Swisscave, in 2020 decided to segregate their ranges into a 'Classic' and 'Premium' range - both are manufactured in the same factory but there are a number of differences which need to be considered before purchasing.
Although both are very high quality units there may be some features that you think best fit your requirements from a wine cabinet on the premium version that aren't available on the Classic range.
What Additional Features Do You Get with the Premium Versions?
Here is a quick list of the differences - we will run into more detail but just to outline what the key differences are:
- More shelves
- Option to purchase Sapele shelves (darker wood)
- LED lighting down the side walls
- Multi colour lighting (Blue, white and amber)
- The door itself
- Quieter/More efficient internal components
Now, looking at the interior and exterior in more detail we will run through the key differences.
Exterior Features of the Premium Edition
The premium cabinets from the outside are mostly the same, the cabinet carcass is manufactured from the same materials.
The main difference is the door - it has a slightly different tint to the front and rather than being wrapped in black plastic the actual door frame is made from filigree edging which is manufactured from brushed aluminium and gives that slightly more premium feel.
At the bottom of the cabinet you will find the same locking system and door roller so mostly the same on that front.
If you look at the back of the cabinet - to the naked eye it looks mostly the same but when you listen to the fans and compressor running, they are slightly quieter on the premium models and once you have these units built in with cabinets wrapped around them they are quiet running machines - especially once the temperature has been reached.
Interior Features for the Premium Models
This is where the cabinets have the most differences, aesthetically they are very different and the first noticeable difference is the number of shelves in the premium model.
They have up to 14 shelves which are designed to accept 1 layer of bottles or with the display models they have one layer of bottles at the front at an angle and 2 layers stacked at the back.
With the Classic Edition models you do have the option to add shelves to the unit but when you consider that you need to purchase the shelves and the accompanying rails which would end up costing £80-90 per shelf the premium options are priced competitively.
In the premium models there are a few variations to pick from depending on the type of shelf you need, for example there are Bordeaux or Burgundy editions and soon Swisscave will be releasing cabinets with a mix of both Bordeaux and Burgundy shelves.
Lighting
Another noticeable difference is the lighting - with the premium models there are individual lights that we can only describe as LED torches that are so bright in a darkened room.
These run down the sides of the wine cabinet so they light up every shelf and when the lights are off, they really do create a great feature!
With the Classic editions, they only have ceiling lighting which can also only be set to blue in colour - although the lighting is still effective in comparison to some of our other cabinets, it's nowhere near as effective as the Premium editions.
In these models you can also change the lighting colour from blue to white, or amber to suit your preference - we find the amber lighting is the one that works best!
Display and Controls
The operation of the wine cabinet is basically the same, they both have the same lighting functions in terms of how long they stay on etc, and the control panel for both Premium and Classic models is exactly the same.
This is not a disadvantage as the control panel is very reactive and easy to use in both models but as mentioned you do have some big differences throughout the rest of the cabinet.
Handles
The different coloured handles that are also available with the Classic edition can also be used on the Premium edition - available in black, silver, gold, red and copper.
They are manufactured from brushed aluminium so have a real premium, high quality feel to them. Installing them was a little precarious as Swisscave have chosen to use 'self-tapping' screws so it does feel slightly odd that you are basically forcing your way through such a nice door.
The knack is to keep the screw very straight so that it does go in straight otherwise it may catch on other parts of the door.
EWR Overview
Stacking bottles can be a big problem with wine cabinets, the ease of access of the Swisscave units means that you have very easy accessibility to your wines which does make the Classic range a very good cost effective option against some of the competitors in this field, like Climadiff.
If you plan to start adding additional shelves, then we would definitely recommend the Premium edition and the additional features they bring do make them somewhat individual in the market and reliability wise they have been very, very good.
Dunavox models DX-194 and DX-181 are good alternatives to Swisscave products. Although Swisscave is known as being one of the leading brands within the wine cooling industry, so is Dunavox.
Dunavox is quickly becoming one of the most popular brands to shop with when it comes to purchasing an expert wine storage unit.
Dunavox wine coolers are distributed throughout 40 countries, and with many of our loyal customers purchasing their products through our site, it’s clear to see why they’re so immensely popular.
Dunavox is overtaking many other brands with its array of storage units - to check out our Dunavox range, check out our collection.
Come and see the Swisscave units for your self in our Chester office and mini showrooms around London!