Electactic 37 Bottle Wine Fridge Review: a decent, roomy drinks cooler that does the job without fuss

I’ve been using this Electactic 37-bottle / 145-can fridge for a bit now in my basement TV area, mainly for beer, soda, and a few wine bottles. I’m not a sommelier, I just wanted something that keeps drinks cold, doesn’t roar like a jet, and doesn’t look cheap. This one sits somewhere between a basic mini fridge and a more serious wine cooler, at a price that’s still in the “normal person” range.

The first thing I noticed when I unboxed it is the size: it’s not a tiny dorm fridge, it’s more like a compact cabinet. It’s freestanding, about 32 inches tall, and it slid nicely next to a small bar cart I already had. So if you’re looking for something to tuck under a counter or next to a couch, it’s doable, but you still need to measure your space properly.

In daily use, the main point is simple: it keeps drinks cold and the temperature is easy to control. I’ve mostly run it between 36–40°F for cans and a bit warmer when I stocked more wine. The digital panel on the front is straightforward, and the child lock is handy if you have kids who like to push buttons or open doors just because they can.

It’s not perfect. The wire shelves are a bit annoying with bottles, and it’s not instant-cold when you load it full. But overall, for a home bar, game room, or small restaurant back room, it’s a pretty solid option that does what you expect without turning into a science project.

In terms of value for money, this Electactic fridge is pretty solid. You’re getting 4.5 cu.ft, digital controls, glass door, LED light, and quiet operation for a price that’s usually lower than the big-name brands with similar specs. It’s not the cheapest mini fridge on the market, but you’re also not paying premium wine-cabinet prices. For a home bar, family room, or even a small restaurant needing an extra drink cooler, it hits a nice middle ground.

Compared to a basic dorm-style mini fridge with a solid door and no digital control, you’re paying more, but you get better temperature control, a nicer look, and more usable beverage layout. If you care only about having a cold box hidden in a closet, you can probably save money with something simpler. But if you want to see your drinks through the door, keep wine at a more accurate temperature, and have something that doesn’t look out of place in a living room or office, then the price starts to make sense.

Energy-wise, the annual consumption is listed around 190.5 kWh/year, which is reasonable for a unit this size. Not ultra-high-efficiency, not a power hog either. Run cost per year will depend on your local electricity price, but it’s not going to destroy your bill. Maintenance is simple: wipe it down, occasionally defrost if needed, and don’t block the vents. No filters or complicated parts.

Overall, I’d call the value good, not mind-blowing. You’re paying for a combination of capacity, quietness, and a decent look. If you find it on a small discount, it becomes an even better deal. If you see it priced close to premium brands, I’d start comparing more carefully. But at its usual Amazon range, it’s a fair trade for what you get.

Visually, the design is clean and simple. Black body, glass front, straight lines. It doesn’t scream “cheap dorm fridge”, which I appreciated. I put it in a basement bar area next to a black TV stand and it blends in fine. The glass door is wide enough that you can clearly see all the cans and bottles, which is handy when people are over and keep asking what drinks you have. You just point at the fridge and they choose.

The handle is a simple bar you screw into the door yourself. It feels sturdy enough and doesn’t wiggle once tightened. The door opens and closes smoothly, and the seal looks decent. No issues with it popping back open or anything. One thing to note: it’s a freestanding unit, not a built-in, so it needs some space around it to breathe. I left a couple of inches on each side and at the back, and it hasn’t overheated or anything like that.

Inside, the LED light is a nice touch. It’s not over the top, just bright enough to see what’s inside at night. The wire shelves, though, are where I have mixed feelings. For cans, they’re fine. For bottles standing upright, stuff tends to wobble and slide a bit if you pull the shelf. I ended up storing more bottles on their sides or using the wavy rack. Someone in the reviews mentioned swapping for glass shelves from an old fridge, and I can see why. If you want a perfectly flat surface, you’ll probably think about doing the same.

Overall, the design is practical and fairly neutral. It looks good enough for a living room, office, or kitchen, and doesn’t take over the whole space. Just don’t expect fancy finishes or premium feel. It’s functional, modern enough, and for the price point, that’s about what I expected.

When I say “comfort” here, I mean how easy it is to live with the fridge day after day. Loading it is fairly straightforward, but you’ll probably end up rearranging the shelves a couple of times to find the setup that works for you. If you mainly drink canned beverages, no problem: you can stack a lot in there and still see everything through the glass. If you mix cans, tall bottles, and wine, you’ll have to play with shelf heights a bit.

The door opens wide enough that you can get to the back without smashing your hand on the frame, which sounds basic but some cheaper fridges mess that up. The glass front makes it easy to see when you’re running low on certain drinks, so you don’t have to open the door just to check. That helps a bit with keeping the temperature stable too, because the door stays closed more often.

One thing I liked is the child lock panel. It’s not some heavy mechanical lock, it’s a lock function on the touch controls so kids can’t mess with the temperature or turn it off. If you’ve got curious little ones pressing buttons all the time, this is genuinely useful. It doesn’t stop them from opening the door, but at least they can’t crank it to 61°F by accident. For an office or shared space, it’s also handy so random people don’t play with the settings.

