Consumer Reports Tests Chest & Upright Freezers

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - How crammed is the freezer in your refrigerator, especially going into a holiday weekend like this?

A stand-alone freezer lets you take advantage of big sales on meat and frozen vegetables.

If you are in need of some extra space, Consumer Reports just tested dozens of chest freezers and uprights.

Like most people who own a freezer, Jeanne Coppola says it's not only convenient but saves her money.

"I can buy in bulk. I'll get like huge bags of you know, broccoli or something and it would take up the whole freezer upstairs," Coppola said.

There are two main styles of freezers – uprights and chests.

"Chest freezers are generally cheaper. But, they take up more floor space and they need to be defrosted manually to melt off the ice build-up," Consumer Reports' Dan DiClerico said.

Jeanne switched from a chest freezer to an upright.

"It's very convenient for me to be able to open the door and see everything I have at one glance," she said.

Many uprights are self-defrosting, but there is one drawback - they tend to be less energy efficient.

Consumer Reports tested both types by filling them with frozen spinach and checking for temperature consistency throughout the compartment.

Testers also measured energy usage and ability to stay cold after a power outage.

The Sears Kenmore 12702 earned low scores.

"The temperature performance of this Kenmore is only fair. It's noisy and it did poorly in our power outage test," DiClerico said.

The top chest freezer is a $370 option from GE. It maintains a steady temperature and is the quietest freezer tested.

For uprights, Consumer Reports names a Sears Kenmore a Best Buy. It holds even more food and costs $450.

Consumer Reports also named the Idylis chest-style freezer at Best Buy a bargain.

It's noisier than the top-rated GE freezer, doesn't stay quite as cold in a power outage and doesn't have an interior light, but at $190, it's just about half the price.

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