VacMaster VP210 Chamber Vacuum Sealer review and price compare 2025
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Product overview
| Brand | Vacmaster |
| Material | Plastic |
| Color | Metallic |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 24 x 19 x 19 inches |
| Item Weight | 83 Pounds |
product features
- by entering your model number.
- Dry maintenance-free machine pump.
- Keeps food fresh up to five times longer.
- A double seal on each bag ensures a complete and lasting seal.
- Customizable vacuum and seal methods offer a variety of packaging options.
- The VP210 can vacuum package liquids and liquid-rich foods like fresh meats, soups, marinades, and stews.
This fits your .
product description
The VacMaster VP 210 Chamber Machine provides a solution to the problem posed by vacuum packaging machines currently on the market: how to vacuum package liquids and liquid-rich foods. Current machines on the market are suction machines, meaning air is vacuumed out of the vacuum bag, then the bag is sealed. However, along with the air, liquids are also vacuumed out of the bag, leading to partial or failed seals. The VP210 Chamber Machine uses different technology to eliminate this problem. When sealing with our chamber machine, the vacuum bag to be sealed is placed inside the chamber of the machine, and the lid is closed. Then air is sucked out of the entire chamber, not just the bag, allowing the air pressure on the inside and outside of the bag to remain equal and liquids to stay in the bag. The bag is then sealed, and the air let back into the chamber. In addition, the chamber machine can reach a higher level of vacuum. Most suction machines obtain a 24-26 hg level of vacuum, while chamber machines are able to obtain a 27-29 hg level of vacuum.
product details
important information
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Questions about VacMaster VP210 Chamber Vacuum Sealer
Q:
Assuming i am using the largest fitting bag, how many fluid ounces of any liquid would fit into the bag and be able to be safely sealed.
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: I would not fill with liquids as in the vacuum process they tend to leak out if you put to much in. The unit does a great job on fruits, meats, and vegetables from the garden. I love the unit. Last years green beans look they did when I sealed them, the peaches also. Meats do not show any sign of freezer burn. However, I tried it on a hoagie roll and it looked like a cigar after all the air was remover. It did expand back to about 90% of its original size as we opened it and did not freeze it. Man did my wife and I laugh, One second there was the roll the next It looked like a cigar.
Q:
Does this item meet HACCP standards for sous vide?
Answer: Hi Jon,
Answer: No
Q:
Is this unit 110V or 220V?
Answer: 110v
Answer: 110v
Answer: The one I purchased is 110V
Answer: It's 110v standard three prong household socket
Answer: 110 v
Answer: 110
Q:
Has anyone come into any issues sealing powders? like flour, wheatgrass powder, cocoa powder
Answer: Haven't used it a lot for powders, but generally there's no problem with them. Some materials will "mat" and need to be broken up afterwards. And you have to be careful to keep the bag clean where it's going to seal (dust between the plastic where it seals will result in a poor or failed seal. But in general, a powder is really no difference than any other material.
Answer: Powder? Wheatgrass? You're asking about cocaine. Don't do it, it's bad for you. Don't sell it, it's bad for others.
Q:
Can this machine seal bags used for retort canning (heat and pressure resistant bags)?
Answer: The manufacter does not rate this machine for sealing retort canning bags and will discourage you from trying them. Some people report that they work anyway.
Answer: I don't know what that means. The bags can go into boiliing water but I'm not sure that answers your question. I would call VacMaster directly and ask them. I did that before I bought mine and they answered all my questions.
Q:
Does this only seal foods with liquids or does it seal dry foods too? Does it also have a sealing bar or just the chamber?
Answer: It can seal wet and dry very well. The sealing bar is inside of the chamber, once a seal is created the seal bar is clamped down against a silicone stopper. The seal bar can be easily removed for cleanup or maintenance.
Answer: This works just fine with dry foods. The sealing bar is inside the chamber. I have a different model which only works well as a vacuum sealer. It won't seal a bag without first drawing the vacuum since the vacuum is what causes the sealing bar to be pulled tightly against it's backing material.
Answer: It will seal wet or dry foods. The sealing bar is inside the chamber.
Answer: How long will foods last
Q:
Will the VP210 hold a 6 lb chicken?
Answer: I've sealed up whole chickens no problem, I just don't know how much each one weighed. I think I used a 10" x 15" bag and sealed 24 of them individually. If the chicken is one of those huge ones that Sams sells, I'm not sure if it could do that. Its a great machine and I use it everyday. Its paid for itself easily by preventing spoilage and being able to buy in bulk, seal and freeze. Great machine with great support from VacMaster
Answer: I presume you mean whole. I've done whole chickens but not sure how much they weighed, but I suspect it would fit. You could measure the height, which would be the limiting dimension and then look at the specs of the chamber. Definitely if you cut it up or butterflied it it would fit. I've done frying chickens without a problem. It is a great machine in general and the support from VacMaster is excellent. They are a good source for bags too; cheaper than other sources I've found.
Q:
can you freeze dry with this unit? I want to make feeze dried fruit as it is too expensive to buy.
Answer: No. This is not a freeze dryer. That would be a Harvest Right machine, and far more expensive than these. These are vacuum sealers, what you would use put your freeze dried fruit into bags after you have processed it.
Q:
What's the largest cut of meat you can fit in the unit?
Q:
Just got mine. Love it, but can anybody tell me what the double sided tape it for?
Answer: The double side tape is for maintenance. If your seal bar across the top of your lid gets loose you use it to replace the old tape. You can see it between the lid and the seal bar. I have had mine for over a year and have never had to replace it. Just hold on to it incase you need it! Merry Christmas ????
Answer: Aren't these things awesome!!? I never did figure out the double sided tape either
Answer: Its replacement heat strip
Q:
I plan on vacu sealing about 12 salmon filets a month. My question is what model would be the best for this usage?
Answer: If you are sealing whole sides of salmon at that quantity, I would recommend a FoodSaver. You can make the bags as long or as short as you like. I have had the same FoodSaver for about 10 years and have not had a problem with it ever. This machine is for higher volumes and everyday usage.
Answer: I have the VacMaster VP210 and it is fine for freezing salmon filets. However if that is all you do you may not need such a versatile machine. I have used mine to freeze various meats, fish (including salmon), stews, and to marinate items for sous vide cooking. It does a great job for all these, is pretty flexible as to the strength of the vacuum pulled. It does take up a fair amount of counter space. It's heavy so it's not something you want to move around once you decide where to put it,
Answer: To give the correct answer Ill need to ask you a question. ____ Are portionet the fellets or whole?
Answer: Vp210 is a good one, probably overkill for what ur doing but u will love it, I love mine
Answer: Buy this one
Q:
Anyone seeing the bag move from under the sealing bar when using the Vp 210?
Answer: It has only happened to me once, I was packing chili and overfilled one of the bags. I've used a box of 500 bags, and that's the only time it happened.
Answer: Yes and if the bag is inflating you have the same problem I did. The seal bar has come off its post in shipping this bar should lay flat not at a 45 degree angle:)
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yes
Q:
Will it fit a 1/2 gallon mason jar on its side? the reason i ask, is i have a vacmaster vp112 and do dry goods all the time with 1/2 gallon jars.
Answer: It should, it is deeper than the VP112
Answer: Can't answer this
Q:
how many kgs can I seal using this machine?
Answer: The maximum bag size is 10 x 13 inches allowing for space at the top, so it goes more by volume than weight.
Answer: It's more dependent on volume than weight.
Q:
Can it be used for fresh juice in a glass?
Answer: We have vacuum sealed water with it! I think the possibilities are endless
Q:
Whaty does the food taste like afterwards? Also, especially interested in fruits, such as fig, peaches, apples, etc. On weight watchers points
Answer: Food tastes great after use. The problem
Answer: I use mine mostly for sous vide cooking and it works great for that. I have frozen meats and fish and they also do well. The only fruit/vegetable I've frozen were whole tomatoes from the summer. When I used them for tomato sauce in the winter their flavor was fresh and really not different from if I had used them fresh for a sauce. Of course once frozen the texture would not be good for eating raw.
Q:
Can I use any bags with this vaccum machine?
Answer: No, you need to use the bags designed for this machine
Answer: As long as they are for vac chambers, any brand will work. NOTE: bags with the mesh channels like for Food Savers will not work.
Answer: YES
Q:
How much did you pay for your machine? I
Q:
Buen día, quiero saber si tiene experiencia o información sobre envasar al vacío sushi. Gracias.
Q:
I have a million sous vide bags already- does this machine only work with vacmaster bags?
Answer: If the bags you have fit the dimensions of the sealing bar and chamber they should work. You may have to play around with the settings for the time of heating and cooling of the sealing bar, but other than that it should work. I had a few bags left from some other system and they worked fine
Answer: I have had excellent results using several different brand bags as this machine allows you to easily adjust suction and sealing times so I would not be afraid to experiment.
Answer: Vac master will work with food saver bags and similar bags as well
Answer: No, they should work
Q:
Would this work for tray sealing? Has anyone tried storing food contents in a tray then vacuum sealing with this vacmaster?
Answer: it depends on what you want to seal. I have vacuum sealed eggs in neoprene cups raw. it worked good under light vacuum. I have seen frozen ravioli on a tray break up some. Not good
Q:
Can this handle up to 70 lbs of food?
Answer: With this machine, I've processed hundreds of pounds of meat nonstop. Have worked this machine hard with no performance issues and it's still going strong after a few years.
Answer: not at one load.
Q:
Is the plastic used for these bpa free? wondering if any plastic can leach into the food?
Answer: YES: From VacMaster - All of our bags, rolls, and pouches are free of BPA, Phthalates, and other plasticizers. They are also compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. They even have a letter of guarantee: https://vacmaster.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/206949567-VacMaster-Bag-and-Pouch-Letter-of-Guarantee
Answer: The bags that VacMaster makes are food grade but you can call VacMaster and find out what exactly is in the bags.
Answer: They are. Even if not, the temps you'd be cooking at for sous vide are too low to have any effect on the bags.
Answer: The machines are made to FDA and USDA guidelines.
Answer: don't know but if you contact Vacmaster directly, I'm sure they can answer your question, their tech support is great
Q:
What are the inside dimensions of the chamber?
Q:
Can someone measure the length of this? Amazon says 24 inch, VacMaster says 20 inch, another Q&A says 19inch, my counters are 19.5 inch
Answer: The key is the cord. My 210 measured 19 inches but the cord exits the rear of the unit and requires space so 20 is more likely. The footings are less than 19 inches so you should be fine.
