The chest freezer vs. upright freezer debate is an important one when considering the best freezing appliance for your home. Before determining the one that is best for your needs, you need to weigh the distinct features of both the chest freezer and upright freezer. If you are having problems on how to preserve your food, meat, milk or other items, we're here to help you identify the key differences between the upright freezer vs. chest freezer and select the one that fulfills your needs.
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Upright vs. Chest Freezer Appearance
One of the first things you may want to consider about your freezer is the appearance. Generally, chest freezers sit horizontally on the floor and are much deeper compared to an upright freezer. With this shape, they're not typically well-suited for inside the home, as they'll have no dedicated space in the kitchen. However, they can be the perfect appliance for freezing goods in the basement or the garage. Although they may not be a seamless appliance to add to the kitchen, their shape makes them a convenient and flexible solution for nearly any other location.
An upright freezer has an appearance similar to a conventional refrigerator. For this reason, it may complement the look of your traditional refrigerator set-up. It may take up less floor space, but you'll be storing goods in a similar manner to your refrigerator, as opposed to the chest freezer which offers a little more flexibility and versatility.
Chest Freezer vs. Upright Freezer Storage
To continue our upright freezer vs chest freezer comparison, let's consider their storage capability next. Remember that both of these freezer options are available in different sizes, which provide varying levels of storage as required. The way food is organized on the inside of the freezer is the key difference to consider.
A chest freezer has a wire basket inside to help organize the items inside it. This means that your frozen items might be buried under each other, and you'll have to be more conscious of your chest freezer organization. Fortunately, you can get additional storage baskets and compartments to further organize items inside your freezer. Ultimately, the shape and size of these freezers gives chest freezers more storage space.
What about upright freezers, what can they offer? Well, similar to a fridge, upright freezers have shelves that provides a way for items to be conveniently organized on different levels throughout the freezer. These shelves allow better organization, especially if you choose a certain model that will allow you to move these shelves to better make use of the space.
Upright Freezer vs. Chest Freezer Energy Efficiency
No comparison is complete without finding out which is more energy efficient, and there are key differences in the chest freezer vs. upright freezer.
Chest freezers are usually more energy efficient which makes them less costly, especially in the long term. Because it has built-in insulation, chest freezers hold cold temperature very well, and therefore use the least amount of energy. Generally, the running cost of a chest freezer is a little more than $4 a month. In comparison, an upright freezer typically costs around $14 a month to run.
Another thing to consider is your risk of power outages. In the event of a power outage, chest freezers will keep your food frozen for up to 3 days at a time, while upright freezers will only be able to keep food frozen one day a time. Therefore, if you are subject to frequent power outages, you may want to consider a chest freezer.
Chest Freezer vs. Upright Freezer Installation
Chest freezers can be stored anywhere, although they are most often stored in places like the garage or the basement. However, since it requires more room, it is imperative that you have the space necessary. Fortunately, chest freezers are essentially “plug and play”. These freezers are designed to be versatile, so all you have to do is plug it in at your desired location and begin using it.
On the other hand, even though upright freezers require less floor space, but the door has to have enough room to swing open in the right direction. This means that the upright freezer may need to be installed in a more particular location. In some cases, you may even require professional installation if your home infrastructure needs to be modified. Furthermore, if your upright freezer has an ice maker and needs to be connected to a water supply, it will almost certainly require professional installation.
Best Chest Freezer
If you're in the market for a chest freezer, we would highly recommend the Northair Chest Freezer. At 5 cubic feet of storage, this chest freezer will provide you with a premium user experience and freezing capabilities. Every detail on this chest freezer has been carefully engineered to improve the user experience. The top lid holds itself open between 45° and 90° angles, which gives you effortless access to food.
The Northair chest freezer also has other unique features you may want to consider:
- It is perfectly silent with a whisper-quiet compressor
- Conveniently adjust temperature by using the user-friendly thermostat located on the exterior
- Has easy defrosting functionality which will help you keep the food inside this chest freezer dry
- Ideal for the modern home with its minimalistic design
- Low energy consumption for reduced electricity costs
Best Upright Freezer
If you think an upright freezer is the best choice for you, we would recommend the MIDEA Freezer. Also offering 5 cubic feet of storage, this upright freezer is perfectly sized to take up minimal space while providing substantial storage capacity. With great energy efficiency and high reliability, this is one of the strongest choices for upright freezers.
Additional noteworthy features of the MIDEA Freezer include:
- Mechanical control
- See-through glass door
- Interior LED light
- Spill proof glass shelves
After settling the differences between the chest freezer vs. upright freezer, we hope you have a better understanding of the appliance that best suits your needs. For more appliance reviews and recommendations, be sure to visit our appliance buying guides and follow our blog for our latest content.