[Histonet] Ultra-Low Temp. Upright Freezer

[Hugh Luk]

Hi Lucie,

My research group has 63 Revco (or Harris-same brand) upright freezers of various ages at my location.  All are 21 to 25 cu ft.  Within my organization, there are about 200 on three campuses.  The older ones break down with some regularity, (maybe 2/63 per year), so my biomed tech insists on Revco.  We have not lost an upright freezer, and every unit that goes down has been repaired.  We do not have any affiliation with Revco.

We have purchased 7 in the last 4 years, and I have to admit, 2 years ago, several new units were flawed (motors not in synch[?] and never attained -80C).  However, the units were repaired and the newer units appear flawless.  

Their alarms are adjustable (ie. "Warm point alarm") so we do not have problems with over or under sensitivity.

How loud?  They are fairly loud, but tolerable as a moderate hum.  We have several units interspersed throughout the labs, and these single units are fine.  However, the thermal release from the motors in smaller room with multiple freezers (side-by-side) is significant and given these two factors in this scinerio, we keep the area around them clear.  

Most of the hospitals I work with have Revco's too.  Several are lay-down, but most are upright.  The lay-down units seem to have fewer problems with frost, but take up a larger footprint.  They have them in the work areas with seemingly no problems.

The Sanyo unit looks good and if my biomed tech would not have killed me (did not mean literally), I would have purchased them.  I think they are less expensive and come from a dependable source (in my opinion).  We just didn't know about replacement parts to my area.

Hope this helps and good luck with your search,

Hugh Luk, HTL (ASCP)
Pathology shared resource lab manager
Cancer research center of Hawaii



> From: lucie.s.guernsey <@t> gmail.com
> Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:15:15 -0700
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] Ultra-Low Temp. Upright Freezer
> 
> Hi all!
> 
> I'm hoping to get some help RE: purchasing a new ultra-low temp. upright
> freezer. I've tried searching Histonet, but many of the posts are a few
> years old, and my guess is that the products have changed a bit over the
> years.
> 
> My lab is looking to purchase a large (absolute minimum size of 17 cu.ft.,
> but preferably much larger), and definitely upright (not chest) -80.
> Unfortunately, since this is my first foray into the world of lab freezers,
> I know very little about them. I have discovered that Thermo's Revco and
> Sanyo freezers seem to be popular. Obviously we're looking for a freezer
> that is as large and efficient as possible. Insulation and the freezer's
> compressor(s) are most important.
> 
> I've spoken with my Sanyo rep. and the VIP Series MDF-U73VC (26 cu.ft.)
> freezer seems quite nice - small exterior footprint and his sales pitch
> regarding the vacuum insulation (therefore denser insulation), insulated
> inner doors, and supposed minimized carbon footprint was quite convincing. I
> still plan on talking to Revco's rep. RE: their Elite and Ultima freezers,
> though my guess is that their sales pitch will be just as convincing.
> 
> Since you can't depend only on sales pitches, I'm depending on colleagues as
> well.... Does anyone have any experience with either the Sanyo or Revco
> freezers (or any others that they'd like to recommend)? Any and all positive
> and negative feedback would be greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to get
> comments regarding:
>     - efficiency
>     - how often service is needed due to failures
>     - are the alarms sensitive enough or maybe too sensitive
>     - how loud the freezer is when the compressor is on
>     - etc......
> 
> As always, please remember to Reply All.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your help! I look forward to hearing everyone's
> suggestions.
> 
> 
> Lucie
> 
> UCSD
> lguernsey <@t> ucsd.edu
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