Choosing the best Vacuum Sealer for me

What are the differences in vacuum sealers?

To help you make the best choice first you must be aware of all the options. In this post we will go over what types of vacuum machines are available, what their differences are and what the advantages and disadvantages of each type are. There are 2 common types of bags used for vacuum sealers, you will have noticed that some of them have a texture to one, or both sides of the bag and some are smooth. The textured bags are designed to be used in the chamberless vacuum sealers, where only the opening of the bag is placed in the machine. The smooth bags are for use in a chambered machine, where the entire bag goes inside the chamber before sealing.

Chambered Vacuum Sealer

This style of vacuum sealers works by putting the entire vacuum bag in the chamber of the machine, which then pumps out all the air of the chamber, seals the bag and reintroduces the air to the chamber, giving you a sealed bag with the air removed.

Advantages

• Quality of vacuum and size
• Cost per bag
• Life span of unit
• More options for type of bag
• Ability to seal non-vacuum bags

Disadvantages

• Initial cost of sealer

Non-Chambered Vacuum Sealer

This style of sealer has only the opening of the bag placed into the opening of the unit, the food item, and remaining amount of the bag stays outside the sealer. Air is sucked up out of the bag and then the bag is sealed giving you a sealed bag with most of the air removed

Advantages

• Cost of the sealer
• Easy of use
• Ability to use vac bag rolls to make custom sized bags

Disadvantages

• Cost of textured bags
• Because these bags have a texture, they will not form to the food as tightly
• Because these work by pulling the air up through the bag, there is a greater chance of liquid being pulled into the machine

How often will the sealer be used

Just like anything else, the more you are planning on using something, the more money you should invest in it. If you are planning on using a vacuum sealer along with a deep freezer to secure your food supply for the long-term then you should be willing to invest in a unit that will cost more than someone who wants to vacuum seal their leftovers for next week or months meal. The vacuum pump and seal bars are going to be more robust and able to stand up to more use on a vacuum machine that costs more than an entry level sealer.

• If you are planning on using a vacuum sealer for long-term food supply security, packaging your wild game or will be using it daily then the Walton's Chambered Vacuum Sealer will be the best fit for you
• If you are going to use it often, but will be using it for shorter term storage then Walton's 12in Pro Vacuum Sealer will be a great choice
• If your use of the vacuum sealer will be sporadic and used for shorter term storage of things like left-overs then the Fresh Seal Vacuum Sealer will work for your needs.

How long will food items be sealed for

The length of time you want to keep the food sealed for should also factor into your decision. The quality of the vacuum and the seal both come into play here.

• If you are planning on storing a food item for years then you will want to make sure you get out all of the air possible and the bag is perfectly sealed. To do this you will want a Waltons Chambered Vacuum Sealer
• If the food is going to be stored for weeks or months then the quality of a chamberless vacuum sealer like the Walton's 12in Pro , or the Fresh Seal should work well for you.

What will you be vacuum sealing?

Not all items are going to vacuum seal the same, sharp edges and liquid content are two common factors that should be taken into account.

If you use a chamberless sealer to seal a cut of meat or other food item with a lot of moisture some of that liquid is going to be pulled up into the machine, while this planned for y the Walton's Pro 12 inch and the Fresh Seal buy raising the suction areas up off the ground, moisture can still get into your pump, causing issues. Meanwhile the chambered machines are capable of sealing a bag full of soup with ease.

Food items with sharp edges, such as bones, or particularly dry jerky can poke holes in your vacuum seal, ruining the quality of the seal. With a chambered vacuum sealer you can use 4 or 5 mm thick vacuum bags to help protect against this.

Save money now or save more money in the future

Chambered machines are a greater initial investment than the chamberless vacuum sealer but since they use smooth bags, which are less expensive they can save you money in the long run. Because the chamberless machines need the texture to allow the air a way to be pulled from the entire bags they are more difficult, and therefore more expensive to make

For example, 1,000 of the 8x12 3 mil Chambered Bags cost $67.99, while 1,000 of the 8x12 chamberless bags are normally $249.99. Meaning that the savings per 1,000 bags fr just 1 size can be $170. So, depending on how often you use your bags you can save money in the long term with a chambered vacuum sealer.