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**fzxdoc** · May 15, 2020, 05:41 AM

Dan Deter , in my experience the old FoodSaver vacuum units were amazing. I had one purchased in the late 90s that lasted for over 15 years of regular use. Then I flooded it with juice from corn cut off the cob and it died. After that, I began to go through the new crop of Food Saver machines at the rate of 2 or 3 a year. They'd work fine for a couple of months then die. FoodSaver replaced them under warranty but it became a real pain. After a couple of years of that I gave up and got the VacMaster Pro 350. So far so good with this new beast.

So hang on to that old generation Food Saver vacuum unit. It could last a few decades more.

Kathryn

**Jim White** · June 10, 2020, 07:09 PM

Being basically cheap at heart, I ordered the Geryon vacuum sealer. It arrived today, and I just froze half a pound or so of pork butt I smoked on Sunday. I got a good seal on the first try and I'll work to treat it with kid gloves to see if I can get several years out of it. I don't anticipate really heavy use, so there really was no way to justify the higher end units for my use.

And there's this $800 Breeo fire pit that I'm getting oh so close to ordering...

**journeymanjohn** · June 10, 2020, 10:46 PM

I'm likely late to this party, but I have been using a VacMaster (the big one, forget the actual number) for several years now, without issue. I was concerned about the websturaunt store reviews, but pulled the trigger anyway and am very happy.

I buy bags buy the roll. The big 15" bags (slightly smaller than the heat strip) are great for brining large cuts for a while, such as briskets and pork butts, or several ribs worth of a roast.

I use smaller bags for 1-3 lb portions after the cook. Haven't sous vide much, but when I was messing with it, the bags held up fine. I triple seal.... just because. No Issues, just kinda OCD I guess.

I'll bag up maybe 3 pork butts or brisket at a time. At three seals per end when making my own bags, that is a lot of sealing.

What I really like is that it doesn't matter much where I set the vac pressure at, when I see juices starting to run towards the seal strip, I hit the seal button and it gets sealed before the juices get there. If I'm sealing fully cooled or chilled meat, then I set it high, and don't worry about juice.

**Santamarina** · June 10, 2020, 11:37 PM

Definitely need a vacuum sealer. With prices of meat fluctuating so much - usually higher and higher - I want to be able to take advantage of big sales.

The VacMaster website lists zero external suction machines (which I believe would suit my uses much more than a chamber sealer). Are they all out of production? What else do y’all recommend?

**fzxdoc** · June 11, 2020, 05:56 AM

Santamarina If you google the VacMaster model that you are interested in, dozens of sites pop up. I ended up getting my VacMaster Pro 350 through Amazon where I found the cheapest price and an extended warranty option. I don't usually purchase extended warranties except for computers. But at the time I was so gunshy of dicey reviews for every single vacuum sealer that I was considering that I wanted the extra protection. Turns out that (so far) my VacMaster Pro 350 is working like a champ and I probably won't be using the warranty coverage. From reviews for most sealers, it seems like when a newly-purchased vacuum sealer fails, it does so early on.

Kathryn

**Ricardo** · June 28, 2020, 12:29 PM

Kathryn,
Thank you for starting this thread. I too have some initial good impressions with the FoodSaver brand; however, it’s time to upgrade. Just ordered a VacMaster 360, will be giving that a try.

We were kind of late to the vacuum at home thing, initially thinking it was just a marketing gimmick. One day, after repeated exposure to the Costco floor demo sales pitch, we brought one of those FoodSaver’s home and I must say that it did change our food management practices in a very positive way.

We are a family of 3. Before, we would ignore buying anything like chicken, beef or pork at Costco or Sam’s, because we had no reliable way to properly keep nor freeze items without ruining them. The FoodSaver system really impacted us in a positive way. Since then, we take it for granted and have become accustomed to buying in bulk, prepping different cuts, freezings portioned servings, seasoned-frozen raw and ready to drop in a sous vide bath, or for grilling, smoking or pan cooking later.

This thread has been one of the most relevant conversations I’ve been following for a while here and once again, thank you.

