This small wine fridge by Kalamera will hold around 24-30 bottles of wine at proper temperature, – within 40 – 66 Fahrenheit, in one temperature zone – protected from sunlight and food odors.
It is an elegant, modern appliance that won’t take up too much space in your home. The 15″ width is a perfect fit for under the counter installation. So if you can’t wait to replace your old, ugly-looking trash compactor then consider getting the Kalamera 30 bottle wine refrigerator.
See all the specs and details, including pros and cons, below!
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Quick Overview
Kalamera 30-Bottle Wine Refrigerator (KRC-30SZB)
Capacity: cc. 30 bottles (750 ml, Bordeaux style)
Model: KRC-30SZB/KRC-99SS
Cooling Type: Low-Noise Compressor with dual fan-circulated air-cooling
Zones: Single Temperature Zone, 40°F – 66°F (5°C – 18.8°C).
Placement: Built-In/Freestanding (15 ” width)
Dimensions: H: 33.9″ W: 14.9″ D: 22.4″
Place Of Manufacture: China (in accordance with U. S. ETL/UL standards).
Price: cc. 510 – 600 USD
Pros
Stable, even temperature
Stylish, sharp look
Fairly quiet operation (less than 42 dBA)
Door lock with 2 keys
Temperature memory feature
Cons
Shelving is a bit too tight to accommodate 30 bottles
Table Of Contents
- Placement
- Dimensions
- Price & Warranty
- About The Manufacturer
- Compare To Similar Units
- Summary – Who Is It Best For?
A Good-Looking Storage For Your Wines
The Kalamera 30-bottle wine fridge will not only preserve your wines’ quality it’s also an extremely attractive appliance.
Quality, See-Through Glass Door With Lock
The dual layer, tempered glass door boasts elegant stainless steel framing and air ventilation plate on the bottom. This goes very well with the black metal cabinet and natural wood racking.
The opens to the right as default but you can reverse this easyly buy swapping the hinging to the other side. Don’t worry the “Kalamera” logo sticker comes off easiy if you gently blow hot air on it with a hair dryer.
You can lock the door if you wish to keep your collection protected from unwanted access (e.g. children). The hexagonal lock system is in the middle of the exhaust plate. Two keys are included in the packaging.
The door handle is a solid stainless steel bar that ensures strong and firm grip when opening the tightly sealed door.
By the way attaching, the handle with the provided screws is the only thing you will have to do in terms of installation.
Sliding Wood Shelves
5 removable and 1 stationary shelf hold the bottles safely. The unvarnished beech wood lends a refined, warm look to this chic little mini wine fridge.
Front Ventilation For Versatile Placement Options
The warm air leaves the cabinet through the exhaust plate below the door. This allows for integrated installation for example under a kitchen counter.
The cabinet slots into 15.3″ wide opening – it is a perfect replacement for a trash compactor.
You can also leave the unit as freestanding wherever you feel it will look good in your home. One thing is sure, the Kalamera 30-bottle wine cooler doesn’t require much space: it is both slim and has small footprint.
Temperature Stability & Settings
The fridge uses advanced compressor cooling assisted with two ventilation fans inside the cabinet to maintain uniform and constant temperature.
You can adjust the unit to cool from 40°F to 66°F (5°C – 18.8°C).
It is a single zone wine cooler meaning that you can set only one temperature for the whole unit.
Just tap the Up or Down arrow to increase or lower the temperature. You can monitor the temperature on the LED display in the middle of the control panel located on the top part of the cabinet interior.
You will see 4 touch icons – 2 on the left and 2 on the right side of the trendy display screen:
- To the right is the °C / °F switch button – if you want to change the unit of the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius or back.
- Next to it is the Up Arrow – increase temperature by 1 °F or °C
- To the left is the Down Arrow – decreases temperature by 1 °F or °C
- The last one is a “bulb” icon – for turning on and off the interior lighting.
Compressor Cooling With Noise Reduction
One of the most important features of this little cooler is that it applies latest cooling technology for stable and uniform temperature distribution.
What’s more, the high efficiency refrigeration doesn’t come with the cost of loudness. It is equipped with noise and vibration dampeners to keep noise at minimum level, in this case 42 dBA.
The compressor is designed and programed to run only when it’s really necessary to maintain temperature. Rest assured that it won’t start, stop then restart again.
This results in less noise and longer compressor life.
Vibration reduction also protects your wines from unwanted shaking which would disturb the sedimentation and can ruin the flavor and consistency of a favorite bottle.
Note: The manufactures says that the temperature fluctuation of the fridge is 5 degrees which is normal in this category of residential wine storage coolers.
TIP: Keep in mind that you shouldn’t open the door of the fridge too frequently in order for it to be able to maintain the correct temperature without the compressor turning on all the time.
