Best Chest Freezers
Good freezer, easy to maintain – Ideal size for a house of 2 adults and 2 kids. No frills. Show details
Haier HCF Chest Freezer
Perfect chest freezer – This chest freezer has been great for bulk buying as i have a basic fridge with a freezer section. Good for families who do batch cooking Show details
Hisense Chest Freezers
- Price (RRP) $399 to $1,099
- Capacity144L, 145L, 200L, 205L, 306L and 523L
Beautiful 6 star energy rating built too last don't buy seiki buy hinsense good quality Show details
ALDI Chest Freezers
- Price (RRP) $229 to $299
- Capacity99L, 142L, 145L, 150L, 198L and 200L
When offered for $<>170 a few weeks ago I did not understand>> A fridge or freezer for thst price?! Now running for a few weeks - just a green light… Read more
- nothing to hear of the motor. On lowest FREEZE setting minus 30 deg celsius. Why do other fridges/with a tiny Frezzer cost $1000? This little beauty is working fine-when tey come again - I buy one more. We are now shopping only once a week and freeze bread and buy frozen vegies.
Perfect fit – When we were looking to replace our old upright Fisher and Paykel freezer we were looking at Hisense as we have a few of their products and like the… Read more
brand, unfortunately they had sold out so we picked the GVA to give it a go. We are really pleased with how much we can fit in it and it works great. Don't regret the purchase one bit.
Hisense HRCF144 (145L)
- Price (RRP) $449
- Capacity145L
Wish I had room for a third – When my expensive new upright freezer stopped working the day before I had a bulk meat delivery booked, I was in a panic. I bought the only freezer… Read more
Harvey Norman had in stock that would fit through our narrow doorway while I waited 2 months for the upright to be repaired. It ended up being a good thing. The Hisense chest freezer is actually a hybrid, so it can be switched from freezer to fridge easily with the dial on the front. When the upright was finally fixed we used the Hisense as a second fridge and stored extra milk etc as we are out in the country and to save the 2 hour drive to get groceries. What a fantastic little machine. Very roomy with a convenient basket for small items like chocolates being hidden from the kids which I just take out when I don’t need it. It’s got a plug at the bottom to drain liquid so I can clean it out quickly, but it doesn’t really ice over so a wipe with a hand towel is sufficient. I especially like that it’s got a light on the front so I can assure myself that it’s on and working! The upright conked out without me knowing for several days. So when the replacement upright freezer went kaput with the next brown out, I told Harvey Norman straight out that I’m not interested in having it repaired or replaced. I or changed it for a second Hisense hybrid chest freezer. If I had room I’d get a third one! They are both full of frozen meat, bread, veggies, and a box of prawns ready for Christmas. Once one is emptied we will switch it to refrigerate mode and put beer, extras, and water bottles in it over the summer. I really can’t rave about these little freezers enough. 4 star energy rating so barely noticeable on the power bill and together they cost less than the upright freezer I started out with. Both chest freezers have survived numerous brown outs and blackouts without issue, but I’ve since put them both on surge protectors just in case. I am very happy with this purchase. 100% would recommend.
Hisense HRCF199 (200L)
- Price (RRP) $599
- Capacity200L
This is perfect – We bought this 3 months ago. Honestly we cannot live without it. It is a hybrid which can be used for both freezing things as well as a fridge. Would highly recommend it Show details
Good Service Unit – Purchased this chest freezer back in March 2001 and had no problems. Internal light needed replacing after 9yrs. Has a tendency to collect ice but … Read more
has only needed defrosting every two or three years. Only downside is that we should have gone for a bigger unit as it will only accommodate a 2 year old beef with little else. Our fault in estimating but not such a big issue now kids have left home :) Reliable and hassle free
Great fridge/freezer – I bought this fridge 3months ago. Then I tested in my garage. It took from 24deg to 0deg in less then 30min. I left running on my second battery for… Read more
2 full days, and after that I still had 3 bars ( 3 out of 4)remaining power.
I have standard Nissan Patrol battery, non deep cycle. So I guess it will run for 3 or more days without charging a battery. Recently I took it to trip to Sydney-Jindabyne-Merimbula. Each place 36h in a car without running a car or charging battery, in Merimbula 48h in a car then drive for 100km and back, and again 48h in a car without running a car or charging battery.
