OT: Vacuum Sealer Recommendations

Mayberry

Looking for a new vacuum sealer.  I had a FoodSaver that I loved for probably 8 years and it started acting up on me.  I bought another one and this one is trash.  Doesn't create great seals, cumbersome to use, etc.   I use it at home occasionally, but my main need is when we go saltwater fishing.  I have a 24' boat and we take it to the Gulf 4-5x per year.  I need something that is easy to take with me, that creates a great seal and is reliable and easy to use.  I can't stand taking the time and money to catch great fish, and when I pull them out of the freezer, the seal has broken, they are freezer burned and I have to just throw them away.  Not a great investment on my part, and I don't like harvesting animals and letting them go to waste.  If I kill them, I want to eat them.  Any recommendations on really good vacuum sealers that aren't so large that I can't throw them in the back of my truck on fishing trips to use in the condo after I get through fishing each day?  Thanks in advance for any suggestions or recommendations.  

TideEggHead

Probably not much help but I use a food saver FM2435. I've only had it for about 4 months but I like it. Use it for fish and duck meat mostly. It has been doing a great job thus far. Here are the measurements according to the internet 18.4 x 6.5 x 11 in.

I also got tired of freezing fish in a ziplock with water...

Dobie

Are you a Costco member?
I’m using a Food Saver I bought there a few years ago works good. Great return policy if you don’t like it. 

Photo Egg

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

lkapigian

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

I'm in Houston starting Thursday for a few days

Photo Egg

lkapigian said:

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

I'm in Houston starting Thursday for a few days

What’s on your agenda?

lkapigian

Photo Egg said:

lkapigian said:

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

I'm in Houston starting Thursday for a few days

What’s on your agenda?

Going to Fatstacks Smokers grand opening Saturday ,just hanging out on Sunday as we fly back Monday 

RRP

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

WOW!!! I've never seen a vacuum crush a can before! That must be one powerful unit!

Langner91

How big are the fish?

Photo Egg

RRP said:

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

WOW!!! I've never seen a vacuum crush a can before! That must be one powerful unit!

Give it a try with your sealer Ron. Most will crush a pop can. Some just more than others. A thicker 4-5 mil bag will also crush a little more as it doesn’t stretch as much. This was just a standard 3mil bag, but the unit was not set to highest setting. The extra vac power and the wider seal bar on this unit is very nice compared to my previous 2 Food Saver models.

RRP

Photo Egg said:

RRP said:

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

WOW!!! I've never seen a vacuum crush a can before! That must be one powerful unit!

Give it a try with your sealer Ron. Most will crush a pop can. Some just more than others. A thicker 4-5 mil bag will also crush a little more as it doesn’t stretch as much. This was just a standard 3mil bag, but the unit was not set to highest setting. The extra vac power and the wider seal bar on this unit is very nice compared to my previous 2 Food Saver models.

I will…did you just start with the empty can as is or sort of start the crush manually? I would think the shaped ends of even an empty can would have strength. Of course my FS is an old one, but still works great. 

TechsasJim

Following as I salt water fish (likely smaller species as it’s inshore) and bird hunt.   

I have felt horrible more than once for having taken a life of a fish/bird only to have the yield inedible months later bc of freezer burn.   

alaskanassasin

everything before this was a waste of time. https://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-VP215-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B005ETDKEA

Photo Egg

RRP said:

Photo Egg said:

RRP said:

Photo Egg said:

$200 if you’re ever near south Houston

WOW!!! I've never seen a vacuum crush a can before! That must be one powerful unit!

Give it a try with your sealer Ron. Most will crush a pop can. Some just more than others. A thicker 4-5 mil bag will also crush a little more as it doesn’t stretch as much. This was just a standard 3mil bag, but the unit was not set to highest setting. The extra vac power and the wider seal bar on this unit is very nice compared to my previous 2 Food Saver models.

I will…did you just start with the empty can as is or sort of start the crush manually? I would think the shaped ends of even an empty can would have strength. Of course my FS is an old one, but still works great. 

Just empty can. No pre crunch

Photo Egg

alaskanassasin said:

everything before this was a waste of time. https://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-VP215-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B005ETDKEA

I just bought the VP230. But honestly, the only thing it does better than my suction Vacmaster is handle liquid with no issues. No benefit in vacuum power or quality of the seal is apparent. There are other qualities that both have that are plus and minus but the 2 important qualities of power and sealing are very, very similar.

Canugghead

@Photo Egg cheaper bags?

alaskanassasin

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

everything before this was a waste of time. https://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-VP215-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B005ETDKEA

I just bought the VP230. But honestly, the only thing it does better than my suction Vacmaster is handle liquid with no issues. No benefit in vacuum power or quality of the seal is apparent. There are other qualities that both have that are plus and minus but the 2 important qualities of power and sealing are very, very similar.

