Lets talk vacuum sealing

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Double R

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What is your preferred vacuum sealer?
I've burned threw MANY Foodsavers over the years.
After so much frustrations with buying new machines so often I did bunch of research and saved up my credit card points for a VacMaster VP 215.
Best sealer I have ever worked with! I have been putting it threw quite a bit of tests and its been absolutely amazing.
I no longer have to freeze things before sealing.
Wet, dry, hard, soft doesn't matter! I don't know how I went so long without one.
I no longer have to worry about the speed I seal either.
Its a game changer for me!
So what do you have and whats your experiences with it?
 
We have had a couple different ones.
Food Saver and Seal a Meal.
The Seal a Meal lasted less than a year.
Costco refunded our money and we bought the Food Saver.
It works OK but it's a pain sometimes to get it to seal.
Had to replace the seals once.
Overall it's OK but I would like something better but there is no way I will buy a really expensive unit like yours.
We just don't use it enough to justify.
 
backlash said:
We have had a couple different ones.
Food Saver and Seal a Meal.
The Seal a Meal lasted less than a year.
Costco refunded our money and we bought the Food Saver.
It works OK but it's a pain sometimes to get it to seal.
Had to replace the seals once.
Overall it's OK but I would like something better but there is no way I will buy a really expensive unit like yours.
We just don't use it enough to justify.
Click to expand...

I didn't even know that Seal A Meal was still in business!
Costco is very good about standing by their products.
Yes it takes a lot to justify a machine like mine. Thats for sure.
I do feel the timing was right for us.
We seal a lot anymore. I probably use it at least once a week at the least.
I really like being able to make food in bulk and throw it in meal size packages in the freezer. I LOVE not having to freeze it first anymore.
 
Double R said:
That's one of the things I've been blown away by my new machine. The bags are so cheap and hold up so much better over time.
I have already paid for the machine probably twice over now.
Do you seal a lot @Meerkat?
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Quite often at times. We ordered flour and corn meal in 5lb. bags. 25lb.s of each. Sealing 50lb.s worth of those would be hard on any machine but so far it has sealed them just fine. And some freezer food we seal too.

Most important is let it cool down before continuing, don't let it get hot. Let it cool and it works fine.
 
I have my Food Saver about 4 1/2 years now and use it regularly with no issues. I make homemade MRE's with it, otherwise it seals up lots of meats, nuts, veggies, etc.
 
Meerkat said:
Quite often at times. We ordered flour and corn meal in 5lb. bags. 25lb.s of each. Sealing 50lb.s worth of those would be hard on any machine but so far it has sealed them just fine. And some freezer food we seal too.
Most important is let it cool down before continuing, don't let it get hot. Let it cool and it works fine.
Click to expand...

I just sealed an entire 50# bag (ok it might have been 48 #'s because I made a few bottles out of it) of calf milk. The calf didn't survive and I didn't want to waste a new bag of milk at almost $100 a bag.
I figured i'd give it a shot. It is amazing! I measured out packages of different amounts so in a hurry I can grab a 1/4 bottle amount up to a full bottle. I have them in the freezer now.
Tried that with my food saver years ago and the powder killed it when it got into bad locations.
They must have improved their design! Thats awesome!
 
Double R said:
I just sealed an entire 50# bag (ok it might have been 48 #'s because I made a few bottles out of it) of calf milk. The calf didn't survive and I didn't want to waste a new bag of milk at almost $100 a bag.
I figured i'd give it a shot. It is amazing! I measured out packages of different amounts so in a hurry I can grab a 1/4 bottle amount up to a full bottle. I have them in the freezer now.
Tried that with my food saver years ago and the powder killed it when it got into bad locations.
They must have improved their design! Thats awesome!
Click to expand...

Mine is about 7 or 8 y.o. Like cars on assembly lines according to day it went thru. I know nobody wanted a car going off the line on a Thursday, payday.
 
Almost bought one once then i saw the price if the bags. So no vac seal for me. I get a good number of customers who ask for it. I tell them all the same thing, plastic wrap and freezer paper will get you 2 years and you should eat most of you frozen meat by 1 year so technically you have an extra year for free.
 
