Vacuum Sealers

[Dave N]

I've been looking into picking up a vacuum sealer and think now is as good a time as any. Anyone have any thoughts, comments or concerns about the FoodSaver GameSaver Silver series? I process my own deer, the wife has her garden, and I might start doing some fishing again in the future. We also buy some things in bulk when the sales are good and repackage. I NEED ONE! Not afraid of spending a few bucks for something that will work well and LAST for a while.

Thanks.

 

[sbhooper]

We have tried several different ones of different prices. What we have found is that the Foodsaver that Walmart sells for around $80-100 is as good as any. Our experience has been that the machines don't last more than a couple or three years for the most part and the Foodsaver works real well. Our current Foodsaver is on its third year, so maybe they are getting a little better. You can get a lot of money wrapped up in the upper end machines.

 

[dcopas78]

I have used a foodsaver for about 3 years for freezing broccoli from the garden. I don't have any complaints. You can get bags for them that are not foodsaver brand for a few bucks cheaper that do just as well.

 

[Muskeez]

Great thread Dave! I too have been wondering the same thing. Is it worth the extra $ to get one that lasts and does a better job. I have a FoodSaver Vac550 that is probably 6-8 years old but it hasn't been worked that hard. I have tried to do meats and vegetables and fish with it but about 2 out of 5 packages will get sucked down tight and sealed and then several minutes later they have air in the package and have to be redone. I want to buy a new one but I'm not wanting to go through that hassle anymore. Maybe this is a common problem?

 

[npaden]

I use the Food Saver brands. You can usually buy both the machines and the bags/rolls cheaper directly from them on their website.

http://www.foodsaver.com/

They are actually having a really good sale right now on their multipack rolls. Normally $40 on sale for $11.50.

EDIT - Looks like they are sold out of their multi-pack boxes that were on such a great sale. It's worth checking periodically though. Those are normally $10+ per roll and there were 5 rolls for $11.50. No wonder they sold out so quick.

 

[jryoung]

I ran a foodsaver for a couple of years and they work great. When we started doing more fishing out here and were bringing several rockfish/cod or 50 lbs of salmon home it just couldn't keep up so I bought a Weston.

The foodsaver works and does a decent job, but the Weston SUCKS....in the best way possible. I liked it so much I now have two. I realize my wife and I aren't really on the spectrum of normal when it comes to processing/preserving food, and no one needs two of these, but there is something special about the hum of two of these motors.

If you think you'll use the sealer 2-3 times a month and process <30lbs of food at a time get the food saver. If you are going to process larger batches, larger chunks of meat, get the Weston. It works awesome with the foodsaver pleated bags. I can toss in a whole lamb, pig, deer leg to brine or cook it sous vide.

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Expandable-Heat-Seal-Rolls/dp/B00851QSDO

 

[tarheel]

I've been using a Foodsaver V3460 for four years now and have the occasional leaky seal but it's usually caused by moisture inside the bag where the seal takes place. If sealing items with moisture present I let the bag hang vertically by positioning the unit on the very edge of the counter and then watch for the liquid creeping up the bag and que my wife to shut off the vacuum before it reaches the seal and the bag is still usually void of any air and gets a good seal.

 

[bigbuckhughes]

Have tried a few different brands of sealers. My middle name is "Cheap", so don't go top end. Moisture was usually the problem and a good heat seal was the other. Needless to say, I have given up on useing them and rely on a processor. Probably could have saved a bunch of money by spending a few bucks more on a good sealer. Eighty bucks a venison for cut and vacuum packed at two to four animals a year adds up. No lost time to butchering though.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

As part of my fishing business I process a lot of fish for clients. I bought the smallest chamber type I could find, the Vacmaster VP112. I've had it for about 4 or 5 seasons and never had a problem with it. It cost a lot more than the suction types but the bags are a lot less.

 

[LopeHunter]

Foodsaver works great for me. Sometimes you have to use a paper towel if lots of blood is pulled towards the top of the bag as the bag is about to seal. Wipe the blood up then finish the sealing process. I usually make another seal 3/8" back from the first seal just in cast the first seal has a pin-sized leak from the blood. Write date and what is in the bag with permamark pen. Easy as pie.

 

[Dave N]

Ended up finding a Weston Professional Advantage with some free bags online. To my door at $149.99. I cut up a pork loin and only made 4 packages, but it seems to work real well. I learned right away about multi-chop placement in the bag to allow for complete air removal. The unit sucked out all the air and sealed each bag faster than I thought it would. Thinking I'm going to like it! I'll put it to the real test this fall for deer season. Thanks for all the input!

