- Why You Can Trust Our Reviews
- Best Upright Freezer
- Recommended Upright Freezer
- Before You Buy: Upright Freezer Considerations
Why use an upright freezer and how do you choose the best upright freezer for you? For the regular household, a standard freezer provides more than enough storage to stock up on frozen foods. However, if your household uses the freezer more than the average family, purchasing a solo freezer is a smart solution to freeing up space in the main freezer. Plus, an extra freezer means you can buy more and shop less, which can help save time and money.
While chest freezers are the more common type of freezer, upright freezers are a space-saving alternative ideal for buyers who would like to increase food storage without sacrificing floorspace. In this short article, you’ll discover our best upright freezer selections, along with the information you should know before purchasing one.
- Related: Check out our pick for Best Chest Freezers.
At a Glance: Best Upright Freezer
Best Overall Upright Freezer:
Frigidaire® 13.0 Cu. Ft. White Upright Freezer - FFFU13F2VW –
“…flexible storage simplifies organizing and finding items, while the exclusive EvenTemp® Cooling System uses intelligent sensor technology to evenly distribute cold air throughout the entire chamber.”
Recommended Upright Freezer:
Frigidaire® 15.5 Cu. Ft. White Upright Freezer - FFFU16F2VW –
“…the winning feature on this upright freezer is 15.5 cubic feet of storage allow users to stock even more on the four shelves, five door bins, and spacious freezer basket.”
Why You Can Trust Spencer’s TV & Appliance
We at Spencer’s TV & Appliance are proud to provide our buyers with the best shopping experience, including expert knowledge on appliances based around a buyer’s needs. It’s the secret to achieving an A+ BBB rating across all our locations, and we apply the same approach when it comes to our online reviews. Each of the selections on this list has been individually selected for their reliability and convenience. Take a look!
1. Best Overall Upright Freezer: Frigidaire® 13.0 Cu. Ft. White Upright Freezer
This Frigidaire upright freezer features 13 cubic feet of freezer space alongside four storage shelves, five door bins, and a large freezer basket. The flexible storage simplifies organizing and finding items, while the exclusive EvenTemp® Cooling System uses intelligent sensor technology to evenly distribute cold air throughout the entire chamber. When it comes to freezer preservation, cold air is valuable, which is why this medium-capacity upright freezer also comes with a door ajar alarm and Power Outage Assurance capable of keeping foods frozen a minimum of two days.
2. Best Recommended Upright Freezer: Frigidaire® 15.5 Cu. Ft. White Upright Freezer
Our best large upright freezer also comes from Frigidaire and doubles as our best frost free upright freezer. Like its counterpart, this freezer uses automatic defrosting that increases energy efficiency and requires less maintenance from you the user. Inside, this freezer delivers complete preservation with features like EvenTemp® air circulation, Power Outage Assurance, flexible storage, and a door ajar alarm. But the winning feature on this upright freezer is 15.5 cubic feet of frozen food storage that allow users to stock even more on the four shelves, five door bins, and spacious freezer basket.
Before you Buy: How to Select the Best Upright Freezer
On the surface, shopping for a new freezer is simple compared to exploring refrigerator options, but there are still a few key factors you’ll need to keep in mind. We’ve taken the following into consideration for our upright freezer reviews but having them in your own base of knowledge will ensure whichever vertical freezer you purchase is ideal for your needs.
Size & Capacity
Although chest freezers provide more overall capacity than their upright counterparts, using all that space to organize foods and find items requires a little work. On the other hand, upright freezers work like a side by side refrigerator, complete with shelves and a vertical layout, so it’s easy to stock and locate foods.
So, what is a good size upright freezer? Generally, a freezer should provide 1.5 cubic feet of storage per household member, equating to at least 6 cubic feet of freezer capacity for a family of four.
However, this doesn’t take lifestyle into consideration. Game hunters and shoppers that purchase meat in bulk will have a difficult time using the limited freezer space of a refrigerator, whereas large cuts of meat fit easier in a separate ice box. In fact, it’s not uncommon for freezers to refer to how much they can store in correlation to pounds of meat. Consider the following guide:
- A small upright freezer with 6 to 8 cubic feet of capacity can store a quarter cow (around 140 pounds).
- A medium upright freezer with 9 to 12 cubic feet of capacity can store a half cow (160 to 220 pounds), plus additional frozen items.
- A large upright freezer with 13 to 16 cubic feet of capacity can fit a whole cow (440 pounds).
- Upright freezers with more than 16 cubic feet of capacity can fit an entire cow (440 pounds), plus extra freezer items.
And don’t forget, measuring to fit a freezer is just as important as any other appliance. Typically, upright freezers measure 28 inches wide, around 25 inches deep, and 65 to 70 inches high. Follow this handy video to properly measure your space.
Energy Use
The extra floorspace you’ll gain from an upright freezer unfortunately comes with a tradeoff: efficiency. That’s not to say upright freezers are energy hogs, but since vertical freezers open out, the door is more vulnerable to air leakage. Additionally, cold air sinks, which works in favor of a chest freezers’ deep design, while upright freezers allow cold air to “spill” out when the door is opened. To keep costs of operation to a minimum, consider shopping for an Energy Efficient upright freezer.
Our Arizona Climate
Considering the desert climate we live in, wondering if it’s okay to put a freezer in a garage is an important question to ask before buying a freestanding upright freezer. In short, yes, upright freezers can be installed and used in a garage. However, there are a few tips for making sure your new purchase is the best upright freezer for garage:
- Always install a stand-alone freezer in a cool area away from sunlight.
- Pay extra attention to maintenance, particularly cleaning the coils, which helps the unit operate at maximum efficiency.
- Experts recommend stocking a freezer 2/3 full, keeping in mind to not block the internal blower.
- Additionally, water jugs and bags of ice are a cheap way to keep a freezer stocked for optimal efficiency.
- Finally, look for a freezer that’s labeled “garage-ready.” This means they’ve been designed to withstand wide temperature swings.
Blackout Food Preservation
One of the major perks of having a freezer-only unit is being able to keep foods properly preserved in the case of power outages. While Arizona summers are particularly hot, historically, they’ve never created power outages that last long enough to be a major concern. Still, an upright freezer with power outage protection keeps foods chilled up to a few days regardless of why electricity has been cut off. Having this grace period makes it possible to salvage frozen foods before they go bad, which is great for the wallet, too.
Features
Sure, all-freezer appliances chill foods, but not all freezers do this the same way, and the same can be said of organization. While capabilities vary between brands and models, many freezers on the market come with a combination of the winning features listed below:
- Door ajar alarm
- Automatic defrosting
- Specialized air circulation
- High Temperature Alarm
- A reversible door
- Adjustable organization
Find an Upright Freezer in the Phoenix Area
Whether it’s bulk shopping or keeping frozen treats on hand, a vertical freezer is a fantastic way to stock up on frozen staples. With the largest selection of appliances in the area at the best prices in Arizona, you can find the best upright freezer and other reliable appliances, plus electronics and mattresses stocked to fit your budget. Plus, with our expert help, you can shop with confidence knowing your investment is a sound one.
Explore an appliance showroom near you at one of our 10 locations today, including shops in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale, and Gilbert, or browse our extensive catalog online!