very noisy wine cooler. I like the design and duel temp zones. doesn’t hold the temp you set by a degree or so, not a big issue but if you need a quite fridge, I would shop a box store in your area ( and listen to it) because Edgestar will not do anything about it. They told me all fridge’s make noise. when I said my Bosch fridge is whisper quiet, they had no response. I have since learned that a thermoelectric cooler is the way to go, it’s whisper quiet compared to a normal compressor. This is a very expensive mistake. I would not recommend it.

I’ve now been using this wine fridge for about 4 months. I like the seperate doors, so you don’t have to open the whole thing to get to just one side. The capacity is good for the size of the unit, and the bottle trays are easy to slide for the middle bottle. Overall it is a well-designed unit for both under counter and free-standing.

The only problem I notice is that the temperatures seem to vary quite a bit. I have it set for 65 and 45. I have seen the 65 side range from 62-68 and the 45 side vary from 42-49. This seems like a pretty wide range for the unit, even when nobody is opening the doors for a week or more. With finer wines that are more sensitive to the small fluctuations, this might be a problem. For my selection of mid and slightly upper bottles, I think it’s probably ok.

The other thing I would like to see in this unit is better lights. The lights at the top get blocked by the top row of bottles. The lighting should be arranged to show each row.

So overall, I like the design of the unit, it’s easy to use and looks good. But there are a few little functional issues that should be brought up to par.

Will boil water very quickly, and the control dial facilitates quick settings. However, this model shares the design "feature" of the other 220v models currently available. It concentrates heat in a "ring" inside the pan, causing burns and charring at high heat. It also pulses on lower settings, meaning that the minimum wattage is 1300, and so this is not ideal for simmering or other low heat applications. For my purposes, it works well, since it sits in the section of my Dacor cooktop previous occupied by a 2200 watt electric burner. It acts as a "pasta station" as well as a quick way to bring water to a boil, before transferring to one of the gas burners for simmering or other cooking techniques requiring the fine control available with natural gas.

Other pluses are that it looks good and cleans easily. A minus is that it does not include a timer function, which I found useful on a Max Burton model I tried. I’ll post a picture of my setup when I get a chance or if anyone is interested.

Bought this product after the Max Burton 3000-Watt burner I purchased started producing large amounts of burnt, white electrical smoke out of the back (Returned to Amazon without issue). The primary reason I purchased this product is for home brewing and safely bringing 6.5 gallons of liquid to a boil for 60-75 minutes. It works very well and is able to raise that much liquid from ~150 degrees F to boil in about 18 minutes. My only complaint – and this pertains to all of the induction burners I’ve seen – is that the temperature setting options are not inclusive of temperatures I use. For example, 212 degrees and 165 degrees are not options. Thusly, the power setting needs to be used to come as close as possible to the desired temperature. Notwithstanding, I do recommend this induction burner for bringing large amounts of water to a boil and maintaining a nice temperature after.

My device arrived dead, but Sonpentown fixed it immediately and paid for one-way – pickup. I was impressed by their customer-friendly and highly knowledgeable service. They have an 800# which also helps. Go to their website for details.

The hob (an older word for cook-top) is made in Taiwan, as just one of the firm’s many energy saving appliances.

Note: cooks will need a cheap timer when using the hob for high heat. It has no internal timer. This is seldom a problem for me: Usually, in conjunction with a food program, I just zap a large pot to bring up the temperature, then set to simmer. Works well with 5-6 gallons of food for some dishes.

For simmering (custards, sauces,…) try the temperature dial. Usually, no double boiler is needed.

The hob will keep the contents within a few degrees of one of the following temps:
{ 90, 107.5, 125, 142.5, 160, 177.5, 195, 212.5, 230, 247.5, 265, 282.5, 300, 317.5, 335. 352.5, 370, 387.5, 405. 422.5, 440 }

For the lower range, sous-vide is immediately available without any further devices — agitators, stirrers, thermometers, …

The energy efficiency of this kind of device is terrific. Transfer of energy to food can be as much as 80%, almost as much as a microwave.
While gas is about three times cheaper per unit energy, only with advanced burner technology can gas equal the COST-effectiveness of induction hobs.
In summer, the cost of electricity for removing the lost heat from gas or resistance/radiative electric can make induction 5 to 10 times cheaper.

Of course, this does not matter much for occasional cooks, A microwave and a good toaster oven is usually enough for these.

The astounding feature of this hob is that it will boil a pint of water in under 10 seconds.
One of my neighbors recommended this unit to me. She is a single mother of 5 kids who works cleaning local apartments. This is not a high wage job, so she works extra hours and can’t afford even partly pre-prepared food. She bought this hob as a rare indulgence since it allows her to prepare big meals rapidly… and coolly.

This is a high-powered commercial instrument. Even a hobbyist gourmet is better off with a smaller unit. It requires 20 amps of 220 volts, and thus an expensive visit from an electrician.

However, for a surprisingly wide range of special users, in addition to commercial caterers and kitchens, it can be almost miraculous.