Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I loved my old water cooler. Cold water when I wanted it; hot water for my tea whenever I wanted it. I was heartbroken when it croaked (and a little annoyed that it only lasted 3 1/2 years.) So I did a lot of research into water coolers before I bought a new one. And although I was suffering without my cooler it took me quite a while to make my decision. And I admit that 99% of my problem was that I hate paying shipping charges — that’s why I’m an Amazon Prime member! But sometimes there is no avoiding the unpleasant things in life. And I would like to add that I received my water cooler long before the date promised when purchased. (The other 1% was because the price of water coolers seemed to have skyrocketed in the past 3 1/2 years — but maybe that was why mine had such a short life — I did not do a lot of research for the first one — it dispensed hot & cold water and I was happy. But one of my family motto’s has always been “You get what you pay for”.) This is the number one selling water cooler on Amazon. That helped in my decision process. I also became really attached to the idea of a bottom-loading dispenser. I cannot lift a five-gallon jug of water and have always been dependent upon someone else in the house to change the water for me. Then I became attached to the idea of self-cleaning — because cleaning a water is really a pain in the butt — and it wastes a lot of water, in my opinion. And admittedly, both of these features added to the cost of the machine. I read every single Amazon review before I finally gave in and ordered the cooler. I was able to mentally counter almost every major complaint any one had. The LED light can’t be turned off? I love it — it adds a night light to my kitchen. My brother, who won’t even use the cooler, commented on how much he liked the new one because of the “night light” feature. And I defy my middle brother to complain that the water isn’t cold enough out of the cooler (he used to whine about that every Thanksgiving about the old cooler!) The space where the water dispenses isn’t tall enough? I always just tipped the 23.7 FL OZ sport bottle that I keep refilling — not a problem. Well, actually, it turns out that is the one complaint I have about the cooler — and the reason for giving it four stars instead of five. On my old cooler I tipped the sport bottle under the cold water spout, filled it and replaced the lid I drank from. This cooler does not have spouts! The panel where the water is dispensed just has holes from which the water is dispensed. There are arrows that indicate where the water will be dispensed, which is great for a glass of cold water or a mug of hot water for tea. But if you’re trying to line up a tipped bottle — or even a 16.9 FL OZ bottle which fits in the space — you’re almost guaranteed water in places you did not intend. I now keep a small funnel on top of the dispenser to refill my bottles. It’s a simple solution but every time I use it I think how much easier things would be if this machine simply had a dispenser spout. I am extremely pleased with both the temperatures of the hot and the cold water. And while I have not had the occasion to make multiple cups of hot tea yet, I have refilled five bottles at once and each one has been as cold as the last. One last “odd” note — the installation instructions mandate a four-inch margin behind and on the sides of the machine — the same as my last cooler. This one, because of the slightly rounded bottom door, seemed to stick out further into the not expansive walking space in my kitchen. I had to turn it sideways, with the back to the adjacent cabinet and the side to the wall. It looks a little odd but actually makes the “night Light” much more effective.