Fed Up With FoodSaver Vacuum Sealers

[HotSun]

I couldn't resist posting this little test of the USVX. Ladies and gents, I give you a bag of water (reused a bag for testing):

Yeah, I'm a bit of an oddball. Anyhow, just a few bubbles. One of the main use-cases for me with the chamber sealer is soup and other things with high liquid content. It was just a little messy, so I'll have to practice, but I think this will work nicely.

I used it on some cheese I smoked this morning, which I'll post on SUWYC shortly.

[Donw]

One of my favorite things about owning a chamber is the ability to package soups and stews. I then lay them flat and freeze. It saves so much room in the freezer, all the stacked up like a deck of cards.

[acorgihouse]

Good recommendations, I'm putting on my list. I have used Food Savers since the 90s also, seems the first one lasted at least ten years. Second one maybe 4-5 years, third one a few years. The one I have now is ok, it's about a year old, but getting a bit wonky already. I have avoided a chamber sealer due to not having counter space left, and the weight sounds like would be a headache to store away and bring out often. I use my food saver ~weekly also. The water test, above, is a seller for me. I would like to freeze soups, gravies and sauces, in small batches that I could lie flat and stack. I looked at the current amazon price, over $500 right now, so will start watching for a sale price while I peruse the countertop and see what I could jettison. Hopefully, the current Food Saver will hang on for a bit longer. BTW, I also use for things like my hurricane "go bag", with insurance policies, identification, vet info and vaccines, to keep water tight. Bulk purchase dog treats and dog food, and I seal back shut chip bags and the like, rather than clip. The listing says has a 11.5" sealing bar, can I assume that means it will seal up to 11.5 inch long openings?

[rmeugene]

I have very limited counter space. I keep ours at the front of one our base cabinets in our kitchen. As you mention, it is on the heavier side when comparing to non-chamber sealers. But, at least for me, it is light enough to allow for lifting from the base cabinet. I insisted that it be accessible to promote use.

[HotSun]

acorgihouse , check out the Specifications for each model for the maximum width:

https://avidarmor.com/chamber-vacuum-sealers/

My USVX takes a max of 10" wide bags. You may want to consider an impulse sealer if you need to do very large bags, but without vacuum. I have two (a large and small) that we used for a commercial venture we used to have.

[fzxdoc]

acorgihouse , the chamber vacs do weigh more, but the Avid Armor Ultra USV32 is an acceptable 26.4lbs. Much lighter than the ones sold by, say, LEM that clock in at over 100lbs. That ~100lb weight is what kept me away from chamber sealers for so many years, until I found the Avid Armor brand which has the additional benefit of having a real USA geographical presence complete with a very responsive Customer Service department.

It's wonderful to be able to seal soups and sauces.

IMO, get the widest sealer bar available in your price range. You'd be surprised what a difference it makes, using a 10x13 max size bag vs. and 11x13 max size bag. Not so much for liquid volume as for room to fit steaks, etc. in the bag efficiently so they all lie nice and flat.

Avid Armor has a 10% off deal for Cyber Monday with free shipping through Amazon Prime. I bought the additional insurance for mine, because appliance insurance has served me well in the past for a more pricey Vacmaster suction vacuum sealer that died--I got a full refund including the shipping costs.

I have my Avid Armor Ultra USV32 chamber vac on a rolling cart which hides in a closet until I pull it out about once or twice a week.



Kathryn

[Dan Deter]

If I could easily hide it like that I might be able to sell SWMBO on that one. But, currently no convenient closets to hide a cart in...

[wrgilb]

Kathryn, do you just get the bags or have you bought the rolls and cut your own?

[fzxdoc]

wrgilb , mostly I use Avid Armor's pre-cut bags. Only when I'm doing a sous vide brisket or tri tip do I use the waffly-bag roll for suction sealers. I still have a huge roll of it left over from my suction sealer days, so I want to use it up. Plus I'm not aware that Avid Armor sells their chamber vac bag material by the roll.