Answer: It is 19 long x 13 wide
Answer: I will sell you mine that I only used for 2 years. Half price
Q:
What happens if i vacuum for too long? will it damage the machine? i'm afraid i may put too many seconds on the timer... or not enough.
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: it maxes out at 99 seconds so you cant vacuum too long. Doing too little is no big deal either, just try again until you like the seal you get after trying different times
Answer: This doesn't answer your question exactly, but...
Q:
do the white plastic boards pictured inside the chamber come with the machine?
Answer: Yes, they do. They act as ballast.
Q:
Any idea why it suddenly stopped removing all of the air?
Answer: Check the air setting time and the vacuum sealing time on the front of the unit. Also they have an OUTSTANDING team at VacMaster who know the machine inside and out and will have you stand in front of the unit and walk you through any issues that you are having. I had to call them once for a question and I have never been more pleased with customer service I received. Hope that helps.
Answer: My guess is that the gasket attached to the lid is either fouled or it has failed.
Q:
My vp215 draws a vacuum just fine, but it won't seal the bag. how can i best diagnose what is causing the sealing not to work?
Answer: Maybe check the sealer setting in the menu (red “set” button). If the sealing time is too low it won’t be getting hot enough for long enough to seal the bag. Should be between 1.2 and 2.0 seconds depending on the thickness of the bags you’re sealing.
Q:
I want to use it for seal skewers my skewers are 11.5inch with extra I need 13inch at least in length . Is that fit this machine?
Q:
Can it be use for beef jerky? Both marinade and dried
Answer: If you mean can it be used to vacuum pack beef jerky then the answer is yes for both dried and in a marinade. I often vacuum pack meats in marinades. You just have to be careful not to overfill a bag.
Answer: Of course!
Answer: Yes
Q:
will this machine vac seal mylar bags?
Answer: Here is what Vacmaster states about this: 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.
Answer: When I contacted ARY they said that the 210/215 would seal mylar/foil bags.
Answer: It will seal Mylar but you will have to play with the seal time to figure out how long you need to seal them
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: I do not believe that it will work with Mylar bags. It's been a couple years since I researched the chamber vacuum sealers, but if my memory is correct, you needed to go up several tiers, and a lot more money to get that functionality. Another person responded that it's possible to seal mylar with this unit, but I don't know if it might shorten the life of the sealing bar. I'd suggest that you contact tech support at ARY and get their opinion. They've been very helpful when I've contacted them.
Answer: I'm not sure. I only use the boilable bags which are not mylar and it works great. Sorry.
Answer: Sorry have not tried....tried calling VacMaster customer service?
Q:
How long is the sealing bar?
Answer: The sealing bar is 12 inches, the user guide recommends using pouches up to 10 inches wide by 13 inches long.
Answer: the bar is 10"
Answer: 10.5 inches. The largest bags we've used are 10x 13
Q:
Why does amazon show this as delivered abroad, but you don't ship to the uae?
Answer: Call your local government representatives
Q:
What is the diference with the VP 215 ?
Answer: From what I understand the 215 is an oil pump and the 210 isnt.
Answer: dont know
Q:
how high is inside chamber
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: inside from bottom to top of stainless steel rim is 4" and the bubble in the top is a max of 3" Awesome piece of equipment Love mine. Worth every dollar!
Answer: 5 1/2 inches. Buy it , you won't be disappointed.
Answer: About six inches
Q:
Can this handle volume use? We won't use on daily basis, but when we do use, would be sealing 50 to 200 bags. Can it handle that work load?
Answer: I haven't done that much volume but it seems pretty robust.
Answer: Yes, we have packed that many on a given day without any problem we have don between 75-100.
Answer: You will be fine
Answer: NO
Q:
Dose it work for the bags with flat surface instead of texture surface?
Answer: We recommend using the chamber pouches (flat surface) but the texture surface can be used as well.
Answer: Yes. Unlike home sealers that suck air from a bag outside the sealer, this is a chambered sealer, so air evacuation doesn't require texture.
Answer: See this page on their website: https://vacmaster.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/208058717-What-kind-of-bags-rolls-or-pouches-do-I-need-
Answer: I've never used textured surfaces but works great on smooth surfaced bags
Answer: Yes, in fact that is the tour recommend for that unit.
Q:
what is the voltage for this? can it be used in other countries where the voltage is 220-240v?
Answer: Specs:
Q:
Does this have single seal line or double seal line?
Answer: Double seal line
Answer: Double
Answer: Double
Answer: Double
Answer: Double
Q:
Which are the sizes and types of bags we need to buy to be used with this specific sealer ?
Answer: FoodVacBags 100 Quart Size 8X12 mil thickness Vacuum Sealer Bags
Answer: I have used as large as 10" x 15" bags despite literature stating 10" x 13" ,was the maximum size to be used with this machine. I use Vacmaster brand bags and find 3m rated thickness of bags to be adequate for packaging most boneless meats. My machine came with a sample pack of 4 different sizes to provide a little guidance on various sizes that can be used.
Answer: The maximum pouch size you can use is 10" x 13". You can use chamber bags or bags with texture.
Answer: this will use flat pouches up tp a 10x15 inch and will seal up to a 5 mil thickness.
Q:
what is this difference between the vacmaster vp210 and vp215?
Answer: One lacks an oil pump, one has one. Very clear in the product decriptions.
Q:
Does it have one or two sealing bars, how wide are they and what is the largest bag this machine can handle?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: bag size max that I have is 10x13 (that is the largest bag possible because of chamber length and heat bar width). Unit has a bars with two seal lines and an extra heating bar included.
Answer: It does have 2 seal lines on one bar and the 10 inch wide bag is the largest. The manufacturer says it will handle the 12 inch bag but this must be folded at the corners for it to work. I really like it
Answer: One sealing bar only and will only take bags that are 10 inches wide at opening
Q:
Does the Vacmaster VP210 come with any bags?
Answer: Yes- it comes with a grouping of bags of about three different sizes. I bought a large package of medium-sized bags, and have found that I really like the small and large ones. Might be a good move to try the samples first then order large quantities.
Answer: It usually comes with sample bags about 40 of them in 3 or 4 different sizes
Answer: Yes it comes with two sizes of bag samples.
Answer: Around ten sample bags
Answer: It comes with enough to get started but it will give you the option to buy more.
Answer: Yes. An assortment of sizes
Answer: No. Sold sepeatly
Answer: Yes, small and medium....
Answer: Yes, some. Different sizes too
Q:
Does it works with any generic brand of vacuum bags? or does it needs an specific brand?
Answer: It will work with other brands but not all. We recommend that you use our bags.
Answer: It will work with other brands. But I've found the VacMaster bags to be the best. They do have sales once in awhile, so sign up with your email on their website.
Answer: I'm not 100% sure but I would think so. The reality is I don't think you'l find bags any cheaper elsewhere. You can call VacMaster and ask, they're an American company and have great support. The machine is wonderful and my favorite kitchen tool. Its paid for itself easily by reducing food spoilage to almost nil no to mention its myriad of other uses
Q:
The bag is ballooning in the chamber. Why?
Answer: I presume this is when the chamber opens after it was evacuated? If that is the case then there must be something wrong with the sealing; possibly not heating enough or cooling for long enough before the chamber returns to atmospheric pressure. If it balloons during the evacuation procedure I don't know why that would be. VacMaster has, in my experience, and excellent customer service, so call them to trouble shoot.
Q:
Can a rectangular glass food storage container in a vacuum pouch then place in the chamber to seal
Answer: I did this with a small, circular ramekin and it worked fine. The plastic spanning the opening of the ramekin pushes in a little so if you overfill your vessel, expect some mess. I think your rectangular container would be okay.
Answer: According to my husband the vacmaster will not crush the glass container
Q:
In what country is this manufactured?
Answer: Designed in the USA. Manufactured in China.
Answer: I can not find a "made in" name anywhere on the product or in the literature. Contact ARY,Inc. Who are the supplier at 800-821-7849, they should be able to help you. PS The unit works great and is easy to use.
Answer: This is a China built product
Q:
Chamber size
Answer: Chamber Size (WxDxH): 11.25â x 15.25â x 5â
Q:
hello i want to know the exact measurements and weight of this product in box, thanks
Answer: Hi,
Answer: I don't know the exact measurements, but something around a 36"x36"x36 and weighing around 100 lbs (I lift weights and easily lift a 45-lb plate with one hand ... this was NOT a one-handed lift).
Answer: Here are the specs from the manufacturer:
Answer: In addition it's probably 18 x18x24 package size. Again an estimate based on the unit
Answer: the VacMaster weighs 80 lbs. 13 inches wide, 19 inches deep, and 15 inches tall
Answer: It's been a while since I got it. At a minimum it's 40 lbs....my estimate on the unit itself. It was packed very well so I would ad about 5 lbs. worth it though
Product reviews of VacMaster VP210 Chamber Vacuum Sealer
Kristiecsu : Tricky, but fantastic
I'm still figuring out the correct settings for things, but so far I love this machine. It's great for buying bulk meat (humanely raised, of course) and dividing into smaller portions. I've also had great success using this with the PolyScience immersion circulator for sous-vide cooking. A very cool, enormous device (fits on a counter, but takes up a fair chunk of space and would need no cabinets ontop because it opens up pretty tall, if that makes sense).
Danny Kim : I am satisfied
after 6months of usage, I am satisfied
efuseakay : Worth the investment
Purchased this directly from the company at the end of November since they had a 20% off sale and free shipping. I have used chamber vacuum sealers in professional kitchens for years, and there simply is no comparison. Those FoodSaver suction types have severe limitations for any amateur home cook interested in sous vide cooking. If you intend on getting a vacuum sealer for sous vide cooking of any marinated/moist foods/liquids/custards etc., you should invest in a chamber machine. Pricey, sure. But a machine like this will easily outlast any of the cheap suction-type sealers. Buy in bulk, seal, freeze. Stuff keeps for a long, long time.
The VP 210 uses a dry pump/motor which is maintenance free. That does however make it louder, but by no means deafening. The slightly more expensive VP215 uses an oiled pump/motor, and maintenance is required. Common sense says an oiled pump/motor will last longer, but I have no worries about the VP210 lasting me for a very long time. This thing is a workhorse.
Customer service: Before I ordered, I had to think of where to keep this thing. It's HEAVY. More than 80lbs., so keep that in mind. I had emailed the company to ask them if keeping it outside on a 3-season screened in porch in the Chicago area would effect its performance. A woman from the company replied back within a few hours after asking one of the engineers, saying it wouldn't be a problem during the winter. That's good to know. I ended up lugging the thing (still in the box) down the basement stairs into the old dark room which was demoted to storage duty a very long time ago. It fits perfectly on the counter in there. Issue resolved.