Temperature Memory
The Kalamera KRC-30SZB/KRC-99SS has a feature that not all wine fridges have.
When there is a power outage it will automatically reset to the temperature it was set to cool before the power went down.
It’s a helpful element to ensure that your wines will be stored at appropriate temperature without you having to pay extra attention to it in case of a blackout.
What’s To Like?
- Great size and features (door lock, temperature memory) for the price
- Quiet – rated at 42 dBA, of course you will hear some whirring sound, but it Isn’t disturbing
- Stylish look with the stainless steel and glass door, blue light and wood shelving.
- No-hustle installation, careful, protective packaging
- Simple to use with state-of-the-art touch button icons
- Favorable electricity consumption (0.59 kWh a day, 217 kWh annually)
Shelving – 5 +1 Beech Wood Racks
5 removable beech wood shelves hold the bottles: 5 standard size and shape will fit on each. Alternate placement so as 2 bottles face forward and 3 backwards in-between the 2.
Shelves have 3.25″ space between them and you can pull them out (except for the bottom one) to 0.34″.
The spacing allows for storing mostly ordinary size, 750 ml, Bordeaux-shape bottles.
If you place Pinot or other non-standard size bottles in it you will have room for less than 30 bottles. But other wine fridges in this price category have the same limitation.
Due to the compressor located in the back of the appliance the bottom shelf has only half depth
Suggested Built-In Dimensions
- Height: 34.1″
- Width: 15.3″
- Depth: 22.4″
Features At A Glance – Kalamera KRC-30SZB/KRC-99SS
- Capacity: 30 standard size and shape bottles (11.8″ high, 2.75″ wide bottles)
- Cooling Method: Quality compressor with two internal fans for even temperature distribution.
- Number of Zones: One temperature zone
- Temperature Range: 40°F – 66°F (5°C – 18.8°C).
- Temperature Control & Display: Digital thermostat with push button controls, blue LED display.
- Cabinet: Black with stainless steel front grille.
- Door: Dual pane, tempered, gray tinted glass door with sturdy, straight stainless steel handle. Stainless steel trim around the glass.
- Door Opening Direction: Opens to the left but can be reversed.
- Door Lock: Safety lock with 2 keys.
- Interior Light: Soft, low-heat, blue LED lighting.
- Built-in/Freestanding: Can be both built-in or placed as standalone
- Shelving: 5 sliding beech wood shelves with stoppers, can be completely removed. 1 stationary half-shelf on the bottom.
- Carbon Filter: keeps the air clean and odorless inside the fridge.
- Noise: Fairly quiet. Rated at 42 dBA.
- Electricity Consumption: cc. 217 kWh/year
Placement – Freestanding or Built-In?
The versatile installation options are a huge plus of this mini wine and beverage fridge. Not all refrigerators are designed for integrated, under-the-counter placement. It depends where the unit ventilates.
This 30-bottle cooler by Kalamera gets rid off the warm air from inside the cabinet interior through the stainless steel exhaust plate mounted in the front at the bottom.
Thanks to this thoughtful design element you can place it under a kitchen counter in between other appliances or cabinets.
Additional Information To Help You Find the Perfect Spot
- The power cord is 70.86″ long and is located at the lower-left corner of the fridge’s back.
- The cabinet is equipped with rotating legs so you can adjust the height to your liking.
- The door opens to 220 degrees. To be able to safely access your wines the door needs to be opened to a 90 degree angle.
- Reversible hinging – you can change the direction of door opening from right to left.
Price & Warranty
- The Kalamera 30-bottle wine fridge is available for around 510 – 600 USD in online stores (Amazon, Wayfair). This comes to 17 – 20 USD cost per bottle.
- Warranty: in this price 1 year limited manufacturer warranty is included for parts and workmanship.
Similar Units/Alternatives – How Does It Compare?
You have quite a few options when shopping for a wine storage fridge with around 30 bottles capacity. Here are some alternatives to the Kalamera KRC-30SZB/KRC-99SS model!
We recommend the TYLZA model with 30 bottles to store in two zones (4.4/5 rating from more than 249 reviewers on Amazon), or the Staigis 30-bottle single-zone unit with exceptional craftmanship and high-end look (Amazon rating: 4.6/5 by 317 reviewers.)
Title | Price | Prime | Buy | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Top Top | Tylza 30 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Fridge, Stainless Steel, 15" Under Counter/Freestanding: Upper Zone: 40-55°F, Lower Zone: 55-65°F | PrimeEligible | See On Amazon | |
Top Top | Phiestina 29-Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cellar 15", Built-In or Freestanding, Upper Zone: 40-50°F Lower Zone: 50-66°F | PrimeEligible | See On Amazon | |
Top | STAIGIS 30-Bottle Single-Zone Wine Fridge, 40-66°F, Stainless Steel, Hidden Handle, 15" Built-In/Freestanding | PrimeEligible | See On Amazon | |
Top | Lanbo 28-Bottle Dual Zone Wine Refrigerator, 15" Built-in/Freestanding: Upper Zone: 41-54°F, Lower Zone: 54-64°F | PrimeEligible | See On Amazon |
Phiestina 29- Bottle Wine Refrigerator (PH-29BD), Dual Zone
What’s Similar?
