Best Upright Freezers

What type of freezers are available?

When choosing what kind of freezer you want, you have a few options. There are a variety of freezers available such as fridge/freezer combinations, portable freezers, upright freezers (which can be paired with upright fridges) and chest freezers.

What’s good about an upright freezer?

Upright freezers are designed to be convenient for storing and retrieving your frozen items with ease due to their organised shelving and drawers. Popular upright freezers from brands such as Westinghouse, Hisense and Beko can also be paired with the matching upright fridges, forming a pigeon pair. This offers you combined savings if bought together and they suit one another aesthetically to match the decor of your kitchen.

If you don’t have space for a freezer in your house, you can also install a garage ready upright freezer. These freezers are designed to stay consistent in temperature on the inside regardless of the temperature outside.

Why might you need extra storage?

Many people who prepare meals ahead of time may require more storage space to keep meals frozen for when they need them. Similarly, those who wish to buy in bulk to save on money and time can benefit from the extra space an upright freezer can provide.

In general, an upright freezer is a great storage solution for large households and families who don’t wish to compromise on their frozen good space.

Chest freezers vs upright freezers

Having a separate freezer in your house allows you to take advantage of supermarket specials, buy groceries in bulk and store pre-cooked homemade meals. After you make the decision to get a freezer, you’ll need to choose between a chest freezer and an upright freezer.

The best choice for you will depend on your lifestyle, budget and the space you have available.

Chest freezers

Aesthetically, chest freezers sit horizontally on the floor and come with a lid on top. They’re great for storing large amounts of frozen foods, and therefore, are a popular choice commercially. Chest freezers are economical and easy to install.

On the downside, they require a lot of floor space and may be impractical for users who find it difficult to bend over. Due to their lack of a fan, they may also have inconsistent temperatures on the inside.

Chest freezers typically range in price from $295 to $1,800 and are cheaper than upright freezers.

Upright freezers

Upright freezers are a more recent design, and they open up in a similar way to a fridge. They have shelves for easy organisation and storage and can come with frost-free functions. Upright freezers tend to be more expensive than chest freezers and can range in price from $399 to $3,750.

Factors to consider when buying an upright freezer

Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency plays a big role in how expensive your freezer will end up costing to run. Like your fridge, your freezer is constantly running, however, it requires more energy than a fridge to keep your food at consistently cooler temperatures. Doing some research and investing in an energy-efficient freezer that may have a larger upfront cost is likely to reward you down the line.

When picking an energy-efficient freezer for your home, keep in mind that the larger the freezer, the more energy it will consume. You can use the star rating awarded to freezers to help determine how energy-efficient it is. They range from 1 to 5, and the higher the rating, the more efficient your freezer is.

Here’s the difference in running costs for freezers of a similar capacity (268–290 litre) with different energy star ratings:

Size

Freezer sizes can range from 50-300L+. While there is no hard and fast rule, generally, a small household of 1-2 can benefit from a 50-150L capacity and a household of 5 or more may benefit from a capacity of over 300L. You should choose a freezer based on your specific household size and eating habits. As a guide, 2L of freezer space can hold 1kg of food.

In addition, take into consideration the installation process. If you’re buying a very large freezer, make sure it’s going to fit through your front door and can be properly fitted in your kitchen or garage. You should pick a freezer that is slightly smaller than the space you are trying to fill.

Reversible door

Reversible doors offer extra versatility to suit the layout of your home. This means that the door can be adjusted to open from either side which is extra handy in a tight spot.

Child-lock

Many freezers now come with a child-lock option to keep your treats safe from curious toddlers and to lock any settings so they can’t be changed by misplaced hands.

Wheels

Freezers with wheels on the base will be much easier to clean, install and move in order to access controls.

Interior light

An internal light is useful when you are opening the freezer in low-lit conditions and need to see the contents without turning on the main light.

Internal storage

Baskets and partitions can keep all your foods properly organised and keep your ice cream away from frozen raw meats. See-through baskets can make grabbing what you want even easier.

Frost-free

Freezers that use advanced frost-free cooling technology do so by utilising a timer, heating coil and temperature sensor. After a set amount of time, the heating coil wrapped around the freezer will turn on and melt the ice. As soon as the temperature reaches above 0, the sensor will turn off the heating coil. This keeps your food consistently cool with no frost build-up.

However, this feature comes with a price and can consume more electricity - so if it’s not a dealbreaker to you, then you can save costs by avoiding a product with this feature.

Door Alarm

If you’re known to leave the freezer door open for too long, this feature could save your food from defrosting and wasting energy by sounding an alarm to remind you to shut the door.

You can read reviews on the best upright freezers on the market today by scrolling up.