Electric Cooler Cabinet 50L Review: quiet cigar fridge with a few annoying quirks

I’ve been using this 50L electronic cigar cabinet for a few weeks now, and I’ll be honest: I bought it mainly because it was cheaper than the big-name brands and I wanted something that could sit in the living room without looking ugly. The listing is confusing, it mentions red wine, cigars, different sizes, and a generic brand, so I went in knowing it was probably a Chinese OEM unit with a random label slapped on it. I wasn’t expecting miracles, just something that keeps my cigars in a stable range without me babysitting it every day.

In day-to-day use, the main thing I can say is that it does keep temperature and humidity roughly where it should, but it’s not perfect and you have to fiddle a bit at the start. Out of the box, the cabinet smelled strongly of new appliance plastic mixed with cedar, and the humidity reading on the display didn’t match my own hygrometer at all. So the first couple of days were basically calibration and airing time, not really plug-and-play.

Compared to my old simple wooden desktop humidor with Boveda packs, this feels more like a small fridge that happens to store cigars. You get precise numbers on the display, a compressor-style or Peltier cooling system (the spec talks about dual-core and air cooling), and a lockable glass door. On paper it sounds pretty solid for the price. In practice, it’s fine, but you need to know what you’re doing and you can’t blindly trust the factory settings or the internal gauge.

If you’re hoping for a premium-feeling cigar cabinet that impresses everyone who walks into the room, this isn’t it. If you want a functional, mostly stable environment for a couple of hundred cigars and you’re okay with a generic brand and some minor quirks, then it actually gets the job done. I’ll break down what worked for me and what annoyed me, so you can see if it fits your expectations or if you should save for a better-known brand.

On the value for money side, this cabinet sits in an interesting spot. It’s clearly cheaper than big-name cigar cabinets from brands like Klarstein, NewAir, or specialized humidor makers. At the same time, it costs more than doing a DIY plastic bin (tupperdor) with Boveda packs or buying a couple of mid-range wooden desktop humidors. So you’re paying a mid-level price for a product that gives you active temperature and humidity control, but from a generic brand with minimal support.

What you actually get for the price is: a 50L capacity, Spanish cedar interior, active cooling, active humidification and dehumidification, a quiet compressor/Peltier system, a glass door with lock, and a digital display. If you compare that to some branded units, you’re saving money but giving up things like better fit and finish, more accurate factory calibration, nicer controls, and a known warranty. For me, the main value is having my cigars in a stable environment year-round without constantly swapping packs or worrying about summer heat waves.

On the downside, you need to budget a bit extra for your own hygrometers and maybe some backup humidification, because I wouldn’t rely 100% on the built-in system. Also, the "300 cigars" claim is optimistic. If you have a lot of big ring gauge cigars or like to keep full boxes inside, you’ll hit the real limit much sooner. So in terms of pure storage per euro or dollar, it’s not as good as a plain wooden cabinet or a coolerdor, but you’re paying for the active climate control.

Overall, I’d say the value is pretty solid if you’re realistic: it’s a budget-friendly way to move into the world of electronic cigar storage. There’s better out there if you’re ready to pay more, and there are cheaper DIY options if you don’t care about active cooling. But for someone who wants a plug-in cabinet that looks decent in a living room and keeps cigars in a safe range without too much hassle, the price-to-features ratio makes sense.

Design-wise, this thing is basically a small black appliance with a glass front, closer to a wine fridge than a classic cigar humidor. The door is made of three-layer tempered glass, slightly tinted, with a black frame and a simple handle. I actually like that it doesn’t scream "cigar shrine"; it blends with other kitchen or living room gear. The downside is that it still looks a bit like a generic office mini-fridge, so if you’re into old-school wooden boxes, this won’t scratch that itch.

