Freezers & Ice Makers

Best Freezer and Deep Freezer Buying Guide

Whether you like to keep food storage on hand, have a large family, relish ice cream or like to entertain, quality freezers are indispensable for extra storage space for freezer meals, frozen foods, ice, and more.

Sam's Club carries a variety of best chest freezers, small chest freezers, single-door freezers, garage-ready models and more, so let's dig into our buying guide to check out the best sellers and see which freezer will meet your needs.

What is a deep freezer?

Most households probably have a standard freezer-fridge combo. Some models come side by side, with others the freezer is on top and the fridge is on bottom, and yet others stack the fridge on top.  Most freezers have an ice maker, manual defrost function and other features.

Freezers also come as standalone appliance units, with no fridge attached. These are often called deep freezers.  Many have a temperature control  function that sets off an indicator light when the temperature rises beyond a set degree. This is important for long term food storage and for short term storage of temperature-sensitive foods like ice cream.

How much are deep freezers?

At Sam's Club you can find freestanding freezers and deep freezers listed at the following price ranges:

• Chest freezers: as low as $100-$200
• Top-freezers: as low as $200-$300
• Frost-free upright freezers: as low as $600-$700
• Commercial freezers: as low as $4,000-$4,100

Is a deep freezer worth it?

Ultimately, only you will know whether it's worth it to you. That said, here are some of the pros of having a deep freezer:

• They're convenient. They make it easy to store frozen vegetables, which are generally a healthier option compared to their canned counterparts.
• You can save your food longer. Have a garden? Freezing the produce you've grown in your garden is a great way to ensure that you have a supply of nutritious food all year round.
• You can stock up on food when it's on sale and save.
• Food prepping is easier. When you're preparing food for your family, why not make an extra casserole, batch of soup or Sunday roast and freeze it for a time when you prefer not to cook?

How long do deep freezers last?

Refrigerator-freezer combos may last between 14-27 years, while standalone freezers usually have a lifespan of 12 to 20 years.

How do deep freezers work?

Back in the day "deep freezing" was used to describe a unique method of keeping food cool. With "freezing," food was cooled down over a period of a day, compared to "deep freezing," which cooled things up within an hour. These days, when people use the phrase "deep freezer," they're usually referring to the kind you open like a chest (also known as chest freezers).  These deep freezers have an adjustable thermostat so you can set the temperature to your liking.

Where's the best place to put a deep freezer?

Not sure where to store the deep freezer you're considering buying? Look for a place that:

• Is cool and dry
• Has an accessible outlet
• Has enough room for the door to open fully (this will vary by freezer type)
• Is easy to reach when you're ready to cook

How cold do deep freezers get?

How cool is cool enough? For food safety, you want to keep your freezer set to 0 F (or -18 C), according to USDA freezing and food safety guidelines. While food (like water) will freeze at 32 F, colder is better for truly preserving freezer meals.

What Are the Different Types of Freezers and Deep Freezers?

Here are some of the most common kinds of freezers and deep freezers you'll likely encounter in your search.

• Upright freezers: These standalone freezers stand up vertically and have shelves.
• Chest freezers: As the name suggests, these look like a chest and sit horizontally on the ground.
• Top freezers: These are freezer-fridge combos where the freezer's located on top.

Are upright freezers as good as chest freezers?

If you're not sure whether you'd like a chest freezer or an upright freezer, here are some pros and cons:

Chest freezers

• Pros: More economical, use less electricity, are great for smaller spaces, and are convenient for storing a large quantity of one item, such as meat.
• Con: Sometimes less convenient when it comes to finding specific items; however, if you label everything, and utilize shelves and storage baskets, chest freezers can help you save money.

Upright freezers

• Pro: You're able to see everything when you open the door, so it's easy to find what you're looking for.
• Con: These tend to cost more.

How big are deep freezers?

Chest and upright freezers come in three sizes:

• Compact or small deep freezers: 5 to 9 cubic feet (cu ft)
• Medium: 12 to 18 cubic feet
• Large: 18+ cubic feet

For common dimensions of freezers in inches and feet, a 22-cubic-foot chest freezer will take up 2 feet by 6 feet of floor space compared with a more space-efficient 22-cubic-foot upright freezer that only uses up 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet of floor space.

What Are the Best Deep Freezer Brands at Sam's Club?

You can find a variety of freezers and deep freezers at Sam's Club from the following popular and trusted brands:

• Igloo
• Whynter
• Thomson
• Maxx Cold

These members-only prices are excellent compared to other brands like Frigidaire, Danby, Koolatron and Midea.

Types of Defrosting

While it may be no fun, it's a reality that freezers can develop a lot of frost. There are two ways to address the problem:

Keep your freezer clean yourself with manual defrosting

As the name sounds, with manual defrost, you will have to do the work of keeping your freezer free of frost. This option is cheaper and more energy efficient, helping you save more in the long run on electricity costs.

Buy a frost-free freezer

Also known as automatic defrosting or self-defrosting, frost-free is often a feature you'll see included with uprights and combo fridge-freezers. These raise the temperature inside the unit a few times per day from 0 F to 32 F, which could affect how well your food stays preserved and can raise the cost of the freezer.

Features to consider in a deep freezer:

When you're shopping for a new freezer, here are a few things to keep in mind.

The space you have for a freezer

Will you put the extra freezer in your kitchen? Your basement? The garage? Measure the area before you begin shopping. You'll need enough space for the freezer doors to open.

Capacity

Typically, chest freezers, or top freezers have between 5 and 9 cubic feet of space, while commercial stand-up freezers can have up to 50 cubic feet.

Your budget

Chest and top freezers are more economical.

Which features are most important to you?

Here are some common ones that shoppers look for:

• Energy Star certified energy efficient
• Rapid-cooling or fast-freeze features
• Customizable internal storage baskets and organizational systems
• Door alarms
• Stainless steel design
• Free delivery

FAQ - Deep freezers

What are frost-free fridge freezers?

Also known as automatic defrosting or self-defrosting freezers, these automatically warm up every so often (to 32 F) to prevent frost buildup.

Can deep freezers be kept outside?

Some may be specially designed to be used outdoors, however, most are meant for indoors. Keeping these appliances outside may cause damage.

Can deep freezers be kept in the garage?

Check the information provided by the manufacturer before putting your freezer in a garage, advises Consumer Reports.

Do deep freezers have freon?

Older units may, but newer models no longer use freon, a type of coolant also found in air conditioners.

Do deep freezers use a lot of electricity?

Here are some things to know about the energy efficiency of freezers:

• Chest or deep freezers tend to be slightly more energy efficient than uprights, according to Consumer Reports testing.
• Storing your freezer in a cool environment will help maximize its energy efficiency.
• Keeping your freezer in a sunny or heated place causes the appliance to work harder and use more electricity.

Are deep freezers allowed in apartments?

Check with the owner of your apartment or building property manager or review your rental agreement to if appliances other than those provided by the building are allowed.

Appliances at Sam's Club

In addition to deep freezers, Sam's Club carries a variety of kitchen appliances like freezer refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges refrigerators and more.  Be sure to visit our Home Appliances department for all your major appliance needs.