O.T.... Upright Freezer purchase.

Mine is a frost free Fridgidaire. I got it second hand and it has been a good one. I've owned it for 10+ years with no problems. 

This is what we have in the garage. Haw had it for about a year with no issues.

http://m.lowes.com/pd/Frigidaire-20-9-cu-ft-Upright-Freezer-White/50273657

Well...in the past 43 years we have owned just 3 upright freezers and all have been in the garage here in IL meaning hot summers and cold winters. None of them were frost free and none of them were designated as suitable for garage locations. Yes we have to defrost every other Summer, but so what...they are in the garage! The first brand was Monkey Ward, and the second two were from Sears, but who actually made them is a guess! 

BTW apparently you are already sold on the upright vs the chest type so I say good for you! 

We've had this Maytag 20.0 cu. ft. for around 4 years. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Maytag-20-0-cu-ft-Frost-Free-Upright-Freezer-in-White-MZF34X20DW/205755511
It was about the only one we found that met our needs and the warranty was not voided if used in a garage. It sits next to a side by side fridge in the garage and does a great job. The shelves are adjustable and it has plenty of door storage. I can get three full packer briskets in the bottom wire basket with room to spare for a few other roasts, etc. It isn't an in store item, but they delivered within a few days of ordering it. The delivery guys will even reverse the hand of the door, which we had them do for us. We're even considering getting the smaller model to use for meat only if we can find the wall space. Highly recommended.

We have a Frigidaire GLFH21F8H Upright 20.5 c.f. w/ Flash (Fast) Freeze function & high temp and door ajar alarms.  Bought on sale.  Very functional and worry free usage. ***See reviews. 

Dredger said:

We've had this Maytag 20.0 cu. ft. for around 4 years. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Maytag-20-0-cu-ft-Frost-Free-Upright-Freezer-in-White-MZF34X20DW/205755511
It was about the only one we found that met our needs and the warranty was not voided if used in a garage. It sits next to a side by side fridge in the garage and does a great job. The shelves are adjustable and it has plenty of door storage. I can get three full packer briskets in the bottom wire basket with room to spare for a few other roasts, etc. It isn't an in store item, but they delivered within a few days of ordering it. The delivery guys will even reverse the hand of the door, which we had them do for us. We're even considering getting the smaller model to use for meat only if we can find the wall space. Highly recommended.

@The Cen-Tex Smoker can you send @Dredger 3 full packer briskets so she can post a picture of them in her bottom wire basket in the freezer.  Ha!  I am just having fun.  

I would go with the no self defrosting feature as well, just make sure the door is closed tight other wise you end up with snow making machine.

Gerhard

The one on the right is all fridge and the one on the left is the freezer. Love em both. 

XLentEGG said:

@pgprescott....THAT is a seriously nice set !

It is one of the best things I've done. Plenty of room for gatherings and everyday. If you can get over the initial pain, it's all good. 

EGGjlmh said:

I would not recommend a frost free freezer.  I have been told a frost free freezer "warms up" to thaw the frost, therefore your food will constantly be going up and down in temperature.  We bought an upright Kenmore a few years ago from Sears and love it.  It was a cheaper one but it work great.

It's true that frost-free freezers will cycle several times a day to melt the ice off the evaporator coil.  The evaporator coil is enclosed in the wall of the freezer.   When it cycles, the fan shuts off, mostly isolating the heated evaporator from the rest of the freezer.  If the freezer has very little frozen mass in it, it is possible the internal temperature will increase above freezing.  Most of us will have it loaded up with meat and food.  Ice cubes that are well below zero.

That said, if there's stuff in your freezer, it keeps the inside cool.  Also, if you ever recall putting something from the freezer to thaw in your refrigerator (33-39F), it will stay frozen for hours on the outsize, actually accumulating a thin layer of frost.

So the question is: do frost free freezers cycle your frozen food above freezing constantly?   Answer is no.  Doesn't make a rat's ass of difference.  Your food will stay frozen.  The frost-free do use more energy, all things equal.  And there's more complexity with the fan, heater, etc.  So less durable.

XLentEGG said:

Thanks for all of the input !! I went with a Kenmore Elite ( frigidaire ) 20.5 with all the bells and whistles. ( on sale ! )  outgrew my 7.5 chest freezer.. I'm gonna love this :-)

@XLentEGG I'm considering an upright freezer with ~20 cu ft capacity for my garage.  Any reviews on your Kenmore Elite or other brands?  Thanks!

XLentEGG said:

So far so good on my freezer. I have it in the house , so I do hear it run from time to time . This one was the most bang for my buck. They are cheaper if you can get them on one of the big sales. July 4th, labor day ect. Keep in mind that a lot of freezers made today do not use a fan to cool the condenser . They use what is called " hot wall " condensing , so that the heat is disapated through the outer wall of the unit . This is only a problem if the garage sees a lot of 90degree plus days. It will still do its job , but it is harder on the unit in the long run .

@XLentEGG Good to hear and thanks for your thoughts on the "hot wall" feature.  I'm in the DC area so we can get some hot & cold days.  Hope it's not an issue with my future upright freezer.