Ricardo

**Mark V** · January 7, 2021, 06:12 PM

I have been unhappy with my Foodsaver sealer for a while. I vacuum pack a lot of food. Mine overheated every time I used it. It pulls moisture out of anything. Seals then didn't stay, even with double seals. I tried saving my sourdough starter by drying it and sealing it, the seal doesn't stay. Powders don't work with it. Can't do stew or soup. Found a vacuum chamber sealer at Costco online, a LEM. At $600 it was $3-400 less than any other place that had it. I was looking at a Cabelas suction sealer that cost about $300. Most chamber sealers we would buy are $1000 as this one is at most places, so $400 off at $600 was a price point I couldn't pass up. I pulled the trigger, got it a couple days ago and have sealed about 30 bags with it. Perfect! It weighs 100 pounds, I like that too, but not moving it often. It is pretty cool watching it work. Could be a great conversation piece. It uses different bags than a Foodsaver type, cheaper. I have a couple thousand bags on the way, less than a nickel a piece. . It double seals automatically.

The disclaimer is that I could make my Foodsaver work for about anything, but once I saw how chamber sealers work I didn't only want one, I needed it, MCS sort of thing! This is one place I figure people would understand what I am talking about saying that. I am really happy with it so far.

**Mark V** · July 16, 2021, 07:49 AM

Razor I bought from this place. I bought 3 sizes, mixed in 3 and 4 mil thicknesses, and 1000 ct. I have not had a problem with the 3 mil thickness. Note that this vacuum sealer will only seal bags with 10" or less openings. You should measure your sealer bar to make sure that is correct! Also note that these bags will only work with chamber sealers, you need the other type to work with the suction sealers. Suction sealer bags will work in chamber vac machines, though.

Chamber Vacuum Sealer Pouches | VacMaster

https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/bags-rolls/chamber-vacuum-sealer-pouches/

Shop now the industry leading chamber vacuum sealer pouches. In stock over 70+ sizes and 3-Mil, 4-Mil, Re-Therm and Zipper. Low Prices. Fast Shipping. Shop Now.

**Santamarina** · July 16, 2021, 11:58 PM

Finally bought a vacuum sealer a couple months ago. Bought the basic one from MeatYourMaker.com and I love it. It’s already paid for itself!

**Razor** · July 18, 2021, 06:57 AM

FYI for anyone out there unhappy with their FoodSaver, Costco did an admirable job of taking mine back. I was upfront an honest with the person at the counter. While I had mine for a long time, definitely outside of any other store’s return window, I didn’t use it that much relatively speaking. Probably didn’t hurt that I just ordered a new VacMaster from them so my story checked out.

**Dr. Pepper** · July 18, 2021, 09:52 AM

I have been using FoodSaver for years. The ones Costco sold kept increasing gimmicks, from standing upright, to auto detecting the bag, with cutters, to marinade trays, etc. When I decided to attempt dry aging with the Umai Dry bags, it became apparent that the auto detector Food Savers - where you 'simply' slide the end of the bag into the slot - wouldn't work with the floppy Umai Bags and their air channel inserts. So, I changed to the simpler FoodSaver which opens like a clam shell, manual controls. Costco also carried this, the V2244. It's been working great, and I use it a lot, including resealing large (yes, Costco size) potato chip and popcorn and tortilla bags.

**fzxdoc** · August 17, 2021, 11:39 AM

Well, after over 2 years of dedicated service, the VacmasterPro 350 fell in the line of duty when I hit it with a bit of beer from a sausage-in-beer sous vide experiment. It was, I swear to gosh, the teensiest amount of beer that got into the tray. I wiped it out, tested it, and it worked fine for several sealings the rest of that afternoon, and for a few weeks thereafter. But one day I went to use it, and it was DOA from the pantry to my kitchen counter. RIP, Vacmaster. So, lacking forensics, I'm not sure what actually killed it.

Boy did I feel stoopid, though.

What made me feel better was that I had purchased the Vacmaster Pro 350 from Amazon and paid $40 additional bucks for their 4 year warranty, offered through Asurion. I contacted Asurion, and they immediately sent me a free-shipping label to send it off to them. Within a week, they also pronounced it DOA and refunded every bit of the money that I originally purchased it for. No proration. I was pretty impressed.

