Chest or upright freezer? (appliance, price, vs, refrigerator)

[BigDGeek]

I'm looking to buy a freezer between 12 and 15 cubic feet, looking to spend about $400.

There are lots of options in this price range, both upright and chest...and some that are auto defrost but most are manual.

I have enough space in the garage to store a 15 cubic foot chest freezer easily, but of course I'd like to keep as much storage space free as possible in the garage. An upright has a smaller footprint. But...you get more cubic footage for the money with a chest freezer. My garage is not really big; it's a 2-car but it's on the small end.

Can anyone share their experiences with buying/owning chest freezers to help me make a decision? Thanks!

[K'ledgeBldr]

The question has already been hashed and re-hashed-

//www.city-data.com/forum/house...ezer-size.html

[South Range Family]

I like a chest. It keeps the cold in while open, but things tend to get buried at the bottom.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

The question has already been hashed and re-hashed-

//www.city-data.com/forum/house...ezer-size.html

Thanks, that answered every question except manual defrost vs frost-free.

[M3 Mitch]

Manual defrost stays colder, uses less power, but, of course you need to defrost it maybe annually.

To me, the manual defrost makes the most sense with a chest freezer, since it does not exchange air as vigorously when you open it.

A really good ice chest is very handy to have for defrosting. You can try to use up most of your frozen food and if you are determined you can maybe get everything to fit in your refrigerator's freezer - but if not you can put the frozen food in a good ice chest and really it will stay hard frozen long enough to defrost your freezer, particularly if you leave the doors on the freezer open.

If you do the defrost during winter, you can leave the ice chest exposed to the outdoor cold and it will stay frozen probably 2-3 days, or you can get dry ice and keep it indefinitely.

Keep in mind that freezers like this can be bought used, typically you save a lot of money on the purchase and these used appliances run as long or longer as new.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Manual defrost stays colder, uses less power, but, of course you need to defrost it maybe annually.

To me, the manual defrost makes the most sense with a chest freezer, since it does not exchange air as vigorously when you open it.

A really good ice chest is very handy to have for defrosting. You can try to use up most of your frozen food and if you are determined you can maybe get everything to fit in your refrigerator's freezer - but if not you can put the frozen food in a good ice chest and really it will stay hard frozen long enough to defrost your freezer, particularly if you leave the doors on the freezer open.

If you do the defrost during winter, you can leave the ice chest exposed to the outdoor cold and it will stay frozen probably 2-3 days, or you can get dry ice and keep it indefinitely.

Keep in mind that freezers like this can be bought used, typically you save a lot of money on the purchase and these used appliances run as long or longer as new.

I looked on Craigslist for a used freezer and the only ones that were listed were either as pricey as a new one or were very old and horrible-looking.

[M3 Mitch]

Used appliance store? Surely there is one in the Big D.

What about Goodwill?

I mean, it's not insane to buy new, but I have got some real good deals on used appliances, usually from used appliance dealers.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Used appliance store? Surely there is one in the Big D.

What about Goodwill?

I mean, it's not insane to buy new, but I have got some real good deals on used appliances, usually from used appliance dealers.

There would be transportation issues buying from craigslist or Goodwill. I do not know of any used appliance dealers around here.

[campmom123]

Yes you can cram a lot into a chest freezer, but you aint never gonna find it again without emptying it all out every time.

Don't get me wrong, we've been happy to have our chest freezer, but it'd be nice to have some racks like an upright has to lay things flat to freeze, and to be able to see what's in there easier without having to dig and crawl in, etc.

[texdav]

Its relly the rommthat chest freezer take up I don't like.A frost free will keep things cold if you place a couple of gallon jugs of water in it or also good for when they are more empty.