vacuum sealers

[Jadeite]

On 6/8/2022 at 4:39 PM, Cheesehead_Griller said:

Great info. Thanks. 

So, my research has led me in a new direction. I think I am going to go with the JVR Vac100. Has an oil pump, accessory port, and a low-profile form factor. Reviews on YouTube seem to be quite positive. 

I own the JVR Vac100 and am very very happy with it. Even does Retort/Mylar with the special sealing bar they sell.

[David Chang]

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Edited March 15, 2023 by David Chang

[jeffshoaf]

  I received the Avid Armor. USV32 chamber sealer a while back; haven't used it much but I've liked the performance for everything I've done. It has a dry pump and is just a bit louder than my old foodsaver. Packaged and sealed 5 bags (four 2.2 lb bags and one 2 lb bag  from an 11 lb bag - yeah, i lost a bit to distraction) of 00 pizza flour for the freezer today and made a video of one bag being pumped and sealed 

Sorry for the phone rotation midway - i decided portrait was a better view and thought the recording would adjust.

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by jeffshoaf

[jeffshoaf]

Avid Armor just announced a new chamber machine with an oil pump. Made in Netherlands; I haven't looked into it but since it's European, I wonder if it's just a rebranded machine from another manufacturer.

https://avidarmor.com/new-avid-armor-chamber-vacuum-sealer-euro-series-es41-oil-pump-machine/

[tekobo]

I too store my flour in the freezer but it didn't occur to me to vac pack it. It'll be good to have my ready use stuff loose and the rest will take up less space vacuum packed.  Great idea.  Thanks!

[Cheesehead_Griller]

On 6/16/2022 at 9:41 AM, jeffshoaf said:

Avid Armor just announced a new chamber machine with an oil pump. Made in Netherlands; I haven't looked into it but since it's European, I wonder if it's just a rebranded machine from another manufacturer.

https://avidarmor.com/new-avid-armor-chamber-vacuum-sealer-euro-series-es41-oil-pump-machine/

Thanks for sharing. Looks like a nice unit. It's tempting to buy a chamber vac of this size. However, I think the JVR Vac100 will be sufficient for us. I haven't pulled the trigger yet but I'm getting close. 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Cheesehead_Griller

[Syzygies]

On 6/16/2022 at 7:41 AM, jeffshoaf said:

Avid Armor just announced a new chamber machine with an oil pump. Made in Netherlands; I haven't looked into it but since it's European, I wonder if it's just a rebranded machine from another manufacturer.

https://avidarmor.com/new-avid-armor-chamber-vacuum-sealer-euro-series-es41-oil-pump-machine/

I'm not aware of a machine of those dimensions that weights that little (52.35 lbs, one person could lift it). Looks nice.

Ignore their bundles. Friends don't let friends buy 3 mil bags. VacMaster for example makes a wide assortment of 4 mil bags. I own 6" x {8", 10", 12"} to minimize plastic waste and save effort; with the help of friends we're on second boxes of each of these. 8" x 10" is also useful, as is 10" x 12" and 10" x 18". My machines won't take 12" wide, and 18" is too long, I should have bought 10" x 16". Go big once your machine arrives, and you can measure first-hand what's possible. Like curtains, there's slack in the path. Insert a bag fully into the clamp past the seal bar, and measure how much more length is possible at the other end, to determine the maximum practical bag length.

Even coarse salt (e.g. Cantabrian anchovies) can pierce a 3 mil bag. A 4 mil bag will often tolerate bones. To be sure, cut open another bag to improvise those bone guards they sell separately. This is a great use for the 3 mil bags that come with a machine.

[Cheesehead_Griller]

9 minutes ago, Syzygies said:

I'm not aware of a machine of those dimensions that weights that little (52.35 lbs, one person could lift it). Looks nice.

Ignore their bundles. Friends don't let friends buy 3 mil bags. VacMaster for example makes a wide assortment of 4 mil bags. I own 6" x {8", 10", 12"} to minimize plastic waste and save effort; with the help of friends we're on second boxes of each of these. 8" x 10" is also useful, as is 10" x 12" and 10" x 18". My machines won't take 12" wide, and 18" is too long, I should have bought 10" x 16". Go big once your machine arrives, and you can measure first-hand what's possible. Like curtains, there's slack in the path. Insert a bag fully into the clamp past the seal bar, and measure how much more length is possible at the other end, to determine the maximum practical bag length.

Even coarse salt (e.g. Cantabrian anchovies) can pierce a 3 mil bag. A 4 mil bag will often tolerate bones. To be sure, cut open another bag to improvise those bone guards they sell separately. This is a great use for the 3 mil bags that come with a machine.

Which chamber vac do you have? I'm looking at the JVR Vac100. 

[Syzygies]

7 hours ago, Cheesehead_Griller said:

Which chamber vac do you have? I'm looking at the JVR Vac100. 

I have the Vacmaster VP120 in two locations. Not an oil pump, and chosen so I could lift it alone. I've certainly gotten my money's worth out of each one and the chest freezers they feed. Freezing great ingredients is central to how we've come to think about cooking, and sous vide is often a useful step. For example, nothing beats the freshest wild salmon cooked sous vide to 120 F. The trouble with fancy cooking is that some people think they're geniuses, when even the collective intelligence of an entire culture can't always improve on mother nature.

I'd get an oil pump now, and the JVR Vac100 looks like a nice choice to me.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Syzygies

[braindoc]

We are looking at replacing our aging Food Saver.  Given our level of usage, I cannot justify the size and cost of a chamber sealer.  Does anyone have experience with the Magic Vac® JUMBO 30 Evo Plus Vacuum Sealer or the Avid Armor A420?

