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

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.

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.

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.

James Iler : Disappointed

Vacuum was great but after 12 seals it stopped sealing. Followed directions for cool down and 15 second wait between bags...but to no avail. Waited a few days and tried again with same results. Finally returned it. I've gotten other LEM products and no complaints - so disappointed with this. I bought this as an upgrade ….but actually went back to using my 10 year old "seal a meal" to complete the job and it required no waiting between bags.

Richard L. Shoop : Heavy Duty

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

Monique Ouellette : Difficile à faire fonctionner

Demande de peser TRÈS fort sur le couvert pour que la machine succion et son air. Le fil qui chauffe pour faire le seal est souvent plié ce qui ne scelle pas complètement. On l’a changé, mais ne scelle pas toujours bien. On est vraiment déçus de notre achat. Nous avions lu les bonnes évaluations des acheteurs, nous pensions acheter un article supérieur, mais il n’est pas meilleur que les autres marques moins cher.

KC : Powerful Suction, Large Drip Well, Professional Heat Seams

This LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum sealer w (removable) Bag Holder and Cutter is professional quality for your home. The machine itself is not too large, being about the size of an electric typewriter, just before they went extinct. This vacuums out air like a monster, and the included LEM vacuum bag roll (air channels in vertical stripes) works incredibly well in conjunction with their machine. I tried this with my other commercially purchased pre-cut bags (wholesale/ non-branded, air channels in different cross hatch sizes) and this sealer worked just as well with the non-LEM bags too. This type of vacuum sealer does not work with non-air channel (smooth) bags, however- you need a different type of machine for that, so be aware that you can't just put any bag in here.

This sealer has a built-in fan that runs w a low hum when power is connected. The power light is red, until you press the ON/OFF button, and then the power light turns green. You can seal an end of a bag w/o the vacuum, by placing the end of the bag you want sealed over the teflon (beige strip), closing and locking the lid over it, and pressing MANUAL SEAL. It takes just a few seconds before auto stopping and cooling on it's own. The resulting heat seal is a wider pattern with no crimping, that looks like commercial seals, and not like the cheaper vacuum seal machines make (single line type). It is recommended that the curved side of the bag be placed face down. I noticed that the down side is also the textured side.

To start a vacuum and seal cycle w food, you just put the end of the bag into the drip well, past the teflon heat seal strip, close lid, lock and press START. The machine will also auto stop and cool when done vacuuming and sealing on it's own. You can press STOP at anytime, and the vacuum will stop (I noticed the seal is made at that point as well- you won't get the bag back open if you press STOP). This sealer, like others of this type, needs to not get wetness or dust within it, and the directions go over how you can prevent this if you want to vacuum pack powders (keep it in original bag, put whole thing in separate sealing bag); wet foods (freeze first, or add a napkin in the bag between the food and the suction), etc... With a little care, this looks like it should last a long time- it's quite powerful. I'm very impressed with the LEM brand food processing equipment, and have several of their amazing machines, and have used their sausage casings and jerky spices, for many years. I highly recommend this vacuum sealer, even for regular household use- it saves a lot of money by keeping food fresh, and you won't be throwing out a lot of cheaper vacuum sealers that just don't work this consistently or well.

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.

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.

June Ash : Works very well.

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

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.

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.

S. Beck : LOVE LEM

Love the LEM products and this sealer too. It's made well and it's so much easier than the original sealers. We process venison and buy in bulk so this heavy duty piece is needed. Bags are always expensive though but compared to the loss of freezer burnt foods, it's worth it in my opinion.

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.

Yankeenewf : perfect

works as described

James Iler : Disappointed

Amazon Customer : Great product!

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

James Iler : Disappointed

carlos garces : Product wouldn't seal, not once

The product was not working when we received it

John : Very satisfied

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

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.

Brian R : Do Not waste your money.....GARBAGE!!!!!!

I have had a Foodsaver for many years now and was looking to upgrade with this unit. I was looking forward to using it, but after a few attempts to seal some bags this unit was very disappointing. The sealer barely removes any air out of the bag before it shuts down and seals, for the money that was spent I really expected a lot more from it. I would never buy another LEM product for as long as I living..... Very Very Displeased. There's no way to control suction or the amount of time that the sealer runs before runs, it just decides when and seals.

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.

Bryan : Should say like of seal ring is maybe 150 cycles

The box claims it will run 450 cycles, with 15 sec I nd break in-between. My grandma has the same one, we used hers to start with because mine was a week late arriving via usps (go figure). Hers ran maybe 100 cycles over 4 hours, and started to not suck the bags down very well. Too a break, and when we went back, wouldn't suck them down at all. Flipped the seal ring over, and it sealed a little better. Did maybe 25 bags, and now it's back to not sealing. Tried to find seal rings, and they're backordered. If you do a little every now and then it'd probably be fine, much more than that dont waste your time.

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 : 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.

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.

stac : **

Great item

Brian R : Do Not waste your money.....GARBAGE!!!!!!

Med : Steer away from this one!

This product is a piece of junk! Bought one in mid September of last year and it has already quit working! Don’t waste your money on this product!? Should have known better when I saw some of the other reviews

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.

Darci Merrick : Only for dry goods

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

Amazon Customer : Great product!

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

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.

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