Subcold Cave60 Review: a compact drinks fridge that’s cold, quiet and mostly hassle-free

I’ve been using the Subcold Cave60 LED Glass Door Drinks Fridge for a few weeks now in a spare room that doubles as a little gaming / TV space. I wanted something mainly for beers and soft drinks, with the odd bottle of wine, without spending silly money. On paper this one looked decent: 60L, roughly 54 cans, glass door, black finish, compressor cooling and not too noisy according to the specs and reviews.

In practice, it does pretty much what you’d hope a small drinks fridge would do: it gets drinks properly cold and doesn’t sound like a jet engine. I’ve had it running 24/7 and it hasn’t struggled, even when I loaded it up before a weekend with friends. The temperature feels more like a real fridge than those weak “coolers” that barely drop a few degrees below room temperature.

It’s not perfect though. The build feels more “appliance from China” than premium bar gear, the door material is plastic around the glass, and you can tell they saved money on a few details like the interior light and wire shelves. It’s fine, but nothing about it feels high-end. For the price, that’s not shocking, but worth saying clearly.

Overall, if you just want a compact drinks fridge that chills reliably and you’re not obsessed with fancy features or smart controls, this is a pretty solid option. If you’re picky about finishes, internal layout, or want long warranty and smart stuff, you might find it a bit basic. I’ll break down what worked for me and what annoyed me a bit.

For me, the value question comes down to three things: how cold it gets, how annoying it is to live with, and whether it feels fairly built for the price. On those points, the Cave60 does fairly well. You get proper compressor cooling, a decent 60L capacity, low-ish noise, and a clean design that doesn’t look cheap from across the room. For a secondary drinks fridge for a bedroom, office, or man cave, that’s pretty much what most people want.

It’s not overloaded with features, and that’s where you feel the price point. There’s no digital temperature display, no smart controls, no fancy multi-colour lighting, and the internal layout is basic. The materials are mostly plastic and wire, not metal and glass everywhere. The light isn’t strong and, based on one of the Amazon reviews, might not be the most durable component. For the money, I’d call it good value but not a bargain of the century. It does what it promises, but doesn’t go beyond that.

Compared to cheaper thermoelectric coolers I’ve tried in the past, this is a clear step up in actual cooling performance. Those weaker units often just take the edge off room temperature, while this one reaches the kind of cold you expect from a kitchen fridge. That alone makes it worth paying a bit more, in my opinion, if you actually care about properly cold beer or soft drinks. On the flip side, if you only need mild cooling for occasional use and don’t care if drinks are very cold, you could probably save money with a simpler unit.

So in value terms: solid middle ground. You’re paying for reliable cooling and a decent size, not for fancy looks or features. If that matches what you need, the price makes sense. If you want premium build, longer warranty, or more flexible shelving, you might want to look at slightly more expensive bar fridges from other brands.

Design-wise, the Cave60 is pretty low-key, which I actually liked. It’s all black – interior and exterior – with a glass front door. The finish is matte, so it doesn’t scream for attention or show fingerprints too badly. In a bedroom, office, or man cave it blends in nicely instead of looking like a cheap white dorm fridge. The black interior also makes the drinks stand out a bit when the LED is on, even if the light itself is nothing special.

The glass door is the main visual feature. The frame is plastic, not metal, so it doesn’t feel premium, but it looks fine from a normal distance. The door is reversible, which is handy if your room layout changes or if you want it to open the other way against a wall. Changing the hinge isn’t rocket science, but you do need a screwdriver and a bit of patience. Once set up, the door on mine seals properly; I haven’t had issues with condensation or a loose feel.

Inside, the design is purely functional. Two wire shelves that you can move up or down, plus the base. No fancy bottle cradles, no sliding drawer, no dedicated wine rack. If you mostly use cans, it works well. If you’re trying to fit taller beer bottles or several wine bottles, you’ll need to remove a shelf or accept a slightly awkward layout. The black LED light at the top is soft and not very bright; it’s enough to see what’s inside in a dim room, but don’t expect a bar display look.

Overall, the design is clean and discreet. It’s not ugly, but it’s not stylish in a luxury way either. For the price, I think the look is decent: it doesn’t cheapen the room, and the glass door is practical because you can see stock levels without opening it. If you’re picky about materials and want brushed steel or thick metal trims, this will feel a bit basic. If you just want a tidy black mini fridge that doesn’t look childish, it does the job.

When you actually live with this fridge, a few small comfort details matter more than the spec sheet. The first one is noise, and here it’s pretty good. As I said earlier, the compressor has a low hum when it’s running, but it’s not intrusive. I’ve had it in a spare room that I also use to work and watch TV, and it hasn’t bothered me. Compared to some older mini fridges I’ve had that buzz constantly, this one is a relief. If you’re putting it in a bedroom, I’d keep it a couple of meters away from the bed, but it’s not the kind of noise that drives you mad.

Next is the internal layout. With 2 adjustable wire shelves and a small door shelf, you can tweak things a bit, but it’s still a compact fridge. For cans, it’s easy: stack them in rows, fill the shelves, and you’re done. For bottles, especially wine or 500 ml beer bottles, you need to remove or lower a shelf. Laying wine bottles flat on the bottom works, but it’s not a perfect system – there’s no dedicated groove or holder. So if you’re a big wine person, this is more of a secondary storage than a serious wine fridge.