I've got a Food Saver that's about ten years old. The only time I pre freeze anything is if I either don't want it squished or I want to keep multiple items separate. I sealed up some chili last night and froze it.
 
Redbeard said:
Almost bought one once then i saw the price if the bags. So no vac seal for me. I get a good number of customers who ask for it. I tell them all the same thing, plastic wrap and freezer paper will get you 2 years and you should eat most of you frozen meat by 1 year so technically you have an extra year for free.
Click to expand...
The only meat we vacuum seal is for our pets. When we have our animals butchered (not good enough to home process our own yet) we have it paper wrapped.
 
Double R said:
The only meat we vacuum seal is for our pets. When we have our animals butchered (not good enough to home process our own yet) we have it paper wrapped.
Click to expand...
It's unbelievable how many people think they are better off spending the extra money on vac sealing meat. Most people think that paper doesn't work because the butchers are being cheap d-bags and not using enough plastic wrap first. I would like a vac sealer for the other things you guys have mentioned though. The bag cost just has to come down first...
 
I'm not home now, but I think mine is a Seal-A-Meal and it is old. I don't really use it much except when steaks are on sale and I want to freeze them, and not have them get freezer burn. The bags are expensive, but I don't use many of them.

At one time I tried to seal a bunch of garbanzo's, lentils, blue corn, and I don't remember what else. I used mylar bags that I got at the LDS warehouse. The Seal-a-Meal worked great to seal the mylar bags. The bags got little holes in them from the beans etc. inside and ultimately were not vacuum sealed. I have also read about Orange Jeep Dad's family getting rodents in their mylar, so I just thought the better thing to do was to use 5 gallon buckets and canning jars.
 
TMT Tactical said:
Now the magic question from the Lizard man who knows nothing about VAC Sealing machines. Can the bags of different companies be used on different machines. I.E. : Food Saver machine and Vac Master bags?
Click to expand...
Some can and some can't. I used all companies rolls in my Foodsaver.
The bags are so much cheaper and better quality for my new machine that I haven't tried any other brands.
 
Redbeard said:
First off, it's easy. Second, im working on a tutorial now for the site.
Click to expand...
That would be fantastic!
I will break down any animal for my pets but I won't for us. Chickens are all I will do for our own consumption. I will dispatch and 1/4 my own for the processor but thats as far as I go on anything else. It's a plan for the future though. Raise and process everything here on site.
 
Redbeard said:
It's unbelievable how many people think they are better off spending the extra money on vac sealing meat. Most people think that paper doesn't work because the butchers are being cheap d-bags and not using enough plastic wrap first. I would like a vac sealer for the other things you guys have mentioned though. The bag cost just has to come down first...
Click to expand...

Red , Think glass quart or pint jars and lids,

Vacuum seals them babies really good. Regular adapter is $8.98 at Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CFFS6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

41aAK7rCPsL._SX425_.jpg


Jim
 
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TMT Tactical said:
Now the magic question from the Lizard man who knows nothing about VAC Sealing machines. Can the bags of different companies be used on different machines. I.E. : Food Saver machine and Vac Master bags?
Click to expand...
Check Amazon, they have a ton of vac bags. Most tell you what machines they work in. I only knew about them because someone on the coffee forum said it was a good resource to save money on the bags.
 
robin416 said:
Check Amazon, they have a ton of vac bags. Most tell you what machines they work in. I only knew about them because someone on the coffee forum said it was a good resource to save money on the bags.
Click to expand...
I was buying my bags on amazon. The manufacturer found out I was saying good things about them online in a raw feeding group and offered me free bags. I went to their website and holy cow! I was paying more for 500 bags on amazon than 1000 bags threw their website! Live and learn I guess. Its not always more expensive from the company.
 
Double R said:
I was buying my bags on amazon. The manufacturer found out I was saying good things about them online in a raw feeding group and offered me free bags. I went to their website and holy cow! I was paying more for 500 bags on amazon than 1000 bags threw their website! Live and learn I guess. Its not always more expensive from the company.
Click to expand...
Caught them doing that on Amazon more than once myself.
 
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