2 or 3 days running on one battery is all I need. I bush camping, with longer stays, I have 240W solar panel.
Excelent Fridge. I'm very happy.
Warrior WG198F
- Price (RRP) $2,314
- Capacity191L
Great back up for black outs – I recently purchased a freezer from Warrior Refrigeration. The WG198F Gas Chest Freezer, it is 191 Lt capacity. My reason was that we have two… Read more
fridges and a small upright freezer all 240 V, we are looking at a big storm season ahead and blackouts happen. So it arrived and I plugged it into the power and put a thermometer inside. The next morning it read -10 C, I checked my other freezers and both showed -18 C or 0 F. So phoned Warrier and asked why it was at only -10 C. They explained to me that it is a gas freezer using the absorbing fins inside and I needed to run it on gas for seven days to get -18 C. Now look at the cost of running this on gas. It uses a 8.5 Kg bottle in 17.5 days, or $1.15 a day. That’s $420 a year. So as there is no difference in the running temperature with either electric or gas, electric is the go, only using the gas as an emergency back up. The only other one I could find was the Bushman, but on close inspection they look exactly the same freezer, same maker. The cost of $2,200 is reasonable Checked it again after running it on 240v all night and it got down to -12 C. So I am hoping in 4 days time it will be at or near -18C.
Stopped freezing in less than 1 year of purchase….taking $$1000’s of our organic meat.which we were not refunded for – Motor worn out in less than one year taking $$1000’s of our organic meat.which we were not refunded for. Too much risk for me to purchase again I would not recommend Show details
Husky 295L Hybrid HUS-295CHE
- Price (RRP) $749
- Capacity295L
Husky warranty useless – After you buy this product, you find out that regardless of the fault, if you used it in your garage, or with an extension cord, the warranty is… Read more
voided and you are liable for any repair or replacement, even after only a few weeks of owning it! Not very transparent.
Hi Linda, thank you for your review. It is recommended that… Read more (+1 reply)
Fraud and stealing money – Hi I bought Brilcon 295L chest Freezer, now no one is able to sleep at home because its making very frequently huge noise. I tried to communicate… Read more
several times but they cheated with me, they did not return my money back or replace my freezer. When you go online there is no contact information present.
Westinghouse WCM2000WE
- Price (RRP) $629
- Capacity200L
Not as Practical as Hoped – Purchased to replace an ever reliable Kelvinator which lasted more than 20 years and failed probably only due to recent poor intermittent power… Read more
supply. The Westinghouse unit looks good and appears to perform well, but it is basically just a bottomless pit with only one pàthetically small top basket and no internal divider, this will be painful to use with items not seperated and items on the high side falling into the main pit. Looked to Westinghouse website for options and found the model is not even listed but in any event the cost for another upper basket would likely be around $75 as for similar size models. Will have to go to Kmart to buy odd baskets, just disappointed that Westinghouse did not even include a divider and we made our selection over and above the cheaper Chinese brands, just looks like penny pinching. Be prepared to spend more money to make the product more user friendly. The photos show the older Kelvinator top basket compared to the new and the bottomless pit.
Westinghouse WCM3000WE
- Price (RRP) $819
- Capacity300L
Hisense Hybrid Chest Freezers
- Price (RRP) $399 to $1,199
- Capacity145L, 200L, 300L and 500L
CHiQ 700L Hybrid Chest Freezer CCF700WE
- Price (RRP) $1,699
- Capacity700L
Westinghouse WCM7000WE (702L)
- Capacity702L
CHiQ CCF299WE
- Capacity299L
TCL 198L Hybrid Chest Freezer F205CFW
- Price (RRP) $479
- Capacity198L
Hisense HRCF297 (300L)
- Price (RRP) $799
- Capacity300L
CHiQ CCF142DW
- Capacity142L
CHiQ CCF199DW
- Price (RRP) $549
- Capacity199L
CHiQ CCF199WE
- Price (RRP) $449
- Capacity119L
Hisense HRCF500 (500L)
- Price (RRP) $1,299
- Capacity500L
Are chest freezers better than upright freezers?
Chest freezers have one compartment and don't have inbuilt drawers or shelves, making them great for storing large, bulky items. They're often found in the garages of those who bulk buy, consume a lot of frozen products, and are part of a large household.
