LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer with Bag Holder & Cutter review and price compare 2025

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you

Product overview

Brand	LEM
Material	Aluminum
Color	Silver
Item Weight	14.44 Pounds
Power Source	Corded Electric

product features

This fits your .

by entering your model number.
5 Hours of Continuous Use and 450 consecutive seals
14" Seal Bar; Aluminum housing with One-Handed Locking Lid
Includes Bag Material Holder & Cutter and One 8”x25’ roll of vacuum bag material
Auto Shut Off at Full Vacuum; Extra-large spill trough
Unprecedented 2 Year Warranty

From the manufacturer

LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer with Bag Holder & Cutter

The LEM MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer is a high-quality, durable appliance that works well for those who don't need the industrial output of a larger machine. Powerful and Easy-to-Use: The powerful pump and 14" x 1/4" seal bar will extract the air, seal it tight and extend the freshness and freezer life of your favorite foods. One Handed Locking Lid: With the 1-handed locking mechanism, the other hand is free to hold the bag making it easy for you to lock in freshness and flavor with the flick of a switch. Durable Construction: Aluminum construction means this unit is built to last and will blend in well with other kitchen appliances. 5 Hours of Continuous Use: A built-in continuous run cooling fan on the LEM MaxVac 500 allows for 5 consecutive hours of use and can do 450+ seals without stopping or cooling down. Customizable Bag Size: Includes a roll material holder and cutter to customize your bag size. Includes 8" x 25' roll of bag material. Material holder and cutter can be removed for standalone use.

Features:

Aluminum housing with one-hand locking lid
Circuit breaker for unit protection
Built-in cooling fan
Bag material holder and cutter
Auto mode vacuums and seals
Accessory port for storage containers
Detachable 6' power cord
Extra large spill trough
1/4" heat strip accommodates 14" wide bags
Includes bag material holder/cutter and one 8" x 25' roll of vacuum bag material

product description

Seals up to 5 hours continuously! The perfect vacuum sealer for the frequent user. Will extend the freezer life of your food. Powerful vacuum and 1-hand locking mechanism makes this easy to use. You can use the automatic or manual option to vacuum and seal. Includes a detachable 6' power cord, circuit breaker for unit protection, built in cooling fan and accessory port for storage containers. Protect against freezer burn and seal in the freshness and nutrients. Includes 8" x 25' roll of bag material, but the 1/4" heat strip accommodates 14" wide bags. Two-Year Warranty. LEM Products makes home meat processing easy! We deliver high quality meat processing equipment: meat grinders, jerky making equipment, and vacuum sealers along with the needed supplies for the hunter and home meat processor. Our products allow everyone from butchers, restaurants, and the at-home meat processor to make delicious sausage, jerky and other meat products, all while controlling the healthy content of the foods they provide for their family and friends. LEM is the leader in game processing. We research what our consumers need and translate that into products that help hunters save time and money by turning their hard-earned game into the purest organic meat that can be found. All of our LEM products and Backwoods seasonings have been customized and crafted with the home game processor in mind. Our meat grinders and sausage stuffers are used by hunters and restaurants alike. Our vacuum sealers are powerful enough to handle the continuous sealing that fishermen often need. Our dehydrators and slicers are built for meat processors who love making jerky and deli-thin meat. Whether you need a meat grinder, sausage stuffing machine, dehydrator, deli meat slicer, freezer storage solutions, food storage, casings, or seasoning, we will deliver it in a high-quality way. Our goal is to deliver high quality products that make food preparation easy and fun. We will support our customers with end-to-end service and guaranteed satisfaction.

product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 22 x 20 x 9 inches; 14.44 Pounds
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1253
Department ‏ : ‎ Mens
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ July 31, 2017
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ LEM Products
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074FBHLPK
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ China

important information

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you

Questions about LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer with Bag Holder & Cutter

Can the vacuum sealer be too cold to work

Answer: I have not experienced any problems with my unit / pleased with mine.

Can the vacuum work and seal poly bag tubbing?

Answer: It will likely seal however, if the poly bag does not have the little air channels in it, the machine cannot suck the air out first.

Answer: I’m not sure but I think it would melt the bag

1.)Does it have a port for canisters? 2.) Does it have a pulse function?

Answer: It has a port. No pulse.

Can an external hose attachment be used with this unit for marinade containers?

