Chest Freezer or Upright Freezer? the Main Pros and Cons

When I first "set-up housekeeping" as the old term goes, I started looking around for a freezer. We planted a garden every year, so I needed one to help store produce. I bought a huge old chest freezer because the price was right- it came with the house. Never having a full-size freezer before, I didn't think there was much of a difference between that and an upright. As time passed, I found out I have a definite preference. Read this informative article and find out how to decide between a chest freezer and an upright freezer, the main pros and the cons!

Chest Freezer or Upright Freezer- The Main Pros and Cons

1. Space Consideration
If you need additional freezer storage space, but room to put a freezer is limited, you may have no other option than to buy an upright freezer. It depends on how much storage space you need. You can choose a 7.0 cubic foot Haier brand chest freezer, for example. It measures about 33" high, 37" wide, and is 22" deep. According to the manufacturer, it can "hold approximately 159 pounds of frozen food."

If you need some serious room for freezing foods, you can choose a 14.8 cubic foot Kenmore chest freezer. It holds approximately 518 pounds of frozen food. That's a lot of food. It's 35" high, is about 30" deep, and is 48" wide. However, you can buy a 20.6 cubic foot GE upright freezer and put it in a smaller spot. It's about 71" high, but it's only 29" deep and is only 32" wide.

Also, a chest freezer- especially the larger capacity models- are harder to move. Getting a chest freezer into your house may be impossible if there are tight corners to maneuver around.

2. Energy Efficiency
One of the biggest pros of a chest freezer is that it beats an upright in energy efficiency because of its very design. Cold air is heavier than warm air, and it tends to fall. Every time you open the door of an upright freezer, the cold air tends to "fall out". Not so with a chest freezer. Add that to the fact that most chest freezers aren't available with an automatic defrost feature, and the energy savings increase.

3. Accessibility of Frozen Foods
Personally, I think this is the biggest con of a typical chest freezer. First, if you're vertically challenged, (which I am not) you'll have problems opening the lid and reaching inside a chest freezer. The lower the level of the food becomes, the harder it will be to reach it. Second, rotating foods in a chest freezer is a chore. Items invariably get lost in the bottom. It's easier to open the door of an upright freezer and see the contents.

And finally, one of the cons of a glass-top electric stove/range (read about them here) is that household members can try to use the flat surface like a countertop. Buy a chest freezer and you can run into the same problem. If the top becomes a catch-all, it can be annoying when you want to open your chest freezer.

Resources
http://www.guide2freezers.com/types-of-freezers/chest-freezers.aspx