The Best Water Cooler Dispensers in 2024 Tested and Reviewed
One of the easiest ways to ensure quick access to cold and hot water is a water cooler dispenser. To help our readers determine which model to purchase, we’ve examined a number of popular products from various brands such as Avalon, Brio, Igloo and Frigidaire to gain useful insights that we now can share.
In short, the Avalon A4 is our Best Overall pick thanks to its efficient water work and clever bottom-loading design. We also recommend top-loading models, like the Frigidaire EFWC519, if heavy lifting isn’t an issue. Of course, if you prefer the bottleless designs and their filtration, models such as the Avalon A5 is a top-notch choice to consider.
Bottleless water dispensers are more expensive due to their filtration systems. Bottom-loading models are the market’s favorite simply because they are more affordable, like top-loading coolers but without the hassle of handling heavy bottles.
For the average family, this model offers all that you’ll need, including convenient features such as a child safety lock, an empty bottle indicator, and a durable bottom-loading design. On top of that, the dispenser’s efficient water work and reasonable pricing complete its appealing package.
This dispenser is very well-built at its affordable price and should be enough to supply a small office with its efficient operation. The familiar top-loading design, solid construction, and hot water safety lock are some of its key features.
With integrated filtration and auto-cleaning systems, this standalone bottleless dispenser with a stainless steel construction is more expensive than conventional models. Pure filtered drinking water, child safety lock, and clever design that eliminates the need for daily bottle swap are essential features for modern families.
This is another affordable dispenser with solid build quality and features. Its touchless paddle design and hot water lock minimize germ spreading and ensure a safe water drinking experience. Moreover, the compact size makes it a good option for tight spaces.
If you don’t have the space for a standalone unit, this compact bottleless dispenser that can rest easily on your countertop or desk is worth checking out. It delivers a built-in filtration system, self-cleaning feature, and child safety lock, and is a perfect choice for small homes.
How We Test Our Cooler Dispensers
When testing cold water, we stress-test each machine for how much water it can provide within one hour at an optimal temperature range of 50 to 54℉.
For hot water, we test for the highest stable temperature, how much water you can dispense at that temperature, and the optimal flow rate. From this, we calculate how much hot water you can get for making drinks back-to-back, heating times, and the hourly capacity.
We rate the dispensing mechanisms like buttons or levers for design and user-friendliness. We also pay particular attention to the hot water safety mechanism.
Daily maintenance and hygiene is essential to a water cooler, and we go through the steps with each machine. We drain the water tanks, open up the machines, and see how easy it is to clean all essential parts.
See our articles on how we test and score water cooler dispensers for more information.
How We Choose The Best Machines
We test some of the most popular and best rated machines, as well as a selection of different types of water cooler dispensers. We like to see how popular products live up to their fame, while also searching out dispensers with unique or specialized value. This way, you can know if popular is really the best and what your other choices are.
Avalon A4 Water Cooler Dispenser
Best Overall
For the average family, this model offers all that you’ll need, including convenient features such as a child safety lock, an empty bottle indicator, and a durable bottom-loading design. On top of that, the dispenser’s efficient water work and reasonable pricing complete its appealing package.
Things We Like
- Hot water temperature
- Perfect flow rate
- Sanitary nozzle design
- Night light
Things We Don’t Like
- Drip tray attached to door
- Cold water tank cleaning
Bottom-loading water cooler dispensers are popular for two reasons. Heavy lifting is not required, and they often have sanitary features like ozone or UV light.
For a large office, the Avalon A4 doesn’t quite meet our standard of 6 L of cold water per hour. You get 183 fl. oz (5.4 L), or a 10 fl. oz. (300 ml) glass every 3 min 20 sec, so it’s not too far off the mark. That’s enough cold water for up to 18 glasses or people per hour.
This Avalon A4, to its credit, puts out plenty of hot water. For making drinks back-to-back, you can get three decent-sized cups or a total of 27.3 fl. oz. (807 ml). This is why we recommend it for the home (or an office), for those busy morning and lunchtime periods.
It took 9 min 27 sec to heat a full tank, a little longer than most, but you get more water at a high temperature of 199℉ (92.7℃). The flow rate was a perfect 34 ml/sec.
We had no issue with the build quality. The buttons have a comfortable traction and they are easy to clean in between. The drip tray is spacious but attached to the door, so make sure to open the cabinet from the base. This model doesn’t have ozone or UV, so it's more affordable.
