Chamber vacuum sealer under $600?

[hewesfisher]

What? Don't these things cost thousands? Well, yeah, but as I found out, high quality ones can be had for less.

My 23+ yr old external pump Vacu Fresh, which still works btw, is just not sealing like it used to. Takes 2 or 3 bags to get the heat strip hot enough to seal, and more often than I like, I find bags in the freezer that have lost their seal.

So starts the hunt for a replacement and since I decided I was done with external pump sealers that meant my search was limited to a chamber vacuum unit. Don't want to go into all the detail but simply put, the product to be sealed is placed in the bag which is then placed inside a vacuum chamber, the lid closed, pump turned on until vacuum reached, then the entire chamber is pulled to the vacuum, including the bag and contents. Sealing is instantaneously performed once chamber is evacuated. Cool.

Mike put up a video a while back highlighting Vacupack chamber vacuum sealers but they were almost $4000. I can't justify that kind of money for my use, oh don't get me wrong, $600 isn't cheap either, but bang for my buck is very good. An industrial quality sealer for that price is something I'm willing to take a shot at.

After a lot of searching, I found a top rated (4.8 out of 5) chamber vacuum sealer for $579, yeah really. It's made by ARY and sold online through a wholesale restaurant supply outfit. The exact same unit retails at Cabela's for $799.99 and is drop shipped from the manufacturer.

So I ordered one this morning, along with a case of 1000 10" x13" chamber vacuum pouches (great economy, a 10" x 13" 3mm thick sealing bag is 6 1/2 cents, yes, that's right less than 7 pennies), from Webstaurant Store. Received confirmation my order shipped this afternoon. That's FAST!

Here's the link to the unit I purchased - http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-vac ... VP112.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This unit was also the #1 pick on Vacuum Sealer Digest. You can read their review of this unit here - http://www.vacuumsealerdigest.com/ary-v ... 12-review/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll have it next week and will post a full review in the weeks to come, but somehow I don't think I will be disappointed.

[sickbayer]

[Mike Carey]

cool, that's a great price. These units work much better than the vacuseal type. Kings we had in the freezer a year had no failed bags, unlike the issue you mentioned, which I have had to deal with as well.

Definitely on my list of upgrades!

[hewesfisher]

Yeah, just not happy with consumer grade units and mediocre performance. Can't wait to test the new one out.

A current model to replace my old unit was over $700 and still an external seal/pump unit. Probably a good one, but for the same money, I get the chamber vac unit, 1000 bags, and filler plates (reduces chamber volume for smaller packages = less time) delivered to my door. A great buy.

Stay tuned.

[hewesbob]

Great info, I have been looking at different units for a few months. Can't wait for your review.

[hewesfisher]

Unit was scheduled to arrive today, but FedEx rolled up my driveway yesterday morning which is very unusual as deliveries here are typically mid to late afternoon.

Was busy working on my deck, so just moved the boxes inside until later. A quick shower before an afternoon with my wife at the county fair, so while waiting for her to arrive I unpacked it, installed the heat bar, plugged in the power cord, and sealed some smoked trout I had waiting in the freezer. What a simple process compared to my old unit and completely hands free. Place product in bag, set in chamber, position open end of bag, close lid, push start and the machine does the rest. Bonus is I can prep the next bag while the machine is doing its thing!

No pics since I didn't have much time, but I sealed 6 bags of smoked trout in just over 3 minutes - 35sec vac/seal cycle, reload, repeat. The vacuum gauge is nice to have, there's no guessing whether air has been evacuated, and at the default setting this unit pulled 25inHG in 30 seconds. My old vac sealer had a colored plunger that moved from red to green and no scale to indicate approximate vacuum.

This is not a unit for someone who needs small, light, and portable, or has limited storage since this unit weighs 53lbs and has a rather large footprint at 24x16x9. However, I considered all of these elements prior to purchase, so none are negatives for me.

Setup was simple, install the seal bar and power cord that's it. Put your product in a bag, open the lid, place bag in chamber, close lid, push start button. Done.

I'll put some pics up later, and will do a video for anyone is interested, but won't have time until the week of the 22nd. We have a wedding reception here in 10 days so have much to do!

Here are a couple online videos, the first is a bit long but has good info while the second is shorter and shows just how quick and simple it is to use (though no one would really vac seal an empty soda can).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5WMRM4aSQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQlGYQ9y0sU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gringo Pescador]

hewesfisher!

It's been a few months, whats the report on that vacuum sealer?

[hewesfisher]

hewesfisher!

It's been a few months, whats the report on that vacuum sealer?

It has, and a busy few months at that, but no excuse.

I really can't add any more than what I did earlier, the simplicity of use is amazing. Works completely as advertised and I have zero complaints.

I had an opportunity to test adjustability after my son's wedding. There were several cupcakes left over, as well as their wedding cake (cheesecake). I froze all the cupcakes and cheesecake prior to vac sealing and the first batch of cupcakes got sucked pretty flat. Cakes and breads have a lot of air. Oops. I reduced the vac time from 30secs to 10secs and it seemed just about perfect. I vac sealed the cheesecake, then put it in another bag and sealed again. Bride & groom want it for their first anniversary, so was doing my best to preserve it.