If you are looking for something more than a disposable FoodSaver, but are taken aback by the cost of the chamber vacuum machines, don't be afraid to make the investment. You will not regret it after using one just a few times.
The VP 210 uses a dry pump/motor which is maintenance free. That does however make it louder, but by no means deafening. The slightly more expensive VP215 uses an oiled pump/motor, and maintenance is required. Common sense says an oiled pump/motor will last longer, but I have no worries about the VP210 lasting me for a very long time. This thing is a workhorse.
Customer service: Before I ordered, I had to think of where to keep this thing. It's HEAVY. More than 80lbs., so keep that in mind. I had emailed the company to ask them if keeping it outside on a 3-season screened in porch in the Chicago area would effect its performance. A woman from the company replied back within a few hours after asking one of the engineers, saying it wouldn't be a problem during the winter. That's good to know. I ended up lugging the thing (still in the box) down the basement stairs into the old dark room which was demoted to storage duty a very long time ago. It fits perfectly on the counter in there. Issue resolved.
If you are looking for something more than a disposable FoodSaver, but are taken aback by the cost of the chamber vacuum machines, don't be afraid to make the investment. You will not regret it after using one just a few times.
Javier Arosemena : Need a part for vacmaster vp210
I bought this on May is a good machine but actually the machine is not working well because is needing change a part (brown bar)
MLB : worth the money
My husband is big on fishing and we freeze loads of fish for family and friends. He would freeze the fish in water in baggies they would get freezer burn in a short amount of time plus it took up a large amount of room in the freezer.
This system is great .. you don't need to use water and the fish stays perfect for many months. when thawed and cooked it taste like he caught it that day.. I know the unit is pricey but it seals everything perfectly and the average cost of a bag is 6 cents.. Baggies cost so much more and does not prevent freezer burn.. I highly recommend this product.
This system is great .. you don't need to use water and the fish stays perfect for many months. when thawed and cooked it taste like he caught it that day.. I know the unit is pricey but it seals everything perfectly and the average cost of a bag is 6 cents.. Baggies cost so much more and does not prevent freezer burn.. I highly recommend this product.
John smith : Incredible shipping team.
Arrived in spectacular time, however there looks like what seems to be a stab mark with a pen on the corner of the display. Otherwise in working order incredible vac seal without a doubt, has double sealing bars which I love. Comes with spare fuses heat shield and burner wires. Without a doubt great deal. Will be having the company note the damages in case of future malfunctioning. **UPDATE** Seals soup, water, fish frozen and fresh, oranges, salad, chips (crunch), rice (varied pressure to avoid puncture ????), pasta, clothes(be nice for extra socks and undies camping or ice fishing) everything we put this thing to the test and yep sealed it all.. you'll say why did I wait so long.
Allan Phillips : This machine changed our lives - in the greatest way ever!
Where do I start? This machine excels at vacuum packaging foods for the freezer and fridge as other reviewers have said so I won't go into that. It double seals and has the best vacuum I have ever seen in a home use product but that is just the beginning of the uses for this machine.
It's heavy and I suggest you get a cart to permanently place it in the kitchen area. I bought a cart from webrestaurant that was 24x36 with two shelves. That's also where we get our pouches. The upper shelf holds different sized pouches ready to use and the bottom shelf holds the boxes the extra pouches are stored in as well as the tattler lids (more on that later). On top there is room for my meat grinder and vacuum sealer as well as the dissolvable labels for the vacuum sealed jars. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8TF1LP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Vacuum sealing jars is where this machine really comes into it's own. Vacuum sealed jars should stay good for many years. To do this we use Tattler lids that are reusable and easily resealable. When vacuum sealing jars we set the sealing time to 0.0 seconds and the cooling time to 9.9 seconds to "soak" under the vacuum. knowing how much pressure to use when tightening the Tattler lids can be found on their website and might take some practice. We use the Tattler site with free shipping. To open the Tattler lids we just use a bottle opener we keep on the fridge but be sure to open from the thick side of the lid and don't use the pointy end. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0888RHDX5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We vacuum seal spices so we don't have old caked spices we have to throw away anymore. Powdered milk. Wheat and Rye berries we mill for flour. Rice. Split peas. Chips. Crackers that stay good and crunchy for months. Cereal. Pretty much anything that is dry goods and bought in bulk to save money. Just use your imagination...
There are some things that should not be vacuum sealed in jars because of the risk of Botulism. Anything that is not completely dry including brown sugar.
I know it's not elegant and someday I might come up with a better way to put "juicy" food like ground meat into the pouches but it works. I bought a drum funnel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CQI270/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and cut the bottom off with a hacksaw. Then we put the pouch into a container with the funnel on top. This helps a lot with the raw dog food we make for our dogs out of ground up chicken leg quarters and scalded vegetables and eggs (BARF diet). That stuff is a mess to pouch up. It's also a help with ground beefburger. Then pull the filled pouch out of the container, seal it, flatten it out and pop it in the freezer. Defrosting these "flattened out" pouches also takes about half the time because of all the surface area exposed. Another win...
I hope this has helped you make a decision. It's heavy and expensive and requires a little thought as to how to place it and use it for maximum benefit. We LOVE it and have used it several times a day for the last year.
Happy sealing!
It's heavy and I suggest you get a cart to permanently place it in the kitchen area. I bought a cart from webrestaurant that was 24x36 with two shelves. That's also where we get our pouches. The upper shelf holds different sized pouches ready to use and the bottom shelf holds the boxes the extra pouches are stored in as well as the tattler lids (more on that later). On top there is room for my meat grinder and vacuum sealer as well as the dissolvable labels for the vacuum sealed jars. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8TF1LP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Vacuum sealing jars is where this machine really comes into it's own. Vacuum sealed jars should stay good for many years. To do this we use Tattler lids that are reusable and easily resealable. When vacuum sealing jars we set the sealing time to 0.0 seconds and the cooling time to 9.9 seconds to "soak" under the vacuum. knowing how much pressure to use when tightening the Tattler lids can be found on their website and might take some practice. We use the Tattler site with free shipping. To open the Tattler lids we just use a bottle opener we keep on the fridge but be sure to open from the thick side of the lid and don't use the pointy end. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0888RHDX5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We vacuum seal spices so we don't have old caked spices we have to throw away anymore. Powdered milk. Wheat and Rye berries we mill for flour. Rice. Split peas. Chips. Crackers that stay good and crunchy for months. Cereal. Pretty much anything that is dry goods and bought in bulk to save money. Just use your imagination...
There are some things that should not be vacuum sealed in jars because of the risk of Botulism. Anything that is not completely dry including brown sugar.
I know it's not elegant and someday I might come up with a better way to put "juicy" food like ground meat into the pouches but it works. I bought a drum funnel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CQI270/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and cut the bottom off with a hacksaw. Then we put the pouch into a container with the funnel on top. This helps a lot with the raw dog food we make for our dogs out of ground up chicken leg quarters and scalded vegetables and eggs (BARF diet). That stuff is a mess to pouch up. It's also a help with ground beefburger. Then pull the filled pouch out of the container, seal it, flatten it out and pop it in the freezer. Defrosting these "flattened out" pouches also takes about half the time because of all the surface area exposed. Another win...
I hope this has helped you make a decision. It's heavy and expensive and requires a little thought as to how to place it and use it for maximum benefit. We LOVE it and have used it several times a day for the last year.
Happy sealing!
MelissaB : This truly does pay for itself.
Okay I'll admit it. This was an anxiety driven purchase (Thank you Coronavirus).
Having said that - I should have bitten the bullet a long time ago on this. I fell into the food saver trap years ago after several hurricane experiences. I'm sorry, but food-saver really does get you, just not in their device. They get you on the bags. By usage, those things are so expensive that you are almost better off buying tupperware and throwing it away. And to make it worse, you have to spend some real time "working" the food saver device to make sure you get a good seal (twice). You pay a lot for them. You always run out before you expect to. And seriously - you need hearing protection to use them.
Pros:
- Noise: I won't say this thing is "quiet" but you don't need hearing protection. You can still use your normal voice levels.
- Easy of use: Seriously, you plug it in, and start bagging. It's almost too simple. It's strangely a bit fun and therapeutic.
- Effective and Efficient: the food saver format has a lot of "prep". I'm sorry, but it's crazy busy here. I don't have the time to come home from a big grocery store trip to carefully "pre-freeze" everything and set a timer and remember to go pull all of it back out later to seal up.
- The bags are generous and you don't have to spend double the time sealing one side. You just fill and go
- Food saver has problems with powders. This doesn't. At All. So if you bought a lot of flour or sugar, you can fill up a bag, lay it flat (there's a slight incline), and seal this up. I seal up my flour in batches pre-measured out for bread making. I need exactly 890g of flour, and that's exactly what is in each bag. I even pre-measured my dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt) for making pies so that I can whip out a pie crust right away. See some possibilities here?
- All of my meats are now perfectly sealed up. They "look" fresher in the freezer.
- Has anyone ever purchased cornmeal or oatmeal or some types of flour and found out later that it was infested with little bugs? Those little teeny tiny bugs traveled to the rest of the pantry. I don't trust these ingredients now so I've been putting them in ziplock bags. Now I've gone through the pantry and sealed them up. Shelf life goes from 6 months to 2+ years and now I don't have an attack of wee little beasties at the most inopportune time (Thanksgiving 2018...). There's a real comfort in that.
- Industrial Strength: You are going to know this is built more like a tank rather than a plastic throw away kitchen appliance. You are going to have it a very long time.
- Packaged really REALLY well. I was worried when I saw a puncture in the box. This device is encased in shrink-wrapped foam that's nearly a couple of inches thick.
Cons: (But of course there are...right?)
- Cost. Okay yes, it's a big capital outlay all at one time. On the upside, the bags are not that expensive. However, how many times have you throw away freezer burned steaks, hamburger meat, chicken, seafood.... Let's say the average cost of all meat is $5/lb (yes, some is less some is more, but let's just average it). Have you thrown away 200lbs of meat over the last 5 years due to freezer burn? Have you thrown away food in general (soups, stews) that you didn't eat in time? Have you thrown out fruits and vegetables before you had a chance to use them? Have you had the unfortunate mite infestation in a box of oatmeal that forced you to throw out half of the pantry? The point is this: the cost is up front, but the savings will pay it back because this is true food storage system. If you seal up rice, it has an indefinite shelf life. That's just one. All the rest go from months to multiple years of shelf stability.
