Vacuum sealers

[skeets]

I was thinking there was a thread on these things some place but I cant find it. Anyways with things going lke they are i was thinking about doing what I can, sooooo Im asking. I know there are a ton of them out there, but I kinda would like to keep the cost with in reason. Now you guys and gals that have one, manufacturer, pros and cons and cost,, Im waiting

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I had one previously (Food Saver Brand - 16 yrs ago) and only used it seasonally for venison / rabbit / pheasants…that being said it sat unused most of the year (but so does my grinder). While it worked it did pretty good job of getting the air out, but not perfect). It lasted about 2-3 yrs…we had troubling with the sucking quality (don’t make it weird)…and couple things, we could not get rubber seals or gaskets and then ultimately it stopped sucking. Finding the bags that worked with it were a problem for us as well - normal grocery did not have and to order they were expensive. I ended up going to zip lock freezer bags and haven’t looked back. Personally I think using zip lock bags is much quicker and more convenient as well as can be used remotely in the field where no power required…as an example I processed boned out elk into bags at 9000ft. Which in turns greatly reduces cooler size/ space needed as well as much easier to move the cooler. That being said I have friends who have very good luck with the vacuum sealer…mine could have been cheap or operator error? I am not sure but from a time and convenience ziplock is my preference.

 

[mcmxi]

I have a Weston Pro-3000 vacuum sealer that I bought a little over a year ago. I bought it (ordered) from Home Depot with no regrets.

Pros: It's well made, it's built to last, the dual piston pump is quiet, it can seal a 15" wide bag, it has manual and automatic modes, and it does a great job of sealing bags.

Cons: It's fairly large and it's quite expensive at around $580 (I paid around $500) but you get what you pay for. It doesn't feel like it should cost less, and if anything, it feels like it's a good value at around $500.

Weston Pro-3000 Stainless Steel Food Vacuum Sealer 65-0401-W - The Home Depot

The Weston PRO-3000 Stainless Steel Vacuum Sealer is ideal for sealing your season's harvest, portioning out bulk beef, pork and lamb from a butcher or direct from a farm, and for sealing your fresh catch.

www.homedepot.com

 

[Dieseldonato]

I've gone through a few different brands over the years. Kinda settled on 2, but for different reasons. I'll slo say there's no point in doing it if tour going to be using the item pretty quickly, as the bags and rolls are pretty expensive compared to normal freezer bags.
Anyway, I was gifted a food saver brand many years ago. Worked ok for home use. (Bulk meat buying, long term dry goods storage) when hunting season came around I took it over to my dad's place. (Where my family does all the butchering) and it lasted about 2 seasons. The vacuum pump died in it. So we got another and it lasted a few years then died as well.
The last time we split a cabelas 14" stainless steel "commercial" model. It was just shy of $500.00 when we bought it. (Was split 7 ways so not bad priced for anyone of us.) It's been working great for many years. Processed countless pounds of meat with it. Has a replaceable heating element and I'd swear it does a better job then the smaller food saver models we had before. Only downside is we agreed it would stay at my mom and dad's place. So I bought, another food saver for my house and thats held up fine for occasional use. (Couldn't justify the cost of a commercial unit.)
One of the best things we recently bought was a good dehydrator. That and the vacuum sealer are worth their weight in gold.
Few things we've learned over the years, some shelf stable products need an oxygen absorber tossed in the bag, and other things could use a desiccant pack tossed in the bag. Somewhere my wife has a list of what you should toss in with specific products.
Buy good quality bags with the channels in them, they seal up better in my experience.
I prefer to get the material on a roll vs buying pre-made bags, it's cheaper and let's you make specific sizes to suit your needs
I haven't had great luck with the vac-u-seal jars. May just be me doing something wrong.

 

[Fordtech86]

Vacuum Sealer Recommendations?

I'm an ol' farm boy. We always have had enough in the freezers to survive a long while. Like many, we're storing more freezer stuff than we used to for longer periods. We're buying more 40-pound cases of chicken, have a quarter of beef in the freezer, always bought haddock in 10 pound boxes...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[fried1765]

I was thinking there was a thread on these things some place but I cant find it. Anyways with things going lke they are i was thinking about doing what I can, sooooo Im asking. I know there are a ton of them out there, but I kinda would like to keep the cost with in reason. Now you guys and gals that have one, manufacturer, pros and cons and cost,, Im waiting

We have had a "Food Saver" for years.
We use it weekly!
Often buy meats on sale, vacuum seal, and freeze.
Rolls of bag material can be bought on Amazon, or at Walmart etc.
You can buy a no frills machine for about $100.

 

[torch]

Yeah, there was a thread a couple of months ago.

I have a Foodsaver brand that holds the rolls internally and has a hand-held pump. I almost never use the rolls but the hand-held attachment gets used several times a day. We buy the zip-lock style vacuum bags and store things in those after the original sealed packaging is opened. Deli meats & cheese especially. Keep it in the original packaging to keep the inside of the vacuum bag clean, but the bags can be washed out an reused as necessary, making them quite economical. Even soft things like bread, but don't draw down a hard vacuum -- just enough to pull out the air without squishing the bread.

 

[RCW]

The thread Ford linked was mine. Like mcmxi, I also bought the Weston 3000 and really like it. It will take rolls up to 15” wide, but most of the time I use 11” rolls.

