Chamber Vacuum Sealers, 2011–2014

[Kerry Beal]

Mother's day weekend - an Ottawa area eG'er is coming down. Can likely send some back with her. Another Ottawa area eG'er coming for the chocolate workshop.

[mart242]

Mother's day weekend - an Ottawa area eG'er is coming down. Can likely send some back with her. Another Ottawa area eG'er coming for the chocolate workshop.

Nah, not worth the hassle just to save a few $$$, especially since I'm deep in the west end of ottawa. I ended up buying the other bags online last night, I'll have tons of bags for a while!

[Kerry Beal]

Mother's day weekend - an Ottawa area eG'er is coming down. Can likely send some back with her. Another Ottawa area eG'er coming for the chocolate workshop.

Nah, not worth the hassle just to save a few $$$, especially since I'm deep in the west end of ottawa. I ended up buying the other bags online last night, I'll have tons of bags for a while!

You and me both! Tons of bags!

[Monte]

VP 215 Chamber sealing bags

Would appreciate feedback from members that use the chamber vacuum sealer VP 210 or VP 215 as to what size bags they use, both these machines have a maximum size of 10 x 13" and I will be purchasing a 1,000 of them. Other sizes I am unsure of as I have recently purchased my unit and they include samples of 6 x 12, 8 x 12, and of couse 10 x 13.

Second question:

I recently purchased some steaks and packaged them individually using zip lock bags and found ice crystals within days of sealing with a straw. Thus the research and purchase of a chamber sealer. Is it possible to remove the steaks, pad the meat with a wet towel to remove the crystals then seal in the chamber. Will that stop the crystallization?

[Chris Amirault]

I get the 3 mil, 6x12" and 10x13" VacMaster pouches from Amazon. I have Prime so it's easy to order and shipping is fast and free. The 8x12" just didn't seem to be the right size for my uses (home stuff mostly).

And, yes, your steaks should be very happy in their new homes.

[Monte]

Vacuum sealing fruit

With berries soon to be ready for harvesting and freezing I was wondering if it is advisable to vacuum freeze the berries whole or cut them and add sugar. I realize you need to pre freeze the berries first on a sheet before vacuum sealing.

[horseflesh]

Hi, I joined the forum for this thread. I'm seriously considering getting the MVS-31XP and this thread, though old now, is one of the best discussions I have seen on sealers of that class.

If anyone has more to share on the 31XP or other chamber sealers in that price range I'd love to hear it. I want to be sure I make the right decision.

[ash]

quick question- i'm about to take the plunge and buy a VP215 but after reading a bit about it i'm a little concerned about the vacuum it will pull. i read a blog (can't find it anywhere now but it was reputable) about the amount of vacuum applied to different proteins and how it affect the cooking process. they tested proteins at 90%, 98%, 99% and 99% plus 15 seconds.

what i'm a little worried about is they came to the conclusion that a 90% vacuum was ideal for chicken and fish since anything above that made the texture either too soft/mushy or too dry (well they said it was initially wet but when chewing it became very dry). with beef it didn't really matter at 90% or 99% since they were both fairly similar but i think they decided that 90% was still the ideal pull.

with the VP series, or any chamber that doesn't allow setting a certain % how do you all go about ensuring you're only pulling what is required and not pulling too much of a vacuum?

is it all trial and error with setting the seconds?

of course this can all be ignored if the gauge on the front of the machine does actually tell you the % you're pulling but i'm unsure~?

i read the manual and i'm sure it has been covered in detail but my google-fu is lacking.

Edited August 23, 2013 by ash (log)

[horseflesh]

The gauge on front of the 215 seems to be marked in inches of mercury. Here's a table that lets you convert that unit to percent vacuum.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/vacuum-converter-d_460.html

If you find that blog post, please follow up.

[Burke]

Hi, I joined the forum for this thread. I'm seriously considering getting the MVS-31XP and this thread, though old now, is one of the best discussions I have seen on sealers of that class.

If anyone has more to share on the 31XP or other chamber sealers in that price range I'd love to hear it. I want to be sure I make the right decision.

Thanks in large part to this forum I just took delivery of an MVS-35X yesterday. These things are built like a tank, and can draw down a serious vacuum (I can boil water at 32F) No regrets so far. Definitely get the liquid tray. I opted for the 35x over the 31x because of the heavier vacuum pump, seemed to be to be worth the extra dollars and since I was already over budget I could not afford any buyers regret or upgradist. I got mine from Big Tray and they have the mvs 35x for less than most sell the mvs 31.

[horseflesh]

I'm on the verge of deciding that I need the 35 instead of the 31 as well--same concerns, I want to buy it once and minimize compromise. What's another 10% cost at this point? However, I am definitely getting the XP model due to the hot foods program and other upgrades.

You're right, that is a very good price on the 35x, especially when you factor in free shipping. I wonder if they can get the XP...

[horseflesh]

Hey Burke--can you tell me more about your 35X? It isn't

I just exchanged some email with Big Tray. They told me that the manufacturer told them that the 35X and 35XP differ *only* in the printer. This would be UNLIKE the 31X to 31XP, where the XP adds more memories, the liquid instant stop, hot food program, infusion cycle, and some other changes.