When it comes to choosing a freezer, you'll have the choice of a chest freezer or an upright freezer - one isn't better than the other, but each are suited to different households and lifestyles.
We've listed the benefits and drawbacks of chest freezers below.
What should I look for in a chest freezer?
Size and storage
The capacity of chest freezers is measured in litres, and you can get freezers ranging anywhere rom 50L to over 700L. For reference, 18L roughly equates to one bag of shopping.
Of course, different households and businesses have different storage needs, however here's a rough guide to the amount of litres you should aim for depending on your household size.
- If you have 1 to 2 people in your household, aim for a 50 to 150L freezer.
- A household of 3 to 4 people is usually well suited to a 150 to 300L freezer.
- Households of 5 should generally go for a freezer with a capacity of over 300L.
Consider what you'll be storing: you don't want to be too safe and get an overly large chest freezer, as empty freezer space leaves more room for warm air and also takes more energy to run.
You can look for smaller baskets or racks that fit inside the freezer, as these are useful for keeping everyday goods in an accessible location, so you don't have to freeze your hands digging through your food to get what you need.
To avoid disappointment and wasted time, make sure that you measure your space and any freezer you're thinking of buying, as well as ensure that your freezer will be able to fit through the door.
Energy efficiency
For those shopping with the planet and their purse in mind, considering a freezer's efficiency is vital. Energy efficiency goes by a star rating, ranging between 1 and 6 stars. The more stars a freezer has, the better it is for the environment and the less it will cost to run.
Just because a freezer is large, doesn't mean that it should have a lower star rating than its smaller counterparts - efficiency is determined with both energy consumption and a freezer's internal volume in mind.
Features
Certain features can make your chest freezer safer, easier to use, and work more efficiently.
- Adjustable thermostat: An adjustable thermostat lets you change the temperature to suit the contents of your freezer. This should be easily accessible, but not so much so that your little one could potentially thaw the whole freezer out.
- Frost-free technology: A frost-free chest freezer automatically gets rid of ice inside it, helping to prevent things from sticking together, reducing smells, and saving you time having to manually defrost the unit.
- Snap freeze: A snap or fast freeze function quickly brings your freezer to a higher temperature so that you can preserve the freshness of your food.
- Counterbalanced lid: A counterbalanced lid props open on its hinges, letting you rifle through your frozen goods with both hands.
- Drain: This conveniently gets rid of melt water when your freezer needs defrosting - this is particularly important if your machine doesn't have frost-free technology.
- Door alarm: If your freezer door is left open for a prolonged amount of time, then a door alarm will alert you so that you can save your food from thawing.
- Wheels: Wheels on a box freezer make it easy to roll around and transport. This feature is usually more important for event caterers and other similar businesses than households, who usually keep a freezer in the same spot.
- Interior light: This makes it easier to see the contents of your freezer (particularly what's at the bottom), and is especially useful in garages, which often don't have much light.
Price
How much your freezer costs will largely depend on its size and any extra features it has. You should expect to pay anything between $250 and $1500 for mains powered chest freezers, while some LPG-operated units can cost up to over $2000.
Each brand will come with different warranty terms - some will repair the unit if something happens to it, while others might give you a whole new freezer - so it's important to read the fine print. Often freezers will come with at least a 2-year warranty on parts and labour.
Tips for using your freezer
- If possiblie, keep your freezer in a cool spot - such as a basement or garage - where it can remain below normal room temperatures. This will help it easily keep its cool.
- Minimise frost by opening the lid less often and when you do, avoiding leaving it open for longer than necessary. Labelling your food so you can quickly locate it can help limit the time your freezer door stays open.
- To prevent your food suffering moisture loss and freezer burn, repackage your food in several layers of plastic, leaving no air gaps.
- If you want to increase the shelf life of your frozen food, consider buying a food sealer to help prevent moisture from spoiling your food.
Wrapping up
If you’re clever with your grocery shopping by buying discounted goods or cheaper bulk-bought food, then your savings could easily offset the price of a chest freezer in the long run.
Considering what you and your household need will help you decide what kind of features you want your chest freezer to have, ensuring you go home with one that makes life a little cheaper and a little easier.
Hi lyndellangilley, Jamie here at Electrolux. If the… Read more