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

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Product overview

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

product features

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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

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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

Louise D. Gaile : Great gift.

Does what it says it will do.

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.

stac : **

Great item

Kindle Customer : WHAT A PERFECT ITEM TO ADD TO THE KITCHEN

easy to use and works like a charm - great way to save foods and easy to reheat - food tastes perfect . Bag sizing allows for individual packaging

mkpsmith : This is a large unit

I have now owned 4 vacuum sealers, each being an upgrade from the last. I would say this is a great vacuum sealer and has some options that I wasn’t use to. It seals bags fast with the push of a button. And is quite. Just make sure you have the storage and counter space.

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.

Darci Merrick : Only for dry goods

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

Eugene : This is the one to buy!

The LEM sealer was put to the test the same day it arrived with 2 plus hours of sealing deer sausage rolls without any failure. Great value, shipped quickly, and great product.

B Morcomb : Didn't Work

This thing didn't work at all right out of the box. It had absolutely no suction power at all. I don't plan on buying any more LEM products after this experience.

Yankeenewf : perfect

works as described

Dina L. Voutour : LEM

LEM Food vacuum packer. This product it awesome!

Yankeenewf : perfect

works as described

Alex P. : Lid locks for good seal

Amazon Customer : No suction power

I was using this to preserve dehydrated dog treats. There's practically no suction power, which is nuts because it's supposed to be industrial. At first, I thought the problem was the irregular shape of the items I was sealing, but then finally tried it with simple items like rice and small, smooth boxes....the seal lasts for a couple minutes at most and then air gets into the bag. I'm two days past my return window. Wish I would have taken it out of the box sooner.

Amazon Customer : No suction power

mkpsmith : This is a large unit

Trego Girl : BAD VACUUM? Problem solved!

I was able to seal three bags and then the vacuum wasn't sucking the air out. I called the company and we did troubleshooting. I was sure I got a dud vacuum like other reviews. The guy told me to put all of my weight on the lid and hit the start button. The machine sucked all the air out in a second, sealed and worked perfect. Hmm, not a bad vacuum. They are sending me replacement foam at no charge. In the meantime I have been using the machine and it is working perfect only if I lean HARD on both sides of the lid. Hope this helps with the problems some of you have had.

Craig : Works Great.

Does an excellent job of sealing many bags in a row. We have had used the Food saver brand at many different price points and the LEM is the best. Out seals all the other brands. We needed a machine that would seal continuously without needing to cool down. The LEM works great for sealing over 150 bags in a row.
Also I like the warranty from the company.

Katherine Hess : Do not buy

Unit only works when ever it wants. Would NOT RECOMMEND. Customer service also sucks. Will not answer emails and phone calls.

andrew : Big. Sturdy. Could use some refinement

Update: it stopped sucking after three months. After some back and forth with LEM they sent me a new one three weeks ago and it was great until three days ago, it started doing the same thing. Have to press down on the door to get the seal to set. I expect it to get worse until it stops all together. I'll have to search for something else.
It works. Mostly. Trying to makes bags from rolls is inadequate. The "manual seal" function doesn't works too well. Have to push door down to get decent seal. The vacuum and seal function works very well and it cleans up very well. The biggest concern for me in my tiny Cafe kitchen is the size. ITS HUGE.

Darian granger : The seals only last for a short amount of time

I bought this vacuum sealer in October 2020 I've only used it about six times it no longer vacuums. And from the day I got it the fan did not work at all I would not recommend this to anybody.

Amazon Customer : No suction power

stac : **

Great item

Yankeenewf : perfect

works as described

Richard L. Shoop : Heavy Duty

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

D. Grant : Industrial but limited

BLUF: This is a heavy duty sealer that has some very real limitations in how you use it. My number one concern was something I could run for a couple of hours at a time and it seems to do that well. However, you are limited in the control you have with it -- basically if the auto function doesn't work for you, there's not much you can do about it.

I'm a hunter with a sausage making hobby. So when I use the sealer, I generally do 10-30 bags at once from a roll (sealing both ends.) My prior sealer was something from thrift store, it worked well enough but would overheat and shut down as it got older. When making sausage a few weeks ago, I had to keep putting it in the freezer to finish. I love my LEM grinder and sausage stuffer, so their vacuum sealer seemed a no-brainer.