- Weight: Please understand that being a commercial device, it's a bit heavy. Okay, it's stupid heavy. This is not going to "store away" anywhere. It's heavier than a microwave. It's going to need a corner on the cabinet so just be ready for that. If you are like me, you won't mind losing the real estate to the advantages this thing gives. Having it accessible means it gets used a lot.
This is an investment and I won't pretend it's not. In times like this though, you really are reminded of what food storage might need to be just so you are better prepared for any eventuality. Hurricanes taught us a lot. This coronavirus is a whole new ballgame. I hope this worldwide reaction is not something we will see every 5 years (about the time it takes for the next "type" of coronavirus to emerge), but if it is, I feel like this gives a real shot at allowing us to be better prepared.
Having said that - I should have bitten the bullet a long time ago on this. I fell into the food saver trap years ago after several hurricane experiences. I'm sorry, but food-saver really does get you, just not in their device. They get you on the bags. By usage, those things are so expensive that you are almost better off buying tupperware and throwing it away. And to make it worse, you have to spend some real time "working" the food saver device to make sure you get a good seal (twice). You pay a lot for them. You always run out before you expect to. And seriously - you need hearing protection to use them.
Pros:
- Noise: I won't say this thing is "quiet" but you don't need hearing protection. You can still use your normal voice levels.
- Easy of use: Seriously, you plug it in, and start bagging. It's almost too simple. It's strangely a bit fun and therapeutic.
- Effective and Efficient: the food saver format has a lot of "prep". I'm sorry, but it's crazy busy here. I don't have the time to come home from a big grocery store trip to carefully "pre-freeze" everything and set a timer and remember to go pull all of it back out later to seal up.
- The bags are generous and you don't have to spend double the time sealing one side. You just fill and go
- Food saver has problems with powders. This doesn't. At All. So if you bought a lot of flour or sugar, you can fill up a bag, lay it flat (there's a slight incline), and seal this up. I seal up my flour in batches pre-measured out for bread making. I need exactly 890g of flour, and that's exactly what is in each bag. I even pre-measured my dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt) for making pies so that I can whip out a pie crust right away. See some possibilities here?
- All of my meats are now perfectly sealed up. They "look" fresher in the freezer.
- Has anyone ever purchased cornmeal or oatmeal or some types of flour and found out later that it was infested with little bugs? Those little teeny tiny bugs traveled to the rest of the pantry. I don't trust these ingredients now so I've been putting them in ziplock bags. Now I've gone through the pantry and sealed them up. Shelf life goes from 6 months to 2+ years and now I don't have an attack of wee little beasties at the most inopportune time (Thanksgiving 2018...). There's a real comfort in that.
- Industrial Strength: You are going to know this is built more like a tank rather than a plastic throw away kitchen appliance. You are going to have it a very long time.
- Packaged really REALLY well. I was worried when I saw a puncture in the box. This device is encased in shrink-wrapped foam that's nearly a couple of inches thick.
Cons: (But of course there are...right?)
- Cost. Okay yes, it's a big capital outlay all at one time. On the upside, the bags are not that expensive. However, how many times have you throw away freezer burned steaks, hamburger meat, chicken, seafood.... Let's say the average cost of all meat is $5/lb (yes, some is less some is more, but let's just average it). Have you thrown away 200lbs of meat over the last 5 years due to freezer burn? Have you thrown away food in general (soups, stews) that you didn't eat in time? Have you thrown out fruits and vegetables before you had a chance to use them? Have you had the unfortunate mite infestation in a box of oatmeal that forced you to throw out half of the pantry? The point is this: the cost is up front, but the savings will pay it back because this is true food storage system. If you seal up rice, it has an indefinite shelf life. That's just one. All the rest go from months to multiple years of shelf stability.
- Weight: Please understand that being a commercial device, it's a bit heavy. Okay, it's stupid heavy. This is not going to "store away" anywhere. It's heavier than a microwave. It's going to need a corner on the cabinet so just be ready for that. If you are like me, you won't mind losing the real estate to the advantages this thing gives. Having it accessible means it gets used a lot.
This is an investment and I won't pretend it's not. In times like this though, you really are reminded of what food storage might need to be just so you are better prepared for any eventuality. Hurricanes taught us a lot. This coronavirus is a whole new ballgame. I hope this worldwide reaction is not something we will see every 5 years (about the time it takes for the next "type" of coronavirus to emerge), but if it is, I feel like this gives a real shot at allowing us to be better prepared.
Claire : Seals food with liquids, but has a small learning curve to use it
I am a home cook and have been cooking food sous vide, but the standard external sealers always pull moisture/liquids up and out of the bag which is very frustrating. The VP210 chamber allows you to seal bags with none to alot of liquid. However, there is a learning curve, and I had to call technical support a couple of times to get the machine set up correctly, but once it is set up, it works great. I am able to seal meats and liquids in the machine without a problem.
The first machine that I received was dented on a back corner and the cover of the machine was set too low so it was impossible to plug it in. Amazon overnighted a replacement (thank you, I needed it for thanksgiving).
Then I needed to speak to technical support a couple of times to help set up the machine settings. I had to increase the the seal time of the machine up to 1.4 or 1.5... technical support said not to raise it above 1.5, but the setting as set by the factory was too short, so when the bag was sealing, air was getting back into the bag.
I raised the vacuum time in the chamber to 60 seconds due to the initial trouble I was having of the bags not holding the vacuum, but can probably lower the time now back to 40 seconds since the seal time is set to a longer time.
This is a basic chamber sealer for a very reasonable price compared to other units on the market, but you have to play around with the time you set the machine to vacuum. You cannot choose to set it to specific vacuum percentages, you have to experiment with the time to get the effect you want on a particular type of food. Most foods will seal within 40 seconds.
Researching the machine online, I read that this is dry rocker piston instead of the more expensive rotary oil motor. The dry rocker piston machine will tend to clog after sealing bags with alot of moisture in them (items like fish), but supposedly will still last 10 time longer than the typical countertop external strip sealing machine. The rotary oil motor machine will last 10 times longer than the dry rocker piston machine. However, I am using this on a home basis, not a commercial setting, so the representative said that the dry rocker piston would be fine.
There is a newer, smaller lighter-weight vp112 vacmaster sealer, which uses the same motor in the vp210, has a port for external vacuum sealing of bottles with the attachments commonly found on other brands like foodsaver, and is light weight because the cover is a foldable plastic without the heavier lid closing mechanism found on the vp210. Its also cheaper by a couple of hundred dollars. I opted to go with the vp210 because the chamber is slightly bigger and the bottom is flat. The bottom of the the vp112 is slightly curved, like a bathtub, so only the middle of the chamber has the full depth.
Note: I purchased the rolls of vacmaster bags with the vacstrip (amazon listed them as being purchased by others with this machine), which I found out from the company are not meant to be used with chamber vac machines (the bags were not sealing with a vacuum). When using the pre-made bags that come with the machine (25 bags each of 3 different sizes are included with the machine for a total of 75 bags) the sealer works as intended. I was told by the company to purchase the 3 mil premade pouches.
The first machine that I received was dented on a back corner and the cover of the machine was set too low so it was impossible to plug it in. Amazon overnighted a replacement (thank you, I needed it for thanksgiving).
Then I needed to speak to technical support a couple of times to help set up the machine settings. I had to increase the the seal time of the machine up to 1.4 or 1.5... technical support said not to raise it above 1.5, but the setting as set by the factory was too short, so when the bag was sealing, air was getting back into the bag.
I raised the vacuum time in the chamber to 60 seconds due to the initial trouble I was having of the bags not holding the vacuum, but can probably lower the time now back to 40 seconds since the seal time is set to a longer time.
This is a basic chamber sealer for a very reasonable price compared to other units on the market, but you have to play around with the time you set the machine to vacuum. You cannot choose to set it to specific vacuum percentages, you have to experiment with the time to get the effect you want on a particular type of food. Most foods will seal within 40 seconds.
Researching the machine online, I read that this is dry rocker piston instead of the more expensive rotary oil motor. The dry rocker piston machine will tend to clog after sealing bags with alot of moisture in them (items like fish), but supposedly will still last 10 time longer than the typical countertop external strip sealing machine. The rotary oil motor machine will last 10 times longer than the dry rocker piston machine. However, I am using this on a home basis, not a commercial setting, so the representative said that the dry rocker piston would be fine.
There is a newer, smaller lighter-weight vp112 vacmaster sealer, which uses the same motor in the vp210, has a port for external vacuum sealing of bottles with the attachments commonly found on other brands like foodsaver, and is light weight because the cover is a foldable plastic without the heavier lid closing mechanism found on the vp210. Its also cheaper by a couple of hundred dollars. I opted to go with the vp210 because the chamber is slightly bigger and the bottom is flat. The bottom of the the vp112 is slightly curved, like a bathtub, so only the middle of the chamber has the full depth.
Note: I purchased the rolls of vacmaster bags with the vacstrip (amazon listed them as being purchased by others with this machine), which I found out from the company are not meant to be used with chamber vac machines (the bags were not sealing with a vacuum). When using the pre-made bags that come with the machine (25 bags each of 3 different sizes are included with the machine for a total of 75 bags) the sealer works as intended. I was told by the company to purchase the 3 mil premade pouches.
dcmb : Still wowed!
I've packed fresh fish fillets, squid, sliced up bulk pancetta into 1/4 lb. packages. Very happy with this purchase.
yimyammer : My #1 Favorite Kitchen Tool!
This is my favorite kitchen toy, its fantastic! And it pays for itself in how much longer food lasts in the refrigerator or freezer (Ex: I have 4 month old cream cheese that I sealed in a small bag and squeeze out like toothpaste as needed then reseal). I buy bulk quantities of beef, pork, fish, etc, portion them and freeze. I've eaten 2 year old fish that are still tasty and fresh.
There are a ton of fun tricks you can do as well like a quick pickle in an open container (google it)
Lastly, VacMasters service is fantastic, you don't get routed through a horrendous voice machine, a human being takes your call and patiently trouble shoots any problems over the phone in clearly understandable english (don't take that last part the wrong way, I'm not knocking other languages or cultures, I love diversity, I just want to be able to someone who speaks my language when working on a technical support issue).
FYI-Keep the oil changed and clean on this machine or it can seize up on you and cost a lot of money and time to repair. They recommend changing every 500 bags but it never hurts to change it early. Keep an eye on the little window in the back of the machine to see how clean its running or if its low. When in doubt change it out. Be sure to keep a big bottle of their oil available at all times.
Enjoy!