Read our full Avalon A4 Water Cooler Dispenser in-depth review
Frigidaire EFWC519 Water Cooler Dispenser
Best for Office
This dispenser is very well-built at its affordable price and should be enough to supply a small office with its efficient operation. The familiar top-loading design, solid construction, and hot water safety lock are some of its key features.
Things We Like
- Cold water efficiency
- Stainless steel body
- Cool to run
- Easy to clean
- Light weight
Things We Don’t Like
- Cramped dispensing
- Hot water safety clip
- Old design
The Frigidaire EFWC519 is our best water cooler dispenser for a busy office. The key reasons are the cold water performance, the simple sanitary design, and how cool it runs under high-demand.
This Frigidiare flawlessly provided 202 fl. oz. (6 L) of perfectly chilled water every hour. In practical terms, that’s enough for one large 8.5 fl.oz. glass of water every hour for 20 people taken in 3-minute intervals.
The hot water temperature reached the upper standard of 198℉ (92.2℃), but the capacity is only good for two back-to-back drinks of around 7.5‒8 fl.oz. (220‒240 ml). It took 5 min 37 min to reheat a full tank—or 3 min 17 sec per 8.5 oz (250 ml), which is somewhat slow even for the capacity. You can get around 169 fl. oz. (5 L) per hour.
For an office, the stainless steel body has a quality look. However, the hot water safety mechanism is sometimes tricky to work but, on the upside, the faucets disassemble for easy cleaning. It’s an old-school design, but at the same time very practical.
Push back levers are often more convenient for an office, but we liked that the cold faucet can lift either up or down. The flow rate is not as fast as machines with buttons, but good for the faucet design.
In general, a top-loading machine is a lot easier to clean and maintain than a bottom-loader. With this Frigidaire EFWC519, you have an adjustable cold water temperature within a 3℃ range using a knob at the back of the machine.
Read our full Frigidaire EFWC519 Water Cooler Dispenser in-depth review
Avalon A5 Self-Cleaning Water Dispenser
Best Bottleless
With integrated filtration and auto-cleaning systems, this standalone bottleless dispenser with a stainless steel construction is more expensive than conventional models. Pure filtered drinking water, child safety lock, and clever design that eliminates the need for daily bottle swap are essential features for modern families.
Things We Like
- Overall performance
- Easy filter set-up
- Stainless steel panel
- Ozone sanitation
Things We Don’t Like
- Drip tray attachment
- Inside tank cleaning
The Avalon A5 bottleless water cooler dispenser with a filter impressed with its overall good design and performance. It’s an excellent choice for a home and stylish fit for an office—provided of course you can easily connect to a water line.
In our tests, the Avalon A5 flawlessly provided 202 fl.oz. (6 L) per hour of chilled water. That’s enough for up to 20 people or one large 8.5 fl.oz. (300 ml) glass per person every hour taken in 3 min intervals. This easily meets hydration standards for both men and women.
Likewise, the hot water temperature was optimal or 198 ℉ (92.2 ℃). You can get up to three 7.4 fl.oz. (220 ml cups), or two large mug cups of hot water at a time. The wait between tank reheats was around 7 min 40 secs. The hourly capacity is 179 fl. oz. (5.3 L) of hot water, which is pretty good.
The flow rate was a steady and comfortable 33 ml/sec (1.1 fl.oz.), or one point below our benchmark of 34 ml/sec. Just as important, the buttons have a comfortable traction and are well-spaced for cleaning in between.
Its most convenient features are ozone injection, a night light, and hassle-free water for up to 6 months per filter set.
Its stainless steel front control panel has a sophisticated look and, like other Avalon machines, the dispensing booth is coated with a bacteria-resistant film.
We were surprised how easy the filter set-up was. The filter brackets come installed, so your biggest task is connecting to the water source below your sink. There is also a separate filter head to flush the first set of filters.
On the downside, the drip tray is attached to the cabinet door and it will dislodge if you pull on it to open the door. Make sure to grip the cabinet door at the base.
Read our full Avalon A5 Self-Cleaning Water Dispenser in-depth review
Avalon A1 Water Cooler Dispenser
Best Value, Top Loading
This is another affordable dispenser with solid build quality and features. Its touchless paddle design and hot water lock minimize germ spreading and ensure a safe water drinking experience. Moreover, the compact size makes it a good option for tight spaces.
Things We Like
- Cold water performance
- One-hand dispensing
- Color design
Things We Don’t Like
- Stiff lever traction
- Fixed nozzle design
The attractive Avalon A1 has large red and blue paddle levers set against a white body. Considering the good build quality and near-top performance scores, it’s also very reasonably priced.
