New Freezer needed..Help

dwhl

Hi everyone,
my chest freezer has broken down and I need a new one. I have decided to buy a freestanding one, has to be big (at least 8+ cubic foot). However, that is where my dilemma begins.......

Do I buy a normal freezer or one of the new frost free ones? What are the pros and cons?

Do I buy a a cheap one like Beko/Hotpoint or go for the more prestigious brands and pay for it eg. Bosch, Siemens, Miele ?

Does anyone know any reputable internet companies for such purchases?

I really am lost and would greatly appreciate any help that you could offer
Thank you very much

David

grumbler

I don't have a freezer, but can quote Which?extra as usually:

Freezers: Best Buy guide

All our Best Buys have well-designed storage space, as well as standing out in our laboratory tests. The Best Buy that’s most suitable for you depends on how much room you can spare in your kitchen and whether you want a frost-free model.
Tall freezers

Make sure you avoid the hassle of defrosting with our frost-free tall freezer Best Buys.

Our largest Best Buy is the Miele No-Frost FN4697S. It has lots of features but it’s a bit difficult to track down on the high street. You can pick it up for around £660 online.

If you want to spend less money, try the Whirlpool AFG 3680 – it freezes a whopping 24kg of fresh food in a day. You’ll find it for £400 at Currys. Compared with most models, it keeps cooler for longer after a power cut, but it’s one of the noisiest models we’ve tested recently.

The Hotpoint FZA81 has seven drawers to help you arrange everything inside. It’s quiet and economical, but on the smallish side. You might find it tricky to find it on the high street at the moment, but it’s widely available online for around £410.

If you’re not bothered by manual defrosting choose the Hotpoint Future RZA51P, £273 online. Bear in mind that, although this freezer is cheaper than the frost-free Best Buys, it’s also considerably smaller.

Model/Type/Price (£)/Total score (%)/Size (cm) hxwxd/Colours available/Storage volume (litres)/Energy-label rating/Frost-free
Beko ZSA 436 W/Worktop height/150/64/85x55x60/white, silver/79/A/
Beko ZC130WWorktop height1204790x69x55white63B
Bosch GSL14425GBWorktop height2307486x60x62white, silver81A
Bosch Logixx Maxx GSL12425GBWorktop height2607183x60x62white83A
Candy CTV110KWorktop height1705486x58x61white69B
Electrolux EU 6241 TWorktop height1306795x55x62white97B
Gorenje F6094EWorktop height2544791x70x60white, stainless steel67A
Hotpoint RZAV21Worktop height2005994x65x63white, graphite, sandstone72A
Hotpoint Future FZA31PWorktop height3005889x60x63white, graphite, sandstone77A
Indesit GSF 4100Worktop height1605995x60x59white76C
Lec Elan EU550AWWorktop height1836486x51x62white, silver76A
Miele F 1354 SWorktop height2256385x56x63white75A
Siemens GS12S493GBWorktop height3607583x60x62stainless steel82A
Whirlpool AFB 126/HWorktop height1805785x46x61white, aluminium73B
Beko TZS490Tall24948144x55x61white, silver158C
Candy CVSA280KTall30747168x61x63white221A
Frigidaire FVE3199BTall30052182x61x61white243B
Hoover HVA 280 KTall42053169x60x64white, aluminium226A
Hotpoint Future RZA51PTall27366146x61x63white, graphite, sandstone145A
Hotpoint FZA81PTall41059191x63x63white, graphite, sandstone196B
Lec Elan EU950AWTall28552152x59x65white179A
Miele No Frost FN4697STall66065165x67x68white225B
Servis M7610/XSTall30044160x66x62white, silver, stainless steel205C
Siemens GS34E494GBTall74554186x60x62stainless steel257A
Whirlpool AFG 3680Tall40059164x67x68white207B
Hotpoint RC16PChest13029137x60x59white103C
King CLM300Chest28650149x139x66white240A+
Norfrost Aura C6AEW-HChest14059135x91x60white171A
Norfrost Aura C2BESChest11058135x41x60white55B
Whirlpool AFG 507-A/HChest22154150x72x65white99A
Electrolux 3070Chest32080153x167x76white297B

Frost-free

One of the first things you need to decide is whether to opt for a frost-free or standard model.
Frost-free models do away with the chore of defrosting the freezer. They work by forcing air through the freezer cabinet, which removes the moisture that would otherwise freeze and build up as frost or ice over time.

Frost-free models don’t cost much more to run than conventional models, and the smarter ones will adjust the amount of defrosting they do to keep excessive icing at bay.

However, there is a price to pay for the convenience. Food with a high fat content, such as ice-cream and some meat, may deteriorate during long-term storage because of the repeated thawing and freezing that happens during the defrost cycle.

And, if food isn’t carefully wrapped, it may dry out more quickly than it would in a standard freezer.

It's also more important to allow space around food for air to circulate in frost-free models than it is in conventional ones

P.S. I have a frost-free fridge-freezer and I vote for frost-free. The only disadvantage of frost-free is price ...

Helen_from_yorkshire

It is worth noting that if you intend to put your freezer in a garage or other building that is not heated you need to purchase a freezer that is fit for this purpose. Not all freezers work correctly in an unheated garage/shed - I've never had this problem but apparently they do defrost unexpectedly. Some freezers are designed to overcome this problem though.

wazza

Helen_from_yorkshire wrote:

It is worth noting that if you intend to put your freezer in a garage or other building that is not heated you need to purchase a freezer that is fit for this purpose. Not all freezers work correctly in an unheated garage/shed - I've never had this problem but apparently they do defrost unexpectedly. Some freezers are designed to overcome this problem though.

also read that if there is a risk of your freezer unit rusting in the garage then spray or rub wax on the outside to stop it rusting. got this from trade secrets programme that comes on tv in the morning

sooz

another vote for frost free. i didn't pay the extra, and regret it as i now have to defrost the bl##dy thing once a month.

dwhl

Thanks to everyone, have ordered the whirlpool frost free one as recommended by which...waiting for it to arrive now...around a week's wait.

Thanks again