[QUOTE=PaulF;720891]I have been watching this thread since we have been considering a vacuum sealer for a while. My choices are down to:

Food saver V3240 at $100
Crenova VS 100s at $70
Nutrichef at $60

All three have 4+ stars on Amazon and are in several top choices of people who say they are supposed to be experts.

Worth, any of these in your sights?[/QUOTE]

Your 3240 is on sale at food savers $59.99.
[url]https://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-sealers/counter-top-vacuum-sealers/v3000-series/the-foodsaver-v3240-vacuum-sealing-system/FSFSSL3240-ECR.html[/url]

My vacuum sealed peppers.

100 8X12 vacuum bags for under $14

[url]https://www.amazon.com/Weston-12-Inch-Vacuum-Sealer-Count-30-0101-W/dp/B001GP81OK/ref=gbps_tit_m-6_ddb9_b91f4291?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=e7a416ff-be00-4e7a-8e71-cd914afdddb9&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=5550343011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=T5RM7J86WBX74RW8SW68[/url]

Worth
I have a Weston 2300. It is a commercial machine. It’s worth the investment. I also use it to cook sousvide methods. I am using it for meats etc...
Old chef

Just lost a long post because it said the token expired. :x I have the tall thin food saver. It looks bud but sits along the back wall and takes up little usable counter space while remaining easily accessible. Permafrost bags are fast easy and convenient. The tolls to make your own bags the most versatile. I wait until I get a 30%off coupon from kohl’s and stock up then. They make sturdy reusable plastic containers that can vacuum seal liquids but the are pricey. I use ziplock freezer containers or bags for that. I love them for things like expensive cheeses. I make the bag a little big to start with. I cut some off to use then reseal the bag. Foods last almost forever That way, like Parmesano Reggiano, Cheddar cheese, etc. I buy a wedge of Parm cheese, cut off a couple inches, an seal the rest. When I need more, I cutoff the sealed end, cut another piece and reseal the same bag. Works great.

I am a technical person when I dont see specs on vacuum and motor watts a red light goes off.
Things I dont need to pay extra for.
Bag roll cutter and storage on machine, lord knows I can make my own and probably better.
But if what I like comes with it so be it.
Fancy retractable hose, nope.

I would rather pay extra for a better basic machine.
Hard to give opinions here about each product without insulting folks that may have one I consider not up to par or my standards.

Here is everything Weston has to offer.

[URL]https://www.westonsupply.com/Vacuum-Sealers-s/121.htm[/URL]

What really turned me off on some of these things years ago was a friend bought what ever was the rage back then.
Seal a meal or food saver I have no idea which one.

We were grinding deer meat and making sausage and the thing kept popping the over heat breaker.

At the rate it as going they would be up all night using this wee thing and his wife was mad as hell.:))
It was being used for a purpose not intended.

Worth, the bag storage is a great feature. otherwise your bag rolls across the counter or the box gets wet from sitting on the counter. the cutter keeps the edge square for sealing it too. I see those as not froo froo but real improvements.

The bag cutter and roll holder is so convenient compared to not having it. It let's you just roll through packing faster than having to use scissors and fumbling with a roll. It's so convenient that writing the contents on the bag slows you down. I don't think you can build a better cutter and holder, it's already there where you're working and if you build something else then you'll have 2 workstations going taking up space.


I'm just guessing but I would bet all of the motors are close to the same power. The motor has to be balanced to have enough power to suck out the air and not so strong that it will suck juices from the meat. I know it's strong enough that it will suck juices off of wet meat if you don't dry it after cleaning it.

The retractable hose is an added feature so you don't lose the hose because most people don't use it enough and forget where they stored it.

Don't worry about offending anyone's machine, I'd like to hear all opinions of all makes and models.

A vacuum sealer isn't something you'll use daily or even weekly in most cases so take that into consideration when spending up to get a model that does the same as a cheaper unit. I bought my V845 on Ebay used for half the price it was new and it looked like a new unit because most people think they need one then don't use it as much as they thought so they get sold. The biggest tip I can give to using it more often is to have it readily available, if it's a hassle to pull out of a closet then chances are you won't go digging for it to use. By the way, my unit is a 2004 model and is still working perfect.