I’m leaning towards the Magic Vac for sentimental reasons - we are Italophiles.  Eleven trips to Italy starting with our 2007 honeymoon, plus 2 and a half academic years there for me a few decades before that.  The Avid is made in the PRC.

[Syzygies]

On 6/25/2022 at 2:28 PM, braindoc said:

I’m leaning towards the Magic Vac for sentimental reasons - we are Italophiles.  Eleven trips to Italy starting with our 2007 honeymoon, plus 2 and a half academic years there for me a few decades before that.

Can't remember the brand offhand, but I've also spent most of a year total in Italy, much of it various summers on islands off of Sicily. Italian and Japanese are my two best languages and favorite destinations. My last external clamp machine was an Italian brand, much higher quality than a FoodSaver. Never looking back after going to chamber (get a small one?) but it was a good purchase.

Heads up for a new category of chamber machine use: Hydrating doughs, more generally speeding up long processes with a few minutes of vacuum. This is a vast generalization of the idea of vacuum marinades, any situation where popping microscopic air pockets could help. Pasta dough is different, one needs to adjust but might prefer the effect. Tonight we made Chinese dumplings, and after I salted the minced cabbage I exposed it to several minutes of vacuum. Then wringing in a cooking towel, the process released a stunning amount of liquid.

[braindoc]

Our second trip to Italy together was to Sicily in October 2008.  Wonderfully fresh seafood.  We spent a few days on Lipari if I remember correctly.  Our favorite, though, was Ortigia.

Back on topic:  We did decide to get the Magic Vac.  It arrived a few days ago.  Very solid build and an attractive machine.  Only used it a handful of times so far, but it is faster and quieter than the FoodSaver.

[Syzygies]

So my eight year old VacMaster VP115 can still be coaxed to do an excellent job. The "gas shocks" no longer hold up the lid without help, and the ribbon switch gets confused after the jolt of releasing the vacuum, and starts a new cycle.

Anyone who can remove and keep track of twenty screws can repair this thing by swapping parts, assuming one can get the parts. That is no longer the case. I'll probably take it apart again and bend the ribbon switch so it's further from critical, but the "gas shocks" are apparently custom.

I could live with this, or give it to a friend until I retire and give him its replacement. From the above discussion, I'm most tempted by the JVR:

JVR Vac100 – Chamber Vacuum Sealer

I figure my amortized cost of the VP115 was $86 per year, which I more than saved because 4 mil chamber vacuum sealer bags cost less than FoodSaver bags or substitutes.

There are two credible reasons to prefer an external clamp machine: They take less space, and using a continuous roll one can seal lengthy foods such as fish that don't fit in a chamber.

In grad school a friend explained how the second time he ingested psilocybin he had to fight a profound gag reaction. My dog struggled similarly when we took her to the vet. In transition to a chamber machine, I felt a revulsion beyond my conscious control to finding textured FoodSaver bags in the chest freezer. Discard or repack. The difference with a chamber machine isn't intellectual, it's visceral.

[Cheesehead_Griller]

@Syzygies I just purchased the JVR Vac100 as my first vac sealer. I did a ton of research which led me to the Vac100. The power, size, and ease of use is what I liked most about the Vac100. After a month of use, we are very happy with it. I hope it last a long time. I think you will like it too  

[David Chang]

I just spent over an hour sealing and resealing waygu steaks because i can't get the seal right the first time. i really hate this POS Anova sealer. I just sold the Anova vacuum chamber (another POS) and i'm in the market for a proper table top unit. 

i want to seal liquids. 

i want to have tidy bags. 

is it possible to use roll bags in a chamber?

are there models that can print names and pack dates on the bag or am i dreaming?

i was looking at Henkelman (dutch) but will run over a thousand or more. any suggestions for UK plug 230V please? doesn't need to be big, just needs to do a proper and not waste my time or waste bags..😇

[Cheesehead_Griller]

@David Chang Look no further....

https://jvrinc.com/shop-all-products/vacseries/jvr-vac100/vac100-chamber-vacuum-sealer

I have one and love it. I was looking at the same brand you have and decided to step up a bit. So glad I did. 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Cheesehead_Griller

[jeffshoaf]

You can use roll bags in a chamber but sealing without vacuum is a bit slow, at least in my Avid Armor. It uses vacuum to close the sealer bar so it has to pump a bit before sealing. Should be ok to use to use up existing stock and to pack stuff that doesn't fit in the chamber, but I wouldn't want to use roll bags beyond that.

I've not done the math, but my understanding is that pre-formed chamber bags are less expensive than suction machine stock since chamber sealing doesn't require textured bags.

[David Chang]

@jeffshoaf thank you. sometimes i like to seal smaller than standard size bags and the roll helps me to that, but not a dealbreaker if i cannot..

@Cheesehead_Griller looks very promising but i am on a 230v power grid and those sealers are all 120v. if they make UK plug units that would be a good thing.

 

[Syzygies]

I too have the JVR Vac100 and I love it. A generational advance over the chamber machine I had (and still have, other location).

Call them? At a minimum, understand why they don't offer a 230v model now, and their future plans. Which parts would need to be replaced? The innards look easily repaired, like a 1950's car.

[David Chang]

@Syzygies thanks, i messaged them about 230v models but i doubt they support it. i think for them to offer it, they need to establish themselves with distribution and service capabilities in europe and obtain all the proper certifications to export such device there.