There are a ton of fun tricks you can do as well like a quick pickle in an open container (google it)
Lastly, VacMasters service is fantastic, you don't get routed through a horrendous voice machine, a human being takes your call and patiently trouble shoots any problems over the phone in clearly understandable english (don't take that last part the wrong way, I'm not knocking other languages or cultures, I love diversity, I just want to be able to someone who speaks my language when working on a technical support issue).
FYI-Keep the oil changed and clean on this machine or it can seize up on you and cost a lot of money and time to repair. They recommend changing every 500 bags but it never hurts to change it early. Keep an eye on the little window in the back of the machine to see how clean its running or if its low. When in doubt change it out. Be sure to keep a big bottle of their oil available at all times.
Enjoy!
not really saying : Expensive but awesome
I'm reviewing this from the perspective of a home user. If you are a light commercial user...it'll work fine for you, assuming the chamber is big enough and it has the features you need.
Anyway...
This is my third vacuum bagging appliance and my first chamber style unit. I am a big fan of vacuum storage, not just for prolonging the life of foods but also to infuse different flavors and create ready-to-cook meal packets for the freezer. I have played around with sous-vide cooking as well though I'm not really a regular practitioner of that art.
I bought this for my home kitchen for several reasons:
1) I make a lot of soups and sauces. I have been vacuum sealing with jars and refrigerating them; I want to be able to bag and freeze instead.
2) I wasn't satisfied with how my previous vacuum baggers (from a warehouse club) dealt with meats. I especially didn't like when they sucked meat juice into the machine, and was tired of having to pre-freeze or otherwise play tricks to avoid a mess.
3) I wanted to be able to buy bulk (1000 pack) bags instead of the very expensive textured bags.
4) I wanted to be able to use heavy duty bags (especially for sporting goods that can puncture normal food bags).
5) I'm a big fan of overkill.
The package comes with a couple of "filler plates" (basically cutting boards that fill up part of the vacuum chamber when you are sealing smaller volumes -- by filling the chamber they reduce the amount of air that must be pumped out and cut wear and time), power cord, some maintenance material (heater replacement materials, gasket material, etc), some basic tools, and 100 bags (25 each in 4 sizes), plus of course the machine itself.
The machine isn't nearly as big as amazon says. The shipping box is 24"x19"x19". The machine itself is roughly 13" wide, 19" deep, and 15" tall. It's still very big (and heavy) but it will fit on a standard kitchen counter and, unlike the bag-out vacuum baggers, it doesn't need counter space in front to support the bag.
Once you have it dialed in the VP210 is extremely easy to use. Fill a bag, set it in the chamber (making sure the open end is smooth over the heater bar), lower the lid, and the machine kicks in and runs a vacuum-and-seal cycle. About 40 seconds later the lid pops open to reveal a perfectly sealed bag.
Once you have it dialed in.
Because the VP210 is designed to work with different types of bags, and with different volumes of food (or whatever you are bagging), it leaves a lot of control in the hands of the operator. You can adjust pump run time, sealing heat time, and after-sealing cool-down time. The benefit is that you can tune the machine to work perfectly in your kitchen with your bags. The cost is that you will need to get it set up for your bags. Set the seal heat time too high and it will melt though your bags. Set it too short and your bags won't seal at all.
The instructions point you in the general direction you need to go but aren't comprehensive. For example, the machine has three heat levels available but no guidance is given as to when or why you would adjust the temperature instead of seal time. I have burned through (sometimes literally) a lot of the included bags figuring out how the machine should be adjusted.
So, is it worth it? It's very very expensive (easily 7 times the price of a standard vacuum bagger), takes up a lot of space, is kinda fiddly to dial in, and it weighs about 90 pounds. That's a big pile of negatives to overcome...and I'm not sure how many people could honestly answer, "yes."
A few items to consider:
Because you can bag liquids with this machine, you can easily add marinades to meats. There are tricks to do the same with a standard vacuum machine including freezing marinade ice cubes, using dry rubs, or using a canister or jar to vacuum marinate, but it's handy to be able to put a bit of meat in a bag, squirt some marinade on top, seal the bag, and toss it in the fridge or freezer. This is an even bigger factor if you are trying sous-vide techniques.
Unlike the common household machines, this sealer doesn't have any provisions for evacuating canisters or jars. Just playing around I figured out that you can vacuum seal about nine 8oz canning jars at a pass by putting standard canning lids and rings on them, loading them into the chamber, dialing the seal heat time down to zero, and cycling the machine. This also works with some other containers (I tried an old pipe tobacco tin and it vacuum sealed up tight) but you've got to be able to fit the entire container in the chamber. A standard quart jar won't fit. You can buy hand-held units just for evacuating canisters to cover this gap if you care.
Amazon sells a box of 28 6"x9" foodsaver bags, the sort you need for a bag-out machine, for about 36 cents per bag. You can find 1000 6"x10" vacuum bags for this machine for about 3.5 cents per bag. That difference holds for larger bags as well. However, you've got to use a LOT of bags -- somewhere around 2000 -- to overcome the base price difference of the machines. It's doable -- use one bag a day for five or six years you are there -- but you may never use that many bags.
I think this will work best for most people if they buy 1000 or so standard sized bags, set the machine up to seal those bags, and then just keep using that one type and size bag even if it isn't quite the ideal size. To the extent you can do that, this machine is extremely easy to use and seems to produce very consistent results. If you must use different bags you will spend a lot more time adjusting the machine...time you would not spend with a more home-oriented machine.
I'm really pleased with my VP210. It works as well as I hoped and I expect it to last many years of light but regular use...but I can see where it would be too much for most home kitchens.
Update: I have now owned this unit for about a year and I thought I would add to my initial review with a few lessons learned.
First, the important bit: It's still awesome. I've used it steadily for a year and it has delivered consistently great results, tightly sealed bags with plenty of vacuum, without fail in my home kitchen. I took a vacation up to Alaska late this summer and was tickled to see exactly this unit on the shelves at Costco in Anchorage. Costco is pretty savvy about what they stock so it was good validation to see this unit sold in an area where food preservation can be more than an academic issue.
Second, posting this review has been a real downer for me. I bought a great product, gave it an honest review listing pros and cons, and suddenly shills for competing products start spamming the comments and, in a classic maneuver, accusing everyone else of being shills, insulting me, and in general putting me off of reviewing products for Amazon. Frankly it's depressing to even look at the comments now. Bummer.
The great thing about this machine is that I can leave it "ready to go" under a stainless steel table (picked up from Costco) in my kitchen and seal as I go. I seal 1-3 bags in a "run", and do a "run" every day or two. I've gone through a BUNCH of the small (6x10 if I remember - perfect size for my needs) bags that way but that's OK because they come 1000 to the box.
I have sealed a bunch of bags all in one go but frankly I don't think that's a realistic use most of the time. Not in my kitchen anyway. Most of us go to the grocery store once a week, right? You find a special or sale you might get 20lbs of something. A pound per bag and you've got only 20 bags. To me, if I needed to do much more than that, I would spread it over multiple days. For a home user like me, owning this machine is about quality, not high volume bagging. Quality meaning that a bag of spices sealed with this machine has far less air than when sealed with a Tilla. Quality meaning that I can cook a more succulent turkey dinner by sealing the meat with liquid and spices without having to freeze the liquids or play other tricks. Quality meaning I can count on the machine chugging to life and doing a great job every time I lower the lid. Can it seal 100 bags in an hour? Who cares? I mean honestly? Do you need to seal 100 bags? It'll still do a better job than any other machine I've used, but how often are you actually going to need to do that?
This is a quality machine that stretches the absolute outer limit, in my opinion, of what a home kitchen needs or what a home cook should want. For me it has gone through a year of regular service, expanded my sous vide repertoire immensely (seriously, ability to add liquids, c'est magnifique!), sealed spices, meats, and everything else I've needed to seal, and has done it without a single glitch or hiccup. However, it's HUGE. It's heavy. I think my microwave has it beat as the largest freestanding appliance in my kitchen but it certainly wins the "heaviest" prize. It's also expensive, more expensive now than when I got mine. All of that said, I'm extremely happy with my purchase and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Thumbs up again.
Anyway...
This is my third vacuum bagging appliance and my first chamber style unit. I am a big fan of vacuum storage, not just for prolonging the life of foods but also to infuse different flavors and create ready-to-cook meal packets for the freezer. I have played around with sous-vide cooking as well though I'm not really a regular practitioner of that art.
I bought this for my home kitchen for several reasons:
1) I make a lot of soups and sauces. I have been vacuum sealing with jars and refrigerating them; I want to be able to bag and freeze instead.
2) I wasn't satisfied with how my previous vacuum baggers (from a warehouse club) dealt with meats. I especially didn't like when they sucked meat juice into the machine, and was tired of having to pre-freeze or otherwise play tricks to avoid a mess.
3) I wanted to be able to buy bulk (1000 pack) bags instead of the very expensive textured bags.
4) I wanted to be able to use heavy duty bags (especially for sporting goods that can puncture normal food bags).
5) I'm a big fan of overkill.
The package comes with a couple of "filler plates" (basically cutting boards that fill up part of the vacuum chamber when you are sealing smaller volumes -- by filling the chamber they reduce the amount of air that must be pumped out and cut wear and time), power cord, some maintenance material (heater replacement materials, gasket material, etc), some basic tools, and 100 bags (25 each in 4 sizes), plus of course the machine itself.
The machine isn't nearly as big as amazon says. The shipping box is 24"x19"x19". The machine itself is roughly 13" wide, 19" deep, and 15" tall. It's still very big (and heavy) but it will fit on a standard kitchen counter and, unlike the bag-out vacuum baggers, it doesn't need counter space in front to support the bag.
Once you have it dialed in the VP210 is extremely easy to use. Fill a bag, set it in the chamber (making sure the open end is smooth over the heater bar), lower the lid, and the machine kicks in and runs a vacuum-and-seal cycle. About 40 seconds later the lid pops open to reveal a perfectly sealed bag.
Once you have it dialed in.
Because the VP210 is designed to work with different types of bags, and with different volumes of food (or whatever you are bagging), it leaves a lot of control in the hands of the operator. You can adjust pump run time, sealing heat time, and after-sealing cool-down time. The benefit is that you can tune the machine to work perfectly in your kitchen with your bags. The cost is that you will need to get it set up for your bags. Set the seal heat time too high and it will melt though your bags. Set it too short and your bags won't seal at all.
The instructions point you in the general direction you need to go but aren't comprehensive. For example, the machine has three heat levels available but no guidance is given as to when or why you would adjust the temperature instead of seal time. I have burned through (sometimes literally) a lot of the included bags figuring out how the machine should be adjusted.