Worth, honestly I think that's probably why we go through so many sealers each year. The motor burns up. I wonder if the commercial sealers would stand up better. We use the sealers weekly.

Another trick we use sometimes when we know what's in the bag will be used within a couple of months is the ziplock bags in hot water method. it sucks most of the air out of the bag.

I'm going to be following this thread and doing some more research.

[QUOTE=upcountrygirl;720944]Worth, honestly I think that's probably why we go through so many sealers each year. The motor burns up.[/QUOTE]

I sort of wanted a sealer. You helped me make up my mind. Thank you :)

[QUOTE=upcountrygirl;720944]Worth, honestly I think that's probably why we go through so many sealers each year. The motor burns up.[/QUOTE]


How many is so many and what sealers are you buying? Also how many times a week do you use it?

Does the motor stop working or it just loses suction?

I'm tired of buying cheap JUNK... whatever...it being a Nesco dehydrator or a black and decker/food saver sealer. My first Nesco lasted 5 years, my second lasted 2 months...
I looked at better/more expensive ones on Cabela's site almost 3 times what I paid for the Nesco then checked the reviews. 2.7% out of 5 liked the product, the rest had it fail after using it a couple times. All the same problem, a cheap, bad resistor/fuse on the heating element, easy fix if you have a soldering iron, order new ones on the Internet and the knowledge to fix it. But why can't they do it right the first time and charge a little more?
That's why I'm going old school, I'd rather rebuild an old well built dehydrator/sealer than buy one of the new fancy models.

Not feeling the love for the research I am doing on the food saver motor power or anything else I can find which is practically nothing.

Found one place that said the draw on one of the 2000 series was 120 watts or some such rot.
3460 was 140 watts.
That is cheapo weak motor to say the least.
Not saying they are a rip off but you cant expect something like that to pound out product for long periods of time.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
Doing the vacuum seal puts one heck of a load on these weak motors big time and the more of a load the hotter they get.
Look at your expensive commercial blenders and see what the wattage is compared to some of the cheap home owner ones.
Some are around 1800 watts more or less.
Some home owner ones are 400 watts or less mine is 600 watts works great but I wouldn't open up a bar with it.
You pay for what you get.

It is like they should almost have a duty cycle on them or something.

What is a duty cycle.
Most of the time they are in reference to welders and how long you can weld and let rest.
Mine is 90 amps 100% duty cycle.
That means I can run it continuously at 90 amps or less.
A 40/60 or 40% duty cycle meas you weld for 4 minutes and let rest for 6 minutes.

""Duty cycle is a welding equipment specification which defines the number of minutes, within a 10 minute period, during which a given welder can safely produce a particular welding current. For example, a 150 amp. welder with a [B]30%[/B] duty cycle must be "rested" for at least 7 minutes after 3 minutes of continuous welding.""

Now back to vacuum sealers.:dizzy:

It might be best NOT to set up an assembly line of packaging to seal and let the thing rest between the sealing process.
Don't have time for that, then get a better sealer with a more powerful motor.

A restaurant or what ever does not have the money to pay employees sit out back smoking while the sealer cools off.
What are you guys doing?
We are letting the sealer cool off.
Oh okay enjoy your smoke.
NOT.:lol:

The friend I mentioned before that had the over heat breaker tripping was trying to seal around 400 pounds of meat.
A ridiculous task for that wee thing he had.

Vacuum sealer research over.
Free trumps everything. :D
Worth

What did you end up with?

Not for sure some sort of food saver haven't seen it yet.
Old one.
Worth

Rajun, it's usually different Food Saver models that are on sale. The motor burns up. It gets too hot. It depends on what we've bought/what we're "preserving" on how many times a wk we use it. We typically go through 3-4 each year. I'd love to have 1 that would last for at least a year and it would be awesome if it lasted multiple years!

[QUOTE=upcountrygirl;721074]Rajun, it's usually different Food Saver models that are on sale. The motor burns up. It gets too hot. It depends on what we've bought/what we're "preserving" on how many times a wk we use it. We typically go through 3-4 each year. I'd love to have 1 that would last for at least a year and it would be awesome if it lasted multiple years![/QUOTE]

Then get the Weston or what ever 2300.
It was a toss up between it and the 1100 I think for me.