The LED display and touch buttons are at the top edge, easy to reach even when the unit is on the floor. The display is bright enough to read during the day but not so bright it lights up the room at night, which I appreciate. Inside, the LED strip light gives a neutral white light that lets you see labels and wrappers clearly. It’s not adjustable, though: it’s either on or off, no dimming or color options. The shelves slide out partway and the cedar drawer pulls out fully, which is handy for reorganizing cigars without removing the whole shelf.

In terms of layout, you get a decent mix of flat shelves and a drawer, all in Spanish cedar. There’s enough clearance to stand some cigars upright in boxes or lay them flat. However, if you plan to store tall boxes or odd-shaped packaging, you might have to remove a shelf or stack things less neatly. The air duct with honeycomb holes is at the back, and you can feel a gentle airflow when it’s running. It’s not aggressive, so it doesn’t dry out the cigars too fast, but it also means recovery after opening the door is not instant.

What I didn’t like is the slightly plasticky feel of the outer shell. The body is steel, but the finish and edges feel a bit cheap when you tap or touch them. Also, the door alignment on mine was very slightly off—nothing dramatic, but you can see a tiny gap difference between the top and bottom. It still seals fine, but it reminds you this is a generic Chinese cabinet, not a high-end unit. Overall, the design is practical and neutral. It’s not ugly, it’s not stylish, it’s just there and it works.

The materials are a mix of good where it matters and cheap where it doesn’t. Inside, the shelves and drawer are 100% Spanish cedar, and the inner liner is also cedar-covered. That’s the important part for cigar storage, and it’s actually pretty decent. The cedar has a clear, pleasant smell once you air it out a bit. It does what cedar should do: it helps buffer moisture, absorbs some of the excess humidity, and adds that typical humidor aroma that cigar people like.

The outer shell is steel with a painted finish. It feels sturdy enough, but it doesn’t have that thick, premium feel. If you knock on the side, you get a hollow sound, not a solid insulated wall like on a high-end fridge. The door is where they clearly spent more effort: the three-layer tempered glass feels solid and has some weight to it. That helps with insulation and also with blocking some UV light. The seal around the door is rubber, and on my unit it sits tight all around, no obvious leaks. Over a couple of weeks, I didn’t see big swings that would suggest the seal was failing.

Inside the cabinet, the cedar shelves are smooth but not perfectly finished. I found a couple of tiny rough spots on the edges that I lightly sanded with a fine pad, just to avoid snagging cellophane. Nothing dramatic, but again, it reminds you this is not a luxury product. The drawer slides fine, but it’s wood-on-wood, no rails, so it’s not super smooth when it’s fully loaded with cigars. The LED strip and the plastic parts around the fan and duct are pretty standard cheap appliance plastic.

Overall, material quality is acceptable for the price. The important pieces—the cedar and the glass—are good enough to do their job. The rest feels budget but not fragile. If you’re used to heavy wooden cabinets with thick walls and perfect joinery, this will feel like a step down. If you’re coming from a basic desktop humidor or plastic tupperdor, this will feel like a step up in both structure and internal atmosphere.

I’ve only had the cabinet for a few weeks, so I can’t pretend I know how it will behave in three years. But I can talk about what feels solid and what worries me a bit. Structurally, the box itself is fine. The metal body doesn’t flex, the glass door is firm on its hinges, and the rubber seal hasn’t shown any signs of loosening. The unit survived transport without damage, so that’s already a decent sign. The cedar shelves don’t warp or bend with a normal cigar load, and they still slide in and out without binding.

The parts I’m less confident about are the electronics and the humidification system. The control panel and display look like typical low-cost components. They work, but you can tell they’re not high-end. I’ve had other generic Chinese appliances where the buttons started acting up after a year or two, so I wouldn’t be shocked if that happened here down the line. Same for the internal fan and the humidification pump or module: they’re probably fine for a while, but I doubt they’re built for a decade of non-stop use.

One thing I did to help longevity was to place the cabinet in a well-ventilated spot, away from direct sunlight and not pressed right against a wall. These small cooling units don’t like heat build-up at the back. I also avoid setting the temperature too low; I keep it at 18°C instead of pushing it to 11–12°C, to reduce strain. If you treat it more like a delicate electronic device than a heavy-duty fridge, it will probably last longer.