So, is it worth it? It's very very expensive (easily 7 times the price of a standard vacuum bagger), takes up a lot of space, is kinda fiddly to dial in, and it weighs about 90 pounds. That's a big pile of negatives to overcome...and I'm not sure how many people could honestly answer, "yes."
A few items to consider:
Because you can bag liquids with this machine, you can easily add marinades to meats. There are tricks to do the same with a standard vacuum machine including freezing marinade ice cubes, using dry rubs, or using a canister or jar to vacuum marinate, but it's handy to be able to put a bit of meat in a bag, squirt some marinade on top, seal the bag, and toss it in the fridge or freezer. This is an even bigger factor if you are trying sous-vide techniques.
Unlike the common household machines, this sealer doesn't have any provisions for evacuating canisters or jars. Just playing around I figured out that you can vacuum seal about nine 8oz canning jars at a pass by putting standard canning lids and rings on them, loading them into the chamber, dialing the seal heat time down to zero, and cycling the machine. This also works with some other containers (I tried an old pipe tobacco tin and it vacuum sealed up tight) but you've got to be able to fit the entire container in the chamber. A standard quart jar won't fit. You can buy hand-held units just for evacuating canisters to cover this gap if you care.
Amazon sells a box of 28 6"x9" foodsaver bags, the sort you need for a bag-out machine, for about 36 cents per bag. You can find 1000 6"x10" vacuum bags for this machine for about 3.5 cents per bag. That difference holds for larger bags as well. However, you've got to use a LOT of bags -- somewhere around 2000 -- to overcome the base price difference of the machines. It's doable -- use one bag a day for five or six years you are there -- but you may never use that many bags.
I think this will work best for most people if they buy 1000 or so standard sized bags, set the machine up to seal those bags, and then just keep using that one type and size bag even if it isn't quite the ideal size. To the extent you can do that, this machine is extremely easy to use and seems to produce very consistent results. If you must use different bags you will spend a lot more time adjusting the machine...time you would not spend with a more home-oriented machine.
I'm really pleased with my VP210. It works as well as I hoped and I expect it to last many years of light but regular use...but I can see where it would be too much for most home kitchens.
Update: I have now owned this unit for about a year and I thought I would add to my initial review with a few lessons learned.
First, the important bit: It's still awesome. I've used it steadily for a year and it has delivered consistently great results, tightly sealed bags with plenty of vacuum, without fail in my home kitchen. I took a vacation up to Alaska late this summer and was tickled to see exactly this unit on the shelves at Costco in Anchorage. Costco is pretty savvy about what they stock so it was good validation to see this unit sold in an area where food preservation can be more than an academic issue.
Second, posting this review has been a real downer for me. I bought a great product, gave it an honest review listing pros and cons, and suddenly shills for competing products start spamming the comments and, in a classic maneuver, accusing everyone else of being shills, insulting me, and in general putting me off of reviewing products for Amazon. Frankly it's depressing to even look at the comments now. Bummer.
The great thing about this machine is that I can leave it "ready to go" under a stainless steel table (picked up from Costco) in my kitchen and seal as I go. I seal 1-3 bags in a "run", and do a "run" every day or two. I've gone through a BUNCH of the small (6x10 if I remember - perfect size for my needs) bags that way but that's OK because they come 1000 to the box.
I have sealed a bunch of bags all in one go but frankly I don't think that's a realistic use most of the time. Not in my kitchen anyway. Most of us go to the grocery store once a week, right? You find a special or sale you might get 20lbs of something. A pound per bag and you've got only 20 bags. To me, if I needed to do much more than that, I would spread it over multiple days. For a home user like me, owning this machine is about quality, not high volume bagging. Quality meaning that a bag of spices sealed with this machine has far less air than when sealed with a Tilla. Quality meaning that I can cook a more succulent turkey dinner by sealing the meat with liquid and spices without having to freeze the liquids or play other tricks. Quality meaning I can count on the machine chugging to life and doing a great job every time I lower the lid. Can it seal 100 bags in an hour? Who cares? I mean honestly? Do you need to seal 100 bags? It'll still do a better job than any other machine I've used, but how often are you actually going to need to do that?
This is a quality machine that stretches the absolute outer limit, in my opinion, of what a home kitchen needs or what a home cook should want. For me it has gone through a year of regular service, expanded my sous vide repertoire immensely (seriously, ability to add liquids, c'est magnifique!), sealed spices, meats, and everything else I've needed to seal, and has done it without a single glitch or hiccup. However, it's HUGE. It's heavy. I think my microwave has it beat as the largest freestanding appliance in my kitchen but it certainly wins the "heaviest" prize. It's also expensive, more expensive now than when I got mine. All of that said, I'm extremely happy with my purchase and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Thumbs up again.
Amazon Customer : Now I have 3!
We are big into food storage and this Vacuum Packer is invaluable when it comes to food storage. It actually pays for it's self when you finally realize how much you spend on bags. Food saver bags are 6x more expensive than the ones used with this machine.
amenina : Very good machine, we have for two years and we ...
Very good machine, we have for two years and we use it for a restaurant and we never had problems until now, theres a switch or something not working propertly, and I think is because we use it a lot........
Briar Freak : Rivervail Farm
So far it is working great
german : Five Stars
Great item
Kyle Rabon : Definitely an great buy.
This unit is exceptional! I've had it for only a few weeks so I cant give the long term use perspective, but what I can say is this thing ROCKS! I put the unit to hard continuous work for about an hour sealing up roughly 30 of 10"x13" bags with summer sausage I made. Consistent results each and every time.
The unit is heavy and not something that you would want to be constantly moving around your kitchen. The unit is pricey but seems to be worth the money as the initial performance is impressive.
Also take into consideration the convenience of premade chamber pouches and EXTREMELY low cost of each bag. I recently bought 1,000 8"x10" bags for 42.99 ... that's $.04 a bag!!
I would make this purchase again. Definitely an great buy.
The unit is heavy and not something that you would want to be constantly moving around your kitchen. The unit is pricey but seems to be worth the money as the initial performance is impressive.
Also take into consideration the convenience of premade chamber pouches and EXTREMELY low cost of each bag. I recently bought 1,000 8"x10" bags for 42.99 ... that's $.04 a bag!!
I would make this purchase again. Definitely an great buy.
Joshua Winne : The beginning level of professional grade equipment.
Good unit, I have a vp120 and after messing with the flimsy lid a finally bought this unit. It's professional and what I am use to using. I got a great deal on the price and after a call to Vacmaster I got a few missing screws and a new pressure fudge that was not working properly. Good Stuff.
Amazon Customer : Works great, better than anticipated
This is a very heavy machine so please use caution lifting it!! We do not use this for a company, we use it at home.
This is so much better than the ones you can buy at the department stores etc. We order meat in bulk and have to re-package it for freezing. This is fast, quiet, efficient, and does the job without any issues. We got this one for home seeing that there were quite a number of reviews from businesses that use it every day. We use it every several months to re-package 30-40 pounds of meat at a time into 0.5 - 1.0 pound packages. We have gone through 3 foodsaver machines because they just can't keep up. We anticipate this being used for many years to come!
UPDATE: We have been using this regularly and still love it. So very easy to use. The only downside is the weight and size for keeping in the house. But for what you get, it is still well worth it! In the home we have this sitting on the dining room table until we need it.
This is so much better than the ones you can buy at the department stores etc. We order meat in bulk and have to re-package it for freezing. This is fast, quiet, efficient, and does the job without any issues. We got this one for home seeing that there were quite a number of reviews from businesses that use it every day. We use it every several months to re-package 30-40 pounds of meat at a time into 0.5 - 1.0 pound packages. We have gone through 3 foodsaver machines because they just can't keep up. We anticipate this being used for many years to come!
UPDATE: We have been using this regularly and still love it. So very easy to use. The only downside is the weight and size for keeping in the house. But for what you get, it is still well worth it! In the home we have this sitting on the dining room table until we need it.
Alan S. : This thing rocks. There are more than enough 5 ...
This thing rocks. There are more than enough 5 star reviews here so I won't belabor the point. But consider these use cases .....
- Sealing documents: Sometimes when the chamber re-pressurizes the documents shift or wrinkle. Solution? Remove the top filler plate, lay document(s) (in pouch) down, place filler plate back on top, align as usual, and fire it up. Result is flat, in-place document(s) sealed up. Probably photo-copiable thru the pouch. Also, notary stamps are still clearly visible. IMPORTANT: Be sure there's enough 'head space' between docs and end of bag because the 90 degree turn the bag makes may create a crease...not what you want on your document(s).
- Pull a vacuum, no seal: Set the seal time to 0. Use to vacuum seal canning jars, degas fluids, etc. Remember to adjust the vacuum time appropriately for the intended purpose.
- Seal w/o pulling a vacuum: Set vacuum time to as low as it goes (6 sec) w/ seal time set to whatever you've been using.
- Sealing documents: Sometimes when the chamber re-pressurizes the documents shift or wrinkle. Solution? Remove the top filler plate, lay document(s) (in pouch) down, place filler plate back on top, align as usual, and fire it up. Result is flat, in-place document(s) sealed up. Probably photo-copiable thru the pouch. Also, notary stamps are still clearly visible. IMPORTANT: Be sure there's enough 'head space' between docs and end of bag because the 90 degree turn the bag makes may create a crease...not what you want on your document(s).
- Pull a vacuum, no seal: Set the seal time to 0. Use to vacuum seal canning jars, degas fluids, etc. Remember to adjust the vacuum time appropriately for the intended purpose.
- Seal w/o pulling a vacuum: Set vacuum time to as low as it goes (6 sec) w/ seal time set to whatever you've been using.
Amazon Customer : Five Stars
great
Tenor : Best appliance I’ve bought so far
Best appliance I’ve bought so far
Daniel Burstiner : In Use EVERY Day
I don't think there is any other kitchen appliance that gets more use. It's heavy. It's expensive. It's big! It does what It's supposed to do. I wish the chamber were larger though. I am a sous vide cook. Not for everything, but many things. The issue I had with vacuum sealers was sealing liquids. Chamber sealers like this solve that issue. But there is one problem every chamber sealer owner has probably encountered. Sealing hot liquids. What a mess! Liquids have to be room temperature or colder or they will quickly boil and explode all over the chamber when you try to vacuum and seal the bag. I won't try to explain the science here but beware! If you watch and see bubbling starting, press the stop button before it's too late.