There are many Foodsaver models that are highly regarded for much less $$$. Many folks here on OTT have Foodsaver sealers.

 

[nbking]

We've had a food saver over 20 years. We buy in bulk, also have a couple marinate containers. We get our vacuum bags at Costco, big combo box. Most of the time there are no problems, but occasionally some food particles get where the sealing happens, and we would just have to reseal. No freezer burn, we do label and date, but easy to see what's inside once frozen.

 

[imnukensc]

Have had a few "Food Saver" brand sealers over many years, but the last fancy FS I bought was just a PITA. Bought this one a while back when the pandemic was in full swing at a much higher price than listed here. Extremely pleased with it and feel its much better quality and does a better job than the FS.

https://www.amazon.com/MagicVac-Machine-Maxima2-Commercial-Sealing/dp/B08X3SVWY6/ref=sr_1_15?crid=1ZFWCXDXVNL83&keywords=avid+armor+vacuum+sealer&qid=1658068619&s=home-garden&sprefix=avidarmor+vacuum+sealer%2Cgarden%2C66&sr=1-15

 

[RCW]

Used my Weston today with 15” rolls.

Did some ribs a a few pounds of shrimp.

For us, 15” capacity is nice.

At least 11” would be mandatory. We seal a lot of stuff right from the store this way. Stock up when on sale. Ribs were $1.79 a pound.

 

[mcmxi]

Used my Weston today with 15” rolls.

Did some ribs a a few pounds of shrimp.

View attachment 83704

For us, 15” capacity is nice.

At least 11” would be mandatory. We seal a lot of stuff right from the store this way. Stock up when on sale. Ribs were $1.79 a pound.

I haven't removed the white protective wrap from mine either!! I see that you have the 3500 model.

 

[Poohbear]

Whatever we have came from Walmart. It's packed away in a moving box somewhere in either my shop or Wife's shop.
We've had it for at least 5 years and until it got packed we used it pretty often especially if Brookshires had some meats on the buy one get one for a penny.

 

[KKBL]

Whatever machine you end up with, the rolls of bags are the big on-going cost to seal food.
I have been buying various widths of rolls from foodvacbags.com for several years now.
Quality is same as Food-Saver brand, but cost less. They often have sales and you may be able to find other promo codes to save additional money.

 

[leveraddict]

I just bought an Sboly F88 on ebay to replace my broken food saver. Its cheaper (under $50 shipped) quieter and works perfectly! The new food savers are ridiculous $$$$. It holds an 11" roll and I would put it up against a $500 model any day. You can spend big money on one if you want but the truth is when it breaks....its trash! For under $50 I wouldn't feel so bad if/when it breaks!

Looks like ebay sold out but Wallly world has them!

Robot or human?

 

[Bmyers]

My wife has one, but I don't know the model I will have to check if I remember when I'm home form work.

I know she will buy meat in bulk and then separate it out and seal it up. She uses her vacuum sealer a couple of times a month.

 

[Vince1230]

I have a Galaxy. Uses bags no rolls. Saves miney in ling run. I think a nickle a bag. Use lot. Nice thing about these models is that you can vacuum seal liquids like soup and chili. We bought to process wild game. Paid for itselk in one season.

Galaxy GVMC10 Chamber Vacuum Packing Machine with 10" Seal Bar and Dry Pump - 120V, 350W

Preserve the freshness of your most popular foods and increase their shelf life with this Galaxy GVMC10 chamber vacuum packing machine with 10" seal bar and maintenance-free dry pump! Utilize this unit to create an airtight seal around meats, cheeses, and vegetables, extending their freshness...

www.webstaurantstore.com

 

[leveraddict]

I dont think you can tell the difference in something vac sealed in a $50 machine as opposed to a $500 or more??? They all do the same but some have more bling than others.

My Sboly F88 holds 11" rolls, has a built in cutter, and will vac seal something with liquid in it! It also does jars, but you have to purchase the lids. I never used that anyway even when I had my other unit. Its quick and quiet. I especially like the price tag! If it ever breaks I could buy several and never reach a huge price tag! Time will tell!

 

[Dieseldonato]

I live in the country and I have to say that with the cost of nails and screws I can build a better quality fence than the store-bought junk. I needed a gate for my fence and when I went to the hardware store to find a gate it was $150.00. I found one on a website that was made from lumber and it was $100.00. I bought the lumber and built the gate. I used a router to cut the panels for the gate. I used a dado stack on my table saw to cut the rabbets to hold the panels and the rails. I had some leftover cedar and I made the black painted hinges. The hinges are on a sliding dovetail which is a great way to make a hinge without using a hinge machine. The gate works great and I think that it is better than the $150.00 gate that I looked at.

What does this uave to do with a vacuum sealer?

 

[mcmxi]

The new food savers are ridiculous $$$$. It holds an 11" roll and I would put it up against a $500 model any day. You can spend big money on one if you want but the truth is when it breaks....its trash!

I dont think you can tell the difference in something vac sealed in a $50 machine as opposed to a $500 or more??? They all do the same but some have more bling than others.

Up here it costs $500 or so to have an elk processed and about half that for a deer. The vacuum sealer I bought paid for itself and then some the first week I bought it. The last thing I want is to have 300lb of elk meat and 150lb of deer meat go bad because I used a cheap vacuum sealer.