Answer: I have never tried it. Our Lem isn’t sealing and I will have to call in to see if they can solve my problem

Part for macchin

How do you install the cutter blade?

Answer: There is a piece of metal on the back of the unit you slide the plastic cutter slides on top of. Hope this helps!

What are the dimensions and weight of this machine? -Thank you

Answer: Go to the LEM site and look it up...it is a fantastic machine if you think it may be too big don't buy it.

does thjis unit have a double heat sealer

Answer: Its has one sealer but it is very good. It does come with an extra sealer strip. So don’t accidentally throw it out. I’m very happy with this one and have had several different styles that haven’t lasted.

Can I use my own commercial bags?

Answer: YES....with all sealers you can use a variety of bags....

Answer: Yes I bought the cheapest bags amazon sells and works fine.

Answer: Absolutely! (Obviously some bag brands are stronger, thicker & less likely to leak) This machine gets all the air out!

Answer: Yes, we do and have no trouble.

Answer: Yes you can.

Has anyone had difficulty with the door not releasing after the bag is sealed?

Answer: Yes mine wouldn't open at all after it sealed. I had to send it back to get a replacement.

Answer: I had that problem as well as the "axle" for the lid bending and the seal not holding, on the initial unit as well as the replacement. After the second one only worked properly for three weeks I just threw the whole thing in the trash

Answer: I’ve had mine for over two years. I haven’t had any issues with mine.

Answer: Sometimes the clasp is dirty but otherwise I've only replaced the foam gasket

Answer: Have not had that issue.

where is it made?

Answer: Sure

Does this model have a weighted lid for hands free sealing?

Answer: No, it has a latch

Will this seal mylar bags?

Answer: According to the instructions it does.

Does it have replacement cutter blade for Lens 1253

Answer: If you are talking about the cutter that cuts the bag it does not. It comes with a extra heat seal tape however. Very nice sealer. I am sure you could find replacement parts if you went straight to the manufacturer.

Can you adjust lid latch? I have to push hard on lid for it to work

Answer: There is no adjustment on the latch. It’s hard to push to maintain the seal needed when vacuuming.

Answer: To an answer your question, I suggest you contact LEM. They are very nice and helpful. But, what might be your problem, I've experienced this issue, place the rough side of the plastic bags DOWN, with the smooth side up. Also, it may be possible that your sealer is dirty. I do a lot of sealing with my unit and after every job, I clean the heating/sealing element. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

Answer: Me too.

When does the warranty start?

Answer: I believe it will be the day that you get the receipt. To validate your warranty you have to fill out the warranty card and have proof of purchase.

Is it nsf certified

Answer: I would imagine it is. It is used for food preparation. I use mine for commercial applications also.

Is the spool adjustable for wider bags?

Answer: Yes, it says so and I do use large and small bags.

Answer: Only so far for 11 in

Can it seal marinated food?

Answer: Yes. The trick is to place a paper towel over top of the food before you seal it so the towel will absorb the liquid and prevent it getting in the seal itself and causing a poor vacuum seal.

Answer: It will seal but makes the biggest mess doing it! This product is not worth buying!

Answer: Yes, as long as you make the bag longer and watch to your not sucking the liquids into the machine.

Does it seal foil bags?

Answer: Some.

Does it have a pulse function? (for working with delicate items, like bread, etc.)

Answer: You can shut it off at anytime. There is no pulse function like a good processor, but you can hit “stop” and interrupt the sealing cycle.

Answer: Go to the LEM site and download the manual and all your questions will be answered. I only use this sealer for meat. Deer season this thing runs red hot.

How wide (not how long) is the heating element? Or how wide of a seal does this make?

Answer: See first answer here. lemproducts{dot}com/product/part-heating-element-maxvac-selaers

Answer: The width of the heating element is 5mm

how many pounds of vacuum do you get with this model?

Answer: Enough

Can u use " food saver bags" with this unit ?

Answer: I have but the bags from LEM are better quality.

Answer: I use the Food Saver bags in mine because I can't find the LEM bags in stores where I live. They work just fine.

Answer: Yes you can use any type of bag as long as it's for a vacuum sealer

Answer: I did while using up the supply I had, I like the LEM bags better after using both .

Answer: Yes, I use them in mine. I do think the Lem bags are better though.

Answer: Absolutely!!

Answer: Yes

Can vacuum seals be replaced?

Answer: The ones in the machine that seal the vacuum. (foam strips) and the electric strip that melts the bag are replaceable.