I also did hamburger buns, lots of them. They were leftovers from the pulled pork sandwiches at the reception. I froze them first and used the same settings as for the cupcakes, but again, bread is full of air, frozen or not, and they got sucked down quite a bit too. Don't have to be pretty, but will still work fine for burgers. One won't care if you're hungry and it tastes good.

In full experimentation mode, I also vac sealed leftover potato salad. I still have one bag left in my shop fridge and it looks exactly like the day I sealed it. Son & DIL have opened a couple others and said it tasted just like the day it was made.

Fish is so easy, carefully place fish in the bag, set bag in chamber, lay open end across sealing strip, close and push start.

I highly recommend this vac sealer for anyone with the counter space to use, and adequate space to store when not in use. As mentioned earlier, this is not a vac sealer for someone with limited counter/storage space, and at 53lbs, it is HEAVY.

Webstaurant link in my original post will take you to current price of $539, no tax, and free shipping. Might be other good deals out there too, but I can say my experience was perfect with Webstaurantstore and the $40 savings over my purchase price will almost cover the case cost for 1000 10" x 13", 3mil, bags.

I bought the filler plate set when I ordered the unit, but it might be less expensive to make your own out of HDPE cutting boards which is what the filler plates are.

If anyone has specific questions I haven't answered, just let me know and I'll be happy to reply.

Btw - the video links in my original post show exactly what I could if I were to make a video.

[Gringo Pescador]

hewesfisher!

It's been a few months, whats the report on that vacuum sealer?

It has, and a busy few months at that, but no excuse.

I really can't add any more than what I did earlier, the simplicity of use is amazing. Works completely as advertised and I have zero complaints.

I had an opportunity to test adjustability after my son's wedding. There were several cupcakes left over, as well as their wedding cake (cheesecake). I froze all the cupcakes and cheesecake prior to vac sealing and the first batch of cupcakes got sucked pretty flat. Cakes and breads have a lot of air. Oops. I reduced the vac time from 30secs to 10secs and it seemed just about perfect. I vac sealed the cheesecake, then put it in another bag and sealed again. Bride & groom want it for their first anniversary, so was doing my best to preserve it.

I also did hamburger buns, lots of them. They were leftovers from the pulled pork sandwiches at the reception. I froze them first and used the same settings as for the cupcakes, but again, bread is full of air, frozen or not, and they got sucked down quite a bit too. Don't have to be pretty, but will still work fine for burgers. One won't care if you're hungry and it tastes good.

In full experimentation mode, I also vac sealed leftover potato salad. I still have one bag left in my shop fridge and it looks exactly like the day I sealed it. Son & DIL have opened a couple others and said it tasted just like the day it was made.

Fish is so easy, carefully place fish in the bag, set bag in chamber, lay open end across sealing strip, close and push start.

I highly recommend this vac sealer for anyone with the counter space to use, and adequate space to store when not in use. As mentioned earlier, this is not a vac sealer for someone with limited counter/storage space, and at 53lbs, it is HEAVY.

Webstaurant link in my original post will take you to current price of $539, no tax, and free shipping. Might be other good deals out there too, but I can say my experience was perfect with Webstaurantstore and the $40 savings over my purchase price will almost cover the case cost for 1000 10" x 13", 3mil, bags.

I bought the filler plate set when I ordered the unit, but it might be less expensive to make your own out of HDPE cutting boards which is what the filler plates are.

If anyone has specific questions I haven't answered, just let me know and I'll be happy to reply.

Btw - the video links in my original post show exactly what I could if I were to make a video.

Thanks for the update - I wondered about the filler plates as that is what they looked like and I like the idea of being able to seal liquids.

I see 10x12, 4 mil bags (linked below the unit on the website), are these the same as what you are using?

[hewesfisher]

Thanks for the update - I wondered about the filler plates as that is what they looked like and I like the idea of being able to seal liquids.

I see 10x12, 4 mil bags (linked below the unit on the website), are these the same as what you are using?

I bought a case of 10 x 13 3mil bags at the same time we ordered the chamber vac and they work fine for what I use them for. The 4mil might be better for heavier product or product that may have sharp points/edges, but I don't know for certain. I can't compare the two as I haven't used any 4mil bags. I know, not much help.

[romanfishing]

Thanks for such informative post! God Bless!

[hewesfisher]

Thought I'd do a follow-up on this after 4yrs of use. It has performed exactly as it did when new and still zero complaints.

ARY made some improvements after I bought mine (all digital display including vacuum "indicator") but other than that the machine appears basically the same as the original VP112.

Even though the exact model I purchased is no longer available, I'm happy to report it has lived up to my expectations and continues to be a great value IMO.

The 3mil bags are ok for most things, but I do get an occasional bag that loses seal from a bone puncture. When I finish the stock of 3mil bags I'm replacing with 4mil.

[hewesbob]

Thanks for the update Phil, I have been on the brink of buying a unit like that for a couple years and your update may have made my decision to buy one when we get home in the spring. Bob

[Mike Carey]

I'll second hewesfisher. I've had mine for three years now and would replace it in a heartbeat if it ever died. The seal is light years ahead of a suck-type vacusealer. My fish comes out like it went in, fresh and no freezer burn. Seal breaks are pretty rare. Makes it a lot more efficient when sealing a large batch of fish as well. No comparison and worth every penny.