Vacuum Sealers
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So I am nearing the end of the life of my 3rd vacuum sealer in 20 years and this time I am not going to waste my time on another foodsaver. Anyone have any experience with the Vacmaster 350pro? I am leaning that way but really like to hear any input from what everyone is using.
Thanks for your input! -
I am admittedly very new to using a vacuum sealer. (So new in fact, I’m still getting snide remarks about the costs involved form the home CFO.)
Since I’m a cheap adze, I went to Walmart and got a $50 Ziploc sealer to start with. Then I buy my bags from Ebay as a roll and make my own bags. It is a bit labor intensive, but allows me full customization. Or probably to be more truthful it should be spelled Cusstomization, for those times I’ve tried lengths that came out a smidgen too short to be usable.
I did burn out the heating element once, making a pile of bags from a roll. But it was replaced with a new unit by the CS folks after sending in the old (new) unit, and the waiting time for them to realize I was right, it was indeed a dead horse.All that being said… If you think you will be shopping for a new system, I have a dream I would suggest you add to your considerations. A Vacuum Chamber Sealer. Watch Shotgun Reds video in the link.
Being miserly, and of advanced age (69 today), I can not justify to myself the cost of a vacuum chamber unit. But I can sure see the advantages.
I simply do not have enough volume storage, nor idle time storage space, for such a unit.The Vacmaster Pro350 does have a loyal following of users. And I can attest to the old adage of you get what you pay for.
But were I to be considering a Pro350, I sure would give a vacuum chamber sealer a strong consideration. -
So I am nearing the end of the life of my 3rd vacuum sealer in 20 years and this time I am not going to waste my time on another foodsaver. Anyone have any experience with the Vacmaster 350pro? I am leaning that way but really like to hear any input from what everyone is using.
Thanks for your input!deplorablenc1
I actually have the VacMaster PRO350 at home and I use that a lot. It is a very nice machine, and it will last you a long time.
I also have a Weston Harvest Guard at home, and I actually prefer this one for small and simple jobs, like leftovers from dinner.
The Weston model is my choice for quick and easy vacuum sealing, and the VacMaster model for bigger jobs when I’m sealing a lot of bags.If you do a sizeable amount of vacuum sealing though, I would at least consider a chambered vacuum sealer. The cost difference on bags is a big deal, plus they vacuum and seal much better. Non-chambered bags in an 8x12 can be $0.15 or more for each bag, while chambered bags in an 8x12 can be $0.05 or less, depending on how many you buy at once. If you used only 500 bags per year, that would make a difference of several hundred dollars in a few years.
The VacMaster VP215 is the best selling entry level chambered vacuum sealer. It is a real workhorse and definitely worth every penny. I have also become a big fan of the Weston Pro-2500. It is a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the VacMaster model, and if I were to buy a chambered vacuum sealer right now for me, I’d go with the Weston.
Overall, you won’t be disappointed by the PRO350 if you go that route. I would do an estimate on how many bags you might use a year though, and see if the increased cost of a chambered model would save you money in the long run by buying the cheaper but better chambered bags. If you have any specific questions on any model though, do let me know!
–Austin Walton
VP of Operations at Walton’s & Meatgistics HostShop waltons.com for Everything but the Meat!
Subscribe to WaltonsTV on YouTube (https://wltns.link/waltonstv) -
deplorablenc1
I actually have the VacMaster PRO350 at home and I use that a lot. It is a very nice machine, and it will last you a long time.
I also have a Weston Harvest Guard at home, and I actually prefer this one for small and simple jobs, like leftovers from dinner.
The Weston model is my choice for quick and easy vacuum sealing, and the VacMaster model for bigger jobs when I’m sealing a lot of bags.If you do a sizeable amount of vacuum sealing though, I would at least consider a chambered vacuum sealer. The cost difference on bags is a big deal, plus they vacuum and seal much better. Non-chambered bags in an 8x12 can be $0.15 or more for each bag, while chambered bags in an 8x12 can be $0.05 or less, depending on how many you buy at once. If you used only 500 bags per year, that would make a difference of several hundred dollars in a few years.
The VacMaster VP215 is the best selling entry level chambered vacuum sealer. It is a real workhorse and definitely worth every penny. I have also become a big fan of the Weston Pro-2500. It is a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the VacMaster model, and if I were to buy a chambered vacuum sealer right now for me, I’d go with the Weston.