The manual temperature control is simple but usable. You open the door, turn the dial, and that’s it. No menu, no beeps, no Wi-Fi. For me, that’s fine. I prefer something I can set once and forget. The only slight downside is that if you’re picky about exact temps, you’re basically going by feel. Also, being freezerless means it’s all usable space for drinks, which I actually like. No useless tiny icebox that just frosts up and wastes room.

Day to day, it’s easy to clean. The shelves pull out, the interior is smooth, and with manual defrost you just turn it off and wipe if you ever get ice build-up (I haven’t had much yet). The soft LED light is handy when grabbing a drink in a dim room, though I wouldn’t rely on it as room lighting obviously. Overall, living with it is pretty straightforward: stock it, forget it, and grab cold drinks when you want. No real learning curve.

Durability is always hard to judge after only a few weeks, but I can at least talk about build quality and a couple of small things I’ve noticed. Out of the box, the cabinet feels solid enough. The walls don’t flex much, the door closes with a clear seal, and the hinges don’t feel wobbly. The appliance is made in China, which is pretty standard in this price range. It doesn’t feel like heavy-duty bar equipment, but it’s not flimsy toy-level either.

The parts that feel the cheapest are the wire shelves and the interior light. The shelves do the job but they’re basic, and if you put a lot of weight on one edge you can see a tiny bit of flex. Nothing dramatic, just don’t treat them like industrial racking. The LED light works, but looking at other user reviews, at least one person had the light fail after two days. Mine is still fine, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it was one of the first things to go over time. The fridge will still work without it, so it’s more of an annoyance than a disaster.

The door gasket (the rubber seal) is OK so far. It seals properly around the frame, and I haven’t seen any issues with it coming loose. The reversible door option does mean you’ll be unscrewing and re-screwing the hinges if you want to swap sides, so I’d do that once and then leave it. Constantly messing with the hinges is never a good idea for long-term durability on any fridge, not just this one.

There’s a 1-year manufacturer warranty, which is decent but not super generous. For a small drinks fridge at this price, that’s pretty standard. Overall, my impression is: it feels good enough for regular home use, not something I’d abuse in a busy bar every night. If you look after it, don’t slam the door, and don’t overload the shelves with heavy glass bottles, it should hold up. Just don’t expect premium materials or a tank-like build.

This is the part that matters the most: does it actually keep drinks cold? In short, yes. The Cave60 uses a compressor cooling system, and you can feel the difference compared to those cheap thermoelectric coolers. On a medium-high setting, cans come out properly cold, the way you’d expect from a normal kitchen fridge. I loaded it with about 40 cans and a few bottles at room temperature, and after a few hours they were nicely chilled. It’s not instant, but it’s absolutely fine for daily use and small parties if you plan ahead a bit.

The temperature dial is basic – just a numbered wheel, no digital readout. I ended up doing the usual trial and error: start around the middle, then tweak up or down depending on how cold the drinks feel. If you’re the sort of person who wants exactly 4°C, you’ll need a separate fridge thermometer. Personally, I just care that my beer feels cold, and it delivers on that. It also seems to hold the temperature consistently; I haven’t noticed warm spots or big swings when the compressor cycles.

On noise, it’s pretty quiet for a compressor mini fridge. You do hear the compressor kick in with a low hum, but in a bedroom or office it fades into the background. Compared to an older mini fridge I had, this one is noticeably less annoying. I wouldn’t put it right next to my head if I was a very light sleeper, but on the other side of the room it’s fine. In a man cave or living room, you’ll forget it’s there most of the time.

Energy-wise, the spec says around 80 kWh per year, which is reasonable for a 60L compressor fridge. It’s not a power hog. I’ve had it running non-stop and haven’t seen any scary jump on the electricity bill. So from a performance point of view: cools well, stays consistent, and the noise level is acceptable. No fancy modes, no fast-chill feature, but for normal home use it gets the job done without drama.

Out of the box, the Subcold Cave60 is very straightforward. You get the fridge, two wire racks, a small door shelf, the manual, and a key for the lock. That’s it. No fancy accessories, no extra bottle holders, nothing complicated. It arrived well packed with foam and plastic all around, so no dents or scratches on mine. At around 17 kg, it’s light enough to move on your own, but you’ll still want to be a bit careful lifting it onto a counter or table.

The size is pretty compact: about 45 cm deep, 45 cm wide and 63 cm high. For context, it fits under a desk or on a sturdy sideboard without taking over the whole room. Capacity-wise, the brand says about 54 cans and that’s roughly accurate if you stack them sensibly. Once you start mixing cans, 500 ml bottles and wine bottles, you’ll spend a few minutes playing Tetris with the shelves to get the layout you want.

The inside is simple: black interior, two adjustable wire shelves and a narrow bottom space where I slide in bottles lying down. There’s also a small door shelf that works for a couple of small bottles or cans, but it’s not deep enough to rely on for heavy storage. The cooling is compressor-based, not thermoelectric, which is important because it actually gets down to proper fridge temps. There’s a manual temperature dial inside, so no digital display, no exact degrees shown – you just pick a level and adjust by feel.

So in terms of presentation, it’s very much a no-nonsense mini fridge. Main point: it’s built to chill drinks, not to impress anyone with features. If you expect a bar-style display fridge with fancy controls and adjustable LED colours, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want a compact black box with a glass door that cools well, this is roughly what you’re getting.