Upright or chest freezer.

**heartofmine** · 01-08-2011, 08:56 PM

Which do you prefer? I have a chest freezer now but I'm finding the older I get the more trouble I have reaching in and getting stuff. I'm also a shorty so that doesn't help. We are planning on building a new home in the next few months. I plan on having a large pantry off the kitchen big enough for a freezer. The one I have right now won't "fit" through the doorways of this house so I'll have to sell it with the house. We built a closet after the freezer was put in the room so now the freezer just won't go through the doorways. Anyway I'll be buying a new freezer and I wondered what others preferred and if I would even like an upright over a chest freezer.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 01-08-2011, 09:05 PM

MIL has both and she's recommended to me to save my money as far as a standing freezer is concerned. Unless you're 4 feet tall, you shouldn't have an issue with the right kind of chest freezer. I have two and the only time I have problems is when I leave small items at the bottom ( and I'm 6 feet tall ).

**Ramona** · 01-08-2011, 09:14 PM

Mama always had an upright but she was a shorty so the items at the back of the top shelf were often out of reach. Luckily, Dad was normal size and could get them for her.

In the meantime, I'd suggest one of those "grabbers", maybe there's one like this:
Handy Grabber Reachers, Folding Pickup Tool w/ Locking
available on Craigslist or through the Senior Center, etc.

I'm tempted to bring one to the grocery, but I'm afraid of leaving it in the basket. So I just ask the tallest person passing by to grab something for me.

**pinetree** · 01-08-2011, 09:44 PM

I have one of each, I like both of them. The chest freezer seems to hold alot more, but things do seem to get lost. Now I have dividers so its not that big of prpoblem

The upright is easy to get into, but I dont like it because my meat seems to slide around alot, things fall out and you cant put as much in.

So i guess it comes down to which one you prefer. If I could buy only one I think I would buy another chest.

**NikoSan999** · 01-08-2011, 10:23 PM

Upright...hands down...bending over into chest makes me dizzy

**calimomx2** · 01-08-2011, 11:01 PM

We have a chest freezer and I really wish we had gotten a stand up freezer! I'm 5'2 and I can't reach the bottom unless I climb in it. Things tend to get lost in the bottom too!

**Buc-O-Mama** · 01-09-2011, 01:38 AM

We have an upright, and if it ever dies, I'd like a chest freezer instead. My only reason is that the odds of a teenager accidentally leaving it cracked open for two days is smaller with gravity on my side.

**frugalfranny** · 01-09-2011, 01:50 AM

Like my chest freezer but I am tall enough to reach the bottom. You do have to keep them organized though. They are cheaper to run.

Whatever you get DO NOT get frost free............it will freezer burn the food much faster.

Here is one thread about this........it seems to come up about every three months........and half way down the page is a link to yet another thread about the pros and cons.

https://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/...-freezers.html

**happymomof4** · 01-09-2011, 08:25 AM

I have both. I love my chest freezer for large quanities. I keep a list of what is in my chest freezer. That helps with not forgetting to use something. I stack it groups--beef on one side, chicken on other. The more organized it is the better to find stuff.

My upright freezer I keep the thing that we use more often. Like the prepackage stuff, veggies, etc. I keep that organized also. All the veggies in the door. All the tv dinners on 1 shelf, etc. The kids are in this one more often because that is the food they can make on there own. Nobody goes in my chest freezer besides me. They don't want to thaw something to eat it!!!!

**Labontet** · 01-09-2011, 06:33 PM

I have a 12 cubic foot upright freezer. I just got it this summer and really like it.

**mndtrp** · 01-09-2011, 07:11 PM

I far prefer chest freezers. They seem to hold more, are more energy efficient, and don't have the problem of stuff falling out.

**AspiringToBeFrugal** · 01-10-2011, 11:24 AM

I've got a chest freezer and from experience w/ my aunt's upright, I would say a chest freezer is safer...you won't get knocked out or bruises from falling blocks of frozen meat or veggies!

**heartofmine** · 01-12-2011, 02:21 PM

Looks like the consensus is a chest freezer. I do like the one I have and it holds a lot. As I said my biggest issue is me being so short and can't reach things on the bottom. I'm only 5' 1". I've never had any experience with an upright.

Frugalfranny I will definitely keep that in mind. The one I have now is not frost free and I've never had problems with freezer burn and I sure don't want to start.