January 2020 Update: Apparently, the Everstar HDC36SS/Franklin Chef 36 Bottle Wine Cellar is no longer available. Judging by the reviews, that's not a bad thing.
If you're looking for a solid 36 Bottle Wine Cooler, check out the Antarctic Star 36 Bottle Wine Cooler. It's an Amazon Top Seller, with great reviews and at a very good price!
Note: The Franklin Chef 36 Commercial Wine Cellar is apparently the same wine cooler as the Everstar HDC36SS sold by Home Depot. The owner manuals are identical for the two models, as are the appearance and features.
Our Rating: 
Based on: 68 reviews/ratings
Approximate price: $699
Capacity: 36 bottles
Features:
- Dual zone, with individual digital temperature and lighting controls and displays for each compartment
- Two full-view doors with double-pane glass
- Independent locks and keys for each side
- 12 chrome-plated wire racks
- Interior light
- Free-standing or built-in
- Compressor-type cooler
- Remembers temperature settings after power outage
Pros:
- Dual zone
- Stylish.
- Lots of shelf options
Cons:
- Reliability issues
- Drips water
- Overheats the room
- Alarm goes off often
- When used as a built-in, requires 3-inch space above, and 5 inches behind
Sampling of owner comments about the Franklin Chef (Everstar) 36 bottle wine cellar:
- “Stylish. Lots of shelf options”
- “leaks onto the floor”
- “After a few months it quit working.”
- “It all of a sudden stopped getting cold”
- “replacement didn't work right out of the box”
- “One very annoying drawback is the high temp alarm. It goes off regularly”
- “makes a nice garage work bench..”
- “keeps the temps as stable as can be – completely satisfied great chiller for everyday reds and whites, and even for longterm storage another. Same thing with this unit”
- “It worked great for about 1 day, then the alarm for high temp went off.
- “great chiller for everyday reds and whites, and even for longterm storage
- “whisper quiet”
- “does seem to run warm”
- “The top of the granite above is HOT to the touch as is the cabinet next to it.”
- “holds the temps perfectly”
- “held wine temps. rock solid”
- “heats the kitchen to uncomfortable levels”
- “required a 3 inch gap on top and 5 inches in back making it a “non under the counter” cooler”
- “best investment in my kitchen”
- “The fan I placed in the cabinet (typical portable fan) ended up really doing the trick. It immediately dropped and stabilized the temps of the cooler! I figured the Everstar just needs more circulation around the back of the unit, and sides. As it comes from the factory it is woefully equipped with such a small fan.”
- “I got the cooler and it worked great for about 1 day, then the alarm for high temp went off.”
- “I took it back to HD and got another. Same thing with this unit. Runs hot and set off the alarm today almost exactly the same amount of time as last unit.”
- “bottles don't fit too well. I have 12 bottles of red and the large/mid-sized (non-standard) bottomed bottles need a rack all to themselves or (as I did) they need to be placed on the bottom “Display” rack.”
Our review:
The Franklin Chef 36 Commercial Wine Cellar had a wide range of reviews – some loved it for its style and functionality, while others panned it for its problems. There were a few reports of it running hot (hot enough to make the countertop above it uncomfortably hot), and emitting an alarm warning about the high temperature, and not just occasionally. In addition, a couple of owners reported problems with it dripping water. Reports of water dripping on the floor were checked out by a technician, but typically were not fixable. Requests for refunds have been frustrating to several reviewers. And, there were a few reports of the cooler simply failing prematurely. But, those that did not experience these problems just loved the unit.
Overall, too many owners found the cooler to be not usable – due to the water problem, the heat, or the unit's failing after a short time. Therefore, even though quite a few owners really liked their coolers, due to these quality issues, we cannot recommend this particular chiller.
Bottom line recommendation:
Bottom line revisited: If you're looking for a solid 36 Bottle Wine Cooler, check out the Antarctic Star 36 Bottle Wine Cooler. It's an Amazon Top Seller, with great reviews and at a very good price!
The Danby 36 Bottle Freestanding Wine Cooler is a solid alternative – it's more reliable, and a great deal all around. (We still prefer the Antarctic, though!)
The Franklin Chef 36 Commercial Wine Cellar (FWC36) aka Everstar HDC36SS is NOT RECOMMENDED, due to the number of quality and performance issues. We'd suggest you look elsewhere for a 30+ bottle wine cooler.
Check out our other recommendations for 30-bottle wine cooler/chillers, and our wine cooler buyer's guide.