Vacuum Sealer Recommendations needed


 
J

Jeff Boudman

TVWBB Wizard
The kids have all moved out so we have leftovers now. I can eat pulled pork or brisket twice a day for a week but my wife is not on the same page. Freezing in foil and a freezer rated storage bag don’t work very well.
Recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!
 
I’m can’t recommend this one enough, bought a food saver during a sale and returned it this one just kicked its butt.
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When our Gamesaver sealer stopped sealing completely, we purchased a Nesco VS-12. Our usage is far less than others on this list.
 
We have a FoodSaver GameSaver and I got frustrated that it would stop working after sealing relatively few bags and it would not seal the expandable pleated bags very well. We bought a lightly-used commercial Weston Pro-1100 for less than half price a few years ago and I've been very happy with it. It is adjustable for heat and sealing time and handles the pleated bags well, and I like the wide sealing strip and the cutter because we buy the bags by the roll. It pulls more vacuum than the GameSaver, too. It's too big to keep on the countertop, though.

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So my daughter gave the one we gave her a try a couple days ago. They've go nothing else to do LOL since they're all down with Covid. I bought them a whole tray of steaks so they're freezing some
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Larry, what is your impression of the one you just got? The “Geryon” deal from Amazon. I have not tried mine yet.
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I'm not Larry, but I have the Geryon.

I've used it for about eight 2lb bags of pulled pork, six or eight 3 cup servings of spaghetti sauce, a couple un-cooked tri tips and some cooked and shredded roast chicken. I had a cooked NY steak that was frozen just in saran wrap that I sealed so I could reheat sous vide and it worked fine.

The price fluctuates, and the coupon deals come and go. I just looked up my order and it was $33.99 before tax back in Sept 2021.

edit: current price is $44.99 with a 15% off coupon for the black model.

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Ed Pinnell said:
We have a FoodSaver GameSaver and I got frustrated that it would stop working after sealing relatively few bags and it would not seal the expandable pleated bags very well. We bought a lightly-used commercial Weston Pro-1100 for less than half price a few years ago and I've been very happy with it. It is adjustable for heat and sealing time and handles the pleated bags well, and I like the wide sealing strip and the cutter because we buy the bags by the roll. It pulls more vacuum than the GameSaver, too. It's too big to keep on the countertop, though.

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Costco sells this exact unit. Seeking additional feedback if there are more owners on this board. Thanks in advance.
 
We still have the GameSaver and for the casual user it's fine. I was disappointed with the lack of support from FoodSaver...when it came time to replace the vacuum seals, I had to buy aftermarket (which work fine, BTW). I just logged into Costco and I'm not seeing it online so it must be in store only...I wouldn't pay as much as I did (close to $200) for it. Here is where I've been buying my rolls (bags):

foodvacbags.com

Vacuum Seal Bags & Rolls | Low Prices Free Shipping | FoodVacBags

Better Bags. Lowest Prices Guaranteed! #1 Quality, Best vacuum seal bags & rolls compatible with FoodSaver vacuum sealer & other brands. Perfect for Sous Vide. Low prices, FREE SHIPPING EVERY ORDER! 4.9 star rating. Read More>>
foodvacbags.com foodvacbags.com

Have a look around, maybe ask them, too...they are very helpful. Yahoo groups used to have a FoodSaver group and these people were held in high regard there.
 
