The Complete Handbook of Wine & Liquor Cabinets

This is the book I wish I had five years ago when I started my installation business. Chapter 1 on the basic physics of how these things actually work is a masterclass in clarity. I've already had a customer try to argue about 'useful capacity' and I just showed them the explanation from this book. It settled the argument. The sections on installation are spot-on and will save you from making the same mistakes I did with ventilation. A must-have for anyone serious about this trade.

I'm a bartender looking to get into the retail side of the business, so I bought this more for the business chapter. That section is the best part of the book, to be honest, with some good, realistic ideas about servicing and refurbishment. However, I found the first few chapters really heavy on the technical side of compressors and BTU loads. Maybe that's my own issue, but I think there's a lot of assuming in the middle sections. It's done well, just not as accessible as I'd hoped.

There's a lot of good, solid info in here, especially about thermoelectric versus compressor cooling. However, the book feels a bit dry and completely lacks photos or diagrams. A picture of a condenser coil placement would have been worth a thousand words. I also felt the glossary, while good, is a bit basic for a 'complete handbook'. It's a fine reference, though, and I'm glad I got it for the eBook price.

As an architect, I constantly deal with clients who buy expensive cabinets without understanding the room constraints. I bought this book to have a neutral, authoritative source to point them to. It has been incredibly useful for my own spec work. The chapter on installation and usage is gold, but the real standout is the one on future trends. Knowing about the upcoming refrigerant regulations helps me future-proof my plans. Highly professional and well-written. All my associates have copies now.

The chapter on maintenance is worth the price of admission alone. I managed to diagnose a short-cycling compressor issue on our unit at the bar using their troubleshooting flow. It saved me a $200 trip from the tech. I would have given it five stars, but I feel like the book is a little light on the real-world, high-volume restaurant usage scenarios. The examples are mostly residential or small business. Still, an essential addition to my library.

Finally, a book that treats this subject with the seriousness it deserves. I've been a sommelier for over a decade, and I've seen so many expensive collections ruined by poorly engineered cabinets. This book will teach you how to avoid that. The explanation of temperature stability versus just temperature level was particularly useful. It nails the physics without getting overly academic. The business chapter gave me a new perspective on the value of a good service contract. Highly recommend to any serious collector.

it is a good book but it seemed like it was trying to be too many things for too many people. The chapter on the business side was fine, but I didn't need it. I bought this as a consumer to help me pick a new cabinet for my basement. The choosing chapter is helpful, but the first two chapters go into more technical detail than I will ever need. I think the title is a little misleading; it's more for the trade than a consumer handbook. Still, accurate and will be useful for reference.

I read a lot of technical manuals, and this was a solid 3-star read. It delivers what it promises in the subtitle. The chapter on installation and usage is very clear. However, I took off a couple of stars because I feel the tone is a bit inconsistent. It shifts from extremely technical specs to almost simple tips for beginners. For example, a thorough discussion of vibration absorption in one paragraph and then explaining what a btu is in the next. A little more distinction between different knowledge levels would have made this more cohesive.