Primo Water Cooler: Should You Or Should You Not Buy It?

In our review of a Primo water cooler, we compare Primo’s cold-water model with other products to see how it stacks up against the average water dispenser.

The water cooler has been a widely accepted staple of pop culture, with its role as the office gossip center. With a paper cup and the push of a spigot, you have a cold drink of water to keep you hydrated throughout the day.

Over the last several decades, the design of the water cooler hasn’t changed drastically, but like anything else, it’s seen some upgrades. In our review of the Primo water cooler, we’ll see how new features have kept the water cooler relevant in today’s workplaces and homes everywhere.

Water filtration has become an important issue for people who drink a lot of water. Advances in technology have also resulted in energy-efficient models, indicator lights and temperature regulators. Design improvements include leak protection and push-button dispensers in place of spigots.

One significant difference you see in a lot of water dispensers these days is their ability to provide both cold and hot water, to enable users to enjoy tea, hot chocolate or instant coffee.

However, not everyone needs hot water for his or her daily use, making the additional function unnecessary and in-the-way. In our review, we focus on the Primo Pro Series Cold Water Dispenser.

This dispenser’s primary purpose is to provide its users with ice-cold water, rather than cold, hot and room temperature water.

What’s Different About the Primo Water Cooler?

There was a time when most people associated water coolers with workplaces, but water coolers have become popular in homes as well. As families become more concerned with staying hydrated and drinking the purest water possible, it’s become a convenience to have a source of water within a button’s reach.

When most people think of water coolers, they imagine a small box with a giant bottle on top. For the most part, this design hasn’t changed. You break the seal, position the container in place, and water flows into a special reservoir where a compressor cools it down.

As people get drinks and the tank empties, more water flows into the cooling area so it can chill to the perfect drinking temperature.

The Primo Pro Series Cold Water Dispenser looks a little different than your typical water cooler. The iconic feature of the average water cooler – the bottle on top – has been moved to the bottom of the dispenser, where it’s hidden behind a door.

This offers up a sleek look that blends in better with adjacent countertops or appliances. Because the bottle goes unseen, Primo supplies an indicator light to let you know when it’s running low, so that you don’t have to open the door to check constantly.

Its electronic features include a digital thermostat and touch controls. To save on energy, it also has an on and off switch, so you can shut it down when it won’t be in use for a while. An LED nightlight makes it easier to stumble downstairs in the middle of the night for a drink of water.

While this particular dispenser does not provide hot water, it recognizes that users who drink warm beverages may have other needs. The top of the water cooler is flat with a non-slip pad, ideally suited for adding small single-brew coffee machines, like the popular Keurig brewer.

Product Specifications: Primo Water Cooler

However, some users who like it do so because it lacks hot water. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t need hot water, then it’s almost impossible to find options that work for those needs.

The non-slip top is also a great add-on to justify the price because it allows you to turn your water cooler into a beverage center. This is a nice bonus if you don’t have a lot of countertop space and need an extra surface.

How It Compares: Primo Water Cooler

To see how the Primo stacked up against other water coolers in its class, we found other models that also lacked the hot water feature.

This allows us to see what is considered average for a dispenser like this, and focus on its pros and cons. We compared across several criteria, including price, build quality and assembly time. We also considered how easy the product was to use, and how supportive the warranty coverage would be in the event it’s needed.

Pros and Cons - Primo Water Cooler

Conclusion

Ultimately, if you’re in the market for a water cooler that focuses solely on ice-cold water, the Primo Pro Series Cold Water Dispenser is a fair option. It’s a bit pricey, but the design is quite unique with its bottle placement on the bottle and brewer storage on top. If this design is something that appeals to you, it may be worth the added cost to get these two things. 

It excels at many things, but it also faces some challenges. We like the Vitapur for its optional water filtration system, along with the price and its leak-guard protection. 

Even if you think you only need cold water, it’s never a bad idea to get one that dispenses both. Water dispensers that have both cold and hot water are the standard these days, so it’s very easy to find a model that has both at an affordable price. If, after considering this, the Primo water cooler seems like the best option, then you likely won’t be disappointed with it.