In practice, using this fridge is low effort. You open, grab, close. Shelves slide in and out easily enough, and cleaning is simple: unplug, remove shelves, wipe down. There’s no complicated stuff to manage. The only slight hassle is the manual defrost, but if you keep it in a normal room (not a super humid garage) and don’t abuse it, that’s not something you’ll be doing every month.

From a build quality point of view, this fridge sits right in the middle: not junk, not high-end. The body panels feel solid enough, and it doesn’t flex or rattle when you move it carefully. At around 60 pounds, it has some weight to it, which is actually a good sign in this kind of appliance. I needed a second person to get it out of the box without tipping it on its side, which I’d recommend anyway for the compressor’s sake.

The door seal feels good and closes with a clear, firm contact all around. No obvious gaps, and you can feel a bit of resistance from the gasket when you pull it open, which is what you want. After several weeks of opening and closing it daily, there’s no sign of the door sagging or rubbing weirdly. The handle is still tight and hasn’t loosened up. The hinges don’t squeak or grind.

Inside, the wire shelves are the only part that feel a bit basic. They’re fine structurally, but they flex a bit if you overload a single spot. Nothing scary, but if you stack heavy glass bottles all in one area, you’ll see a slight bend. Spread the weight out and it’s fine. The wavy wine rack holds bottles securely enough and hasn’t warped or anything. The interior plastics (side walls, shelf supports) feel okay, not super thick, but not paper-thin either.

Noise-wise, after a few weeks, the compressor sound stayed consistent. No new rattles, no buzzing. That’s usually a good sign that the internal components are mounted properly. Of course, long-term durability (multi-year) is something that only time will tell, but judging from the build and the number of Amazon reviews with decent ratings, it’s likely to hold up fine if you don’t abuse it and you give it proper ventilation space.

Performance-wise, the cooling is solid, but you need to be a bit patient. When I first set it up, I let it sit upright for about 4–5 hours (standard compressor rule), then plugged it in empty. It got down to the mid-30s°F in a reasonable time. Once I loaded it with a full batch of room-temperature cans and a few wine bottles, it definitely took longer to reach the set temperature. That’s normal, but if you’re expecting ice-cold drinks in an hour after stuffing it full, that’s not happening.

The temperature control is straightforward: touch buttons, digital display, and a range from 32°F to 61°F. I mostly kept it at 37–38°F for beer and soda, and it held that temperature pretty consistently. I checked with a cheap fridge thermometer I had, and the reading was within 1–2°F of what the panel showed, which is perfectly fine for home use. When I bumped it up to around 50–55°F for wine, it adjusted in a reasonable time and stayed stable.

Noise level is honestly one of the strong points. The compressor kicks on with a soft hum, and then it’s just a low background sound. In my basement, I barely notice it. I also tried it in a bedroom for a couple of nights just to see if it would be annoying, and I could sleep with it on without any problem. If you’re very sensitive to noise, you’ll hear it a bit when it cycles, but it’s way quieter than a lot of older mini fridges I’ve used.

In day-to-day use, the fridge just does its job quietly. Doors open and close fine, drinks stay cold, and the glass doesn’t fog up constantly. One thing to keep in mind: like most of these units, when you open the door a lot, it needs time to recover, especially if it’s packed. So for parties, stock it ahead of time and avoid keeping the door open forever while people browse.

On paper, this Electactic fridge is a 4.5 cu.ft freestanding beverage and wine cooler. They advertise up to 37 standard wine bottles or around 145 cans. In real life, those numbers are only true if you’re a bit careful with how you stack and if you mostly use standard-size cans and 750ml bottles. I managed roughly 120 cans plus a few bottles without trying too hard. If you go full Tetris mode, you might reach their numbers, but don’t expect to just toss stuff in randomly and hit 145 cans.

The fridge comes with 4 shelves total: three straight chrome wire shelves and one wavy rack for wine bottles. All of them are removable, and you can slide them into different height positions. That part is actually useful. I ended up removing one shelf so I could stand some tall beer bottles and 2L soda bottles, and then used the wavy shelf for wine. So it’s flexible, but you need five minutes to play with the layout to get it how you like it.

The door is glass with a black frame, and the hinge is on the right side (not reversible on this model, from what I see). Inside, you get LED lighting that’s bright enough to see what’s what without lighting up half the room. The controls are touch buttons on the front panel, with a digital temperature display. Temperature range is 32°F to 61°F, which covers pretty much everything: sodas, beer, white wine, red wine, even some snacks or basic food if you’re not picky.

Out of the box, you get the fridge, shelves, and the handle you have to screw on yourself. No fancy extras. It’s not complicated though: unpack, let it sit upright a few hours (important for the compressor), install the handle, plug it in, set your temperature, and you’re done. If you’re used to basic mini fridges, this is basically that plus a glass door, more capacity, and better temperature control.