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The Pitchfork’s survival projects,

Frigidaire FCFS201LF Food Service Grade Freezer

Product Review

Blog of January 17, 2011

Pitchfork © 2011
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Freely quote with attribution

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INTRODUCTION

This is 'Fork's product review of the Frigidaire FCFS201LF Food Service Grade Freezer.  'Fork and The Missus included a large, upright freezer - automatic defrost - in their staying-put survival list of kitchen appliances (this 'n' went straight to the adjoining pantry).  Advertised at 19.53 cubic feet, it seemed about as big as they could acquire without going over the commercial top.  Big meant to them adequate longer-term food storage and passable intermediate-term food storage for what might could be family members hunkering down with them. 

Chest freezers were out; 'Fork went to that cold, wet trough way too many times in his much younger days in defrosting the monster with which he grew up. . . that's not counting the lifting and lugging in search of something Mom or Dad was sure about being set in there some time back.

'Fork almost signed up for a Whirlpool that was bigger than this 'n', but felt jammed up right before sale - inconvenient and personally insulting surprise demand to seal the deal.

And the choice of a Frigidaire in lieu was not easily come-by.  'Fork and The Missus had tolerated a Frigidaire side-by-side for 11 years and HATED IT.  (The GE side-by-side that they'd hauled all over the place for 22 years still chilled water, made ice - cube and crushed, worked more quietly, and took a couple successful freezer light replacements just swell.)  Freezer light blew early and would not go back on.  Later, the ice maker stopped working.  Noisiest refrigerator they'd ever lived with.  Was rough on food - dried out stuff fast. . . veggies, cheese, and such.  Itty-bitty wheels rutted the kitchen's oak wood floor something b-a-d when it came time to uselessly try to reckon at the backside for its poor performance as 'Fork and The Missus opined.  And there seemed plenty of moaning and groaning on the Web to back up the wrack up.

Not so with the Frigidaire commercial (or commercial refrigerator).  Like two different manufacturers.

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Whassup With This

Price was pinchy.  Delivery fine and better than fine.

Conclusion:  a keeper.

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"Why 'Fork would recommend this freezer to a friend and not to an enemy.

Pro:

1. It doesn't run its motor a lot and is not especially noisy, though if you could keep it out of the kitchen - say, in a nearby pantry or the like - you might could get happier by attenuating the sound when running, in 'Fork's opinion

2. Freezes hard - comes set, it looked like, to throw between -30°F & 0°F.

3. Defrosts twice-a-day about 12 hours apart, keeping contents looking and feeling as clean and fresh in appearance as the moment you put whatever in it.

4. Lots of space.

5. Big wheels (though, not rollers).

6. Easy to clean underneath.

7. Easy on the eyes.

8. Stainless skin on the door (sides and top are black) does not print a lot - some, but not a lot - easily cleaned

Con:

1. Bigger would have been even better (Whirlpool had a bigger unit at 24.7 cubic feet).

2. No ice maker (aside from you fillin' trays, of course).

3. Door does not reverse.

4. Can build ice - a little-to-a-lot on its ceiling, more directly below on interior, more on its interior backside.  The measured interior capacity is, in 'Fork's opinion, shameless sales hype.  You fill this box inside and, in 'Fork's opinion, ice can build and build for lack of interior circulation.  Had to pry an ice-caked pork loin off the back wall.  A freezer basket can stick hard to a sidewall.  Ice builds especially fast right below the interior air vent when storage right below the vent piles up close.

5. Gotta have baskets to hold loose, hard-frozen contents from falling out.  Nope - no freezer baskets came with the freezer and none offered.