Kitchen

[HonnyBrown]

I looked at some upright freezers on the Sears website. I get what you all mean when you say you aren't bending down to search for items. Do you think you get less space due to the compartments/racks?

[AuntG]

My Kenmore chest freezer is several years old and it's proven to be a good buy. I like it more than the upright styles. It's on the smaller side (probably 10 cu. feet) and is rarely packed full-- but we don't have teenagers in the house either.

[Sister Golden Hair]

gardenman, good point about the body

[HonnyBrown]

On 8/26/2014 gardenman said:

Chest freezers are typically more efficient since cold air is heavier than warm air. When you open the top of a chest freezer the cold air just sits there, much like the open topped freezers in supermarkets. Upright freezers tend to have a waterfall of cold air cascading out each time you open it and then that cold air is replaced with room temperature air which has to be cooled all over again. It's not a huge deal if you don't open and close the freezer a lot, but over the lifespan of a freezer it can add up to a pretty good amount of change. The less the compressor has to run the longer it's likely to last too. If you don't mind the bending and diving in to get stuff then a chest freezer is a good option even though they take up a bit more floorspace.

I don't really think there's much difference from one brand to another. We have an old WT Grant chest freezer in our basement (and Grants has been out of business a long, long time) that still works fine. One more small point on a somewhat lighter note, if you're the type who may find yourself with a body to dispose of, chest freezers seem to be preferred by the TV/movie/novel writers. It's apparently much easier to just dump a body in a chest freezer than force one into an upright.

Selling point. I'll make sure to get one to accommodate DH!

Another selling point is the energy efficiency.

[Hellodemocrat]

My mom had a chest freezer. everything is on the bottom. Would not have one. I have an upright one and can get to everything without crawling into it and digging what I want out.

Please reconsider.

Also, I would not have anything I had to defrost. We had one for years, husbands idea, and I finally got sick of it and told him I was going to Sears and getting an upright frostfree. Never been sorry since!!!!!

[HonnyBrown]

Rocker, the chest freezers I have seen are manual. Do you know if any come in frost free?

DH will be getting the items on the bottom if bending and diving become a pain for me.

[jaxs mom]

I don't have any problems finding stuff in my chest. It has dividers, so I just group things by type and I know what section they are in. We have the 20 cu ft but we are talking about getting a second one because there is no room and deer season is coming up.

[Silkeej]

I don't care for the chest freezers, hard to find items and have to keep removing items to find what you are looking for. It seems what you want is always on the very bottom. You have to bend over to find your items and worry about the top coming down on you. I did see one that had dividers don't know if that helps. We have a upright frost free freezer after many years of having to defrost the freezer every summer and so I said enough and got the frost free. Love it!!!! I can see at a glance what I have, what I may need and very easy to organize by products. My vote would be for an frost free upright.

[wismiss]

HonnyBrown, we have a chest freezer. Never again. It will be an upright if we do replace it when it stops working. Not only is it difficult finding things, but when you clean it, you are practically standing on your head to reach the bottom.

Just my opinion.

[Carmie]

We have a chest freezer in our home. It's now over 45 years old and works great. (It's avocado green.) My parents purchased a very large chest freezer back in the early 60's and it's still working too. About 10 years ago a new gasket was installed.

Chest freezers keep your items frozen longer if the power goes out. Stuff doesn't fall out if you overstuff, but you have to remember where you put items especially if they are on the bottom and hard to see. I sometimes put many small items in kitchen trash bags and label them so I know where to find them and also so that they don't drop to the bottom and get lost.

We also have an upright freezer. An upright makes it easier to find things, but holds less and they can open if something shifts around. Kids sometimes forget to completely close them and stuff can thaw on every shelf in the front.

I keep meat and home frozen veggies and fruit in the chest and ice cream, frozen treats and items that get used more often or will be used soon in the upright.

There are pro and cons for each type. Whatever you buy, make sure you like it because they can last a long, long time,