Answer: Yes. They are $15.98 direct from LEM https://www.lemproducts.com/product/part-oval-foam-maxvac-1000-500?rrec=true

Answer: Yes. It actually comes with a extra one.

Answer: Yes they can

Answer: Yes they are.

Have never used a food sealing machine. Do not know what to look for. Need a good quality machine that’s easy to operate and clean. Anybody give me so

Answer: This one is easy to use and no problem with clean up. It doesn’t like the food saver brand of bags real well but it will work. If you aren’t expecting to do “a lot” of vac packing then you could go with a less expensive one. We have always had good luck with food saver brand but we needed something to do big volume packing.

Answer: We love our. Lem macvac 500 works great even with lest expensive bags we have use a food saver for 15 years went through 3 of them hoping for the price of the lem it will last us a long time and help us save money

Answer: Our for gift for a hunter and fishermen and he loves it. I have used and I am happy with it.

can the 8' by 50' rolls fit in the machine?

Answer: While there is no in machine bag storage the bag holder that can be attached to the machine can fit any width upto 14 inch and 50 foot long. Just checked a new 50 foot roll.

Answer: Yes. A 50 footroll will fit. I didn't have good luck with the machine though. Stopped the seal stopped working after 2 months o. The first one and three weeks on the replacement. I gave up after that. I'd go for a different brand all together

Answer: NO it doe not fit

Does it have a port for canisters?

Answer: No

Answer: Yes

how many inches of vacuum does this unit pull? An answer that says enough is not acceptable! Thank You!!

Answer: My research found that this machine pulls 26mm hg

Answer: NEXT!

Will this accept a 15" bag

Answer: 14”

Has anyone had experience wit the door not release after sealing, trapping the sealed item in the machine? I'm replacing a Weston that had this issue

Answer: I bought this one hoping if I spent more money it would work better. NOT at all the case with this one. It does not seal well at all! I sent it back to them and they never fixed the problem. It's really not a good product at all.

Answer: I have not has this issue.

Where is this made?

Answer: Taiwan

In the description it mentions about accessory port for storage containers but in some if posted question it says no port so does it or not have port?

Answer: Yes there is a port. It it in the vacuum chanel.

Answer: No it does not have a port! If you haven’t purchased yet, don’t! Biggest waste of money! Broke down after a month barely used! Steer clear of this one.

Answer: No port

Product reviews of LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer with Bag Holder & Cutter

John : Very satisfied

Got this item quickly. Have owned two (2) other brands of sealers over the years and this one is the best.

Amazon Customer : I am very pleased with this item!

I really like this product. It does a great job. It is what it was advertised. I will buy more Lem Products.

Lowell V. Wilkes : A Very Nice Vacuum Sealer

LEM is a great U.S.A. company. I buy all my meat (mostly wild game) processing equipment from them. Everything has been top notch. This vacuum sealer is no exception. And the bags nice and thick. Venison lasts three times longer than when wrapped in freezer paper. But you have to lay a folded up paper towel at the top before sealing or the vacuum will suck the juice right out of the bag and the seal won’t be as good. All in all I couldn’t be happier with this vacuum sealer.

Martin S. : Good quality unit that comes with a replacement sealing strip .

Much better suction than the Weston I had before.

Used to repack 10 lbs of ground beef and a half dozen rib eye steaks so far.

Louise D. Gaile : Great gift.

Does what it says it will do.

Martin S. : Good quality unit that comes with a replacement sealing strip .

Much better suction than the Weston I had before.

Used to repack 10 lbs of ground beef and a half dozen rib eye steaks so far.

imsocrazy : This is the mack daddy of all sealers

First of all this thing is big so make sure you have a lot of room. That said, it is the best sealer I have ever used. My husband and his friends can't wait for hunting season because this is going to mean we can preserve all the meat with ease. I have already used it to seal quite large pieces of meat and it has worked flawlessly. It seals perfectly and makes a very tight seal. This feels like more of a commercial sealer but is made for home use. I have used other sealers in the past, but this one is definitely the very best.

Tom : LEM 1253 MaxVac Vacuum Sealer

This is the best roll type vacuum sealer I have ever used. Forget about the plastic junk you find in Walmart, this is a robust, heavy duty model that will last for years. I especially like the wide width and extra length provided by this sealer. I have a chamber vacuum sealer, but I'm limited by the constraints of the chamber. This allows me to get longer items like king crab legs into the bag without breaking them down. More expensive, but definitely worth it. Every kitchen, residential or commercial should have a vacuum sealer. Your frozen & refrigerated food will last longer and taste better. A definite recommendation.