I can use the Avid Armor Ultra V32 to seal large custom bags outside the chamber; I also have a small Avid Armor AVS 7900 suction vac sealer that works larger bags.

K.

[N227GB]

Yesterday afternoon my FM2000 FoodSaver started making more noise than normal while taking longer to seal. It had a five year warranty and I bought it almost exactly six years ago. I guess not bad for a small household appliance these days.

Reading through this thread, the AvidArmor AVS7900 seemed like a good choice for a replacement. But they're not in stock anywhere right now. I was going to call them when they opened this morning to find out when they expected them back in, but then I started looking at the sub $1,000 chamber sealers.

My new AvidArmor USVX chamber sealer will be here in about a week. A plus is that it will also work with all the FoodSaver style bags I have to use up by using the outside hack.

Speaking of FoodSaver bags, I've had good luck with the Wevac brand of bags, and they are much less expensive than FoodSaver.

https://www.amazon.com/Gamesaver-Weston-Commercial-Puncture-Prevention/dp/B07QXKJ43N/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1UQYV4SV1AO0F&keywords=wevac%2Bvacuum%2Bsealer%2Bbags%2B6x10&qid=1702063309&sprefix=wevac%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-3&th=1

[fzxdoc]

Enjoy that new Avid Armor USVX chamber sealer, N227GB . Let us know how you like using it.

Kathryn

[acorgihouse]

Has anyone here used the Anova Chamber Sealer? I have been taking a more serious look at a chamber sealer, given how many vac sealers I've loved and lost, and have been doing some kitchen cabinet roll out shelf rearrangement to make a better storage space for one. Into my email pops the Anova on sale. Not a bargain sale, and isn't all that much less than the Avid Armor Kathryn fzxdoc has (and for longer than most of you know, I've trusted Kathryn's judgement). Similar size, seal bar difference less than half an inch, weighs 18lbs so not giant difference there. And since, according to my email, every last thing on earth is currently on sale, I didn't jump all that high. I did, though, watch the advert video. A few questions: the Anova says you can do liquid infusion and pickling type squishing in a low height jar, inside the chamber. Not sealing it, like actual canning, but doing the infusion rapidly in the open jar. Can I do that in another chamber?
Also, can I seal just the ends of a bag, like if I wanted to cut custom size from a roll of the bag packaging? I would assume you can, so you can use the rolls, but can't see it happen on any of the promo videos. I have a decent stash of the rolls (you all know I shop primarily at Costco..) and like making bags the size I want.
Oh, BTW, in my research of these (research is my middle name) I found that you can use the bags for standard vac sealers in a chamber sealer, but you can't use the chamber seal bags in a vac sealer. Explanation being that the dedicated vac sealer bags have those mesh-y markings because they need to "direct the vac flow toward the open edge." Chamber seal bags do not require that directional assistance, therefore don't "need" the mesh marked map to the edge.
Next ?: I like chips, at times, but don't eat them often, and the ones I like come in large bags (like my current fav Old Florida Lime Sensation Gourmet Tortilla Chips). I routinely seal them back shut after taking a serving or so out, and I do it with my vac sealer by manually stopping the vacuum before the chips crush, and switching to seal. Can I do this with a chamber sealer?
Right now, my gut is telling me to get a chamber, not sure which, and keep a stick type vac sealer for edges and resealing commercial bags. Any thoughts or advice?

