Upright Freezer

[bczoom]

Time to get a new freezer for Mrs. Zoom. (We have his-and-her freezers).

We're looking for something in the 17 cu/ft range.

It has to be an upright due to location.

We don't want frost-free.

Energy Star would be nice.

Any that you would recommend (or not)?

 

[Melensdad]

We have a KENMORE upright in the garage. It was made specifically for use in a garage where temperatures get below freezing. Its 2 years old, going on 3, far more energy efficient than the old one it replaced and I've never had any trouble with Kenmore from Sears. We also have the matching refrigerator out there next to it. I think both are 16.9 cu ft.

 

[bczoom]

Thanks Bob.
My first selection was going to be a Kenmore but I can't seem to find an upright with manual defrost in that size. Since it's for bulk items and meat, I really don't want frost-free since the food may be in there for awhile.

So far, I've found these.
Home Depot - $599
GE 17.1 Cu. Ft. Manual Defrost Upright Freezer Model # FUM17SVRWW
Best Buy - $599
Frigidaire - 17.1 Cu. Ft. Upright Freezer - White Model: FFU17M7HW

Whirlpool doesn't seem to have an offering in this size.

Maytag in a google search for "Maytag Freezer" returned more complaint sites than sales sites.

 

[Glink]

There are only 2 significant mfgrs of Freezer in the USA; WCWOODS, and
EHP (Frigidaire). All others are private labeled from one of these two. You may want to consider this in researching and interpreting consumer reviews.

 

[Deerlope]

We just had to buy a comb model. A 25 cu ft frig on top and a freeze in the bottom. Brand is a GE w/engery star. We also bought a Frigdaire 17 cu ft freezer manual defrost, upright. I paid $525 for it.

 

[OhioTC18]

Brian,
We have a 3-4 year old Kenmore "Heavy Duty Commercial". It's an upright and manual defrost. I couldn't find a nameplate on quick glance. It could be on the back or behind the panel down at the bottom. SO I have no idea what size it is.
After looking at their website, it closely resembles a 12.1 Cu Ft.

It has two baskets at the bottom, five door shelves (fixed position) and 3 racks that are also fixed. The food racks are fixed because the cooling coils are embedded in the racks. When the frost builds up, it's on the shelves/racks. Unplug it to defrost and wipe down the racks with warm water. The frost pretty much melts off. Then air dry it and plug back in.

 

[bczoom]

There are only 2 significant mfgrs of Freezer in the USA; WCWOODS, and
EHP (Frigidaire). All others are private labeled from one of these two. You may want to consider this in researching and interpreting consumer reviews.

Thanks. I found that tidbit out when talking to a sales guy at Sears when he said their Kenmore brand were re-badged Frigidaire.

Lowe's was a more convenient meeting place for me and Mrs. Zoom when she was coming home from work yesterday. I wanted her to look at the various sizes, options and interior layouts. Well, as expected, the Frigidaire's there were identical to the Kenmore's. The sales guy was nice but couldn't tell us why the Kenmore was less expensive. Mrs. Zoom and I were hemming and hawing when the guy said he would knock 10% off. With that 10%, it beat Sears so we bought it.

She OK'ed getting an even bigger model so we went with THIS 20.7 cu/ft model.

Can someone explain to me why the same sized freezer with ENERGY STAR (and auto-defrost) uses 20% more electricity? It doesn't make sense to me that it uses 20% more when Energy Star is touted to save 20%.