Danby DCF055A1WDB1 Review

The Danby DCF055A1WDB1 is a spacious chest freezer that can hold plenty of frozen meats, vegetables, pizzas, ice cream and ice. With a spacious storage area of 5.5 cubic feet, the Danby chest freezer holds an ample supply of frozen foods.

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One of the defining features of the best freezers is plenty of room. The Danby DCF055A1WDB1 is a spacious chest freezer that can hold plenty of frozen meats, vegetables, pizzas, ice cream and ice. With a spacious storage area of 5.5 cubic feet, the Danby chest freezer holds an ample supply of frozen foods. To give you an idea of what that means, this freezer's interior could hold about 336 pints of ice cream, which is more than most small chest freezers. If you want a bit more storage space, we sugggest looking into the Magic Chef chest freezer or the Whirlpool WZF56R16DW.

This compact chest freezer is not Energy Star compliant. Nonetheless, it offers a sensible operating cost and energy consumption level for nearly any household and budget, especially given its size and storage capacity. It uses 224 kWh per year, which comes to a monthly operating cost of $2.25 and an annual energy bill of $27. A yearly energy consumption level of 224 kilowatts is a bit high for chest freezers in this price range, but it likely would not be a financial burden on most households.

The lowest temperature it can reach is -11.2 Fahrenheit, which keeps meats, pizzas and vegetables well frozen. Although this is a compact freezer, the Danby is a bit taller and wider than the other chest freezers in our guide. It's 33.07 inches high, 32.44 inches wide and 22.2 inches deep. With its soft white finish, this small deep freezer complements any room.

The manufacturer does not disclose how much clearance area you need on either side of this chest freezer, although it does make clear that you need 5 inches in back. At nearly 72 pounds, it is an average weight for the freezers in our selection. It’s a small deep freezer that can fit comfortably in out-of-the-way spots.

This is a straightforward and simple-to-use appliance. You control the temperature with a mechanical dial. A light shows that the power is on. You get a handy, adjustable basket so you can separate and organize certain items from the rest of your stored foods. You can take the basket out to rearrange foods as needed or clean your freezer.

Since this freezer must be defrosted manually, you get a built-in drain to help with that task. Unfortunately, it lacks a door lock, which is a useful safety feature if you have young children in your home. The Danby has adjustable legs so you can keep the unit level and be assured that the coolant inside is evenly distributed.

The Danby DCF055A1WDB1 has the second-largest interior of the chest freezers in our guide, so you can safely freeze a great deal of food for future use. Its capacity and feature package combine to make it a great chest freezer.

If you're looking for a way to combine your refrigerator and freezer into one, check out our guides to the best French door refrigerators and the best side-by-side refrigerators

Grant Morgan

A graduate of Weber State University with a B.S. in Electronic Media and an Art minor, Grant started writing at Top Ten Reviews in 2012 covering graphic and photo software, spreading his expertise into large appliances and HVAC. Grant enjoys reading, anime, board games, backpacking and dreams of exploring Norway and the Pacific Northwest.