Just got my chamber vacuum sealer today! Wondering if anybody has a favorite place for purchasing bags.
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I don't have a chamber sealer...Yet! But the rolls and such I've bought from them are great, and they appear to have a wide stock of chamber bags.
vacuumsealersunlimited.com -
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Amazon would be my first crack at it. Congrats on the sealer. I don't have the counter space and my wife would be upset.Comment
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I have wanted one for several years. Have had a foodsaver for around 25-30 years. It took a bit of creative salesmanship on my part. I showed her the 40% off ad on vacmaster's site. Looks like a great deal, so she agreed. Didn't tell her it was actually only about a $50 savings over where I could buy it elsewhere.
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ComfortablyNumb - I also got a cart, and I'm glad I did. This is the one I got:
Has enough surface area for my VP215 and an ice cream machine, and hasn't come close to wanting to tip over. -
badf00d Looks nice! And a little storage underneath. I keep my bags on the shelf on mine. I don't regret mine, at least I can move it around as the unit is heavier than sin. Now I have to wheel it over to a plug everyday. No doubt at some point I'll find a place to keep it most times.
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I get them bulk, a 1000 case. My wife was hesitant, but now we seal everything. And the nice thing is you can reseal. So, for example, I put bacon in a 10x13 bag. When I need it, I cut the bag at the seal, take out what I need, and reseal the bag. I get four patties in a bag, and can take out one and reseal. We've sealed meat, cheese, vegetables, soup, garlic powder, and coffee.Comment
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Vacuum sealers unlimited
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Does this sealer work with mylar bags? I have a rather powerful sealer, a Weston 2300 pro, and it is not powerful enough to seal mylar bags. This Chamber model looks twice the size of the one I have. I am sure it has a stronger draw.Comment
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I'm not sure, but this is what vacmaster's website says: "Typically our chamber vacuum sealers can seal mylar bags up to 7-9 mil, however it also depends on the thickness of the mylar material because not all mylar bags are made equally. To confirm, it may be best to send us a sample and we can do a test for you to ensure it will work for your bags." -
Dr ROK Which model did you get? lostclusters If your mylar bags are 10" or less in width on the open end and 13" or less on depth I can try sealing them in my VP215. PM for address.
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Dr ROK - Congrats! Which chamber did you get? The size of the chamber and sealing bar makes a difference in which bags you'll be able to use.
I buy my bags directly from https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/bags-...ealer-pouches/ when they run sales or have a good deal on their Outlet page. I always buy them in quantities of 1000 at a time to keep the cost-per-bag to a minimum, and if I need/can buy a few sizes at once to save on shipping. I have used 3-mil, 4-mil and re-therm bags. And the zipper pouches are great for sealing batches of snacks or deli meat/cheese.
Your chamber should have come with some sample bags, which is a good way to figure out the sizes you will want to use without buying a bunch of bags you don't want.
This thread is worth re-reading - a lot of people chimed in with some good info:
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badf00d , thanks for the info. It is a VacMaster Model VP112S. Yes, it came with 4 different sized bags, so I will have a good idea what I will use most. I'm thinking 12x14 for my chili and pulled pork.
Thank you for the link, I'll give it some attention!
A few questions:
1) When you say Outlet page are you referring to their website?
2) Can you tell much difference between 3 and 4 mil bags?
3) How do you seal the zipper pouches? Is the bottom open and you load from bottom and seal?
4) What do you use your re-therm bags for?Comment
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The 112S is a great unit. I bought one for my mom and she uses it all the time. 12x14 bags will be pretty big, but are useful sometimes. I tend to use smaller bags, and more of them. Better portioning for reheating.- Yes, the Outlet page is closeout (bags) or refurb (sealers) items: https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/outlet/
- I can't tell much difference, and I buy what's on sale instead of worrying too much about it.
- The zipper end is already sealed at the factory. You're filling from and sealing the bottom, as you guessed.
- I only got re-therm bags because they were on sale, not because I had a specific need.
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Dr ROK On the Vacmaster link badf00d provided there is a drop down menu under 'Vacuum Sealers'. The last link in the menu is 'Outlet' and has refurbished and close out items. As for bag selection, give this a read. Now, for my two cents. Pick the largest bag your sealer can handle and get 1000 of those bags, it's the cheapest way to get them and you can use them for everything. If you really want a smaller bag just cut them in half and seal in a new bottom. Forget about the zipper bags, you can reseal a bag after opening. Why pay extra for a zipper that when you close it won't be vac sealed? Re-therms are for boiling.
Obviously badf00d types faster than I do.....Comment
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I agree that re-sealing can be a great way to keep costs down, and produce less waste. In my house, nobody else would re-seal every time they grab a slice of cheese or ham. I buy Costco trail mix and divide it into zipper bags. Then we can take one on the go, or even just grab a handful and re-zip. -
badf00d I use regular sandwich baggies for small amounts that are going to be used up in a short time. I buy sliced cheese in a large pack, seal most of it in a vac bag, put enough slices for the week in a sandwich bag. When I've used up the sandwich bag, I replenish from the sealed bag and reseal. I would only consider zip bags for marketing or, as in Dr ROK suggestion, gifting.
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Anybody know what full mesh bags are and what you'd use them for?Comment
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badf00d is correct, without the mesh a suction sealer wouldn't be able to pull the air out of the bag. The chamber evacuates the entire chamber, so no need for mesh. And because it evacuates the chamber and not the bag you can vac bag liquids and powders which would be sucked out with a suction sealer. -
badf00d and ComfortablyNumb So does full mesh mean textured on both sides or are those textured on one side also considered full mesh? -
I believe (been years since I've used a Foodsaver) that all meshed bags are only meshed on one side on the inside. It only matters if you are using a suction sealer, with a chamber you can use any bag, so go with the best value.
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@Confortablynumb , they do make suction sealer bags that are textured on both sides. There was a youtube video of a guy using them with the bag outside the chamber except for the end. He used a bag about three feet long and sealed three chunks of salmon in the suction sealer bag using his chamber vacuum. This link is to an example of two sided textured bags. http://www.kitchenwaresforcooking.co...reusable-bags/
Are you saying you can use textured "foodsaver type" suction sealer bags in a chamber sealer?Comment
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Yes, give this a read: https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/fresh...e-best-to-use/
I posted that video in another thread. I just re-watched it and he does use textured on both sides, but cautions on how expensive it is. Should you need to vac seal a metre long bag, then you know what to get and how to do it.
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Yes you can but they are way more expensive than non-textured bags. So unless you want to use up bags you have, there's no point in buying them.Originally posted by Dr ROK View Post
Like badf00d I waited for a sale from Vacmaster and bought bags. I bought three sizes: 12x14, 10x13 and 8x12 in 3 mil. By far I use more of the 8x12 than the other two sizes. I also got the three-ring bag stand, which is quite useful when packaging liquids.
Yes, you have to get 1000 at a time, but if you get several sizes and the stand you can get above their free shipping threshold. The good news is that because the bags are so cheap and you have a huge supply, from that point on you never have to worry about using a bag, or a bigger bag, like you do with the textured bags.
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