1 hour ago, teonzo said:
I don't have one at home (I cook simple things at home so I have few toys). I used many at work, can't remember the name / models sorry. I never found much difference between different producers, so I wouldn't mind much about that. The two factors are how big the chamber is and how powerful the pump is.
You need a powerful pump to make a better vacuum (the stronger the pump, the nearer to 100% vacuum you get), to save on time and electricity, to save money on the long term since a powerful pump will last much more time.
You need a big chamber to be versatile and save costs. If you have a small chamber then you are not able to do many things, like compressing a whole (peeled) pineapple, which is a nice showstopper if you have guests for dinner. With a small chamber you can use only small jars, which means that in many cases you will be forced to use 2 or more jars while you could use a single big one with a bigger machine. More jars mean higher costs: two 0.25 liter jars cost more than one 0.5 liter jar; two machine cicles cost more than one cicle. Same with bags. Saving 50 cents here and 50 cents there means that after some time you repay the difference for the bigger machine.
I suppose youare an adventurous cook, so there will be many more uses for this machine. You can make the "bubble chocolate": you put tempered chocolate in a big container, put it in the vacuum chamber machine, pull the vacuum at maximum power, than turn off the machine (leaving it closed without decompressing, so the chocolate has time to set while expanded). If you have unwanted bubbles in a batter / whatelse then you can just put it in a open container and then run it in the machine. This is useful for ganaches, for fluid gels, for things that you thickened with xantan gum.
For liquids, you want a big step from the chamber floor to the sealing unit. Small machines have a low step, this means you will get mad with the liquid overflowing out of the bag.
A big machine costs more than a small machine at the beginning, but after some time (2-3 years at home use I suppose) it costs less.
Be careful to read ALL the details in the manual. The oil in the pump must be changed after some time, don't start thinking "I can go on some more", you risk ruining the pump (a new pump costs much much more than an oil change). You need to be careful (or better, to avoid) putting hot liquids or things with fine powders (you risk to clog the pump). Read what button combination you need to follow to avoid the sealing unit going on: if you use jars, stuff in open containers, things that do not need to be sealed, then it's better to avoid the sealing cycle (less costs). Beware to NOT TOUCH the sealing unit when you pick a bag, it's HOT.
Teo
Brilliant, many thanks for these Teo! Very helpful. I'm beginning to wonder if the power level of the pump in Mini Jumbo, VP215 etc (I think all of them do about 4m3/h) is good enough? Or if it's really quite likely to come bite back at me if I save 200€, instead of going for 8m3/h pump for example. I guess there isn't a clear answer to it, though Teo you seem to think it does actually affect longevity (as the Henkelman sales rep said too). Actually just now realized that the Jumbo series doesn't have the soft air release. Boxer series does, but for example Boxer 30 is +300€ to Jumbo 30. Wonder if it's worth that much really..
Good points about not using the sealing function with jars etc. Notes taken.
Love the whole pineapple idea.. Seen slices of pineapple done but can imagine a whole one being a different kind of showstopper! Bubble chocolate and others are definitely on the list too. Very happy to hear if you want to share other ideas like these 