[N227GB]

I think a hard container like this would be perfect for fragile things like chips.

https://avidarmor.com/avid-armor-3-piece-food-vacuum-canister-set/

[surfdog]

I have the Anova. It works great. I can’t compare it to anything else because it’s the only one I’ve used. To be honest though, I mostly use it infusions. Things like pepper vodka and the like. My GF grows at least 8 varieties of peppers…so we have bunches! A Bloody Mary with fresh pepper vodka can be just the ticket. ;-)

I use these to infuse vodka/tequila/whatever. Bonus is that I can pop on the lid and have them ready for the weekend.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BC2L7JRV/ref=ppx_yo_d

[N227GB]

I like chips, at times, but don't eat them often, and the ones I like come in large bags (like my current fav Old Florida Lime Sensation Gourmet Tortilla Chips). I routinely seal them back shut after taking a serving or so out, and I do it with my vac sealer by manually stopping the vacuum before the chips crush, and switching to seal. Can I do this with a chamber sealer?

I make tortilla chips by cutting them up and toasting them in the oven. No oil so they are really crunchy. Here are a few done in my new Avid Armor USVX on the light setting. Not one break!

[acorgihouse]

Perfect. I never got any responses here, and over the past bit I've done a lot of video watching and comparing. I decided on the Avid Armor USVX also, I wanted the accessory port, but also a few other things I decided suited me better. It should be here Thursday, so will give some chips a try right off the bat!

[fzxdoc]

Congrats on entering the world of chamber sealers, acorgihouse . It didn't appear, from the responses to your post, that anyone here knew about the Anova sealer that you were considering.

Some of us here have been through the wars with FoodSaver and have tried other sealers as well, and finally settled on Avid Armor or other chamber sealers. Your route may not been as circuitous, but I think you'll be pleased with the Avid Armor chamber sealer you bought. It's a whole new world, chamber sealing, when one has been used to using vacuum sealers for so many years. I must admit I still get nervous when sealing liquids, but by golly, it works every time!

Let us know how you like your new USVX model. If there are videos on the Avid Armor site about your model, I highly recommend that you watch them, take notes, and watch them again after you've used your sealer for a little while. There's a wealth of information in them.

In addition, I've been pleased at the responses I have received when calling their Customer Service. I called them a couple of times when I was researching chamber sealers, and they were always quite helpful. It was quite a luxury to be able to speak directly with the vendor. My previous vacuum sealer, Vacmaster, had no contact information whatsoever. You probably won't need to contact Avid Armor Customer Service, but if you do, they're there.

Kathryn

[acorgihouse]

Thanks Kathryn, I got a text during the night from Fedex. Will be here Thursday.

[fzxdoc]

Yippee, Karen! acorgihouse

You're going to have a lot of fun breaking it in with all those Xmas goodies.

K.

[Jim White]

My silly little cheap Geryon is still hanging in there and is likely three years old at this point, so my dream of a chamber sealer is still on hold.

In the meantime, I finally upsized to a roll that is the full 11 inches wide that the sealer can handle. It even has a nice built-in cutter on the box. Here's the first use of it: a two pound tritip that didn't have to get cut up to go into the narrower bag material.

[jfmorris]

Hey - my Foodsaver is pushing 8-10 years old, and still going strong, knock on wood. I won't be replacing it until it actually dies. The only issue I have is that the hose to the accessory "sucking" nozzle won't retract fully into the unit anymore. Thinking I pulled it out too far and sprung the mechanism or something.

[58limited]

jfmorris I'm in the same boat you are: my GameSaver Wingman is over 10 years old and going strong so I don't feel that I should upgrade to a chamber sealer until it dies (but I've been reading this thread for advice). This thing has vacuum sealed well over 2000 lbs of stuff at this point so I can't complain. I wonder if the problems everyone is having is with newer FoodSavers - quality decline?

[fzxdoc]

Having a built-in bag cutter with the bags is such a wonderful convenience! Nice find, Jim.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

jfmorris , and 58limited , my advice if you have an older FoodSaver vacuum sealer that still works is to hang on to it for dear life! It could give you many more years of service, and in that time, chamber vacs will continue to improve.