Kristiecsu : Tricky, but fantastic
I'm still figuring out the correct settings for things, but so far I love this machine. It's great for buying bulk meat (humanely raised, of course) and dividing into smaller portions. I've also had great success using this with the PolyScience immersion circulator for sous-vide cooking. A very cool, enormous device (fits on a counter, but takes up a fair chunk of space and would need no cabinets ontop because it opens up pretty tall, if that makes sense).
David Sivak : Excellent machine
I use my VP210 every year to seal fish. Couple thing you should know. Always buy 5mm back if you are packaging things like fish with bones. Also you can get this same sealer for a lot less with free shipping from webstaurantstore. It's 829.00 regular price!
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Don : Fantastic unit. If you grow your own product or ...
Fantastic unit. If you grow your own product or bulk buy product you really need this unit. It is fast and easy to use. Fantastic Product.
Tia N. : Update to 5 stars!!
Received my VacMsster yesterday and couldn't wait to try it out today. I reviewed the setup instructions which say after adding the settings, it should be ready to go. The vacuum seems to be working fine but I get no seal...not a bad seal... NO SEAL PERIOD. I've watched the YouTube set up videos and none of them say anything about having to do anything with the sealer. There is no mark on the bags after seal in ng. I cranked the setting up to 4 and still no seal. Any suggestions from experienced users?? Time change has precluded me from calling company but I will try tomorrow. My poor lamb chops are waiting for the sous vide bath and I can't seal the darn bags!! Any help would be appreciated!! UPDATE !! Apparently my problem was nothing more than the sealer bar having flipped over during shipment! Customer Service was very responsive and happily answered the multiple questions I thought of while on hold. I must say, I just LOVE this thing! Looked at it for over a year before I purchased and wish I had done it sooner.!
K. Fancher : Love this thing
This is a big heavy commercial chamber vacuum. I purchased one for use with sous vide cooking and love it. Best of all, it handles liquids with ease. There are many technical reviews here that are very informative. I also purchased a rolling cart so I can wheel this thing away to a storage room when not in use. The cart has a couple shelves that I use for bags and sous vide equipment.
Tpeak : Great semi-commercial sealer
While you probably won't run this machine in a commercial shop, I've used it for 3-4 hours at a time and it worked perfectly. As others have said, there is a bit of a learning curve and keep in mind you need to buy specific bags to suit the machine, but it is highly recommended. If you are a hunter or even a home cook who cooks in large batches, you will not be disappointed.
dcmb : Still wowed!
I've packed fresh fish fillets, squid, sliced up bulk pancetta into 1/4 lb. packages. Very happy with this purchase.
MD 7562 : It's a great product and blows away the Foodsaver approach
I bought a VP215 which is basically this unit with a rotary oil pump. It's a great product and blows away the Foodsaver approach. Of course, you get what you pay for. I write just to say the the oil rotary pump model may be better suited to the small commercial business than this VP210 dry piston model, but for the home user it might be overkill. I elected to endure the oil changes etc, but not sure I really needed to for home sous vide use. Many of the features of the VP 210 and 215 are identical (all but the pump system) that I feel comfortable saying this is a very good product and is about as big as the home user needs to buy.
SewLittleTime : I love it! This replaced our FoodSaver
I love it! This replaced our FoodSaver. My husband came back with over 200 lbs of sushi grade tuna that he caught from Baja California. That machine worked like a champ! We packed over 200 bags in one night and handled it with no problem. When I was shopping for a replacement to our FoodSaver I called Ary, Inc (VacMaster) and spoke to Sarah in customer support and she was very accommodating had the tech support call me to answer all my questions. Worth the $$$.
whatever : It's a pretty industrial design and
It works well in general.
-The amount of space is actually smaller than you'd think.
-If you have a lot of liquid, the water will eventually boil and it might then push out of the bag and then you've got a cleanup issue. I
_think_ the bottom pan is molded aluminum so at least it shouldn't corrode.
-If the bag is too large, relative to the contents, you won't get a high vacuum even if you have very little air in it to begin with,
The interface isn't very informative- if the latch is set when it shouldn't, you'll get a cryptic 2 letter error code. When it's done, it'll say "ED", which I suppose means "END" but it's surprising that they only used a 2 character LED. Also, there's an on/off switch on the side that isn't labeled as "on/off", so I drew that in with a marker.
It's a pretty industrial design and, for the price, I'm really hoping it lasts quite a while.
-The amount of space is actually smaller than you'd think.
-If you have a lot of liquid, the water will eventually boil and it might then push out of the bag and then you've got a cleanup issue. I
_think_ the bottom pan is molded aluminum so at least it shouldn't corrode.
-If the bag is too large, relative to the contents, you won't get a high vacuum even if you have very little air in it to begin with,
The interface isn't very informative- if the latch is set when it shouldn't, you'll get a cryptic 2 letter error code. When it's done, it'll say "ED", which I suppose means "END" but it's surprising that they only used a 2 character LED. Also, there's an on/off switch on the side that isn't labeled as "on/off", so I drew that in with a marker.
It's a pretty industrial design and, for the price, I'm really hoping it lasts quite a while.
Kyle Rabon : Definitely an great buy.
This unit is exceptional! I've had it for only a few weeks so I cant give the long term use perspective, but what I can say is this thing ROCKS! I put the unit to hard continuous work for about an hour sealing up roughly 30 of 10"x13" bags with summer sausage I made. Consistent results each and every time.
The unit is heavy and not something that you would want to be constantly moving around your kitchen. The unit is pricey but seems to be worth the money as the initial performance is impressive.
Also take into consideration the convenience of premade chamber pouches and EXTREMELY low cost of each bag. I recently bought 1,000 8"x10" bags for 42.99 ... that's $.04 a bag!!
I would make this purchase again. Definitely an great buy.
The unit is heavy and not something that you would want to be constantly moving around your kitchen. The unit is pricey but seems to be worth the money as the initial performance is impressive.
Also take into consideration the convenience of premade chamber pouches and EXTREMELY low cost of each bag. I recently bought 1,000 8"x10" bags for 42.99 ... that's $.04 a bag!!
I would make this purchase again. Definitely an great buy.
Claire : Seals food with liquids, but has a small learning curve to use it
I am a home cook and have been cooking food sous vide, but the standard external sealers always pull moisture/liquids up and out of the bag which is very frustrating. The VP210 chamber allows you to seal bags with none to alot of liquid. However, there is a learning curve, and I had to call technical support a couple of times to get the machine set up correctly, but once it is set up, it works great. I am able to seal meats and liquids in the machine without a problem.
The first machine that I received was dented on a back corner and the cover of the machine was set too low so it was impossible to plug it in. Amazon overnighted a replacement (thank you, I needed it for thanksgiving).
Then I needed to speak to technical support a couple of times to help set up the machine settings. I had to increase the the seal time of the machine up to 1.4 or 1.5... technical support said not to raise it above 1.5, but the setting as set by the factory was too short, so when the bag was sealing, air was getting back into the bag.
I raised the vacuum time in the chamber to 60 seconds due to the initial trouble I was having of the bags not holding the vacuum, but can probably lower the time now back to 40 seconds since the seal time is set to a longer time.
This is a basic chamber sealer for a very reasonable price compared to other units on the market, but you have to play around with the time you set the machine to vacuum. You cannot choose to set it to specific vacuum percentages, you have to experiment with the time to get the effect you want on a particular type of food. Most foods will seal within 40 seconds.
Researching the machine online, I read that this is dry rocker piston instead of the more expensive rotary oil motor. The dry rocker piston machine will tend to clog after sealing bags with alot of moisture in them (items like fish), but supposedly will still last 10 time longer than the typical countertop external strip sealing machine. The rotary oil motor machine will last 10 times longer than the dry rocker piston machine. However, I am using this on a home basis, not a commercial setting, so the representative said that the dry rocker piston would be fine.
There is a newer, smaller lighter-weight vp112 vacmaster sealer, which uses the same motor in the vp210, has a port for external vacuum sealing of bottles with the attachments commonly found on other brands like foodsaver, and is light weight because the cover is a foldable plastic without the heavier lid closing mechanism found on the vp210. Its also cheaper by a couple of hundred dollars. I opted to go with the vp210 because the chamber is slightly bigger and the bottom is flat. The bottom of the the vp112 is slightly curved, like a bathtub, so only the middle of the chamber has the full depth.
Note: I purchased the rolls of vacmaster bags with the vacstrip (amazon listed them as being purchased by others with this machine), which I found out from the company are not meant to be used with chamber vac machines (the bags were not sealing with a vacuum). When using the pre-made bags that come with the machine (25 bags each of 3 different sizes are included with the machine for a total of 75 bags) the sealer works as intended. I was told by the company to purchase the 3 mil premade pouches.
The first machine that I received was dented on a back corner and the cover of the machine was set too low so it was impossible to plug it in. Amazon overnighted a replacement (thank you, I needed it for thanksgiving).
Then I needed to speak to technical support a couple of times to help set up the machine settings. I had to increase the the seal time of the machine up to 1.4 or 1.5... technical support said not to raise it above 1.5, but the setting as set by the factory was too short, so when the bag was sealing, air was getting back into the bag.
I raised the vacuum time in the chamber to 60 seconds due to the initial trouble I was having of the bags not holding the vacuum, but can probably lower the time now back to 40 seconds since the seal time is set to a longer time.
This is a basic chamber sealer for a very reasonable price compared to other units on the market, but you have to play around with the time you set the machine to vacuum. You cannot choose to set it to specific vacuum percentages, you have to experiment with the time to get the effect you want on a particular type of food. Most foods will seal within 40 seconds.
Researching the machine online, I read that this is dry rocker piston instead of the more expensive rotary oil motor. The dry rocker piston machine will tend to clog after sealing bags with alot of moisture in them (items like fish), but supposedly will still last 10 time longer than the typical countertop external strip sealing machine. The rotary oil motor machine will last 10 times longer than the dry rocker piston machine. However, I am using this on a home basis, not a commercial setting, so the representative said that the dry rocker piston would be fine.
There is a newer, smaller lighter-weight vp112 vacmaster sealer, which uses the same motor in the vp210, has a port for external vacuum sealing of bottles with the attachments commonly found on other brands like foodsaver, and is light weight because the cover is a foldable plastic without the heavier lid closing mechanism found on the vp210. Its also cheaper by a couple of hundred dollars. I opted to go with the vp210 because the chamber is slightly bigger and the bottom is flat. The bottom of the the vp112 is slightly curved, like a bathtub, so only the middle of the chamber has the full depth.
