I did a lot of research on this last year (but still haven't bought the thing ;-), and narrowed my choice down to the Kenmore upright manual defrost (made by Whirlpool). Best bang for the buck at the time, and still may be.

There are only two or three companies that make residential freezers (chest and upright), and there aren't a lot of revolutionary features that are constantly appearing. Just go for the one that fits your budget with the features you need...

I wouldn't waste my time and money on one that size. It sounds large enough, but you will soon be wishing you had purchased a larger one. There are only two of us and I'm shopping for a larger one now because we do not have enough room in our smaller one. I can't answer about GE but my money would be on the Sears or Whirlpool.

I bought a 13.7 cu. ft. Kenmore upright freezer over a year ago. I certainly love having it. I have only 4 cu. ft. in the freezer in the kitchen. When I got the new Kenmore freezer I thought I could never use all that space! I almost got a smaller one (8 or 9 cu. ft.), but I liked the light inside (of the larger 13.7 one) and I figured I would eventually appreciate the size. Well, although I do have enough space for alot, because it has fixed (non adjustable) shelves I have to pile things on top of and in front of things. If I had to do it again I might have gotten the 16 cu.ft. It's only about an inch wider and deeper, but it's a lot taller. That is it wouldn't have taken up any extra space. Air space I have plenty of...floor space is another matter. In the end the reason I did decide was because I decided not to pay for the extra energy for the larger model. It wasn't much really but it just seemed like so much space. The Kenmore is made by another company of course I don't know which one. A poster above said Whirlpool?

Here are my observations:

- A lot of space, including on the door, but fixed shelves limit flexibilty.

- I wouldn't pay for the glass shelves all other things being equal. Glass shelves are great in a refrigerator (contains spills) but not important in a freezer (IMO)

- It is noisy. It's much noisier than my refrigerator, but I wouldn't worry about that if it is going to be in the basement (unless the basement is used for watching TV or sleeping or something). I have read about the noisiness online so it's not just mine.

- It seems to keep a good cold temperature without any problem (mine is indoors).

- Food seems to keep well pretty long (e.g. freezer burn). However I put everything in ziplock bags. And of course any automatic defrost model will cause more degradation of food over time than a manual defrost.

I hope this helps.

- Jim

You will not get a bigger bang for your buck than when buying a Frigidaire Upright Freezer. A 20 cuft frost free upright costs about $550 at Abt down here in IL. With a little negotiating, you may get the price down closer to $500. I'm sure Frigidaire is available somewhere closer to home where you live in WI. I agree with Beverlyal...get the biggest upright that fits your budget and fits down the basement steps. I made the mistake of initially buying a 9 cuft chest freezer thinking it was more than enough space, only to add a 20ft upright to my collection a year later. I would have gotten the biggest upright they make but it would not make it down the curve in my basement steps. Happy shopping.

13 cu ft would be way too small for my family of 4. I'd get the biggest manual defrost unit that I could afford and maneuver into the basement. (You can't hold food nearly as long in a frost free freezer as a manual defrost because the frost free sucks the moisture out of food at an accelerated rate--the nasty freezer burn problem.) Esp. with an upright, get at least one size up because you just can't stuff an upright like you can a chest freezer. (I have a chest freezer in the basement in WI and I need to defrost it only about once per year.)

The key to using the least possible am't of energy is to keep the freezer full of stuff. Gallon milk jugs of water are great placeholders until you get it full of food.

I too am trying to research upright manual defrost freezers. What I am finding is there isn't much online like reviews to evaluate. Consumer Reports is not that reliable since I just researched vacuums and CR didn't even rate Miele which is what I bought and I know from personal experience the Kenmore isn't that great and they kept rating them high. Sad. I went to Energy Star's site and they just changed their rating system this April so apparently many freezers dropped off their list. The ones that are still on most are not being made anymore??? I don't beleive there was one manual frost left to check on. When you bring it to their attention they don't respond. Why list products that don't exist anymore? Also when I go online to the big store fronts that sell big freezers I find that many are still posting old Energy Star logos even though they are not listed on Energy Star's site. They don't seem to enforce their logo. So there really isn't any good sites to go for to find out about particular brands and models. I have seem more negative reviews out there compared to positive reviews on the Kenmores, GEs and Whirlpools which makes me believe that there really isn't much of a choice and they are all made by maybe just two manufacturers. I can't afford to spend more than 600.00 on a 20 cubic foot manual frost upright. Consumer Research online pretty much summed it up about there isn't much to go on out there and slammed Consumer Reports lack of providing much info and the fact that many models aren't being made. I even tried utube to see if anyone is setting the record straight on this topic but nothing really but some unhappy folks that like to show how noisy the new GE refrigerators are. They are noisy for sure. Does anyone know of a good site that really rates the different brands and models for freezers?

We've only had it about a month, but (so far) we love our Frigidaire 16.7 cu.ft. frostfree up-right freezer. Like you, I'd looked for reports from users trying to make a good decision before we replaced an old up-right that was still running but I was tired of defrosting. I was concerned about the energy ratings when shopping. Reasonably, the frostfree units are not as energy efficient as a manual defrost type. But I figured the times I had to stand there with a hairdryer melting the layers of frost and ice from the old box made up for the difference!

One thing I found interesting while shopping ...
The outside deminsions on our old manual defrost box are the same as my new frostfree model. But the interior storage space on the new is less -- due (I think) to more insulation in the walls of the unit and the space needed for whatever does the heating/defrosting function. But without the layer of frost that I seemed to always have before the storage room is the same.

Our freezer is a Frigidaire model FFU1764F -- has some adjustable shelves, pull-out drawer, nice interior lighting, and a digital temperatire display on the door (which may be excess but I like it).

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Frigidaire freezer infor at Epinions.com

Does anyone have any updated information on the upright freezers? Anyone love theirs? Hate theirs? Had problems with reliability? Features you wish you'd gotten or think were probably not worth the extra money? Appreciate any input. Thanks.

i have not had good luck with 'frigidaire' upright freezers. the first lasted less than 8 years, and the new one, about 6 years old is failing. everywhere there are reviews on retail sites, you'll see much negative feedback on frigidaire freezers. we need to keep an open mind about that feedback though, as people who have no problems with their unit seldom come back and post that. so, its usually those who have a bad experience that are vocal about it. i have been trying to decide on a replacement, and my wife will not settle for a manual defrost, just too much work. to be honest, we really need the longer life for the food, as she likes to buy large quantities that stay longer till consumed, but too many bad memories defrosting those manuals. whirlpool is sold most everywhere, and i think is a step above frigidaire. GE I don't trust, and kenmore is a crap shoot, as most have had horrible experinces with their service. i hope others will ad to this thread.