Capacity
It is the total working capacity of the freezer. A larger capacity allows you to accommodate more products but affects the dimensions and cost of the unit. Therefore, when choosing according to this parameter, you should not chase after the maximum capacity but the capacity you really need. For example, the average required capacity is 50 litres per person. And when choosing a display chest freezer (see "Product type"), you need to take into account the number of products offered for sale.
It is also worth considering that the freezer is often divided into several compartments (see below) - which means that a large capacity does not guarantee that large pieces of food can fit in the device.
Slim shelf
The slim shelf is a low (up to 5 cm) tray, and is best suited for storing seasonings, rolled puff pastry, ice, butter and other small-sized products. In such a container, you can’t place products on top of the other, so finding the needed frozen item will be much easier.
Controls
The type of control provided in the freezer. This parameter is specified by the type of controls and their location.
- Rotary knobs. In general, this is the simplest and most inexpensive option used in units of the appropriate level. However, even this is quite enough - especially if the freezer works in more or less constant temperature conditions (for example, in a home or office kitchen). In many cases, the matter is limited to selecting the appropriate knob position once and then not changing the settings. In addition, the major advantages of this type of control are reliability and ease of repair.
- Push-buttons. Push-buttons are considered more advanced than rotary knobs. The specific functionality of freezers with such a control may be different. But among them, models with additional functions and the ability to fine-tune the temperature are noticeably more common. As for the location, there are internal and external push-buttons. The internal location allows you to hide the control panel behind the refrigerator door, providing a neat appearance with a minimum of protruding parts.
The external location is convenient because you do not need to open the door to access the settings. On the other hand, the real need for such an arrangement is not so often, and the control panel must also fit into the overall design of the unit (which is not always possible to do in the best way).
- Touch controls. Touch controls are considered th...e next step in the development of control panels, after buttons. So, it looks stylish and technologically advanced, they do not need to be pressed hard (just touched), and there are no protruding parts, corners or slots on the surface of the panel, which simplifies cleaning from dirt. The presence of a touch panel is typical mainly for models of the middle and top levels. It costs a little more than a push-button one, but this is imperceptible against the total price of the units. But the internal location, in this case, is much less common than the external one. It is because there is no need to hide the touch panel behind the door. It can easily fit into the design of the device. In addition, external placement allows you not to open the door again to access the settings.
Display
The external display makes the operation of the freezer more intuitive and allows you to control the conditions inside without opening it. The display can show data on the temperature inside the chamber or individual drawers, running programmes and the state of their running(fast freeze, for example), etc.
Energy class
The energy class shows how economical the freezer is in terms of electricity consumption. Initially, the classes were designated in Latin letters from A (most economical) to G (high power consumption). Recently, improved classes A+, A++ and A+++ appeared (the more pluses - the more economical the device).
It should be borne in mind that this indicator represents not the actual energy consumption but the efficiency of the unit compared to similar models. Therefore, a small class A freezer may have a lower power consumption than a large class A++ model. And other things being equal, a more economical device, as a rule, costs more, but this difference can quickly pay off during the operation.
Energy consumption per year
It is the average amount of energy consumed by the freezer in a year of operation. Of course, these figures are not absolutely accurate. The actual power consumption may vary depending on the specific operating conditions. However, this parameter makes it possible to evaluate the consumption of the device and compare different models with each other. At the same time, it often turns out to be more convenient and visual than the energy consumption class (see above) because, in this paragraph, we are talking about a specific figure (from which you can also calculate the cost of electricity consumed).
Operation at sub-zero temperatures
The ability of freezer to work at sub-zero temperatures allows you to take it out to an unheated room. And chest freezers can be used outdoors.
