Which small chest freezer

MouldyOldDough

We are looking for a small chest freezer (it must be around 55cmW * 50cmL)

Fridgemaster MCF96E 95L - £110

Beko CF4098W - £179F

Any others to consider ?

What should we be looking for - fast freeze, frost free ?, baskets, etc etc

They all appear to be 4 star freezing ?

CliveOfIndia

Where will it be sited? If you plan on putting it in a garage/outbuilding or similar, make sure you get one that's specified as being suitable for that environment. Chest freezers very often can be used in a garage (more so, in general, than fridges or uprights), but it's a good idea to check.

In terms of baskets, it's down to personal choice. Baskets can make it a little more convenient to put things in and get them out, but it's really just what suits your personal preferences.

Bigphil1474

We got a medium Bush chest freezer years ago, still going strong in our outbuilding. TBh, not sure there's much in them to go wrong. Ours can literally go a week without being opened (we have a FF inside). Ours said it was okay for outbuildings, initially was indoors, but has been fine in the outbuilding for the last 2 years. We're actually giving it away, as I realised that having a chest freezer in an outbuilding is far more annoying than a chest freezer indoors. We're going for an upright freezer with drawers so I don't have to virtually empty the thing to find what i need which is inevitably at the bottom.

MouldyOldDough

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81974852#Comment_81974852

It's going in a porch - so it's going to remain above freezing - in fact it may be in direct sunlight - so may get warm on top at least

What about actual brands - are there any to avoid ?

We really want a "frost free" or "auto defrost" model - but I don't think that any small chest freezers come with this ?

jackieblack

I was given a small chest freezer (a bit bigger than you're looking at) and it was almost impossible to reach stuff in the bottom, even with a basket to lift out, and I had to take out the top basket first to be able reach the handles of the bottom basket then trying to lift it out while bent double over the rim of the freezer was almost impossible.

It was more trouble than it was worth so I ended up only using the top half (with a basket to stop stuff from falling to the bottom) and got rid of it as soon as I could

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81975628#Comment_81975628

We do a lot of home freezing of home grown fruit and veg and have two chest freezers in outbuildings. Reaching stuff in the bottom can be a pain, so I've adopted the approach of packing bags of (already frozen) fruit and veg which won't be needed for months into cardboard boxes and then put the boxes into the bottom of the freezers. The advantage is that spare stock of stuff is kept together out of the way of stuff currently being used, and the top surface of the boxes acts like a shelf which makes it easier to reach stuff stored below the baskets at the very top. If the freezer is bigger than needed and there's not much to put in boxes (or like you it is tricky to lift stuff out of the bottom) then the boxes could be left empty - which is what I do as home-frozen stock is used up - which would have the effect of making the 'bottom' of the freezer easier to reach from the top.

Filling space with empty cardboard boxes also helps a bit with energy efficiency - they trap air, so there is less cold air to be lost when the freezer is opened. It might be slightly more energy efficient to buy a smaller freezer instead (never checked the figures myself), but my way of thinking is it is better to always have some spare freezer capacity in case of emergency, rather than having the smallest most energy efficient freezer and then running out of room.

OP, I wouldn't buy a chest freezer that had no baskets at all… it is too much hassle emptying loose stuff out to get to something a bit further down. And fast freeze is normally only needed if you home-freeze larger amounts of food at a time. If you mainly buy pre-frozen food you don't really need it.

MouldyOldDough

What about defrosting them ?

is this a regular chore ?

Some have drain holes ? how do these work - do you need to wait until the whole thing is turned to water ?

Haier HCF97W 97L appears to be the best choice at the moment - anybody got one of these ?

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81977505#Comment_81977505

Depends how often you open the door. Chest freezers should need defrosting less than upright freezers, but they will need doing at some point. Ours typically get opened about twice a day and need defrosting about once a year. If you find a build-up of ice unsightly, or the door won't shut properly, more frequent defrosting might be needed.

We switch off and empty ours completely (one of the benefits of having spare space in another freezer) in the early summer when the stock is lowest. It takes about an hour for the ice to melt enough that it comes away from the walls (in sheets). Maybe another half-hour for the stubborn bits to come loose, especially in the corners. We don't leave the ice to fully melt inside the freezer - it goes in a bucket onto the garden (or in the sink) - which means there's only a small amount of water left in the freezer to mop up with a towel. We don't bother using the drain, but I'd check the drain hole is clear before refilling the freezer, just in case it is needed next time.

If the chest freezer would be your only freezer and you'd be opening it more often then you'll probably need to defrost more regularly. Alternatively (if you weren't going to do it anyway) consider having a small worktop/under counter freezer (or freezer compartment) to keep the 'daily' stuff in so you don't have to open the chest freezer so frequently.

Also, don't get into the habit of using the top of the chest freezer as storage space - extra weight on the lid damages the seals over time and they can start leaking. You'll know because you get an extra build up of ice where the seal isn't working properly.

Crag30

Beko if its going somewhere thats going to get hot or cold

MouldyOldDough

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979139#Comment_81979139

We have a BEKO fridge and it is more reliable than any previous devices - including Electrolux, Zanussi or Indesit.. all of which "died" during their tenure !