Love my new chamber sealer!!

krobertsmsn

I just rec'd my VacMaster vp 120 today and did a few trial runs. It is BY FAR the best sealer I have ever seen. Very pricey but absolutely no regrets. My ONLY issue is it IS heavy. At 58 lbs, it is tough to lug around for me. I have a heavy duty 500 lb max cart on wheels coming tomorrow so I can roll it in and out of the panty when needed.

I urge you to check it out and add it to your wish lists. I promise you won't regret.

;;)

4Runner

I wanted a chamber vac but the size and the $$ kept me from it. Instead, I ordered and it should arrive Sat, the Vacmaster Pro 305. It should more than meet my needs. Congrats on your VP120

jn_austin

Yes they are great. Wife got a VP210 about two years ago and we have used it for everything from bulk purchased popcorn to wet meats and even made sealed ice bags, Also put ours on a roll around cart along with the bags and supplies. Only had one issue with it where the heater would not seal. Found the wire going to the sealer bar terminal has come off. Re-soldered it (looked like a factory defective solder job) and it's working perfectly. Even had to change the oil once we used it so often. How often can you say you changed the oil in your kitchen appliances! 

Canugghead

Just realised I can do this! Make sure you watch the gauge and don't let the needle go down more than 50%, if you don't want to crumple it   Even at 50% I could see the lid dip when the vacuum was released, scary! 

Little Steven

Do you do it with the valve closed?

nolaegghead

Little Steven said:

Do you do it with the valve closed?

I would think so or it would release the vacuum when you opened it.

Thatgrimguy

krobertsmsn said:

I just rec'd my VacMaster vp 120 today and did a few trial runs. It is BY FAR the best sealer I have ever seen. Very pricey but absolutely no regrets. My ONLY issue is it IS heavy. At 58 lbs, it is tough to lug around for me. I have a heavy duty 500 lb max cart on wheels coming tomorrow so I can roll it in and out of the panty when needed.

I urge you to check it out and add it to your wish lists. I promise you won't regret.

;;)

Canugghead

Little Steven said:

Do you do it with the valve closed?

Yup same setting as if you're using the tube. Remember to go easy, the marinator is not designed to withstand chamber pressure. Have fun. 

nolaegghead

Atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi.  Your typical foodsaver will pump down to 3 psi.  The difference between that and and absolute vacuum is minimal.  In fact the difference between a $300 vacuum pump and $10,000 ultra high vacuum pumps such as turbo pumps, is much less than 1 psi - it is insignificant insofar as the outside pressure has on the container - 14.7 psi is the theoretical maximum at sea level.

Little Steven

Canugghead said:

Little Steven said:

Do you do it with the valve closed?

Yup same setting as if you're using the tube. Remember to go easy, the marinator is not designed to withstand chamber pressure. Have fun. 

I'll have to try it.

Canugghead

nolaegghead 

Great analysis, I simply went with my gut feel.  It's probably okay but I'm over cautious. ..fwiw the chamber lid (polycarbonate? ) appears more than twice as thick the marinator. BTW, does vacuum marinating really make a difference? That's another can of worms ☺

Canugghead

Little Steven 

Can you go full force and report back please

nolaegghead

The difference between 3 and 0 (or close to zero) is not significant insofar as the pressure on the container from atmospheric, but it's very significant with regards to the texture of meat.  You need to be careful not to draw too much vacuum on meat or the cells can rupture as the water in them starts to boil.

nolaegghead

Also, don't put anything hot in a chamber vacuum.

RRP

Got room for an under- cabinet lift like I use for my heavy KitchenAid? Or even in a closet? It is spring assisted and locks in place. 

Canugghead

@RRP how heavy is your KA? My vp215 is 84#, it occupies the top shelf of 1 of 3 ss carts full of indoor toys, yes  l'my sick 

Angus1978

I've got the VP210 model, however when doing liquids, they don't all stay put in the bag.  Anyone got a trick to keep them from coming out?

RRP

Canugghead said:

@RRP how heavy is your KA? My vp215 is 84#, it occupies the top shelf of 1 of 3 ss carts full of indoor toys, yes  l'my sick 

Never mind - the lift just has a 60 pound capacity

Canugghead

@Angus1978  not sure about the 210, my 215 comes with two plaster inserts (kind of like cutting boards) on the floor to reduce air space, thereby speeding up the process. I would remove them to ensure the liquid level is below the sealing bar as much as possible.  Other tips:
- dont overfill
- make sure the sealing edge has no wave/wrinkle (overfilling could cause this)
- increase sealing duration
- wipe the inside of sealing edge clean/dry
- don't over vacuum, when you see the bag puff up excessively, hit the manual stop button to start sealing immediately
Let me know if these pointers help.

johnnyp

nolaegghead said:

Atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi.  Your typical foodsaver will pump down to 3 psi.  The difference between that and and absolute vacuum is minimal.  In fact the difference between a $300 vacuum pump and $10,000 ultra high vacuum pumps such as turbo pumps, is much less than 1 psi - it is insignificant insofar as the outside pressure has on the container - 14.7 psi is the theoretical maximum at sea level.

Angus1978

Canugghead said:

- increase sealing duration

- don't over vacuum, when you see the bag puff up excessively, hit the manual stop button to start sealing immediately

Okay...I get the duration thing......I have probably been most guilty of "Over Vacuuming"   I bet that's my biggest problem

I never realized you can over do it....thank you!!!!

Canugghead

@Angus1978  the STOP button is explained in the manual, near bottom of page 6.  
https://cedarlaneculinary.ca/Content/pdf/VP210C_Manual.pdf 

The vp210 looks identical to vp215, the difference is in the pump.
https://cedarlaneculinary.ca/Content/pdf/CLCVacmasterComparisonChart.pdf

Angus1978

Dam manuals.  

Thanks!!!

Canugghead

Divided a tub of herring in oil, no pre-freezing ...

mahenryak

krobertsmsn said:

 ... I have a heavy duty 500 lb max cart on wheels coming tomorrow so I can roll it in and out of the panty when needed.  ...

 We eventually made room on our counter.  We don't exactly have a lot of kitchen space but we find that we use this so often after meals to seal our left overs that it was worth giving up some space.  Also, FWIW I think the website below offers competitive pricing especially if you order qty 1000.

http://shop.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/Commercial-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer-Bags-Pouches_c16.htm

Canugghead

@mahenryak I'm in canuckland, usually get mine by the 1000's from Amazon.ca, price is not bad considering the devalued canuck buck and free shipping (in fact most US online shops don't ship to GWN).

mahenryak

^^Okay.  Understood.  BTW don't feel too bad.  I don't get the free shipping here in Alaska for some of the US Amazon Prime offerings that are kind of on the heavy side--kind of hit and miss up here.^^

Jaime

If you guys with the vacmasters (we have a vp215) care to share vac times you use for various items, cooked or uncooked, we'd appreciate it.  I (we.. I am @swordsmn's wife) need more guidelines! Thx

Navigator

I used my VP215 today

Jaime

Rich, we write the purchased/sealed or freeze dates on the seal edge.   What was your vac time?

Canugghead

@jaime I set the timer to 40 sec (longer than needed), then watch the gauge like a hawk. When the needle approaches 1 to 2 markings from the end, depending on how strong a vacuum I want, I hit the STOP button to cease vacuuming and start sealing. If I'm doing a lot of repetitive sealing I note stoppage time and subtract from 40 sec accordingly, you get the idea.

If you look at my earlier photo closely, you see small air  pockets, I didn't want to be too aggressive and crush the delicate herring filets.  When I seal the marinator, the needle go around half way only.