Since I use my vac sealer at least twice a week, I quickly went to the Avid Armor site and ordered the itty bitty Avid Armor AVS7900 vacuum sealer for $50. I figured I could use it while I pondered my dilemma and then when something better came along, I'd pass it on to one of the girls.

I decided I wanted a chamber vacuum sealer but didn't want

1. One that weighed in the neighborhood of 100lbs and required either a gym membership (not going to happen) or a rolling cart to move around. I hate letting appliances be the boss of me, or, more importantly, the boss of my pantry or countertop space.

2. One that cost more than $600.

3. One that came from a vendor who did not have a real-deal footprint in the USofA.

Avid Armor to the rescue. I bought the Avid Armor Ultra Series USV32. $579. Twenty-seven pounds. Max bag size 10x13. 27.5 mmHg. Adjustable sealing times and pressures. Comes with a replacement gasket and seal bar. Company based in Kansas.

I've been using it pretty heavily for the past couple of weeks and really love it. Here are 6 one-pound bags of smoked pulled beef chuck clustering around the beast. Mr. Fancypants, my WSCGC, is supervising the proceedings through the kitchen window.

Now I know that, at 4 cents a bag vs. upwards 40 cents a bag from vacuum sealer rolls, it will take a while to recoup the difference, but at least I won't have blood (uh, beer?) on my hands if this one dies. It loooves liquids.

Oh, and I chose to purchase it from Amazon because I could purchase the Asurion 4 year warranty along with. It is based on cost, so this one was $80 additional. Plus Avid Armor gives a 2 year warranty--one year at purchase and one year for a review of any sort, not necessarily positive. I had such a positive experience with Asurion refunding me the entire purchase price for my Vacmaster, that I didn't even hesitate to get the extended warranty.

I may keep the itty bitty Avid Armor vacuum sealer for sealing up stuff like briskets that are too large for the chamber vac. That said, there is a hack to use the chamber vacuum unit with the filled large bag hanging outside of the unit and the bag's opening stuck into the vacuum chamber area. I saw that in one Amazon review, but haven't tested it yet. Maybe I won't tempt fate.

So my sealing saga continues. Bye, bye Foodsaver (no problem there). Bye bye, Vacmaster (Sorry I killed you. Maybe I just scared you into dying.). Hello, Avid Armor. I hope we're friends for life. My life, not yours.

Kathryn

**Murdy** · August 17, 2021, 01:00 PM

NutriChef PKVS70STS Chamber Food Electric Vacuum

These are on sale at Target: https://www.target.com/p/nutrichef-p...20#lnk=sametab

Considering it. Does anyone have any experience with them?

**fzxdoc** · August 17, 2021, 01:00 PM

JoeSousa commented
Today, 02:41 PM

My wife and I are looking at buying a commercial chamber sealer for her business. We currently have the VacMaster Pro 380 but are wanting to upgrade to a chamber unit. Most of the true large commercial units are $2000+ which is a bit of a step up in cost. Do you think this one would hold up to a lot of use? Probably 50-80 bags sealed at a time 2-3 days a week.

JoeSousa , I can't answer that question, since I've only had the Avid Armor unit for just over a month. The full cycle is a longish one, about 50-55 seconds, much longer than the big beasts out there in the $1000 to $2000 range. I looked at them closely.

I looked really closely at the LEM MaxVac Pro unit for $600 that some here mentioned previously. They got theirs at Costco, but it was also available on the LEM site for the same price when I was interested.

However, it's heavy and big, and I didn't want that. You may want to look at theirs, though. I see they're back up to over $1000 now on the website. Even their refurbished ones are $770 now. But when I was in the market, they were available, with limited stock, for $600.

Costco still has them on their website for $600. The LEM comes with a 5 year warranty, larger motor, different (as in more robust) pump design, takes larger bags (10"x15" vs 10"x13" on the Avid Armor), so it might be better suited to your more commercial needs. 15"x20" footprint, 100 lbs. LEM appears to be a responsive, reliable, perhaps US-based dealer.

Kathryn

**DavidNorcross** · August 17, 2021, 01:05 PM

I have an Avid Armor as well (not the chamber vac). Highly impressed with this company and their level of service. Have had zero issues with the unit but I feel confident in them should something happen. This is still the best overall thread on this forum in my opinion.

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