So, in terms of durability, I’d rate it as acceptable but unproven. Nothing feels like it’s about to break right now, but the generic brand, the basic components, and the lack of a known warranty network don’t inspire total confidence. If you want something you’ll pass on to your grandkids, look elsewhere. If you’re okay with a unit that might realistically last a few years and you’re saving money upfront, then the trade-off makes sense.

Let’s talk about the main point: does it keep your cigars in a good range? In my case, mostly yes, but only after some tweaking. The unit claims an adjustable temperature of 11–22°C (52–72°F) and humidity between 60–80%. I set mine to 18°C and 70% and then left two separate digital hygrometers inside, one on the top shelf and one in the drawer. The cabinet’s own display was reading 70%, but my hygrometers were closer to 65% at the top and 67% in the drawer for the first few days.

After about a week of running, with some distilled water in the internal reservoir and a couple of Boveda packs added for safety, the readings evened out. I now see roughly 1–3% difference between the cabinet display and my independent gauges. Temperature is more accurate: the unit shows 18°C, and my sensors read between 17.5 and 18.5°C depending on where I place them. That’s perfectly fine for home use. The honeycomb air duct does spread the air fairly evenly; I didn’t see big hot or cold spots, just small normal variations.

The humidor has independent humidification and dehumidification, controlled by an "intelligent algorithm" according to the specs. In practice, what you notice is that when humidity creeps above your set point (for example after adding fresh cigars), the unit dries the air a bit and slowly brings it back down. When it drops, the humidifier kicks in. It’s not lightning fast, but it’s steady. Opening the door for 30 seconds drops humidity by 5–10% and raises the temperature a bit, and it usually takes 15–30 minutes to recover, depending on room conditions.

Noise-wise, it’s pretty quiet. The spec says under 35 dB, and subjectively I’d say that’s accurate. It’s quieter than my kitchen fridge and about on par with a small PC fan on low speed. At night in a quiet room you can hear a faint hum when the cooling or humidifying kicks in, but it didn’t bother me. Power consumption also seems modest; I didn’t measure it exactly, but my energy meter showed a small, steady draw, not big peaks. Overall, performance is solid for the price, as long as you verify the readings and don’t rely only on the built-in display.

Out of the box, the presentation is basic. The unit comes in a plain cardboard box with foam corners, plastic wrap around the cabinet, and a small manual that reads like a direct translation from Chinese. Nothing fancy, but everything was intact and there were no dents or broken glass. For a glass-door cabinet, that was my main worry. The manual covers the basics: how to set temperature and humidity, how to lock the door, and a few vague tips on ideal cigar conditions.

The listing talks about three sizes (35L, 50L, 70L). Mine is the 50L / 300-count version, with dimensions roughly 43 x 48 x 51 cm. In reality, that 300-count claim is optimistic unless you smoke only corona-sized sticks and stack them like Tetris. I’d say it’s comfortable for around 150–200 mixed-size cigars if you like some spacing and don’t want to crush anything. The interior has Spanish cedar shelves and a drawer, plus LED lighting along the top that gives a decent view without being too bright.

The control panel is at the top front, with a small digital LED display showing temperature and humidity. You set the values with up/down buttons. It’s straightforward but not very refined; the buttons feel a bit cheap and there’s a slight delay when you press them. Still, within five minutes I had my target set to 18°C and 70% humidity. There’s also a basic key lock at the side of the door; it’s more to keep kids or curious guests out than serious security. It doesn’t feel like a safe, just a deterrent.

Overall, the presentation matches the price: no-frills but functional. If you’re expecting premium packaging, branded documentation, or extras like a separate hygrometer or seasoning kit, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want a cabinet that arrives in one piece and turns on without drama, it does that. You’ll just need to bring your own calibration tools and maybe ignore the marketing numbers on capacity.