- Reversible door opening
- Dual pane, tempered glass door with stainless steel edging
- Elegant design fit for built-in or freestanding use
- Slim width: 15″ (other dimensions: height: 33.9″, depth: 22.4″)
- Advanced, quiet compressor cooling
- Costs cc. 600 USD
What’s Different?
- Accommodates up to 29 wine bottles (a bit less storage space compared to the Kalamera
- Has two temperature zones: upper part: 40 – 50℉, lower part: 50 – 66℉
- 5 all-metal sliding racks
TYLZA 30-Bottle Wine Cooler, Dual-Zone
What’s Similar?
- Advertised to have space for 30 standard size and style bottles
- Quiet operation due to the well-designed cooling technology (compressor combined with fan ventilation)
- Temperature memory function
- Lockable, stainless steel framed, tempered, dual layer glass door
- 6 removable, sliding beech wood shelves
- Built-in or freestanding placement
- Price: cc. 580- 650 USD
What’s Different?
- Has two zones: top part: 40 – 55°F, bottom part: 55 – 65°F
- Door opening can’t be reversed
- Dimensions slightly differ: H: 33.3″ W: 15.0″ D: 23.0″
- Lower noise level: 38 dBA
Overall the TYLZA 30-bottle unit comes closest to the Kalamera KRC-30SZ model regarding size, features and price.
WIE 28-Bottle Wine Fridge, Single-Zone
What’s Similar?
- Single-zone wine cooler: 40 – 64 ºF (5 – 18 ºC)
- Nice contemporary look with double layer, tempered and tinted glass door
- Compact size
- Digital push button controls
- Blue LED interior lighting
What’s Different?
- Hold 28 bottles instead of 30
- Freestanding placement only
- 7 chromed wire racks (sliding, removable): that can be arranged in various configuration
- All black decor: black cabinet with black trimmed dual-layer glass door
- Wider than the Kalamera: Width: 16.9″ (height: 33.1″, depth: 17.7″)
- Costs less which can be a huge plus: cc. 300- 350 USD
TIP: You can find out more about the WIE 28-bottle wine refrigerator here.
Lanbo 28-Bottle Wine Cooler Wine Cooler, Dula-Zone
What’s Similar?
- Compresssor operated
- Black cabinet with stainless steel trimmed, dual pane glass door
- Safety door lock with 2 keys
- 5 sliding wood shelves + 1 half shelf
- Silent
- Built-in/undercounter or freestanding installation
What’s Different?
- Dual temperature zone: Upper Zone: 41-54°F, Lower Zone: 54-64°F
- Door is not reversible
- 3 years warranty on compressor and bigger parts – longer than Kalamera’s 1-year warranty
- Dimensions: H: 34.40″, W: 15.00″, D (with handle): 25.00″
- Weight: 82 lbs.
Read our full review on the Lanbo 28-bottle two-zone wine refrigerator.
Smith & Hanks 32-Bottle Wine Cellar, Dual-Zone
What’s Similar?
- Reversible, dual layer glass door with lock (2 keys)
- Built-in or standalone placement options
- 6 sliding wood fronted shelves
- Narrow design with 15″ width
- Efficient, low-noise compressor cooling (dual fan design)
- Temperature memory in the instance of power failure
- Digital touch controls
What’s Different?
- Two distinct climate zones: Top zone: 41 – 54 °F (5 – 12 ºC), Bottom zone (red wines): 46 – 66 °F (8 – 18 ºC).
- 33 bottles capacity: so in theory you can store in it slightly more bottles than in the Kalamera model.
- Energy use: cc. 294 kWh – it consumes more electricity than the Kalamera KRC-30SZB/KRC-99SS though the difference is not substantial and it power consumption depends on several factors anyway.
- Noise level is rated a little bit lower: 39 dBA
- Price: it costs a bit more than the Kalamera 30-bottle model, but it’s also a bit larger and has dual zone feature: cc. 600 – 650 USD.
You can read more about the Smith & Hanks 32-bottle wine fridge here.
TIP 1: Here is our ultimate list of the best 30-bottle wine refrigerators for every budget.
TIP 2: For a slightly bigger cooler and with two temperature zones take a look at the Kalamera 46-bottle wine fridge. It comes with the same great features as the 30-bottle model.
Summary – Why Buy/Not Buy?
Check Price & Reviews
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Related
See also our main page about Kalamera wine refrigerators. It lists and describes all models in short.