If the 35X does indeed have the liquid quick stop etc then I could get it instead of the 35XP, as I don't care about the printer. I suspect that the 35 models follow the 31 models' pattern, though.

[horseflesh]

Darn, I can't edit my above post.

I ended up talking to Joe at Minipack. The differences between the 31X and 31XP are mirrored on the 35X and 35XP, which is what I expected.

Joe was very helpful, and even mentioned that the 35XP is available without the printer as a custom order. I have an email out to another Minipacker and when I find out what the price is on that I will post a followup.

[Burke]

You and Joe are correct, BIg Tray is wrong, The 35X is just the 31X with the bigger Busch pump instead of the DVP. The X to XP difference is in the computer and electronics. I liked the new programs in the XP but did not want the printer and except for the liquid quick stop (which I suspect is what the hot foods program actually is) I could not justify the extra cost. I am sure you will be happy with either of the MVS-35 models. Let everyone know what you find out about the 35XP without the printer, I think that would be just about the best CVS at the price point.

[horseflesh]

I got the quote from Minipack for the 35XP minus the printer. It is a hefty discount, but direct sales don't begin with any discount off the MSRP, and there are shipping costs too, so the overall savings is not huge. I am not surprised, the manufacturer doesn't want to work against their resellers... This could still be a good option for some people though.

I have permission to pass the sales agent's contact information on--please send me a PM if you would like that, or more details on the pricing.

[horseflesh]

One last update on my sealer saga... Big Tray is able to custom order the 35XP without the printer. I was pleased at the price, too. If that's interesting to you, contact help@bigtray.com for a quote.

[stckciv]

I was looking at the VP215 as others have and thought I read somewhere that you are able to change out the seal bar for another that would allow you to use a wider bag? Can anyone confirm or deny that?

Thanks

[Monte]

Have not read where you can increase the width of the maxim width of bag. The sealer bar is easily removable. I could see using a longer bag but it would stick out the front. I find the larger bag and the smaller size worked very well. Where you wanting the larger size for sealing soup?

[stckciv]

Have not read where you can increase the width of the maxim width of bag. The sealer bar is easily removable. I could see using a longer bag but it would stick out the front. I find the larger bag and the smaller size worked very well. Where you wanting the larger size for sealing soup?

I have only been reading (for a long time), I now have have money saved to get a machine like this and do not remember where I read this. I am sure, how it is set up, will work fine for my needs.

For some reason I thought I read somewhere that someone suggested to also buy a longer sealing bar. I can't find it now and do not see how it could be possible.

I was going to order one in the next week and was wondering.

Thanks for the reply!

[stckciv]

I found where I read this. It is the first review by Steven, http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-vacmaster-vp215-chamber-vacuum-packaging-machine-with-10-seal-bar/120VMASVP215.html

The 16" bar says it is for the 320 model.

[bethanie112]

I have a slightly different question for this group. I bought the VacMaster VP112 about 18 months ago and use it in my home kitchen. Usage is a couple times per week with one major session per month - so nothing large scale. Recently when vacuuming some chicken I heard a loud pop and found that the hood had cracked while pulling the vacuum. The crack was in the front right near the sealing bar and prevented the machine from working properly. The company sent me a replacement hood even though it was out of warranty. While I'm really thankful for that, I'm a bit disappointed such an expensive machine would crack for no reason under such light use. Anyone have this issue or have any hypotheses on the cause?

[Unpopular Poet]

Hey everyone -- it has been a while -- I had a question -- so I have been enjoying my MVS-31x from Bob, and out of nowhere on Sunday, the machine has just decided to no work. Basically, it powers up and gives you the option to begin vacuum sealing, but when the cycle is initiated, the pump never activates and the % of vacuum basically sits at a very low number, unless you open the lid - at which point it goes up....it eventually gets to 99.9, but it is in the display only -- there is no vacuum at all. I think this sounds like an electronics issue, but I am not entirely sure. I changed the oil and attempted to re-calibrate, but that didn't do anything. I have contacted Minipack, but have yet to hear from them. Has anyone else had this issue?

Thanks

Dan

[sigma]

I had a similar problem early on with my MVS-31, but this was some years ago and I can't remember what it was. I do remember that we had a repair guy out and it took him about 30 seconds to fix the problem.

[horseflesh]

Dan, if you are waiting for an email reply I would definitely call Minipack. I have called a couple of times and they were great. Last time I had a technical question I spoke to Jamal.

I'll be calling soon myself. My 35XP seems to have a faulty display.

[piyoman]

On a slightly different topic, can anyone recommend a place to buy chamber vacuum bags? There are a few places that sell for quite cheap but add that with shipping and it can double in price. Also what are the popular sizes everyone uses? I just want to ensure if I'm going to buy 1000+ bags that I don't get too many of the wrong size. I'll primarily be sous viding for meals of 2 up to 6 people and freezing bulk meat I buy. Suggestions?