 

[buckykm1]

I do all my own processing too, and a lot from the garden.
I have had about 4 or 5 different models of the Food saver, and really wasn't happy with any of them.
about 6 or 7 years ago I bought the Cabela's commercial grade vacuum sealer, it is awesome, I wish that I would have bought it to begin with.
they are pricey, but worth ever penny, and will be the only sealer you ever need to buy. IMHO

Kevin

 

[schmalts]

The problem in the lower priced models is the duty cycle. Nothing is more than annoying that having 30 pounds of burger in front of you and having to wait for your sealer to take a cooling "time out" after 4 or five bags to resume working. Research the duty cycles and the rest is not that important.

 

[JohnCushman]

I got the foodsaver Titanium model and it works great for processing, plus uses the wider 15 inch bags. I processed a whole antelope and never had to wait for it to cool down.

 

[Dave N]

The Weston I got has a cooling fan on the pump motor so it won't get hot. Haven't used it for a major job yet, but the things I have sealed so far has shown me it will be a great unit. Sealed up some beef chuck roasts we bought yesterday and using the gallon bags that came with it, it took 25 seconds from hitting the start button until it was ready to release the lock. Me likey!

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

There are basically two types of vacuum sealers, here is a good video that compares the features:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oCZbh77Q0g

EXTERNAL VACUUM TYPE: Examples are the Food Saver, Weston, etc.

This type of sealer sucks the air directly out of the bag, stops the vacuum, and then seals the bag. Because of the way it works, it requires specially designed vacuum bags. Because it is sucking the air directly out of the bag, the juices tend to be sucked up into the seal area as well.

Advantages:
* Lower initial cost for the machine.
* Smaller footprint, easier to store.
* Bag size only limited by sealer width.

Disadvantages:
* Bags far more expensive. These machines need a special bag with a waffle type pattern embossed in the bag to be able to work properly. Those bags are much more costly.
* Not good for vacuuming liquids or wet product.
* Typically not designed for continuous use.

VACUUM CHAMBER TYPE: In this type, you place the bag inside a chamber and the entire chamber vacuums down, the sealer triggers, and a couple seconds later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5ztvIZhQFA

Advantages:
* This is what is used by businesses who do vacuum sealing for a living.
* Higher vacuum can be achieved.
* You can vacuum seal liquids like soups.
* Since the whole vacuum chamber is being evacuated, liquid is not being sucked up into the seal, which is the main reason seals fail.
* Far more reliable seals. Very few bags leak which can lead to ruined/freezer burned food. Damaged food means lost money.
* The bags used for this are a more typical type plastic bag, so bags are FAR cheaper, typically a 1/10th of the price of the other type. Because of the low cost of the bags, we often use ours to repackage things like extra food and leftovers. You can also buy bulk meats, repackage and save $.
* You can typically use heavier plastic bags, like 4 mil bags. Some even seal retort type bags.
* Longer life, commercial grade units. The most reliable are those with an oil bathed vacuum pump.
* Designed for continuous use.
* Vacuuming cycle can be customized on many units (like on the VacMaster VP215)

Disadvantages:
* Higher upfront cost for the machine
* Larger footprint
* Bag size limited to what fits in the chamber.


We personally went with the VacMaster VP215. After a few years of use, the bags themselves will pay to difference of the machine. After using this chamber type sealer (oil bathed vacuum pump), I would never switch back. We keep it set-up in our pantry and vacuum seal things all the time. It is quick, cheap to use and reliable. If you do get the external vacuum type, save some heart ache and get something quality like a Weston.

Remember, after a few hundred bags, the difference in bag price, bags thrown away due to bad seals, and lost/damaged/freezer burned food (due to bad seals) will pay the difference between these types.

 

[moosegut]

I purchased a Vacmaster VP215 2 years ago and have not had a single bad seal. It is a little spendy, about $1,000 -$1,300 but if you use it a lot the savings on the bags alone will take up the slack. Never have to worry about wet products again, you can even bag up some soup.

 

[theRedneck]

I bought one of these: Cabela's 15" Commercial-Grade Vacuum Sealer

Processed and vacpacked a whitetail and a lot of left overs and such so far. Very happy with it.

I bought a factory referb out of the bargain cave for around $150. They had a pallet of 'um. Went back 2 days later and they were sold out. Love/hate having a Cabelas near by.

 

[zimmer2]

Have done a lot of looking here before but first post:

I also use the vacmaster VP112 chamber sealer. BEST sealer in my opinion. It will pay for itself in no time just in bag savings. The only loss of seal is if the bag gets poked after it is sealed and in the freezer. the ability to do liquid is amazing also. soups, gravy, juice, no end to what you can package. Check out http://www.webstaurantstore.com/search/vacuum-sealer.html

 

[Dave N]

The Weston I bought works great! I just REALLY couldn't afford those vacmaster things. We bagged up the burger from my deer and it was perfect. Hit the start button, wiggle the bag to get the air pockets out, and done. Start the next bag and while it was sealing I would flatten the previous one and write the date on it. Repeat. It's a nice little unit, glad I got it!

Thanks for all the replies!