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]

the anova chamber sealer came in today. 

it's small, but thats what i wanted. probably can seal a large t-bone, but no more..

vacuum sealing seems ok. 

pickle mode is awesome. 

paper thin baby cucumbers and birds eye red pepper pickles in 30 seconds..😄

 

[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 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 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 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.