Anyone have experience with combination wine/beverage fridges? Came across this Kalamera but know next to nothing about the brand:

https://smile.amazon.com/Kalamera-Beverage-Cooler-Freestanding-Stainless/dp/B07NLGMQZ1/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?crid=IM1PODP18KTG&keywords=kalamera+24"+wine+refrigerator&qid=1556074815&s=gateway&sprefix=kalamera&sr=8-7

I've never heard of Kalamera (we don't carry that brand), but that unit looks really similar to one offered by Danby Silhouette:

https://www.silhouetteappliances.com/us/products/dbc047d3bsspr-us/

Most brands don't split these into side by side wine/beverage, just because the standard 24" width is pretty limiting for these types of combinations. Usually a beverage center will have one or two wine racks at the top or bottom, and won't be a 50/50 split. But I've seen a lot of people drawn to the Danby Silhouette model, and I believe it's in a similar price range to the Kalmera you posted.

I can't speak to the quality of the Kalamera brand, but we do have the Silhouette model on the floor at our Houston Galleria location and it looks just as nice and solid as some of the higher priced brands. I would try to see it in person if you can. For the option I posted above, the Danby brand is pretty well known for apartment level appliances, and Silhouette is supposed to be their "fancy" line. If you're interested, I'd recommend calling places around you or emailing for an actual quote (we'd be happy to help if you're in our area). Pricing seems to be the same everywhere online ($1399) so it may have some sort of advertised price restrictions.

~Rodney Christiansen, Factory Builder Stores

Thanks, Rodney. Super helpful. We're in Colorado so you might not be able to help me up here. But I do get to Houston occasionally and may drive down there this summer.

We're not beholden to the 24" split; is there a "bigger" split out there that you'd recommend? We dont want to break the bank, but also have bought other high end appliances and want to get it right.

I should at that we are building a bar area for scratch and have some room to work with, but do want undercounter wine and beverage storage.

It's actually a tough call - do you have the space to do a 24" dedicated to wine and a separate 24" dedicated to refrigeration? If so, I'd actually recommend that. The drawback here is going to be the cost - the Danby (and from what I see of the Kalamera here) are both more or less going to be considered the low end on these units. You can definitely find dorm style refrigerators for way less, but those can't be built-in, you need something that breathes out the front and those tend to be designed differently.

When you get to the mid-to-upper end undercounter units, they're made for building in and also tend to be more than just a "cold plate" appliance - usually with a strong compressor to aid in keeping the temp down after being opened, convection air circulation, and better humidity control (especially important for wine). Price-wise though you're jumping into the $2000-$4000 range per unit. The only other brand I know that does a split style unit is U-Line, and it is a bigger unit at 36"W, but you're pushing yourself up past the $4K range at that point:

https://www.u-line.com/products/beverage-centers/3000-series/3036bvwc/3036bvwc-36-beverage-center-9102.html?___SID=U

U-Line is a great brand, but they don't have much that's going to sit at the $1000 price point. As for other options, pretty much everybody else does the 1-2 racks on the top or bottom for wine that I mentioned before. If you do two 24" models side by side though, the Whirlpool brand can get you in and around a $2K price point in total for both. They don't offer an all fridge unit, but you could do two beverage centers side by side, or if you need these more for wine, one bev and one wine (especially if you tend to drink more reds or whites, it can help you split them up by temperature). Either way, here's the webpage with those options:

https://www.whirlpool.com/kitchen/refrigeration/refrigerators/beverage-and-wine-center.html

Unfortunately we are a Texas based appliance dealer, so I can't help you out here myself, BUT - we do have a sister company in Colorado that I'd recommend checking out if you're close by. They're called Specialty Appliance and they carry a lot of the same brands we do, located in Denver, Ft. Collins and Louisville. Here's their website:

https://www.buyfromsa.com/

~Rodney Christiansen, Factory Builder Stores

Thanks, Rodney. I owe you one. Speciality Appliance has sold us numerous appliances already

No problem, I'm happy to help, and glad to hear Specialty is already taking care of things!

Seems my wife and I have somewhat differing ideas on the purpose of said beverage center. (Shocking, I know.)

Mine: hold and store a couple dozen bottles of wine that are both easily accessible for consumption and safe for longer storage + beverage fridge for beer, cokes, kids drinks.

Hers: chill wine for consumption (will store any longer term in basement) + beverage fridge to entertain (beer, cokes, etc).

Sounds like her goals can be accomplished with one not so fancy unit. I'm wondering if mine can be accomplished with one not so fancy beverage unit plus a smaller wine-speciifc unit next to it...

From what you've described, I don't think it'd be hard to do in a basic unit for either one. But one thing to keep in mind for the wine unit is that these appliances aren't meant to keep the wine at serving temperature, they're to keep the wine at optimal temp and humidity for longevity. Typically they bottom out at about 40 degrees and max out at 65 degrees, though this will vary by model. Whites will typically store at 40-50, and reds at about 55-65. Serving temp is all up to personal preference of course, but we usually recommend whites and sparkling get put on ice prior to serving.

If your wife likes white wine, then beverage centers will probably do a better job here since they can get down to the same 33-34 degrees that a refrigerator would. If she likes reds though, this could be a problem - with the exception of craft beers, most people don't like their beers or colas at 50+ degrees.

All in all though, even with the more basic models, you are essentially paying more for the look than the function. The lowest price I've seen while still looking pretty good are the Whirlpool models, whereas most other brands we carry are starting at around the $1500 range for a 24"W model (U-Line and Marvel usually being our mid-range recommendations).

This one looks ideal for what I'm going for, but I'm afraid of the sticker shock. Any idea what these go for?

https://www.perlick.com/residential/products/beverage-centers/view/24-signature-series-dual-zone-refrigeratorwine-reserve

Thanks again.

https://www.winecoolerdirect.com/perlick-hp24ds-3-3l-dual-zone-wine-reserve-steel-glass-left/HP24DS-3-3L.html

$4,148.00

Roger That is right - Perlick is basically going to be the top end. They're super high quality and as a company they have a big commercial background - a lot of their refrigeration is designed for restaurant/bar situations where you're constantly in and out of the unit, but they're able get back to temp fast. They're the best of the best, but the downside of this is that you're not going to find much in their brand under $3K.

Thanks, Factory. Is there a brand that's the "perlick of residential" ? I don't mind paying a premium, but only if it's for something I get value from. The in-out refresh of the Perlick for commercial use is lost on me, as we'll only be opening it infrequently.

No problem, Schall02. Unfortunately no - what you're looking at in Perlick is their residential lineup; it's intended for the home, but carries over some of their commercial know-how. As far as branding goes, here's how I'd characterize most undercounter units based on what we sell:

Entry Level- ($800-$1500)
-Whirlpool
-Danby
-Avanti
-Summit

Mid-Range ($1500-$3000)
-U-Line
-Marvel
-KitchenAid
-GE Profile
-Monogram (though as a whole, this is more of a premium brand)

Premium/High End ($3000+)
-Perlick
-True
-Subzero-Wolf
-Viking

This doesn't cover all brands of course, and it is going to vary by model, but these are the most common brands that we sell when it comes to undercounter appliances. Monogram tends to be a good price compared to other premium end brands, but I wouldn't quite put it up there with those high end brands - I believe on some of the undercounter products, they actually farm production out to another company. Still, that might be worth taking a look at since they'll be nicer than the entry level models. I also like KitchenAid personally - those options are going to sit right around $2000.

~Rodney Christiansen, Factory Builder Stores

You da man. Thanks x 1000.