Russell Hobbs RH99CF1001B 99L Freestanding Chest Freezer, Black - 5 Year Guarantee

Product Information

The internal light helps you sift through your supplies and the counterbalanced lid won’t hit you on the head when you’re delving to the bottom to retrieve a stray pizza. There’s also a handy LED display, with temperature controls and a fast freeze button.

If price is your main priority, this simple freezer will do the job and give you extra space for summer ice creams or batch-cooked winter stews.

Key specs – Dimensions: 85.4 x 62.5 x 55.9cm (HWD); Capacity: 142 litres; Fast freeze: No; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: No; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: Yes The top-opening design of the appliance is convenient and space-efficient, and the temperature control dial at the front of the freezer is so straightforward as to be foolproof.

Key specs – Dimensions: 91.6 x 101 x 69.8cm (HWD); Capacity: 255 litres; Fast freeze: Yes; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: Light; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: Yes If you don’t need one of the largest models but a compact chest freezer is too small, this Hotpoint model is a great middle ground. The 255-litre capacity will give you plenty of additional freezer space and it’s suitable for outbuildings, so you can put it wherever you like. Our guide to the best freezer brands will help you choose the brand for you. Best chest freezer features to consider A counterbalanced lid will stay fixed in an open position once you’ve lifted it, leaving you with both hands free to add food or rummage around to find the item you’re looking for. Without this, you’ll have to prop the lid up with one hand while you reach inside with the other. Fast-freezeAs chest freezers are usually used as a secondary freezer, many people utilise space in their garage, shed or other outbuildings for this additional food storage. These outbuildings are often not insulated, and the internal temperature can plummet as the weather gets cold. Not all freezers will work in very low temperatures, look out for the optimum ambient or room temperature in the freezer specifications. Most chest freezers work effectively between 10 and 43°C, but if you want to keep it outside your house, you will need one that can work in lower temperatures. It’s not a budget-busting price, but nevertheless it comes with most of the features you will need. The Frost Away feature reduces ice formation, so it won’t need defrosting as regularly as some others. The counterbalanced lid and LED internal light combine to make life easy when you’re searching for that missing tub of ice cream, or you can utilise the basket to store smaller items and keep them within easy reach.

Chest freezers do not come with a fan. This restricts the air circulation, which causes its temperature to be inconsistent. Nevertheless, as long as your chest freezer can keep a below-freezing temperature, it will not harm your foods. If you have sufficient storage space, buying a medium-sized chest freezer will make a lot of sense. You’re taking pressure off your main fridge freezer, while increasing your overall capacity to store frozen foods. If you decide not to keep it in the house, the Winter Guard technology means it will work in temperatures as low as -15°C so it’s ideal for a garage or shed too.Chest freezers don’t have many features to deliberate over. The biggest difference between them and other freezer types is that most need to be defrosted manually, as frost-free models are few and far between. The size you buy will depend on the amount of space you have to put it in, as well as the amount of food you’ll want to store. Some people want a large chest freezer to hold vast quantities of food. Others prefer a smaller space-saving model to hold the overflow of frozen food that won’t fit into the main kitchen freezer. Chest freezers come in all sorts of sizes, from small, square, 55 x 62cm deep models to large, deep chests that are more than 110cm wide. While this low-cost chest freezer will work for many households, it certainly isn’t perfect. The L95CFW23 is not recommended for use in outbuildings that are vulnerable to very low temperatures, and there’s no auto-defrost, so you’ll have some scraping to do every now and then.

If you’re looking to maximise your frozen food storage and don’t mind paying a premium, the huge Haier HCE519F is the chest freezer to buy. Head to our guide to the best freezers and chest freezers for garages for more advice on freezer climate class. What size chest freezer should I buy? Key specs – Dimensions: 84.5 x 165 x 74.5cm (HWD); Capacity: 519 litres; Fast freeze: Yes; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: Light; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: NoSome chest freezers have a fast-freeze function, which gives an extra burst of cooling power. This can come in handy if any pre-frozen food you've bought from the supermarket has warmed up on the drive home. High temperature warning Key specs – Dimensions: 85 x 54.5 x 49.5cm (HWD); Capacity: 99 litres; Fast freeze: No; Energy rating: F; Freezer star rating: 4; Temperature warning: No; Open door warning: No; Suitable for outbuildings: No At this price, you don’t get all the bells and whistles such as a digital temperature display or temperature warnings if you’ve left the door open. However, if you get a power cut it will keep food cold for up to 17 hours. It comes with one storage basket that slides from left to right so you can easily access the food below. The appliance comes with built-in sidewall insulation, allowing it to hold its cold temperature pretty wall for longer periods. Therefore, a chest freezer is energy efficient. Do you have the patience to defrost it regularly? Chest freezers don't tend to be frost-free, so you'll need to go through the arduous task of defrosting it manually when ice starts to build up. Head to our guide on how to defrost your freezer for our tips.