Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
Buying an upright freezer this size is a five-to-ten-year decision, so the two things that actually matter are whether it frosts up on you and whether it fits where you plan to put it. A 16 cu ft upright freezer search usually lands you in the 17-cubic-foot range, because that is the size most makers actually build — and that is exactly what both picks below are. One is the crowd favorite at 4.2 stars across 165 owners. The other is a newer VEVOR with the same rating but a much smaller review base. Both are frost-free, both are convertible to fridge mode, and both are sized for a garage, a kitchen corner, or a home office.
I’m Mohammad Maruf — the founder and writer behind KitchPrep. This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
Before the reviews, a quick note: this list uses flexible size matching, so a pick may land slightly above or below the exact number you typed in. A 17 cu ft upright does the same job as a 16 cu ft one. Frost-free operation (no manual scraping of ice) is the one feature that separates a freezer you forget about from one you dread, so every pick here skips that chore. Below you’ll find the specs that actually decide the buy — capacity, footprint, and how the door holds up over a year of daily use — laid out so you can match one to your space and your family’s frozen-food habit.
Quick Picks
- BLACK+DECKER 17 Cu. Ft. Convertible Freezer — Best Overall
- VEVOR Convertible Freezer/Refrigerator — Best For Tight Spaces
How To Choose The Best 16 Cu Ft Upright Freezer
An upright freezer standing this tall is a permanent piece of furniture, so the wrong pick means years of annoyance. Get footprint, defrost type, shelf layout, and controls right, and you will forget the freezer exists.
Measure the footprint before the capacity
The depth you see listed is how far the unit juts out from the wall, and it is usually the number that decides whether a spot works. A deep body can block a garage walkway or a kitchen doorway even when the width and height look fine on paper. Measure your floor space first, then confirm the door has room to swing open fully, because a door that only opens partway makes loading the back shelves a wrestling match. Front leveling legs and rear wheels help you fine-tune the stance once it is in place.
Decide between frost-free and manual defrost
Frost-free means a fan circulates air and an auto cycle clears the ice build-up for you, so you never chip at the walls with a scraper. The trade-off is that the fan and the defrost cycle both draw power, and the moving air is slightly drier on unwrapped food. Manual-defrost units are simpler and cheaper to run, but you will spend a Saturday every year or so hauling food out and thawing the interior. For a household opening the door daily, frost-free saves you an annual defrost day.
Look at how the shelves and baskets are arranged
Adjustable shelves let you drop a shelf to fit a turkey or a stack of pizza boxes, then raise it back for everyday items. Door racks and top baskets are where the small stuff lives — ice packs, frozen veg, the bag of peas that always falls out of a chest freezer. LED interior lighting sounds minor until you are digging at the back for a lost cut of meat in a dim freezer. Adjustable shelves and door racks do more for daily use than an extra cubic foot of capacity.
Check the controls and the temperature range
A digital control panel that reads in both Fahrenheit and Celsius and holds within a degree or two is worth having, because it lets you switch between freezer duty and fridge duty without guessing. Look for the temperature range the maker publishes for each mode, and check whether the controls lock so a curious kid cannot change the set point. An open-door alarm tells you when the door has not seated properly, before a week of food spoils.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Capacity | Footprint (D x W x H) | Defrost Type | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK+DECKER 17 Cu. Ft. Convertible Freezer Refrigerator, BUC1700XW | Families who want the widest shelf access and a battle-tested track record | 17 cubic feet | 31.9″D x 28″W x 68.1″H | Frost free | Amazon |
| VEVOR Convertible Freezer/Refrigerator, 17 Cu.Ft | Garages, offices, and tight corners that need a shrunk-down body | 17 cubic feet (480L) | 71″D x 80.8″W x 172.8″H | Frost free | Amazon |
In‑Depth Reviews
1. BLACK+DECKER 17 Cu. Ft. Convertible Freezer Refrigerator, BUC1700XW, White
The one that freezes half-gallon jugs solid and still hides the fingerprints.