I learned some things that weren't in the skimpy manual (mostly warning a warning manual, little instruction). First, if you are using the cut to length bag rolls, you need to run the vacuum to get an adequate seal. The manual says you just stick the end of the bag in, latch the lid, and hit manual seal. But there apparently is not enough pressure on the lid to fully seal, whether using the LEM bags or other. If you put the bag in and hit start, then immediately hit manual seal with the vacuum running, the vacuum pulls the lid down hard enough that you get a full seal. At first this really bothered me, but I noticed some other brands also work like that so I guess it's not that big of a deal.

Second, this machine really only has an auto function, and it is limiting and frustrating. My old thrift store no-name special had two buttons too: vacuum and seal. You held the vacuum button down as long as you wanted until you were happy and then hit seal. The LEM only has start and manual seal. If you hit start and let it run, it will go until it thinks it has enough vacuum and then seal. You can hit manual seal to start sealing early for delicate foods, but the vacuum still runs during the sealing process so you need to hit it a touch before you want it to actually stop or you may still crush your crackers by the time the seal is formed and the vacuum is cut off. You can't stop it and hold vacuum for a couple seconds while you work a couple air pockets from the bottom of your bag out and then finish vacuuming and seal. So if you put in a couple pounds of meet and didn't get air out of the bottom corners before hitting start, it often quickly sucks the air out of the top of the bag and seals, leaving the air in the bottom corners. The LEM brand bags are a little better for this as they seem to have deep air channels, but it still is a problem with all the bags I tried. Perhaps a machine with a two stage pump and stronger vacuum would help with this problem even in auto mode, or perhaps mine has a defective switch. But it frequently seemed to automatically seal my bags before all the air was removed. I had hoped I wouldn't have to manually remove the air before using a vacuum sealer, but that's where I'm at.

Some additional notes: The lid latch mechanism seems worthless to me. For manually sealing the end of the bags, it's not enough pressure as mentioned above, and when running the vacuum you just push on the lid for a fraction of a second and the vacuum does the rest (see the Weston or Avid Armor machines). The latch just seems like extra effort to set and then release. The included bag roll and cutter may be for some people, but I found it made a large machine huge, and if you tried to go quickly with it, it would often catch and pull the bag sideways before starting the cut. This would result in an angled cut or even a tear. I found it much easier to just cut the bags I needed from the roll with a sharp pair of scissors.

Finally - moisture is now a new problem for me. With my old simple sealer, If I saw liquid start to wick up towards the machine I could let off the vacuum and seal. Rarely did I have a problem and I never had to use the paper towel trick. With this machine, once I see the liquid start to pull up past the meat to the machine and hit the manual seal button, it takes too long for the seal to actually be established and I end up needing to double or even triple seal before I get it to work. And this was with sausage, not something like fish fillets.

In summary, I may still return this machine; especially if it seems like the pressure switch inside keeps causing it to seal prematurely. And I admit that much of my frustration is due to my own expectations. I just really wish there was a way to not have to use the automatic mode. If I do return this, I will likely take a hard look at the Avid Armor machine which has the ability to vacuum and seal as separate functions (and it allows you to adjust the seal time.)

Dina L. Voutour : LEM

LEM Food vacuum packer. This product it awesome!

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.

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.

Amazon Customer : Such and ease to use

Our old FoodSaver did us good but we had to put up with its temperamental moods. Sometime it would seal the bag and others, well, it took patients. The LEM Vacuum Sealer was so simple to use I was in ah. I made ten bags in the time it would have taken me to make three bags with the FoodSaver unit. When you make fifty pounds of smoked bacon and sixty pounds of port sausage, you need to make a lot of bags. Never once did the LEM Vacuum Sealer get hot or stop working. Just love it.

Sarah Howe : Doesn't work, ugly, and loud!

I've had it for several months. When I first received it, it wasn't taking all the air out of the bags. So we had to send it back and they fixed it, this took a several weeks. Now I have it back, it won't seal meat unless you freeze it first or put a paper towel in with it. I have wasted $100 in bags trying to get it to work, NOT WORTH THE MONEY! It's also really ugly and loud. I wish I had something good to say about it but I don't.

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.

yotom : Five Stars

Fantastic machine, I use it for all my meat storage, great for hunters who process their own animals

imsocrazy : This is the mack daddy of all sealers

matthew c ahern : Highly recommend this product

I can't compare it to other brands, but this thing is flawless. Have used it with 8 inch and 11 inch rolls. We also ordered the roll holder/cutter and it sure makes for ease of bag making. Highly recommend this product!

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