The most economical type of freezer is the chest model. Nearly every inch of a chest freezer is usable storage. Although there are certain chest models that have automatic defrost or are frost-free, most chest freezers are manual defrost. Defrosting a chest freezer can take several hours unless you use warm water to accelerate the process.

Because of the built-in side wall insulation, chest freezers hold their cold temperatures extremely well and therefore use the least energy to operate. During a power outage or a household move, an unplugged chest freezer can keep the contents frozen for 2 or even 3 days, as long as the freezer lid is not opened and depending on the frozen food quantity. Chest freezers tend to have much longer lifecycles than upright freezer models.

Chest freezers usually come with one or more wire baskets to help you organize the contents. You can segregate types of foods using the baskets or cardboard boxes to better organize freezer contents. The biggest drawback of a chest freezer is that it requires a lot of bending, reaching and moving frozen foods to find what you're looking for. They do accommodate odd-shaped and long or large items that are more difficult to place in an upright freezer. Some models have a bottom drawer accessible from the outside of the chest freezer.

Because of the width and length of a chest freezer it does require more space to locate it. There needs to be enough space to place it and sufficient head room above the freezer to fully open the door. Chest freezers are not usually located in the kitchen. They are located in a separate storage room, garage or basement. A small chest freezer can fit in a closet or in a kitchen corner.

Chest freezers can be a chore to defrost as most of them are not frost-free or self- defrosting. Defrosting is only required every couple of years and the task can be planned when the content of the freezer is at a low point such as during the spring. To expedite the task, simply remove everything from the freezer, turn the power off and clear the frost build up with warm or hot water. It really only takes a few minutes to completely defrost a chest freezer using this technique.

if you are in the market for a freezer, I recommend that you buy the most economic freezer as it is cheaper and cost less to operate.

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