Food vacuum sealer recommendations?

[awp_101]

Somehow we got on this topic at home a couple of weeks ago and this morning my beaming bride said we should look into it more seriously. Initially we'd be sealing and freezing leftovers (I have a hard time making meals for 2) and fresh vegetables like squash and okra.

For now let's say the budget is $100. What are some of the good models to look at and what features are desirable/undesirable?

Thanks!

[Crazy Dane]

I used a Food Saver brand for years until the sealing strip went out. Now I have this https://www.lemproducts.com/product/maxvac-250-vacuum-sealer/maxvac-vacuum-sealers. When it comes down to it I could have easily used this instead https://www.lemproducts.com/product/maxvac-100-vacuum-sealer/maxvac-vacuum-sealers

I use mine quite often. Buy in bulk, separate and freeze. I also use it putting up deer and fish, the original reasons I got one. The LEM brand bags are thicker than the Food Saver but either work. Bags can be found in the kitchen section at Wal-Mart, Food Saver Brand and my local Sportsmans Warehouse has the LEMs they also have another brand that I have not tried yet.

The first one I bought came with the kit to seal jars and canisters but I never used that feature.

Once you start using it, you will find other useful purposes, I keep a spare set of clothes in the boat along with fire making essentials. I have vacuumed spare socks for long hikes when the weather is less than perfect

[farscott]

Right now, under $100 is tough as the demand is high and prices have increased to meet it. We use a FoodSaver FM3941-026, which is over $160 now. When we last bought it, it was around $100.

Important features are the heat seal of the bags and the quality of the vacuum. The rest is just fluff. The only other concern is the width of the bag that the unit can use; make sure the unit is wide enough to handle the bags or rolls of material of your choice.

What kills these is liquid from the food getting into the pump that pulls the vacuum. And liquid will get into the pump unless you only seal dry food. Once that happens, the unit never again pulls a proper vacuum, and you have an expensive bag sealing machine. The machines are essentially disposable unless one spends several thousand on a commercial-grade unit. So we just buy a new one each year for about $100 when on sale. When one dies, we toss it and grab the next one.

[awp_101]

Thanks, that's good to know about liquids. I saw one review that described a couple of ways to get around liquid getting in so I'll have to keep that in mind.

FES313, any trouble getting it latched closed? I've seen a couple of reviews that describe the latching as either difficult or just plain fiddly.

[UNK]

I use a seal a meal 157857. This model was recommended by a guy who goes fishing every year in florida and freezes a bunch of fish. From what Ive read there is no real difference between these and the higher priced models.
I freeze chili, smoked meats, raw meats caught on sale. I havent had any problems with it but Im not a heavy user.
I think the new bags are better quality than the old ones.
When i freeze i tend to cut the bags so they can lay flat and are kinda thin. This makes thawing quicker and you can stack them in the freezer. I also weigh them when doing smoked meats or measure by cup when doing chili so each bag is equal in quantity. So one bowl or three sandwiches.
I usually thaw in hot water if Im in a hurry.

[Crazy Dane]

Thanks, that's good to know about liquids. I saw one review that described a couple of ways to get around liquid getting in so I'll have to keep that in mind.

@FES313 (https://pistol-forum.com/member.php?u=12293), any trouble getting it latched closed? I've seen a couple of reviews that describe the latching as either difficult or just plain fiddly.


No problems but I dont use it a lot. I put the bag in and use body weight to hold the lid down and when there is enough vacuum I can let go and the machine will finish its cycle. Its faster this way.

[NEPAKevin]

Couple years ago, there was another thread on Vacuum Sealers (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?26856-Vacuum-Sealer-Reccomendations&highlight=VACUUM+SEALER) that had some good info. The one thing I took away from it was to get the bulk bags. We just used up the last of the box of quart bags I picked up after reading that thread. I went looking to reorder and found that I had to get double the quantity to get near the price of what they were the last time and Amazon pushed back the delivery date even though they were supposedly in stock.

https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-03-2014/vNTXMO.gif

[awp_101]

Thanks, somehow my search of "vacuum" didn't find that thread.:confused: