Announcement to potential keezer builders!!

So I had been playing around with the idea of putting the money into building a keezer for a while and had been holding back to find a deal on CL for a cheap used freezer. Problem was, I live in an apartment and really had been leaning towards the smaller 3-4 corny freezers. So I wandered into Lowe's last night to see the Holiday 5.3 cu ft. in person and did a double take when I saw a nice pretty yellow sticker on the one in the store announcing a new lower price of $166!!

These puppies had been $188 for the past 5-6 months and Lowe's just dropped the price across their line of Holiday's as well as their Whirpool brand. I asked the appliance manager if I could buy the floor model and he said no because they were getting a new shipment and the $166 was the new lower price! They also had the same price drop on the Holiday 6.8 cu ft which can hold four cornys for $196! The Whirpool 8.9 cu. ft was also on sale for $256!! bucks. I almost walked out of there with one heck of a deal on the Whirpool, but that was totally illogical for my current space limitations.

Anyway, anyone out there waiting for a deal or prices to drop, these things are a steal!

Holiday 5.3 cu ft.- Was $188, now $166

Holiday 6.8 cu ft.- Was $218, now $196

Whirpool 8.9 cu ft.- Was $298, now a STEAL at $256!!!

I am located in Cincinnati, Ohio so I am not sure whether these deals are local or not, but I am pretty sure the Holiday brands are permanent price drops. Anyway just wanted to give everyone a heads up! This weekend its to work on my keezer collar!!!!

I was in a Lowe's in South Jersey this weekend and they were the same price as you just listed. So it's not just in Ohio.

Just make sure you check craigslist and other 'local classifieds'. Seems there are always chest freezers and refrigerators on there for a song. People routinely sell these same chest freezers for $30-$60...in perfect or almost perfect condition. My Magic Chef 7.2 cu ft in great cond. was $40 and my lager fridge was free.

I will concur with Craigslist... I don't care if it's scratched and/or dented... I got my chest freezer for $35. Maybe I'm too cheap to be in this hobby though

i got a 15cf chest freezer in great condition for $60 off CL

If I was investing other new parts... maybe I'd want to buy a shiny new freezer for making a keezer. However, I gotta give +3 for Craigslist.

I've currently got 3 fridges for my brewing, 2 full size and one mid-size. Total investment $25 + time & gas to pick them up. It's just a hobby, so money saved = money to spend on other stuff.

I agree with all the above posters here, CL is definitely the place to find some freezers on the cheap, but like I mentioned in my original post I have some space restrictions and was in search of a smaller freezer to convert. It seemed to me like all the freezers I found on craigslist were of the bigger variety, which of course I had no option of buying because I live in an apartment. I don't know whether its because they just didn't make many of the smaller cube freezers or they just aren't as popular, but after about six months of searching for one I gave in and bought a new one.

Here is a quick question for you guys who have built them, any problems with chrome plated brass shanks with welded nipples? I am getting perlick faucets and was wondering whether the stainless steel shanks were worth the extra money, or if most people don't even notice the difference. Thanks!

if you have patience, craigslist is the best place. I have 2 7cu ft whirlpools (the costco ones) that i got for a combined $115. I debated buying new, but for these, used is the way to go IMO

The demand for used chest freezers is huge out here. The only one I have seen in the last month for under $100 is the one I snagged for $40 a couple minutes after the ad went up. I plan on selling it for $100 as soon as I can afford a bigger/newer model.

I've been reading HBT for a couple of months now and the information here is incredible.

I am finally getting my budget to a point where I was going to buy a new 5.3 Holiday - CL is driving me crazy... just when I think I have a sale closed, the other person backs out. I need a small freezer to fit in the closet of my condo.

I went to lowes.com last night, and the 5.3 is showing as unavailable at stores throughout New England. Is anyone else seeing this?

I'll be going to a store today to see whether this is true... maybe there's still a floor model available somewhere.

Holiday at Lowe's: 5.3 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer (Color: White)

New is great for the 1 year warranty but it's only worth it if you can't find an amazing price for a used one.