If you're anything like me, you've always had one eye on solutions for a stylish yet functional fridge for your gaming or entertainment room. Well I’m here to tell you about a range of products that tick both the stylish and functional boxes. In fact, the functionality of the Cold Drawer range of products goes way beyond just keeping your drinks cool.
If you are interested in buying either of these products mentioned in this review head on over to Cold Drawers website and use the code “GAMEAUS22” on checkout to get an incredible 10% off.
Ok, so let me start with…
The Side Table
The Cold Drawer side table is extremely stylish, and does an excellent job of keeping your drinks cold and being an all round powerhouse of a side table be it for the bedroom or the gaming room and many other applications in between. Too often items like this choose function over form, but it's not often you get such a perfect balance of both.
Features:
Stylish design.
Temperature range between 4 and 10 degrees,
Up to 20 can capacity,
Extremely quiet operation,
Pin code lockable interior drawer,
Wireless charger built into the glass on top,
2x USB power outlets on the side
Digital display and control panel
A lot of fridges including bar fridges are extremely loud which is an area in which the Cold Drawer side table excels. So much so, in fact that I actually had to check for myself that it was even turned on. It took about 24 hours for the side table to get to the desired temperature of 4 degrees and the motor was so quiet in getting us there.
I was able to fit about 18 X 500ml cans in or 15 X 600ml bottles of water in the draw which has a little bit of a pattern to fitting in as much as you can, I found that basically if you keep your drinks below the level of the level of the plastic wall of the drawer (which does get lower towards the back) then you should be fine. If you go above this level the drawer won't close or your drinks will fall over. If you follow these instructions you will be perfectly fine and will maximise how many drinks you can fit at any one time. The interior of the fridge also includes a password lockable drawer for storage of things such as medicines if you have any that you don't want your little ones getting their hands on, or while we’re speaking of things we don't want our kids to be eating, if you want to hide things like chocolate bars, this drawer is perfect. And don't worry if you do forget your pin for whatever reason, there is a manual override hidden within the fridge.
The side table has 2 X USB outlets on the side for either charging your mobile phone, powering your gaming accessories and even powering things like USB lamps to personalise its look for your specific situation. I personally use these USB ports to power some gaming lights to add a little more flare to my setup.
The Cold Drawer side table also features an absolutely brilliant feature if you ask me, this feature is the addition of a wireless charger built in seamlessly to the top glass panel. This means that when gaming, watching movies, going to bed or whatever I am doing, I simply drop my phone onto the clearly marked section of the table. My phone will wirelessly charge at a surprisingly quick speed. While this isn't a game changing feature in itself, combined with the fact that the cold drawer is in fact a fully functioning fridge make this product a pretty complete package that will suit just about anyone's needs.
Now while there is undoubtedly a huge amount that the Cold Drawer side table does well, there's also a couple of missed opportunities. For instance, there's no way, at least none that I found to lock the touch panel on top, which for the most part isn't a big deal, however I have a 1 year old, and she likes to stand up against stuff and touch things, this did result a couple of times in her changing the temp. It would also be annoying if you accidentally pressed a button in the night as it makes quite a high pitched beep when you do. The only other real complaint I have about the side table is the lack of interior lighting. This is a feature the “Coffee Table” version does have, and in my opinion it is an excellent addition.
All in all though the Cold Drawer side table is an excellent product, something I wonder how I went so long without. It’s stylish, minimalistic and to be honest the black on white colour scheme is very “gamer” in my opinion. Whether it be in your games room, next to the couch in the lounge room or next to the bed. If you're after a clean, efficient way to cool your drinks without having something overly bulky then the Cold Drawer Side Table is an absolute must. If you're after something a little bigger but equally as sleek, then keep reading, because this genius idea also comes in a coffee table design and has even more tricks up its sleeve…
The Coffee Table
Now, if you thought the side table was cool, let me tell you about a little thing called a refrigerated coffee table, you heard right. The Cold Drawer coffee table is the bigger brother to the side table and does everything the smaller unit can do, but a whole lot more…
Features:
Stylish design.
