Chest freezers...discuss...

[Yakfishingfool]

No, not ice on the nipples....Thinking of pulling the trigger on a chest freezer. see prices from 200-1000. Of course size matters, but what say you about what you have and what's working and not working. Looking for a top load chest type, was thinking 6ish feet, any thoughts??? Scott

 

[Kevin]

Get a big one. I've had chest freezers last decades. The upright ones, not so much. The chest freezers are way more efficient as you probably know. Gravity and all of that stuff comes into play.

 

[bbqbull]

Might I suggest here one thing.
I have a friend who owns an appliance store. He claims that there are different grades of named products. If you buy exa. a brand X at a discount store.....there a lower grade of product than if you bought it from a certified appliance store.
Wasnt real sure of this until I talked to several different plumbers. If you purchase as and example a Moen kitchen faucet from H. Depot, you will be getting a cheaper grade than if you went to a professional plumbing store.
Ive also been told that if you purchase a named brand firearm from a discount store, you will be getting a lower grade gun. If you went to a gun store you will be getting a better grade firearm for a bit more money.
I purchased a side by side freezer/fridge from a reputable appliance store.
My wife took the make/model to her work at a big box store. We saved about $600.00 dollars for the same machine.
If anybody knows any different than me, please speak up. As I dont work for anybody.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[thillin]

I prefer upright due to the fact, I don't have dig out stuff lost in the bottom.

 

[Kevin]

I prefer upright due to the fact, I don't have dig out stuff lost in the bottom.

That was my thought when I got the new upright frost free with all the bells and whistles. I still dig. Maye it's because I shop for 50 and cool for 3?

 

[Yakfishingfool]

I hear what you're saying. We really don;t have an "appliance" store around here, but it is worth exploring. The reason for the chest format is that will fit in the pace the best. But again, I can be open minded. Keep the comments coming. Scott

 

[FatDaddy]

i bought the 7.2 cu foot frigidaire from bestbuy for about 200 bucks or so. it has plenty of room. ive got meat from 2 deer in there plus left over bbq and a whole packer with room to spare. Now the only thing i need is a bigger fridge in the house so i can move my other out in the garage for a beer/wet aging fridge

 

[Ron_L]

We have a GE chest freezer that is at least 15 years old and has never failed. It is a bit much to dig stuff out, but the capacity is great.

As far as manufacturers, there are only a handful of companies that manufacturer freezers and sell them under many brand names. This site is a good reference for buying a home appliance but they also have a chart that shows who manufactures which brand. In some cases you can get the same product as a store brand (Kenmore for example) for less than the name brand.

 

[slat]

My Mom has a Kenmore chest freezer that is 33 years old and has never had anything done to it. It's like 25 cu. ft. I have a 12 or 13 cu. ft. upright by Kenmore that's like 12 years old and has never had anything done to it. I think there are pros and cons to both types. I think it's a matter of which one will work best for you.

 

[Bigdog]

I have both a small upright and a small chest freezer. Luv 'em both. Use them to store different stuff. Upright is great for boxes, esp. frozen pizza. You can see them all with a quick glance. The chest is my BBQ freezer. It came with 2 baskets and I bought 4 more. Keeps all my stuff organized and I don't have to dig too far. But the key here is small. You don't loose stuff as easy in a small one.

 

[JamesB]

Ive also been told that if you purchase a named brand firearm from a discount store, you will be getting a lower grade gun. If you went to a gun store you will be getting a better grade firearm for a bit more money.

I have heard and read that there are some companies that will make a different grade of product for discounters (Wally Mart comes to mind), I have NEVER seen this with firearms. What you will find is that the discount stores will usually only sell the less expensive models.

We do have a large Kenmore chest freezer that we inherited from my wife's grandmother that must be at least 25yrs old and still going strong!

 

[Smokin Gator]

I had a chest freezer and got rid of it for an upright. I guess if you are organized (which I am NOT) the chests are fine. I never knew what was in the farker!!! I love the upright. To each his own though...

I got a nearly new Kenmore upright for $150 off of Craigslist. Either way CL is a great place to find freezers.

 

[parrothead]

I prefer the upright as well.

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Uprights would be cool to have for stuff you bring home from the grocery store, freeze and use fairly quickly but I have a chest freezer that is going on 40 years old. I rolled newspapers for my paper route on it as a kid when I was so short, I had to use a step stool to stand on to reach the top. I love the capacity and it seems to freeze stuff really quickly. It's never once failed. I'd be lost without it.

 

[Yakfishingfool]

I've scoured CL for a bit with little to show for it. I tink the chest freezer is the right move for me. Just deciding on size. I got bigger than I thought I needed with the smoker so will do the same with the freezer. SCott

 

[ZBQ]

I have a chest type Kenmore that I bought used about 5 years ago and I know it was at least 10 years old when I got it and it is running fine.

If I had my chioce I would get an upright. Unless you have an inventory (my dad used to do this) or you have a photographic memory you forget what is on the bottom. Out of sight, out of mind. Also, trying to dig a whole turkey or whole brisket out of the bottom without unloading the whole thing or having an avalanch of stuff is next to impossible. :x Hard on the back too.

I would also NOT get a frost free freezer. The reason for this is because food will get freezer burn faster in a frost free. The way a frost free works is it has a defrost cycle and the outside of stuff will defrost slightly contributing to freezer burn.

Just something to think about. If you food saver everything then this doesn't matter.