Alex P. : Lid locks for good seal

I've come from one of the more popular food saver brands out there with dismal results after time as the unit wore out and did not provide a good seal on the bags. The big difference appears to be how the lid locks the heaters in place. This unit has some kind of padding underneath the heat seal which does seem to make a really tight seal on the bag. Which improves the bags ability to keep a vacuum. The well around the vacuum chamber is pretty deep so even if liquid gets in there it isn't hard to mop it out. The roll of plastic bag that arrived with the unit is pretty thick.

It also came with a spare heat strip so I guess those can fail over time and need replacing. Overall a more expensive machine but one that will vacuum your produce and let you save it for a long time in the freezer.

Amazon Customer : Great product!

Great sealing and vacuum! Came with extra Teflon and seal bar for replacement.

Alex P. : Lid locks for good seal

Andy M : It’s a beast.

I have had many food saver food sealers. This unit far out classes any of those. Can seal wet products well but I’d suggest a second manual seal just in case. It’s a beast.

Dina L. Voutour : LEM

LEM Food vacuum packer. This product it awesome!

steven : Awesome everyday use sealer.

FYI -DO NOT VACUUM SEAL LIQUIDS .

We do butcher and smoke our own pork and bacon. This has been a life saver when packaging a lot of product at one time.
(MANUAL SEAL ONLY DO NOT VACUUM SEAL YOUR POTATO CHIPS IF YOU LIKE THEM TO BE WHOLE CHIPS) machine will turn them into crushed powder on vacuum seal)

Also in the off time we use this to reseal our bags of chips, cereal and other cooked food we want to reheat later.

Jill : Waste

Does not work at all seal button broken then got locked shut. Requested a replacement that neve got sent to me and is lost in transit. Big waste of time and money.

Mythic : Wow!! Great sealer! But it is huge........

Man, this is an awesome sealer. It is HUGE compared to my old FreshSaver, that's for sure. But it does a fabulous job. With the old sealer I would seal at least twice since the seal was so thin. Not so with this one. It's not leaking from that seal, no way.

D.Torres : A great deal!

My father and I use this machine to wrap up old magazines and TV guides that I wanted preserved, and this took about two hours. it is just so easy to use, all you do is press two buttons basically, and the machine does the rest. I love this machine and I highly recommend it if you want ease-of-use and long hours of fun actually.
It’s actually a very big machine because of the motors and fans that are in it.So it does take up space but if you’re tired of the cheaper machines and want to stop up to a pro machine at a reasonable price this is the machine for you.

S. Peterson : Fast, powerful, well made!

I've been a big fan of all thing LEM for years. I make a lot of sausage, jerky, ham, bacon, etc. I like to give it as gifts and even bribes. I make big batches which means much of it needs to be frozen and that means vacuum sealing. I have a top-end competitor's machine and instantly I could tell that the LEM was a boss. The best thing is that it takes 14" bags which comes in very handy when dry curing a brisket for corned beef or pastrami. Vacuum sealing is invaluable for sous vide cooking. It comes with a roll of bag material, it has a bag material holder and cutter. It's built like a tank. My other sealer is all plastic. It's got a cooling fan allowing it to be used for 5 hours straight. I'll never have enough product to put it to the test but I have no doubt that's possible. Also, you can seal a bag using one hand on the bag and the other on the lid. That process is not possible with my other sealer. It has an auto and manual mode. I'm crazy happy with this sealer and it makes me smile this will probably be a family heirloom my kids will have to fit over when I'm eating bacon in the sky.

June Ash : Works very well.

Really enjoyed using this product. Made vacuum sealing alot easier.

B. Anderson : Big beast of a vacuum sealer for heavy duty jobs...or small ones

My initial job with this massive sealer was supposed to be a bunch of beef we'd just purchased, but that didn't turn out to be the case. I ended up sealing about 2 dozen mini cupcakes my daugher had made for a school bake sale, and I think it showcased the unit quite a bit more. After unboxing everything (the sealer, roll holder and cutter), having a quick glance at the instructions (who reads those anyway), I was off and sealing.