For a family that fills a freezer to the brim and digs through it every night, the BLACK+DECKER BUC1700XW is the pick that keeps up. It measures 31.9″D x 28″W x 68.1″H, which is a body you plan around but a height that still clears most garage ceilings with room to spare. The 17-cubic-foot interior runs with large shelves built for maximum storage, and the whole thing converts to a full-size refrigerator when you flip it out of freezer mode. That convertibility earns it the top slot: freezer now, full-size fridge later, without buying twice.
What wins people over is performance. Owners consistently describe it doing exactly what a freezer should: plug it in, and it pulls down hard and holds. “Freezes half-gallon water jugs solid within 2 days,” as owners put it, which is the kind of real test that tells you more than any spec sheet. It runs quiet enough to sit in a garage without announcing itself, the door seals tightly, and the white finish resists smudges better than you would expect from a steel door. Electronic controls with an LED display let you set the temperature precisely in either mode, and ENERGY STAR qualification means it is built to sip power rather than gulp it. Sabbath Mode pauses the displays and sounds for religious observance, a thoughtful touch most freezers skip.
The honest catch is a pair of softer spots. Durability and temperature control both draw a mixed response — a few units arrive with a dented door, and there are occasional reports of temperature swings that clear once the unit is unplugged and reset. Sizing matters here too: at over 165 pounds, this is a two-person delivery, and it will not fit through every interior doorway without removing the door. If you want a garage freezer you never think about again, 165.3 pounds and 31.9 inches of depth are the price of the storage you gain.
Why it tops the list
- Frost-free cooling means zero manual defrosting, ever
- Converts from freezer to full-size refrigerator with electronic LED control
- Large, accessible shelves and a door that seals tight and reverses for left- or right-hand reach
- ENERGY STAR qualified and quiet enough for garage duty
- Sabbath Mode pauses displays and sounds when you need it to
What to plan for
- At 31.9″D and 165.3 pounds, it needs floor space and a two-person move
- A few units arrive dented, and a rare one needs an unplug-reset to settle its temperature
- Steel door shows real wear if you are rough with the hinge
Reach for it if: you want the proven pick with the widest shelf access and a real track record behind it — 4.2 stars across more than 160 owners speaks to how many families have settled on it.
Think twice if: your only floor space is a tight galley corner, in which case a shrunk-down body like the VEVOR below fits the plan better.
2. VEVOR Convertible Freezer/Refrigerator, 17 Cu.Ft Frost Free Upright Freezer
Six square feet of floor, a 480-liter belly, and a door that slams itself shut if you forget.
The VEVOR BD480WE is the pick for anyone whose freezer spot is measured in inches rather than feet. Its footprint occupies only 6.18 ft², which is the number that matters if you are tucking it into an office, a garage corner, or a narrow kitchen run. Inside, the 17-cubic-foot (480L) capacity holds a full food load, and the four adjustable shelves move to suit whatever you are stacking — plus a basket and door racks for the smaller stuff. LED lighting inside means you can actually see what you are reaching for. Front leveling legs and two rear wheels make it far easier to nudge into position than a dead-weight box.
Where this one separates itself is control and convenience. The digital panel adjusts from 0~8°C / 32~46°F in refrigeration mode and -11~7°F / -24~-14°C in freezing mode, with accuracy to within 1°F and a toggle between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Four cooling modes let you dial in how hard it works. Best of all for a forgetful household: the door-open-too-long alarm trips after three minutes and keeps sounding until you close it, so a half-shut door never quietly ruins a week of groceries. It is frost-free, so no manual defrosting, and the compressor combo runs at 1.1kWh per day — a figure worth knowing before you park it next to a meter. Buyers report it holds temperature and runs quietly, and the concrete win over the BLACK+DECKER above is that 6.18 ft² footprint against a 31.9-inch depth — this one slips into spots the bigger body cannot.