Being able to vacuum liquid is huge. Bags are cheap af, once you start you can just walk away and let it finish, adjustable seal time, with my old vacuum sealer the bar would heat up and melt the bags when using back to back, plus I mostly “made” bags which exasperated the over heating.  You can seal most plastic bags so if I use a partial taco seasoning I can seal it up, reseal brown sugar in its bag. The non texture bags are more pliable and easier to store.  If you’re out of bags or certain size you can seal cheap lunch bags or ziplocks.
 Versatility I guess.

Photo Egg

alaskanassasin said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

everything before this was a waste of time. https://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-VP215-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B005ETDKEA

I just bought the VP230. But honestly, the only thing it does better than my suction Vacmaster is handle liquid with no issues. No benefit in vacuum power or quality of the seal is apparent. There are other qualities that both have that are plus and minus but the 2 important qualities of power and sealing are very, very similar.

Being able to vacuum liquid is huge. Bags are cheap af, once you start you can just walk away and let it finish, adjustable seal time, with my old vacuum sealer the bar would heat up and melt the bags when using back to back, plus I mostly “made” bags which exasperated the over heating.  You can seal most plastic bags so if I use a partial taco seasoning I can seal it up, reseal brown sugar in its bag. The non texture bags are more pliable and easier to store.  If you’re out of bags or certain size you can seal cheap lunch bags or ziplocks.
 Versatility I guess.

When I look through your list of positive notes, my Vacmaster suction has most of the same. No issues with it overheating or melting bags. The heating time is also adjustable. It also seals most items at least twice as fast as my chamber vac.
Yes, chamber bags are cheaper. But normally only available in large quantities to get the best prices. Also kinda nice to know that if I run short on bags I can buy regular vacuum bags at 5-6 places local. It’s also nice to have ability to easily use larger bags.
But I certainly agree, dealing with liquids and wet foods is why I added the chamber sealer. Like I said, both have their positives and negatives. Some of the cheap vacuum sealers have minimal adjustments and are very limited on what they can seal.

caliking

I'm sure y'all had something to do with this popping up in my Google feed today...

https://www.seriouseats.com/best-vacuum-sealers-6260074

nolaegghead

Mine will crush full coke cans.

Ozzie_Isaac

nolaegghead said:

Mine will crush full coke cans.

Mine will suck a golf ball through a garden hose.

Canugghead

Mine sucks.

Photo Egg

nolaegghead said:

Mine will crush full coke cans.

This might have been a joke...but if not very cool.

nolaegghead

Photo Egg said:

nolaegghead said:

Mine will crush full coke cans.

This might have been a joke...but if not very cool.

I just assumed everyone knows liquids aren’t (appreciably) compressible.  

The pressure difference between an expensive and cheap vacuum sealer is less than one psi.  Max pressure atmosphere can put on the can (if it manages to survive the vacuum in the sealer) is 14.7 psi.  A cheap one might be 14 psi. Turbo molecular pumps costing hundreds of thousands of dollars will scavenge up most of the few molecules left from a rotary vane or diaphragm pump, but it’s still 14.7 psi at sea level when you release the can to the atmosphere.

you are paying for the rate of gas removal with a better bigger pump, not really the relative vacuum.

nolaegghead

What was the question?

Ozzie_Isaac

nolaegghead said:

Photo Egg said:

nolaegghead said:

Mine will crush full coke cans.

This might have been a joke...but if not very cool.

I just assumed everyone knows liquids aren’t (appreciably) compressible.  

The pressure difference between an expensive and cheap vacuum sealer is less than one psi.  Max pressure atmosphere can put on the can (if it manages to survive the vacuum in the sealer) is 14.7 psi.  A cheap one might be 14 psi. Turbo molecular pumps costing hundreds of thousands of dollars will scavenge up most of the few molecules left from a rotary vane or diaphragm pump, but it’s still 14.7 psi at sea level when you release the can to the atmosphere.

you are paying for the rate of gas removal with a better bigger pump, not really the relative vacuum.

No way man.  My 6hp evenrude will makes all the peesseyes.  Not some sissy 14.7psi mumbo jumbo.  Do you even compress dude.

nolaegghead

Dude, I know vacuum pumps….everyone tells me I suck

Photo Egg

nolaegghead said:

Photo Egg said:

nolaegghead said:

Mine will crush full coke cans.

This might have been a joke...but if not very cool.

I just assumed everyone knows liquids aren’t (appreciably) compressible.  

The pressure difference between an expensive and cheap vacuum sealer is less than one psi.  Max pressure atmosphere can put on the can (if it manages to survive the vacuum in the sealer) is 14.7 psi.  A cheap one might be 14 psi. Turbo molecular pumps costing hundreds of thousands of dollars will scavenge up most of the few molecules left from a rotary vane or diaphragm pump, but it’s still 14.7 psi at sea level when you release the can to the atmosphere.

you are paying for the rate of gas removal with a better bigger pump, not really the relative vacuum.

Was just curious if starting with a full can of soda, bagged in the chamber, would see enough pull to break the seal on the soda can.