Analogue temperature dial,
2 separate drawers with 2 different temperatures,
Huge capacity,
Extremely quiet operation,
Wireless charger built into the glass on top,
2x USB power outlets on the back,
240v multi region power outlet on the back,
Can also double as a TV unit,
Led lighting to illuminate the interior when drawer is open,
Can be mounted on wheels for ease of movement,
IP66 rated so can be used outdoors.
What did I tell you? The coffee table is an absolute powerhouse, and despite being called a “coffee table” can be used in a multitude of ways. Let's first talk about how it's a very convenient coffee table in the traditional sense of the word. Then we will discuss other ways it can be used.
I mean, you only have to look at this thing to see that there's not a lot of situations where this coffee table won't suit its environment. Its black all over with a somewhat "carbon fibre" style finish under the glass top and will go with just about anything it's put with. The larger drawer on the left is capable of holding an enormous amount of drinks for your entertainment room or gaming room etc, and is large enough that if you were living in a studio apartment and were really pushed for space, that you could actually use it as a basic fridge. The coffee table is capable of colder temps than the side table and if you're using it for drinks, word of warning. Don't crank it all the way to 5, I am very lucky I didn't have anything explode on me, but I did have quite a few freeze on me. Like the side table the coffee table takes a little while (close to 24 hours) to get to the desired temperature, so don't be like me and feel it after 3 and think, that's not cold enough and crank it all the way to max because I did have a few cans freeze. I had mine filled with a mixture of bottles of water, cans of soft drink, cans of beer and bottles of Smirnoff Ice and all in all I fit over 50 drinks in the main draw alone with space for around another 20 in the smaller draw.
Just like the side table, the coffee table comes with a wireless charging pad built into the top of the table, although there is a noticeable difference in speed compared to the smaller unit. I haven't actually tested the speeds as such, but the smaller table definitely comes out on top for speeds. Another slight issue I had with the coffee tables wireless charger is that it seems to be a lot more fiddly. On the side table I can simply drop my phone just somewhere in the general area of the wireless charger logo, whereas on the coffee table, I have to play around with it until it's lined up correctly, and even then it sometimes doesn't work, especially when I have the case on my phone. Unlike the smaller side table however, the coffee table comes with a built-in LED light that illuminates the interior when a drawer is opened. This is able to be turned on/off on the rear panel but is a very useful feature.
Speaking of the rear panel, this is what makes this coffee table truly unique. Not only does it have 2 X USB fast charge outlets on it as well as a switch for the interior light and the dial for the temperature. It also features a 240v power outlet capable of powering things like lamps, google home hub, but can even be used to power your TV. That's right, your refrigerated coffee table can also double as a TV unit and only take up one power point in the wall. Now of course this is dependent on the size of your TV, however mine is 55” and it is pretty much a perfect size. The only downside? There's no extra space for storage of games consoles or DVD players etc. However, with the depth of the unit, I was able to successfully have both my PS5 and Xbox Series X standing upright behind the TV.
Yet another way in which this coffee table can be used is in an outdoor entertainment area. Thanks to its IP66 rating, this table is both water and dust resistant, so even if it gets a bit of rain or dirt on it, it will not fail.
The coffee table itself is almost faultless. The only downside for me is that wireless charger being a little hard to use, but aside from that it's both extremely sleek looking and does a near perfect job of cooling your drinks etc. Also, just in case you're wondering, "what about cables", I don't want cables sticking out of my coffee table and sitting on my lounge room or gaming room floor. Well the guys at Cold Drawer have thought of everything. Not only does the main power cord plug into the underneath of the coffee table, but included in the box is an adhesive cable runner that will stick to your hard floor or carpet and will keep the cables all very neatly concealed and stops them from becoming a tripping hazard.
Very rarely do I receive a product for review and I am so impressed with how good it is compared to my expectation of it going in. I mean, I was intrigued by the items, of course I was otherwise why would I accept the offer to review them. But I also know that usually when things look good like these things do, they are usually made of cheap materials and aren't very functional as their primary purpose. I can tell you emphatically that this is not the case with the Cold Drawer range of products. They are sturdy, they are effective and they honestly look amazing.
Do yourself a favour and head on over to the Cold Drawer website and get your very own, but if you do. Don't forget to use the code GAMEAUS22 for 10% off. You wont regret it.
