Defrost cycles in a freezer are designed to prevent 'ice-up' on the cooling tubes; the ice on the tubes result in increased need for electric energy.
This increased need for more electrical power during ice build up is offset by the intermittent defrost cycle which dumps into an external pan for ambient evaporation.
As I recall, it was FReeper 'Greeneyes' wh made the observation that frozen meats lasted longer, with no 'Frost Burn' in an older freezer that had no "Defrost Cycle".
However, that situation would necessitate periodic, or semi-annual, manual defrost of that freezer to minimize power consumption.
Manually defrosting a freezer is a pain depending on how big it is, that is true.
We have a chest freezer that we defrost once a year on the coldest nights of the winter. We put everything in coolers and stick it out in the cars overnight to keep away any potential critters, and give the freezer a good cleaning and let it dry.
We then repack it and rotate stock so we use the oldest stuff first.