Note: I purchased the rolls of vacmaster bags with the vacstrip (amazon listed them as being purchased by others with this machine), which I found out from the company are not meant to be used with chamber vac machines (the bags were not sealing with a vacuum). When using the pre-made bags that come with the machine (25 bags each of 3 different sizes are included with the machine for a total of 75 bags) the sealer works as intended. I was told by the company to purchase the 3 mil premade pouches.
Murray Brown : Absolutely amazing
I upgraded from the VacMaster VP112S. Does weigh considerably more. Super-easy to setup, love the speed of the machine and the lid opens when task completed. HIGHLY-RECOMMEND. Serious quality. I use it for almost everything. Almost make excuses to use it.
Gualberto S : Five Stars
It work really good
Briar Freak : Rivervail Farm
So far it is working great
yimyammer : My #1 Favorite Kitchen Tool!
This is my favorite kitchen toy, its fantastic! And it pays for itself in how much longer food lasts in the refrigerator or freezer (Ex: I have 4 month old cream cheese that I sealed in a small bag and squeeze out like toothpaste as needed then reseal). I buy bulk quantities of beef, pork, fish, etc, portion them and freeze. I've eaten 2 year old fish that are still tasty and fresh.
There are a ton of fun tricks you can do as well like a quick pickle in an open container (google it)
Lastly, VacMasters service is fantastic, you don't get routed through a horrendous voice machine, a human being takes your call and patiently trouble shoots any problems over the phone in clearly understandable english (don't take that last part the wrong way, I'm not knocking other languages or cultures, I love diversity, I just want to be able to someone who speaks my language when working on a technical support issue).
FYI-Keep the oil changed and clean on this machine or it can seize up on you and cost a lot of money and time to repair. They recommend changing every 500 bags but it never hurts to change it early. Keep an eye on the little window in the back of the machine to see how clean its running or if its low. When in doubt change it out. Be sure to keep a big bottle of their oil available at all times.
Enjoy!
There are a ton of fun tricks you can do as well like a quick pickle in an open container (google it)
Lastly, VacMasters service is fantastic, you don't get routed through a horrendous voice machine, a human being takes your call and patiently trouble shoots any problems over the phone in clearly understandable english (don't take that last part the wrong way, I'm not knocking other languages or cultures, I love diversity, I just want to be able to someone who speaks my language when working on a technical support issue).
FYI-Keep the oil changed and clean on this machine or it can seize up on you and cost a lot of money and time to repair. They recommend changing every 500 bags but it never hurts to change it early. Keep an eye on the little window in the back of the machine to see how clean its running or if its low. When in doubt change it out. Be sure to keep a big bottle of their oil available at all times.
Enjoy!
Amazon Customer : Now I have 3!
We are big into food storage and this Vacuum Packer is invaluable when it comes to food storage. It actually pays for it's self when you finally realize how much you spend on bags. Food saver bags are 6x more expensive than the ones used with this machine.
Allan Phillips : This machine changed our lives - in the greatest way ever!
Where do I start? This machine excels at vacuum packaging foods for the freezer and fridge as other reviewers have said so I won't go into that. It double seals and has the best vacuum I have ever seen in a home use product but that is just the beginning of the uses for this machine.
It's heavy and I suggest you get a cart to permanently place it in the kitchen area. I bought a cart from webrestaurant that was 24x36 with two shelves. That's also where we get our pouches. The upper shelf holds different sized pouches ready to use and the bottom shelf holds the boxes the extra pouches are stored in as well as the tattler lids (more on that later). On top there is room for my meat grinder and vacuum sealer as well as the dissolvable labels for the vacuum sealed jars. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8TF1LP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Vacuum sealing jars is where this machine really comes into it's own. Vacuum sealed jars should stay good for many years. To do this we use Tattler lids that are reusable and easily resealable. When vacuum sealing jars we set the sealing time to 0.0 seconds and the cooling time to 9.9 seconds to "soak" under the vacuum. knowing how much pressure to use when tightening the Tattler lids can be found on their website and might take some practice. We use the Tattler site with free shipping. To open the Tattler lids we just use a bottle opener we keep on the fridge but be sure to open from the thick side of the lid and don't use the pointy end. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0888RHDX5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We vacuum seal spices so we don't have old caked spices we have to throw away anymore. Powdered milk. Wheat and Rye berries we mill for flour. Rice. Split peas. Chips. Crackers that stay good and crunchy for months. Cereal. Pretty much anything that is dry goods and bought in bulk to save money. Just use your imagination...
There are some things that should not be vacuum sealed in jars because of the risk of Botulism. Anything that is not completely dry including brown sugar.
I know it's not elegant and someday I might come up with a better way to put "juicy" food like ground meat into the pouches but it works. I bought a drum funnel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CQI270/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and cut the bottom off with a hacksaw. Then we put the pouch into a container with the funnel on top. This helps a lot with the raw dog food we make for our dogs out of ground up chicken leg quarters and scalded vegetables and eggs (BARF diet). That stuff is a mess to pouch up. It's also a help with ground beefburger. Then pull the filled pouch out of the container, seal it, flatten it out and pop it in the freezer. Defrosting these "flattened out" pouches also takes about half the time because of all the surface area exposed. Another win...
I hope this has helped you make a decision. It's heavy and expensive and requires a little thought as to how to place it and use it for maximum benefit. We LOVE it and have used it several times a day for the last year.
Happy sealing!
It's heavy and I suggest you get a cart to permanently place it in the kitchen area. I bought a cart from webrestaurant that was 24x36 with two shelves. That's also where we get our pouches. The upper shelf holds different sized pouches ready to use and the bottom shelf holds the boxes the extra pouches are stored in as well as the tattler lids (more on that later). On top there is room for my meat grinder and vacuum sealer as well as the dissolvable labels for the vacuum sealed jars. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8TF1LP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Vacuum sealing jars is where this machine really comes into it's own. Vacuum sealed jars should stay good for many years. To do this we use Tattler lids that are reusable and easily resealable. When vacuum sealing jars we set the sealing time to 0.0 seconds and the cooling time to 9.9 seconds to "soak" under the vacuum. knowing how much pressure to use when tightening the Tattler lids can be found on their website and might take some practice. We use the Tattler site with free shipping. To open the Tattler lids we just use a bottle opener we keep on the fridge but be sure to open from the thick side of the lid and don't use the pointy end. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0888RHDX5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We vacuum seal spices so we don't have old caked spices we have to throw away anymore. Powdered milk. Wheat and Rye berries we mill for flour. Rice. Split peas. Chips. Crackers that stay good and crunchy for months. Cereal. Pretty much anything that is dry goods and bought in bulk to save money. Just use your imagination...
There are some things that should not be vacuum sealed in jars because of the risk of Botulism. Anything that is not completely dry including brown sugar.
I know it's not elegant and someday I might come up with a better way to put "juicy" food like ground meat into the pouches but it works. I bought a drum funnel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CQI270/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and cut the bottom off with a hacksaw. Then we put the pouch into a container with the funnel on top. This helps a lot with the raw dog food we make for our dogs out of ground up chicken leg quarters and scalded vegetables and eggs (BARF diet). That stuff is a mess to pouch up. It's also a help with ground beefburger. Then pull the filled pouch out of the container, seal it, flatten it out and pop it in the freezer. Defrosting these "flattened out" pouches also takes about half the time because of all the surface area exposed. Another win...
I hope this has helped you make a decision. It's heavy and expensive and requires a little thought as to how to place it and use it for maximum benefit. We LOVE it and have used it several times a day for the last year.
Happy sealing!
matt : Food saver........just throw it away or give to the less fortunate ..or your enemy?
seriously don't even hesitate buying one ..yes I know its super expensive ..but you will NOT regret it not one bit ! just get the funeral arrangements set up for your foodsaver because your will hate that thing after buying the vacmaster it is not even the same league ...hell not even the same sport !
made in the USA and built like a tank you wont be sorry not one bit..
made in the USA and built like a tank you wont be sorry not one bit..
John smith : Incredible shipping team.
Arrived in spectacular time, however there looks like what seems to be a stab mark with a pen on the corner of the display. Otherwise in working order incredible vac seal without a doubt, has double sealing bars which I love. Comes with spare fuses heat shield and burner wires. Without a doubt great deal. Will be having the company note the damages in case of future malfunctioning. **UPDATE** Seals soup, water, fish frozen and fresh, oranges, salad, chips (crunch), rice (varied pressure to avoid puncture ????), pasta, clothes(be nice for extra socks and undies camping or ice fishing) everything we put this thing to the test and yep sealed it all.. you'll say why did I wait so long.
amenina : Very good machine, we have for two years and we ...
Very good machine, we have for two years and we use it for a restaurant and we never had problems until now, theres a switch or something not working propertly, and I think is because we use it a lot........
yimyammer : My #1 Favorite Kitchen Tool!
This is my favorite kitchen toy, its fantastic! And it pays for itself in how much longer food lasts in the refrigerator or freezer (Ex: I have 4 month old cream cheese that I sealed in a small bag and squeeze out like toothpaste as needed then reseal). I buy bulk quantities of beef, pork, fish, etc, portion them and freeze. I've eaten 2 year old fish that are still tasty and fresh.
There are a ton of fun tricks you can do as well like a quick pickle in an open container (google it)
Lastly, VacMasters service is fantastic, you don't get routed through a horrendous voice machine, a human being takes your call and patiently trouble shoots any problems over the phone in clearly understandable english (don't take that last part the wrong way, I'm not knocking other languages or cultures, I love diversity, I just want to be able to someone who speaks my language when working on a technical support issue).
FYI-Keep the oil changed and clean on this machine or it can seize up on you and cost a lot of money and time to repair. They recommend changing every 500 bags but it never hurts to change it early. Keep an eye on the little window in the back of the machine to see how clean its running or if its low. When in doubt change it out. Be sure to keep a big bottle of their oil available at all times.
Enjoy!
There are a ton of fun tricks you can do as well like a quick pickle in an open container (google it)
Lastly, VacMasters service is fantastic, you don't get routed through a horrendous voice machine, a human being takes your call and patiently trouble shoots any problems over the phone in clearly understandable english (don't take that last part the wrong way, I'm not knocking other languages or cultures, I love diversity, I just want to be able to someone who speaks my language when working on a technical support issue).
FYI-Keep the oil changed and clean on this machine or it can seize up on you and cost a lot of money and time to repair. They recommend changing every 500 bags but it never hurts to change it early. Keep an eye on the little window in the back of the machine to see how clean its running or if its low. When in doubt change it out. Be sure to keep a big bottle of their oil available at all times.
Enjoy!
you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you
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