[QUOTE=Old chef;720916]Worth
I have a Weston 2300. It is a commercial machine. It’s worth the investment. I also use it to cook sousvide methods. I am using it for meats etc...
Old chef[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a good one, from what I've seen, anything Weston makes is a quality product.

[QUOTE=pmcgrady;721081]Sounds like a good one, from what I've seen, [COLOR=Red]anything Weston makes is a quality product[/COLOR].[/QUOTE]

Not the 44 pound meat mixer without tweaking.
Stay tuned for review how to and fix in another thread complete with comments and pictures.
Working late and on weekends now, just got home and working tomorrow.

Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;721078]Then get the Weston or what ever 2300.
It was a toss up between it and the 1100 I think for me.[/QUOTE]




$367.00 on Amazon. I don't vacuum seal that much.

[QUOTE=mikemansker;721100]$367.00 on Amazon. I don't vacuum seal that much.[/QUOTE]

Me neither at least not ye, but if you are burning up 3 or 4 cheap ones a year well worth the investment.

[QUOTE=Worth1;721093]Not the 44 pound meat mixer without tweaking.
Stay tuned for review how to and fix in another thread complete with comments and pictures.
Working late and on weekends now, just got home and working tomorrow.

Worth[/QUOTE]



Not sure what model this is, but I'm high bidder at $25

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181216/349938a03a0f0df3feccd4fab83302e6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181216/4e61de26a1acdba4674f335d3b3bd8b6.jpg[/IMG]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[QUOTE=pmcgrady;721110]Not sure what model this is, but I'm high bidder at $25

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181216/349938a03a0f0df3feccd4fab83302e6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181216/4e61de26a1acdba4674f335d3b3bd8b6.jpg[/IMG]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]

That is the 44 pounder for sure with the gear reduction drive.

It is a good mixer.

The best one for me would not be the best for everyone here, and I think that applies to all of them. A commercial grade machine is no good if it sits in the basement and rarely gets used. My food saver is not right for someone found hundreds of pound of meat on a regular basis. I use mine regularly to do small amounts only because it is handy and doesn’t take up much space. Mine has been going for 3-5 years, so I guess for my needs it just about perfect. If you are burning through them maybe you are are expecting commercial level loads out of a non commercial appliance and really should step up to something heavier duty.

I think it depends on how much you want to spend and how much you vacuum seal. I have a machine but I use these the most.


[URL]https://www.walmart.com/ip/FoodSaver-FreshSaver-Handheld-Rechargable-Vacuum-Sealing-System/15777783http://[/URL]




[URL]https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ziploc-reg-6-piece-hand-pump-vacuum-sealer-starter-set/5029855?skuId=63860382[/URL]

[IMG]https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Vacuum-Starter-3-Quart-1-Pump/dp/B003UEMFUG[/IMG]

I picked one up on walmart clearance a couple years back for $28 or $23 or something and never used it until this year. Ziploc v151 I think. We finally tried it this year. Not great, but seems to work. Due to the way it closes, there is no way I can find to trick it with a piece of vacuum bag to act as an airway for sealing a cheap bag.



We found some bags on clearance this fall and started using it some. Italian sausage, venison pastrami, vegetables. Summer sausage. It works, and is small enough to stash and get out quickly when needed. I recently read about wet curing, and the next deer that gets brought home in warm weather will get cured that way in the downstairs fridge.



This sealer is not going to replace freezer paper but it is a nice option. Next year maybe I'll try to dehydrate tomatoes again. The months later results of a ziploc with air sucked out via straw was not worth the effort for them.

This is a great thread! My brother gave me a Christmas gift card for Amazon and I was wondering what to use it on. This thread gave the old memory a good jog. I've been wanting one of these things for a good while and just forgot about it.

I'll be using it mainly for freezing the garden stuff that doesn't get canned, berries, homemade sausage patties and meat that's on sale. And probably other stuff I haven't even thought of yet. :dizzy:

Super input from you folks and now I need to do the research. Thanks!

just a comment here, -- for those looking for cheaper bags on ebay, make sure you check the thickness of the bags your buying some could be 3mil. some 5mil. etc, also some are rippled or whatever you want to call it. lol on both sides some only on one side, other side is smooth. pretty much you get what you pay for. ---tom

Still haven't seen my free vacuum sealer we have all been so busy my friend hasn't had time to even think about it.