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To meet the new energy labels that are being introduced in March 2021, Dunavox have recently revamped the very popular DX-54.150DK which originally was rated C for the energy usage.
In order to meet the new energy labels, Dunavox have had to introduce more energy efficient components such as the compressor whilst maintaining reliability and efficiency of cooling system.
The new product will be available from March and we have recently received a sample so we thought it would be a great idea to share with you a more in depth review.
Firstly, one of the main selling points for this model has been the dimensions, it is only a shallow unit which makes it very easy to position in smaller spaces - the good news is, the dimensions of the product will remain the same: 1295mm x 480 x 510mm.
Installing the DXFH-54.150
One of the first things that struck us was how easy the wine cooler was to install, it was as simple as plugging the unit in and you are good to go - the control panel was very easy to use and the buttons were surprisingly responsive considering there was a layer of glass in front of the keys.
Operating the DXFH-54.150
After unlocking the control panel by holding down the up and down keys for a few seconds, there was a beep and then we were able to set the temperature in each temperature zone and turn the light on - the blue lights lit the interior up nicely and it would create a nice little feature in a kitchen or tucked away in a corner of a living room for example.
The top zone could be programmed to between 4 and 18 degrees Celsius and the lower zone which is designed to be the warmer zone could be set to between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius making it ideal for storage temperatures or service temperatures of red wines. One thing to note with this model is there is a maximum difference of 6 degrees Celsius, if you try to to set the zones outside of this, there is an automatic change of the set point in the other zone - this isn't a down side, just something to note as usually the maximum difference a wine cooler can achieve is around 6-8 degrees anyway.
Is it Suitable for Wine Storage?
The door is fully tinted so will block any UV light out should you choose to use the unit for storage and because it is fan assisted cooling, the temperature throughout the unit is very stable. With the wine cooler now being A/G rated, we would be looking at costing in the region of £15-20 a year to run which we think is very reasonable and the price point for such a high quality unit is very appealing - Dunavox offer a 3 year parts and labour warranty on all their compressor cooled units which is a year or two more than all the major competitors.
Shelves and interior
From what we can see, the shelves are well made and slide out nicely - there is no stopper to ensure the shelf doesn't come all the way out so make sure you don't pull it out too far but there is plenty of space to slide the shelf out to give you access to the bottles.
Most of the shelves will fit normal sized bottles such as Bordeaux and there is also space for larger bottles such as prosecco or burgundy on a few shelves throughout the unit - of course the shelves can be removed very easily so you can stack a couple of layers of bottles as well.
The 'basket' at the bottom was surprisingly deep meaning you could easily fit a Champagne bottle in front of the shelves if you wanted to keep a few open bottles in there, you can also remove the basket if you don't want it and lay the bottles on their side - you may actually sneak a couple of extra bottles in then!
Noise level and efficiency
One of the key questions we are always asked at EWR is about the noise level, we had this unit running for a few days in our Chester office - there may be some slight background noise but from our experience the unit wasn't intrusive at all, it is rated 42dB and also cools via fan assisted cooling but it certainly wasn't anymore intrusive than our normal fridge/freezer at home.
Points to note about the DXFH-54.150
A couple of things to point out, the door isn't reversible as the control panel is mounted in the door so bear this in mind when planning where you want to install it - the integrated handle is neat and keeps the front of the wine cooler very neat as you can see from the photos.
This unit is a freestanding appliance so requires ventilation space around it as the cooling system is actually mounted in the top and the sides of the wine cooler - we recommend at least 1-2 inches around the sides and at least 12 inches of ventilation space above it otherwise the cooling ability may be hindered slightly.
Summary
Apart from the obvious restriction of larger bottles not fitting in each shelf, which all wine coolers seem to have, Elite Wine would give the Dunavox DXFH-54.150 4.5 stars out of 5 as the price point is very attractive at only £799 inc VAT and delivery and the functionality we have found to be reliable and a quiet running machine.
We hope you like our review of the DXFH-54.150 from Dunavox and don't forget, all the compressor cooled units from Dunavox come with a market leading 3 year parts and labour warranty! If you have any specific questions about this model that we have not covered - please send us a message and we will try and our best to assist you.
The team at Elite.
