OT: Vac Sealers

kdink

Been researching Vac Sealers was between the Vacmaster Pro350 and Lem 500 both under $300.00 with the Weston 2300 being $200 more.  But just saw the Weston on Amazon for $345.00.  That makes it less than a $100 more.  Is it worth it?

billt01

both are quality units. I try to use this equation when purchasing:

amount of use+quality=worth

TEXASBGE2018

I’m interested also but I don’t want to spend $300 like the OP. Do the foodsaver ones totally suck?

lkapigian

I abuse my food saver and have never had an issue, but when it gives up on going Vac Master

CarolinaCrazy

No prob w/ my Foodsaver. Use it 2-3x per week for 2 years. 

SonVolt

If you have a local Cabelas hit them up and check out their house brand... Weston used to make them and they were top notch quality. I'm assuming that's still the case. 

billt01

TEXASBGE2018 said:

I’m interested also but I don’t want to spend $300 like the OP. Do the foodsaver ones totally suck?

they do not...

only issue I have with them is "bag waste"

alaskanassasin

I have a basic food saver and it works great for occasional use.
 Something I did not know when purchasing was they do not work continuously.
  Say you are trying to seal a bunch of stuff back to back, the food saver sealing strip will overheat and require resting between seals. 
  I run into this when buying bulk meat and packaging it into smaller units, or processing game, one way I found to partially get around this is to place a bag of frozen pees on the heat strip between seals. 
 It can be very frustrating so take this into consideration.

billt01

alaskanassasin said:

I have a basic food saver and it works great for occasional use.
 Something I did not know when purchasing was they do not work continuously.
  Say you are trying to seal a bunch of stuff back to back, the food saver sealing strip will overheat and require resting between seals. 
  I run into this when buying bulk meat and packaging it into smaller units, or processing game, one way I found to partially get around this is to place a bag of frozen pees on the heat strip between seals. 
 It can be very frustrating so take this into consideration.

The Food Saver Game Saver fixed this for me, but still the same issue of "Bag waste"

TEXASBGE2018

kdink said:

Been researching Vac Sealers was between the Vacmaster Pro350 and Lem 500 both under $300.00 with the Weston 2300 being $200 more.  But just saw the Weston on Amazon for $345.00.  That makes it less than a $100 more.  Is it worth it?

Didn't mean to hijack your thread. Someone Answer @kdink's questions!

Photo Egg

I went VacMaster pro 380 because I wanted to be able to use the wider bags.
I would not hesitate to buy the 350 if I did not need the wider bags.
The 380 is much larger than 350.
I like both 350 and 380 because of the clear lid. I also like having the built in roll bag storage and cutter built in. The control panel adjustment are also fantastic. They also both offer the option to use a suction tube for canisters.
...please note...the 1 free roll of bag material that came with my unit was crap and I was very disappointed until I tried a standard food saver bag and also the Cabella's bags are awesome. The free roll had wrinkles and the seal failed almost every time.
Getting parts for the VacMaster is also very easy.
The added features on the VacMaster is what made me buy it over the Weston. But it's also a great unit.
I would not buy the Lem over the other 2. They make a great grinder but i would not pick them over the other 2 for sealers.  
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-vacmaster-pro-380-external-vacuum-packaging-machine-with-16-seal-bar/120VMA380.html 

The 350 is less than $250.00
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-vacmaster-pro-350-external-vacuum-packaging-machine-with-12-seal-bar/120VMA350.html

Carolina Q

I have the Weston PRO2300. Bought it because I kept reading about Foodsaver failures (haven't read such comments of late though). Don't remember what I paid, but it sure wasn't $500! Had it for 7-8 years now, zero issues. Quite large and heavy so consider counter space needed. If I had to put mine away after each use, it wouldn't be long before it got no use!

Three features I wish it had... 

• built in storage for a roll (with cutter),

• aux port for sealing jars, marinating etc. (it has a port, but it's not intended for attachments and they don't sell a hose/adapter or containers for it. You can make one, but it doesn't know when vacuum has been achieved so it never shuts off!)

• an extended vacuum or manual feature to allow for a little extra oomph when needed. You can make it seal early, but you can't make it suck longer.

Not sure about the VacMaster 350, but I believe the 380 has those features. I would take a good look at VacMaster if buying another one.

No complaints about reliability or longevity with the Weston though. It sucks well and makes a nice wide seal, about 3/16".

Photo Egg

Carolina Q said:

I have the Weston PRO2300. Bought it because I kept reading about Foodsaver failures (haven't read such comments of late though). Don't remember what I paid, but it sure wasn't $500! Had it for 7-8 years now, zero issues. Quite large and heavy so consider counter space needed. If I had to put mine away after each use, it wouldn't be long before it got no use!

Three features I wish it had... 

• built in storage for a roll (with cutter),

• aux port for sealing jars, marinating etc. (it has a port, but it's not intended for attachments and they don't sell a hose/adapter or containers for it. You can make one, but it doesn't know when vacuum has been achieved so it never shuts off!)

• an extended vacuum or manual feature to allow for a little extra oomph when needed. You can make it seal early, but you can't make it suck longer.

Not sure about the VacMaster 350, but I believe the 380 has those features. I would take a good look at VacMaster if buying another one.

No complaints about reliability or longevity with the Weston though. It sucks well and makes a nice wide seal, about 3/16".

I think the VM 350 and 380 controls are very similar. I can't recall if I can extend the vac on the fly with my 380 but seldom have it set max as it's just more than I really need. It will flatten a spent beer can to a disc.lol
I went to vac seal a glass bottle of bbq sauce once so I could put it safely in my checked luggage. I did not pay enough attention and it cracked the plastic lid and sucked the sauce out.