Freezer buying - opinions and reviews sought

[jabber]

I just bought a 21 CF +/- from Lowes with free delivery for about $650 either Whirlpool or GE, don't remember which one I ended up going with, but for what you are looking to spend, you should be able to get something quite a bit bigger than mentioned. If you want to stay with that smaller size, check out Sam's, I know they have them pretty cheap.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I prefer a chest type freezer (not frost free). You can pile stuff into it, and fill it to the point where you can just close the lid. The more frozen goods you have in it, the better. With an upright, if the packages shift and fall against the door, the door could open and you could lose everything if the freezer is not in a place you see it daily. Just my opinion, YMMV.

 

[morley.tyler]

It's been said a lot. UPRIGHT, UPRIGHT, UPRIGHT!! Either that, or you'll buy a chest freezer, get frustrated, angry and then sell it for a loss and buy an upright. On this, I speak from experience...

 

[ashersdad]

Pros and cons to both. I have an upright and 2 chest freezers. Upright is definitely easier to organize and get to stuff. Although I've often taken a chest freezer and generator on long extended elk or moose hunts. Pretty easy to throw in the back of the truck when empty. Also nice to get home from a hunt and be able to throw whole quarters into the chest freezer if I'm not able to process the meat for awhile. My advice would be to get both (one now and the other when funds permit).

 

[Indigenous]

Thanks everyone for the input. I ended up finding an upright Kenmore for $100 for sale used. It's in great shape, and will cover my needs for now. I had a 15cu ft Whirlpool chest on my radar, but at $400 I wasn't too excited about it with this being just my second season. Hopefully our family grows into that later on

 

[Bambistew]

There was a freezer thread not long ago here.

IMO, meat will last longer in a chest freezer. I prefer an upright and to eat everything in a year or so. I use cardboard boxes to organize and keep it from falling out the door as mentioned above.

Get more than you think you need. I have about 30cf of storage and could use more. I don't really think it matters the brand as long as they aren't super cheaply made. There isn't much to a freezer, a compressor and a condenser, just depends on how its put together. I bought the two I have second hand for cheap... 10 years ago. Still work fine. Up here there are lots of people coming and going for various reasons, lots of bargains to be had on like new freezers.

 

[Jwill]

I like to shop for Energy Star rated, I think they are generally better insulated, will save some $ on electricity and stay cold longer if you lose power.

 

[Trial153]

I have a chest and I want an upright as well...

 

[Dave N]

+1 on the boxes to separate and organize. I keep my burger, stew and steaks in different boxes. Roasts get another big box. Keeps them from sliding around on the shelves.

 

[Zach]

I have a Frigidaire Chest and a GE upright. Both have their place and purpose. For steak style cuts the upright gets loaded, for burger/roasts the chest gets loaded. Chest also has spots for ducks/geese going to the taxi, I've also got an antelope skull I need to boil and euro.

Whatever you do, don't put them down in the basement, unless it's a walkout, unless you plan on leaving it there forever. .02

 

[RobG]

Self defrosting freezers will not keep meat as long as non defrosting. Something to think about when buying. Both of my chest freezers are non defrosting. I do it manually every year or so.

This, and you get more space for the money with a chest freezer. And the cold doesn’t run out every time you open the door.

I put my stuff in tall skinny boxes to organize. Cloth shopping bags also work. My wife went so far as to put a map of the types of food on the door.

 

[bluespruce]

Chest freezers for me. The freezer on my side by side refrigerator is an absolute pain - stuff is always falling out and I'm having to take a bunch out to get to something in the back just like a chest freezer. At least with a chest you don't lose the cold air while searching for something and a roast won't randomly fall out and land on my foot.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I have a White Westinghouse chest freezer second hand that is older than dirt but just keeps chugging along. I think they sold out to some other company tho. My dad has had really good luck with GE. He has 2 of them. Upright and chest. He prefers the chest style. A roast to the toe like mentioned above is a bad day.

 

[RobG]

FWIW, defrosting is pretty easy. We reorganize our freezer every year so when everything is out I put a little space heater into the freezer for 10 minutes or so. This loosens the ice bond enough that it will nudge right off with finger pressure.

 

[JoltnJoe]

I’ve got a generic chest freezer from Lowe’s that I love.... as long as I remember to put EVERYTHING back in when I dig something out of the bottom

 

[Jwill]

At about the time of this original post I purchased a 20cuft upright Frigidaire. Well it died last week. Honestly, I have a little angst at it lasting less than 4 year (1yr warranty) and can kind of relate to the folks that shoot them full of holes... Fortunately it happened pre-hunting season and we caught it before the stuff in there thawed out. Have a GE on the way, purchased mostly with credit card points. Anybody out there that has had a dead freezer repaired and had it last?