Don't be dazzled by a chamber vac. Sure it is a wonderful piece of equipment, but you can accomplish everything that a chamber vac does with your FoodSaver. Sure you have to freeze soups and stews in containers then pop them out of the containers to vac seal them in frozen form, but that method works just fine. Sometimes I still do that with my chamber vac if I want to freeze a larger portion of soup than my chamber vac can safely handle.

FoodSaver used to make a wonderfully reliable product. You have one of those. They are pure gold.

Not so much any more. The newer FoodSavers die quickly in my experience at least (as noted in the OP) and are simply not worth the aggravation. So when your put your FS to rest, run, don't walk to purchase a chamber vac.

Just my two pennies' worth.

Kathryn

[SheilaAnn]

Hi, my name is SheilaAnn and my foodsaver 3941 has died.
Hi, SheilaAnn!

I just portioned out a bunch of sausage after sealing only the second bag, I heard a sharp click. Like a bic lighter cap! BF says is the thermal fuse and is furiously trying to fix it. I recalled this thread and here I am! This is my second FS. I put this last one through its paces for sure. I feel like it has served me well.

seems like the majority (those who have chosen to replace/upgrade) is leaning toward Avid Armor.

[Spinaker]

They are all junk (food saver) and this will keep happening. Hate to tell you......the only one I actually like and use is my Vac Master. They are heavy and really pricey, but they work and they don't not mess around. There is nothing better. Vac Master is another level. Certainly professional/commercial, but if you want to stop messing with all of the BS Vac Master is where you wanna be in the end. Just my .02.

[GolfGeezer]

I just hate it when “latch thingys” break! One more option: I have a 12” Pro model from Cabellas I purchased online about 3 years ago. Not a heavy user, but it is still going strong. I don’t have the counter space for a chamber vac sealer, so pleased that this clamshell type is going strong.

Edit- I just a quick search. Looks, like Cabela’s was made by Weston, but that is no longer the case.

[SheilaAnn]

Spinaker yes, pricey! We had a really big one at the butcher shop and had to bring it in for “oil changes” on a regular basis. I forgot the brand, though….

[fzxdoc]

SheilaAnn , I had a Vacmaster Pro 350 vacuum sealer and absolutely loved it. It was head and shoulders over the FoodSavers that I had used for years. They're not easy to find any more, but this is one has features that are almost identical to it, FWIW:

https://www.meatyourmaker.com/preserve/food-sealer/vacuum-sealers/16-external-vacuum-sealer/1159180.html

I'm an Avid Armor fan both for vac and chamber sealers, because the ones I have work well, and perhaps more importantly, the business is in the USA and there is a Customer Service line where an actual human answers. For most vacuum sealer vendors, that's not the case.

Avid Armor's A420 vacuum sealer comes close to the Vacmaster that I had, and the price is a little less. I paid $350 for my Vacmaster Pro 350. I bought the Vacmaster through Amazon and paid for the insurance, so when it broke long after the sale, I got the full refund including shipping. That's when I bought my Avid Armor chamber sealer.

Kathryn

[Skinsfan1311]

Hey - my Foodsaver is pushing 8-10 years old, and still going strong, knock on wood. I won't be replacing it until it actually dies. The only issue I have is that the hose to the accessory "sucking" nozzle won't retract fully into the unit anymore. Thinking I pulled it out too far and sprung the mechanism or something.

Same...except the accessory nozzle still retracts.

I think I just jinxed it!

[jtw]

Those of you with the chamber sealers - how would you seal something like a brisket or slab of ribs? It wouldn't fit in the chamber so is there a way to seal something externally?

[Donw]

If you have to there are ways. I cut the rack in two and seal them stacked. For brisket I separate point from flat and seal each separately. And it is possible to seal things with a chamber that won’t fit in the chamber itself. A trick I learned from an Avid Armor video. I use this trick for my homemade loaves of bread. Now if I want to seal something large and whole like a brisket I just use another style vac sealer with a wide sealing width.

[rmeugene]

You can seal outside the chamber. I have sealed full tenderloins hanging outside my USV32.