Visi cooler vs deep freezer: which does your shop need?
Shop owners often ask whether they need a visi cooler or a deep freezer. They do different jobs, and many shops end up using both. Here is how to tell them apart and how to choose.
What a visi cooler does
A visi cooler is an upright refrigerator with a glass door. It keeps stock chilled, usually between 0°C and 10°C, so cold drinks, dairy, sweets and packed food stay fresh while customers look at them.
You choose a visi cooler when the stock needs to be cold but not frozen, and when seeing the product helps it sell.
What a deep freezer does
A deep freezer keeps stock frozen. It is usually a chest with a lid, though vertical freezers with glass doors also exist. It suits ice cream, frozen snacks, meat, fish and ready-to-cook food.
You choose a deep freezer when the stock must stay frozen, or when you need to store a lot of it in a small footprint.
Side by side
These are typical working ranges. Check the temperature range on each model page.
| Visi cooler | Deep freezer | |
|---|---|---|
| Keeps stock | Chilled, about 0°C to 10°C | Frozen, below −17°C |
| Door or lid | Glass door, stock is visible | Solid lid (hard top) or glass lid or door |
| Shape | Upright, small floor area | Chest, holds more per square foot |
| Best for | Cold drinks, dairy, sweets, packed food | Ice cream, frozen snacks, meat, fish |
| Catalogue | Visi coolers | Deep freezers |
How to decide
Ask three questions.
- What temperature does the stock need? Chilled stock goes in a visi cooler. Frozen stock goes in a deep freezer.
- Do customers need to see it? A visi cooler, a glass top deep freezer or a vertical freezer shows stock. A hard top deep freezer does not.
- How much space do you have? Upright units use less floor space. Chest freezers hold more per square foot.
Using both
A shop that sells cold drinks and ice cream often needs both: a visi cooler for drinks and a glass top deep freezer for ice cream. An ice cream parlour may add a scooping freezer for the counter and a hard top deep freezer for spare tubs.
Tell us what you sell and the space you have, and we will suggest a combination.
Need a quote?
Send us the model name, or tell us about your shop, and we will reply with a quote.