You can tell this is an industrial-grade unit, and it will airtight seal anything you put into its jaws, but it did an admirable job with the mini cupcakes as well. I half-expected them to get pulverized in the vacuum process, but they didn't at all. Instead, I was able to seal them appropriately, keeping the sprinkles firmly on top without crushing anything. The locking lid of the sealer is a great feature - no more arranging and balancing bags with one hand while keeping the lid clamped with the other. I was able to knock out all 2 dozen in about 20 minutes without a single casualty. I was also able to seal up some steaks and a few pounds of ground beef just for good measure, but I have to say I'm more impressed with the cupcakes.

Some small feedback: the roll handler / cutter is an excellent add-on, but the blade becomes dull pretty quickly, and there doesn't seem to be any way to replace the blade without replacing the whole thing. The bags included with the system are excellent, but our cheaper bags worked just as well with a bunch of other food items to be sealed.

Overall, this is an amazing unit to have if you're going to be doing more than just a little bit of sealing. We've managed to get recipes wrapped up in this so all we have to do is poke a hole in the bag and microwave it. It's an excellent sealer, and we use it way more than we intended.

stac : **

Great item

Darci Merrick : Only for dry goods

Very dissatisfied, will not seal wet or moist meats, bag becomes very loose after initial vac and seal.

Scott Porter : Love it

Works great and very easy to clean up

Derek L. : Works Great

Works great. Already packaged about 300 bags of wild game and sausage.

Richard L. Shoop : Heavy Duty

This is a heavy duty machine. The heat strips are replaceable. Which is a good thing.

Wilder K. Raven : Large and powerful

This vacuum sealer is huge. Make sure you have ample space to use it! It handles just about anything you throw at it. It's fairly easy to use, too. If you need to seal large portions, this is the one for you. Five stars.

Nathaniel Passman : Keep shopping

This vacuum sealer had trouble from the start with poor sealing. I would vacuum seal meat and go to get out of freezer a month later and it would have air in the bag. The times it did stay sealed it didn't seem to get air out as good as the 100 dollar food saver bags. It did come with an extra seal bar replacement which I had to use 2 months after purchase. I've now had it for about 14 months and I sealed to packs of meat and then on the 3rd it vacuumed the air out but wouldn't seal or allow me to manually seal by pushing button,so when I went to release the bag it was sealed up so tight I had a hell of a time getting it open. This sealer is a nice piece of 300 dollar steel with a fan and thats about it.

Rusty Branaman : Fast and seals every time!

Haven’t used it a lot yet but when I have it worked very well. Ready for deer season to start up

Amazon Customer : Good vacuum machine

Product works very well. Latch is a little stiff to open. I suggest cutting the bottom out of a large McDonald’s drinking cup and sliding your meat through the cup to avoid any moisture in the sealing area. Bags will not seal if wet.

Amazon Customer : I am very pleased with this item!

I really like this product. It does a great job. It is what it was advertised. I will buy more Lem Products.

Amazon Customer : Great product!

Great sealing and vacuum! Came with extra Teflon and seal bar for replacement.

Dina L. Voutour : LEM

LEM Food vacuum packer. This product it awesome!

Furches : Great Vacuum Sealer

Looks well made, easy to use, LEM does not disappoint????????

Daniel E. : Not what I expected for the cost.

This item didnt suck all the air out of bags. I've tried many different food types with the same results. I get much better results with my old almost worn out foodsaver from walmart.

Henry Jaubert : A lot of bang for the buck.

Overall, I'm highly impressed. This unit is heavy and big and looks like a commercial machine. The quality is certainly there and the feral design is great. I gave it 5 stars despite the fact there is no way to adjust the suction down for soups and other really wet foods. This means a little more juice being sucked into ther vacuum chamber. Don't let that dissuade you from getting this unit, it works well; I'm a perfectionist and an engineer, so I intentionally look for flaws. Just because I think there is one thing they might be able to do a little better doesn't make this a bad machine. It's a great machine!

The vacuum chamber is large, so the liquid that gets sucked through has a large enough area for collection that is easy to clean. The vacuum chamber is designed well to keep liquid from being sucked into the pump. The 1/4 inch wide heat strip that seals the bag is plenty wide and hot enough to seal through the liquid and works beautifully.

The automatic feature actually makes this unit simple enough for anyone to operate. We used it after a banquet at our church and the old ladies were all excited to take turns operating it to pack the leftovers.

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you