Talk to me about chest freezers (or other kinds i guess)

[lauren grier]

Are chest freezers.. good? efficient? long lasting? or is there another type of freezer that you have used and like?

I'm really aggravated with our fridge/freezer. We're renting this duplex so we don't own this crapper.. and well.. just ugh. It's a top/bottom style. we had an issue a couple of weeks ago when suddenly it wasnt cold enough in the fridge, and the freezer was borderline. we took everything out and defrosted it-- there was a ton of ice buildup.. everything seemed to be running perfectly again. phew! problem solved right? .. no. all of a sudden the freezer stopped being cold enough again. (of course right after we did a bulk grocery shopping). I'm assuming part of the problem is that we're over stuffing the freezer and there's just not enough air flow.. but the thing is tiny tiny so I guess we need a second freezer if we want to store more than 2 days worth of meat

So what are your recommendations.. and your buyer bewares ? we don't have much space upstairs.. but we do have a whole basement if I NEEDED to put it down there, but i'd prefer a more compact freezer.