Overall, you won’t be disappointed by the PRO350 if you go that route. I would do an estimate on how many bags you might use a year though, and see if the increased cost of a chambered model would save you money in the long run by buying the cheaper but better chambered bags. If you have any specific questions on any model though, do let me know!
Austin thanks for that info. I like the vacuum chamber and have read alot on them and watched a bunch of videos but I think I will stick with the vacuum sealer style. I like that the 350 has a cooling fan too. I usually vacuum about 50 bags at a time and hate the overheating currently.
And I trust if you like yours it is a good choice!
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So I am nearing the end of the life of my 3rd vacuum sealer in 20 years and this time I am not going to waste my time on another foodsaver. Anyone have any experience with the Vacmaster 350pro? I am leaning that way but really like to hear any input from what everyone is using.
Thanks for your input!deplorablenc1 I have a Vacmaster pro350 and love it. I’ve had it less than a year but it gets used a quite a bit. I make snack sticks anywhere from 2 to 4 times a month and I usually get about 16 bags to seal up. As long as you don’t try to use Cabelas “new” bags that are mesh style on both sides it will work great. I only use Vacmaster bags and no troubles at all.
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deplorablenc1 I have a Vacmaster pro350 and love it. I’ve had it less than a year but it gets used a quite a bit. I make snack sticks anywhere from 2 to 4 times a month and I usually get about 16 bags to seal up. As long as you don’t try to use Cabelas “new” bags that are mesh style on both sides it will work great. I only use Vacmaster bags and no troubles at all.
Doug Kapfenstein thanks! I am really liking that option. It’s good to hear all the good reviews about it before I dump the money on one.
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So I am nearing the end of the life of my 3rd vacuum sealer in 20 years and this time I am not going to waste my time on another foodsaver. Anyone have any experience with the Vacmaster 350pro? I am leaning that way but really like to hear any input from what everyone is using.
Thanks for your input!deplorablenc1 A buddy of mine just bought a Weston 2300 we used it on deer sausage this yr. that thing worked excellent never had to wait for it to cool down like foodsaver and never sucked any juices like the foodsaver, only thing it needs is a cutter and roll holder…I used my old foodsaver to make the bags and he vacuumed them, as soon as my foodsaver takes a crap I’m going with one of those…
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So I am nearing the end of the life of my 3rd vacuum sealer in 20 years and this time I am not going to waste my time on another foodsaver. Anyone have any experience with the Vacmaster 350pro? I am leaning that way but really like to hear any input from what everyone is using.
Thanks for your input!deplorablenc1 i strongly suggest a chamber vacuum sealer. Ive been using vacuum sealers at home and for my buisness for about 20 years and chamber sealers are in a class of their own. Vacmaster makes some of the best ones and i understand they are more money. I just found this sorta knock of brand one: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F222798051664
It would im sure last you several years. Any liquid soups or marinades this thing is king. Toss a steak in a bag along with a marinade and vacuum seal it up. 30 minutes and you have a juicy beautiful piece of meat!
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lamurscrappy ANother thing in favor of the chambered vac sealers is that the bags are a fraction of the cost of the chamberless ones! Depending on how often you use it you can make up the price difference pretty quickly!
Get more help with your processing questions and learn more about processing meat by subscribing to our waltonsinc.com youtube page at https://wltns.link/waltonstv I am a Gorilla, love yourself
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lamurscrappy ANother thing in favor of the chambered vac sealers is that the bags are a fraction of the cost of the chamberless ones! Depending on how often you use it you can make up the price difference pretty quickly!
Jonathon oh ya without a doubt much cheaper. It really does pay for itself either for home or commercial use.
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I bought a chamber vacmaster vp 120 from waltons over a year ago, and it works great. just don’t get nothing inside the bag where it seals the bag.
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I bought a chamber vacmaster vp 120 from waltons over a year ago, and it works great. just don’t get nothing inside the bag where it seals the bag.
rodneycaudill ok ok, y’all are convincing me. I will look more at the vacuum chamber. Thanks for y’alls input!
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deplorablenc1
I set an alert on Craig’s list for chamber vac. Took a while but sure enough one popped up and we grabbed it for a steal. We did 200# of sausage without a hitch. After we went through 3 vacuseals we gave up. You won’t regret this purchase. -
I bought the vacmaster vp215 three years ago and we love using it. We package all our meats and veggies using this. I use several different sizes of bags and buy them in large amounts and the savings are huge.
You can even do stews or any thick sauce foods since the chamber has a sloping bottom.
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