Here is the trade-off to weigh. This is the newer, less-proven model, with a much smaller pool of owners backing it up than the BLACK+DECKER — both carry the same 4.2-star rating, but the volume of feedback is not close. And the seal, while effective at holding cold, is stiff: several owners mention the door takes a hard, two-handed pull to open, so the freezer can slide toward you if you yank one-handed. The temperature readings also report higher than the set point on some units, which is worth watching on a cheap thermometer in the first week. If you have the floor space and want the better-tested buy, the BLACK+DECKER edges it. If space is your binding constraint, this is the one that physically fits.
The space math wins: 6.18 ft² of floor space is this unit’s headline, and it comes with a genuinely useful temperature panel — 1°F accuracy, four cooling modes, and a Fahrenheit/Celsius switch.
One thing to test early: the door seal needs a firm two-handed pull, and the temp display may read warmer than you set — check it in the first week so you know your unit’s habits.
Best for: garages, offices, and tight corners where every square foot of floor is spoken for, and you want the open-door alarm watching over your food.
Look elsewhere if: you would rather buy the model with the deepest pool of owner experience — the BLACK+DECKER has the longer track record.
Understanding the Specs
Frost-Free vs. Manual Defrost
Frost-free means a fan moves cold air around and an automatic cycle clears the ice before it builds, so you never scrape the walls or haul food out for a defrost day. Both picks here are frost-free, and that is the feature most families care about most. The trade-off is real: the fan and the defrost cycle draw extra power, and the moving air is slightly drier, so wrap anything you plan to keep for months. Manual-defrost freezers run more efficiently and have fewer moving parts, but they demand an annual thaw. For an upright you will open every day, frost-free is worth it. The VEVOR’s published draw of 1.1kWh per day is a useful reference point for what a frost-free upright this size consumes.
Footprint, Capacity, and Convertibility
Capacity tells you how much food fits; footprint tells you whether the freezer fits your room — and footprint is the number that usually decides the buy. The BLACK+DECKER runs 31.9″D x 28″W x 68.1″H, while the VEVOR takes only 6.18 ft² of floor space, so the same 17 cubic feet of storage comes in two very different bodies. A convertible unit can switch between freezer mode and full-refrigerator mode, which is what lets one appliance do two jobs. Check the published temperature range for each mode before you buy, like the VEVOR’s 0~8°C refrigeration range and its -11~7°F freezing range, and confirm the door swing clears your wall so you can pull the shelves out unimpeded.
FAQ
Is a 17 cu ft upright freezer the same as the 16 cu ft size I searched for?
Do I need to defrost a frost-free upright freezer?
Will either freezer fit in my garage?
What temperature should I set the freezer to?
Can these freezers work as a refrigerator instead?
How much space do I need around an upright freezer for ventilation?
Is it worth buying the VEVOR over the BLACK+DECKER?
What does the door-open-too-long alarm do?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
For most buyers, the 16 cu ft upright freezer winner is the BLACK+DECKER BUC1700XW. It earns that spot because it pairs frost-free convenience (no manual defrosting) and a convertible freezer-to-refrigerator design with the deepest pool of owner experience — 4.2 stars across more than 160 owners — and enough shelf space to hold a real family’s frozen load. If floor space is your binding constraint and you need a freezer that slips into a tight garage corner or an office nook, reach for the VEVOR BD480WE. Its 6.18 ft² footprint (the floor area it takes up), 1°F-accurate digital control (keeps temperature within one degree), and three-minute open-door alarm (beeps if you leave the door ajar) make it the smarter fit for a small space. Both run frost-free and both convert to fridge duty; the choice is really about how much depth you can spare and how much proven history you want behind the box.
How We Picked
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources & Methodology
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of September 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
As an Amazon Associate, KitchPrep earns from qualifying purchases. This does not affect which products we feature.
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