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Ed Pinnell said:
We still have the GameSaver and for the casual user it's fine. I was disappointed with the lack of support from FoodSaver...when it came time to replace the vacuum seals, I had to buy aftermarket (which work fine, BTW). I just logged into Costco and I'm not seeing it online so it must be in store only...I wouldn't pay as much as I did (close to $200) for it. Here is where I've been buying my rolls (bags):

foodvacbags.com

Vacuum Seal Bags & Rolls | Low Prices Free Shipping | FoodVacBags

Better Bags. Lowest Prices Guaranteed! #1 Quality, Best vacuum seal bags & rolls compatible with FoodSaver vacuum sealer & other brands. Perfect for Sous Vide. Low prices, FREE SHIPPING EVERY ORDER! 4.9 star rating. Read More>>
foodvacbags.com foodvacbags.com

Have a look around, maybe ask them, too...they are very helpful. Yahoo groups used to have a FoodSaver group and these people were held in high regard there.
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Here’s my use model. I’ll need to vacuum 8-10 steaks consecutively. I’ll do 2.5# of skirt/flap meat in a bag, sealing 4-6 in a session. 2-3 chicken breast in a bag, 4-5 bags in a session. 5-10 boneless chicken thighs in a bag, 4-5 times in a session.

My concern is I don’t want to burn the motor out when using it and don’t want this to be a 60 minute production session. Does this unit hold up to this kind of workload?
 
Brett-EDH said:
Here’s my use model. I’ll need to vacuum 8-10 steaks consecutively. I’ll do 2.5# of skirt/flap meat in a bag, sealing 4-6 in a session. 2-3 chicken breast in a bag, 4-5 bags in a session. 5-10 boneless chicken thighs in a bag, 4-5 times in a session.

My concern is I don’t want to burn the motor out when using it and don’t want this to be a 60 minute production session. Does this unit hold up to this kind of workload?
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You should be fine, if you, say, wrap the individual steaks in saran wrap and then seal several steaks in a single bag, and then remove the steaks and re-seal as needed. This helps to keep things organized, too, rather than having to keep track of individual packages roaming around in your freezer. If you plan on individual packages and you do 6 or 8 packages in a row, the consumer models will likely shut down and wait for a cool down at some point. It's the number of consecutive sealing operations without a cool down that does it. Your workflow can determine whether the consumer unit will work for you or not. I've never burned one up, or even had to replace a sealing tape, but the vacuum pump and the vacuum chamber seals on the cheaper units are the weak link. Make sure you can buy the vacuum chamber seals and don't store the unit with the lid closed, and when the pump goes it's time to replace the unit.
 
Ed Pinnell said:
You should be fine, if you, say, wrap the individual steaks in saran wrap and then seal several steaks in a single bag, and then remove the steaks and re-seal as needed. This helps to keep things organized, too, rather than having to keep track of individual packages roaming around in your freezer. If you plan on individual packages and you do 6 or 8 packages in a row, the consumer models will likely shut down and wait for a cool down at some point. It's the number of consecutive sealing operations without a cool down that does it. Your workflow can determine whether the consumer unit will work for you or not. I've never burned one up, or even had to replace a sealing tape, but the vacuum pump and the vacuum chamber seals on the cheaper units are the weak link. Make sure you can buy the vacuum chamber seals and don't store the unit with the lid closed, and when the pump goes it's time to replace the unit.
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Exactly the data I was seeking. Thank you.
 
What will happen at some point is, there is a vacuum switch that has to see a certain minimum vacuum before the unit will seal, and one day you got a load of food to do and the unit runs and runs and won't seal. You clean the chamber seals and it still won't seal. You replace the chamber seals and it still won't seal. Your pump has worn out or the switch has failed and it's time for a new sealer. With a commercial sealer there are parts and support, but they are built to last day in and day out, too. I bought this one second-hand for less than I paid for the GameSaver so I put up with the big and heavy downside. FoodSaver sucks for parts and support on the GameSaver model I have, BTW...couldn't even buy a set of replacement chamber seals, had to buy aftermarket, which work great.
 
In answer to my thoughts. Given that the regular old food saver is a $150 investment (even at Costco) it will be the first and last one for me. From here, I would snag the one I got my daughter as she says it works great, or move into a commercial unit. But the use we give one is "spotty". It really only gets much use on the days I grab a Costco Prime Strip Loin and dispatch it into my preferred cuts. We otherwise rarely use it. But on the day(s) we use it we give it a real workout because I freeze every piece individually.
 
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