There are a few features of this freezer (Maytag MQC1557BEW) that I should mention. It is not a frost-free model. It must be manually defrosted. I have had the freezer for just about a year now and I just defrosted it for the first time a few days ago. I probably could have delayed the manual defrosting process for quite some time, but I wanted to take advantage of the cold weather so that the food wouldn't spoil while I had it out of the freezer.

Also, I'm much more conscious of energy efficiency than I used to be. So I wanted to defrost it sooner rather than later. The frost was an inch thick in a few spots, and much less than that in most places. We have very humid summers here, and I suspect most of the frost built up during the summer months. The defrosting was easy with a supply of hot water. Interior and exterior drain plugs made the procedure fairly simple. It took much less time than defrosting the upright freezer I had in Belgium.

This chest freezer also comes with two plastic baskets that rest on a rim inside the freezer. They can be moved from side to side to allow access to lower parts of the freezer. In my freezer, they typically hold smaller items, or things I want easy access to. Mine no longer slide from side to side though, because I've filled up the space between them so thoroughly.

There is a keyed lock for securing the freezer against hypothermia-seeking individuals and meat thieves. I don't use it.

There are however a few drawbacks to owning a chest freezer in general, this model being no exception. Once the freezer gets really full, organization becomes a problem. It's very easy to lose track of what's in there when you can no longer see it all at a glance. I tried simply being in charge of and remembering the contents of the freezer since I do most of the gardening, baking, and grocery shopping. We've tried keeping a list of what's in there on a nearby whiteboard. And we tried to physically organize inside the freezer according to type of food. None of these methods work perfectly. So if you're thinking of buying a chest freezer, it may do you some good to think about how you'll keep track of what's in it.

Another "drawback" if you want to consider it that way is that owning a chest freezer will probably lead you to stock up on a good deal when you see one. If you have impulse control issues, this could be a problem. I think I made pretty good choices as I am a careful shopper. But a good deal is a good deal, and my freezer filled up much faster than I expected it to.

The size of many chest freezers may be problematic for those in small homes. We keep ours in the garage, where the size doesn't pose a problem. True, in the winter time, it's a commitment to go out and forage in the freezer. But it works for us. We don't think it odd to keep our freezer far from our kitchen. When we buy something bound for storage, it's easy to unload it from the car directly into the freezer, and our bags are lighter on the way to the house.

The most discouraging thing about having a chest freezer is the jeopardy in which it places the lower back. Yes, I have thrown my back out by reaching into the lower depths of my freezer and trying to move large hunks of frozen meat around. It's a risk. I have a weak lower back, and it's very hard to lift correctly while bent over at the waist. You can't bend your knees to lift when you're grabbing something from the bottom of a chest freezer. If you have back trouble as well, consider this as a real issue before you decide on a chest freezer. I am duly chastened when it comes to lifting things out the freezer. Anyone who has thrown their back out will understand this.

All things considered, I am very pleased with my Maytag chest freezer. My mother was so taken with my freezer that she talked herself into buying the next smaller Maytag chest freezer. I did nothing to discourage her in this purchase. She's as happy with hers as I am with ours. If you are in the market for a freezer, I can highly recommend this Maytag unit.