This Avalon produced 193 fl.oz (5.7 L) per hour as opposed to 6 L as the top standard. It can serve 19 people per hour or an 8.5 fl. oz. glass of chilled water every 3 min 10 sec.
The hot water temperature of the Avalon A1 is a key consideration since it’s only 192 ℉ (88.8 ℃). This is ideal for instant coffee or green tea, but not the best for English tea or coffee bags. This temperature may be preferable in an office or other public spaces.
Touchless cold water dispensing makes the Avalon A1 a good fit for a small office. The stiff lever traction, however, is not the best if you’re using paper cups. You need to hold the cup in such a way as to push the lever with your knuckles.
Compared to the Frigidaire EFWC519, the hot water capacity is similar, the heating time faster, and the flow rate better. The Avalon A1, however, tends to get a little hot at the back.
Since the levers don’t detach for thorough cleaning, you need to flush citric acid solution through the system for periodic descaling and good hygiene.
Read our full Avalon A1 Water Cooler Dispenser in-depth review
Avalon A8 Bottleless Water Cooler Dispenser
Best for Home, Countertop
If you don’t have the space for a standalone unit, this compact bottleless dispenser that can rest easily on your countertop or desk is worth checking out. It delivers a built-in filtration system, self-cleaning feature, and child safety lock, and is a perfect choice for small homes.
Things We Like
- Fast heating time
- Easy to set up
- Side pocket handles
- Ozone self cleaning
Things We Don’t Like
- Fixed nozzle design
- Narrow drip tray
The Avalon A8 is a small countertop water cooler dispenser with a two-stage filter. It’s a good choice for a couple, or a family with teenagers or older children. Because it sits on the countertop, it is not easy for young children to reach.
This machine is excellent for hot water dispensing. It has an optimal temperature of 198℉ (92.2℃) and heating times are fast. You can draw two large mug cups back-to-back before the tank must refill and reheat—which takes around 7 min 22 sec.
Our cold water tests revealed that you can draw off 8.5 fl. oz. (300 ml) of cold water every 7 minutes. That’s about 2.7 liters per hour.
If you dispense cold water continually at this rate, the rear heat exchanger gets very hot. After an hour of heavy use, it requires an hour or more to stabilize and cool off, which means this machine is not suited for an office drink station.
Nice features on this dispenser are the handy pocket handles, ozone cleaning, and a night light. Plus, the filter is easy to install. The paddle levers and color design are really nice, but there’s not enough space to dispense water into a large tumbler or jug.
Read our full Avalon A8 Bottleless Water Cooler Dispenser in-depth review
Water Coolers Which Didn’t Make Our List
We tested a lot more than 5 water cooler dispensers, but not all could make our list. However, we do like to give you a heads up just in case:
Costway: Lightweight and a third smaller than a regular free-standing water cooler. The performance is quite good, but it cuts corners with build quality.
Igloo: Lackluster performance and somewhat heavy. With no power indicator, it may suit a studio apartment or a dormitory.
Tips for Buying a Water Cooler Dispenser
If you want to buy a water cooler dispenser, here are seven essential tips to keep in mind:
- Focus on overall good design: Good performance doesn’t really compensate for poor buttons or levers, and visa versa.
- Choose the right dispensing mechanism: Buttons, levers, faucets, and sensors can be real deal breakers, so make sure you choose well.
- Drip trays do matter: Not all drip trays can stand a cup or take a tumbler, but make sure the tray fits securely.
- Do you need a home or office machine?: For an office, cold water capacity is topmost, while for the home hot water capacity may be more important.
- Check the hot water temperature: Some machines are calibrated for a lower hot water temperature, so always check this.
- Touchless is good: Touchless motion dispensers for cold water are a bonus, but push back levers are just as hygienic.
- The easier, the better: Sanitary features like ozone injection or UV make upkeep all the more easier.
Our Expertise
It took us hours of test trials to pinpoint a suitable testing methodology. This familiarized us with dispensing mechanisms, water pumping, bottle changing, and how the indicators performed. We then ran repeated tests clocking up over 8 hours per machine and dispensed over 2,250 cups of water in total!
Your product guide, Roger Shitaki, actively participated in both the test design and implementation. He has written numerous in-depth articles and buying guides on mini fridges, refrigerator water filters, ice makers, and large kitchen appliances.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256 ‒ Water: How much should you drink every day?
