freezer type

[Tac]

frost free or manual defrost? chest or upright?

my grandfather stored alot of animals and said they keep longer in a manual defrost freezer.

anyone have input on this

[5guyshunting]

I like my upright, things don't get buried in the bottom. Mine is frost free and I have meat that is over two years old and it is fine.

[cjl2010]

Chest is nice if you lose power

[Norteno]

I just picked this one up at Sears to hold my elk. Got it for under $400 out the door. Chest freezer would have taken up too much room.

 

Kenmore 22442 13.8 cu.ft. Upright Freezer

[Heat]

Chest for efficiency in insulation and cost to run. Upright for convenience and organization.

[bigorange]

Chest for efficiency in insulation and cost to run. Upright for convenience and organization.

This. Or whichever you can find the best deal on. I found an upright Fridgidaire at Lowes on sale, plus discount for floor model, plus added 10% promotion discount. Ended up more than 50% off.

[elkaholic]

I like buying them at estate sales

 

Fridgedaire upright- 15 cu ft 2015 - $40

 

Amana upright 14 cuft 09 - $50

 

 

but then I didn't have an elk at the butcher waiting to come home either so I can watch for these to show

 

got to swap out my ancient 20 yr old -- 20 cf er tomorrow before it has any problems - runs great - no complaints other than had to thaw it once every 3 yrs - door handle gone etc.

 

 

never liked digging in the bottoms of a chest plus the bigger ones took up way to much room

 

if you have it plugged to a gfi outlet - make sure you invest in an alarm for your freezer - if power goes out - they will not reset by themselves - seen many a load of good game meat tossed cuz of a power failure and guy didn't even know anything till bloody stinky mess !!

 

 

if your just storing hides and heads - sometimes a chest will work better for that and should keep longer during power outage

[BOWUNTR]

All day long on Craigslist... Upright for reasons above. Chest for capes and antlers... Ed F

[Zeke-BE]

All day long on Craigslist... Upright for reasons above. Chest for capes and antlers... Ed F

 

agreed

[Bughalli]

Good advice. I'll only add....if you get an upright, put one of those child locks on it (little plastic buckle type thing). It's not to keep anyone out, but simply to ensure the door is always closed. I've had people in the family close the door as they walk away and the speed of the door swinging caused it to hit and bounce out, leaving it open an inch. It's happened twice in with two different upright freezers (then the family finger pointing begins on who did it). Once I put the child lock on it, it never happened again. If it's buckled, the door is closed.

 

This is what I used:

https://www.amazon.com/WONDERKID-Quality-Adjustable-Child-Safety/dp/B0155IEUUM/ref=sr_1_20_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1476745544&sr=1-20&keywords=child%2Bsafety%2Blocks&th=1

 

Frost free vs manual - both are fine. I would probably opt for frost free just because then I don't need to defrost it. Plus they're cheaper. After a year that frost starts to build up and you lose freezer space. One thing to note, when a freezer is frost free it means it's taking all the moisture out of the air (hence no frost buildup inside). So if meat is exposed or you don't have good packaging.... your vacuum seal didn't hold, etc...the meat will get freezer burn more quickly. Not a big issue, but noticeable if anything isn't well sealed.

[muledeerarea33?]

My frost free chest freezer frosted up after 9 years. Wasn't a big deal deal, I just busted the ice off. As far as space between chest and upright, a chest was better for my space since I'm in a small space with no wall space for an upright. My chest fits next to the pensula in the kitchen.

[Cell4soul]

I had a chest and got tired of digging for meat. I just bought an upright this year and kept the chest too. The chest went with me to Wyoming. I used it to haul my meat home. I ran it with a generator in the back of my truck.

[Whitesheep]

Personally I like a chest freezer for most of the reasons mentioned, but one more. My family will cover any flat exposed surface in my garage with stuff and stuff. The fact that they have to get in the freezer to get meat means it stays clear most of the time. Therefore it makes a great alternative workbench since the "real" workbench is covered with stuff. When I need to work on my truck or car I have a place for tools and parts now.

 

Yes, I have tried "stealth stuff" and other tactics outside of electrifying the bench, but storing meat in the "work bench" is the best solution so far.

[StickFlicker]

If your purpose is to store game meat, or any other meat, absolutely without a doubt DON'T get a frost free. Meat will last for years in a manual defrost freezer, and often less than one year in a frost free freezer.