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Chamber Vacuum Sealers, 2014–

Mjx

By Mjx
in Kitchen Consumer

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palo

palo

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

 

 

A VacMaster VP-112. 

Me too - price and weight main considerations - many years with no problems - I won't argue that an oil pump isn't better, but...

 

p

  • Like 1
scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted

I briefly had that model but had nothing but problems.  Even with the assist from the company it never worked right.  Sent that boat anchor back and was too bummed from the experience to consider spending even more money on a higher end unit.  
 

I’m still using a FoodSaver, but based on my usage and the cost of  bags I’m still doing ok.  Just have to be creative to vac wet items 

&roid

&roid

Posted
Posted

I bought a Buffalo chamber sealer just over 6 years ago now and it's been brilliant.  My parents got an identical one and have had loads of problems but ours has been perfect. It cost under £500 brand new so at £80 a year I'm delighted. We use it 4-5 times a week so although it's definitely not a heavy duty device it's been great for home use.

 

This is the one we bought

 

Though this looks like a newer model with similar 6.5L capacity

  • Like 1
dscheidt

dscheidt

Posted
Posted
On 1/30/2022 at 12:30 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I have a Polyscience.  My problem is I can't lift any known oil pump machine, so that choice was not an option.  As I recall Modernist Bread reports vacuum cooling dries out the loaf.

 

I have put my vp215 on a pair of skis so I can slide the drain plug past the edge of the cart it's on to change the oil.  While I can lift it, I have no desire to do so any more than strictly necessary.   The skis are just 5/4 deck boards that span from the front and back feet on each side, and allow the very small cantilever required to get to the drain plug.  (not to self: time to change oil....)

  • Like 2
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, dscheidt said:

I have put my vp215 on a pair of skis so I can slide the drain plug past the edge of the cart it's on to change the oil.  While I can lift it, I have no desire to do so any more than strictly necessary.   The skis are just 5/4 deck boards that span from the front and back feet on each side, and allow the very small cantilever required to get to the drain plug.  (not to self: time to change oil....)

 

I can only imagine the machine landing on me after I slip in the oil.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

  • 2 weeks later...
dscheidt

dscheidt

Posted
Posted
On 2/6/2022 at 8:16 PM, dscheidt said:

I have put my vp215 on a pair of skis so I can slide the drain plug past the edge of the cart it's on to change the oil.  While I can lift it, I have no desire to do so any more than strictly necessary.   The skis are just 5/4 deck boards that span from the front and back feet on each side, and allow the very small cantilever required to get to the drain plug.  (not to self: time to change oil....)

Way past time.  IMG_0498.thumb.jpg.0dca010de1d17029670de598b9e0074b.jpg

 

The oil is clear or very slightly amber when new, it's clearly got lots of emusified water in it.  I changed it, ran one cycle, and what showed up in the pump sight glass looked filthy, so I drained it again.  I'll change it a second time in a few days when I get some more oil.  (It takes about 3 ounces.)

 

IMG_0495.thumb.jpg.64d8d2d4b5aa90fc4e434db0c5dc8dfd.jpg

 

This shows the skis, and the cantilever required to get the drain plug over the edge.  To fill, you have to take the back cover off (easy, just four screws).  this is piss poor design, it should be easier to do this. 

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  • 1 month later...
CanadianHomeChef

CanadianHomeChef

Posted
Posted

So I was able to sell my VP215 for a good price thanks to inflation and I just put in an order for a demo unit of the Minipack MX2 for just a small upgrade premium (okay, maybe a $1000 isn't a small price). 

 

I know I'm getting a smaller chamber. My supplier says it'll fit a 10x12 bag which should suffice though (I have a bunch of 10x15 bags I'l need to cut down in size). I'm a bit sceptical about the 10x12 size but my brain isn't very good at envisioning geometry.  Overall, I'll like the smaller foot print and the aesthetics for the kitchen; there's some additional functionality with humidity sensors that run program that pull and release vacuums in succession to create infusions or to marinate food; that should be fun to play with.

Curious if anyone else owns the MX2? I hope I didn't make a mistake as I loved my VP215. 

Sizzle and Sear

Owner/Editor

https://www.sizzleandsear.com/

  • 2 weeks later...
CanadianHomeChef

CanadianHomeChef

Posted
Posted (edited)

This arrived today... Had some issues upon arrival but was able to get it up and going with some excellent customer service from the Canadian distributor (TesTek)... look forward to experimenting with all the infusion cycles :)

Ignore all the finger prints... that's from all the troubleshooting haha

278009821_10166143690050304_8555397819141509259_n.jpg

Edited by CanadianHomeChef (log)
  • Like 3

Sizzle and Sear

Owner/Editor

https://www.sizzleandsear.com/

  • 1 month later...
sverreef

sverreef

Posted
Posted

Comments in this thread helped convince me to go for a wet pump chamber vacuum sealer. From there, the jump to an ACS controlled Henkelman Boxer 35 with liquid sensor was just a "small" additional upgrade...:D

 

I'll never use it enough to justify the cost, but a year later, I couldn't be happier with the purchase, so I just wanted to say thanks for the advice. The build quality from Henkelman is of course top notch, and maintenance hasn't been an issue at all - probably a combination of limited hobby use and the liquid sensor and oil cleaning program doing its job to prevent oil contamination.

  • Like 3
  • 2 months later...
palo

palo

Posted
Posted

Well it's Vacmaster's brand, so I would say that's a step in the right direction - I say this with no experience with oil driven pumps in chamber vacuum sealers and their requirements

 

p

  • Thanks 1
jbates

jbates

Posted
Posted

From my research after I bought my VP-215 you should be able to use any "10W non-detergent hydraulic oil" which your local auto parts dealer should have on hand or be able to order. I got mine from O'Reilly's for around $5 a quart.

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dscheidt

dscheidt

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, jbates said:

From my research after I bought my VP-215 you should be able to use any "10W non-detergent hydraulic oil" which your local auto parts dealer should have on hand or be able to order. I got mine from O'Reilly's for around $5 a quart.

My experience with vacuum pumps is mostly for pulling a hard vacuum in AC systems.  Hydraulic oils have more components that will evaporate at low pressure, and they won't hold up to heavy vacuum use.  It probably doesn't matter much for the amount of use most of these sealers see, and the relatively low level of vacuum they pull.  But a quart of actual vacuum oil will last several changes in the 215 pump, and it's only a couple bucks a change.  that's worth it in my book.

  • Like 1
jbates

jbates

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, dscheidt said:

Hydraulic oils have more components that will evaporate at low pressure, and they won't hold up to heavy vacuum use. 

Good to know, I wasn't aware there are vacuum-specific oils.

 

My info was from a sous chef who used a mid-sized Vacmaster in their kitchen and it got a good workout.

Steve Irby

Steve Irby

Posted
Posted

ARY recommends 10w non detergent hydraulic oil.   There's a lot of brands available to fulfill that requirement.  What your looking for is pure mineral oil without additives.  The Lubriplate oil is 10W ISO 32 non detergent mineral available from Motion Industries for ~$15.00 if you have a store locally.  I have a JVR Industries Vac100 that uses 5W ISO 22 mineral oil.  JVR was nice enough to include a quart of oil with the delivery of the machine.  They have it available for ~$6/qt or $27/gal.  They also carry other brands and ISO numbers for commercial machines at very competitive prices.

 

I've had the JVR Vac100 for 6 months and will do a review in the next few weeks.  As a spoiler alert I'm really glad that I bought the JVR unit rather than the VP-215.  High performance with a countertop footprint smaller than the VP-112.

  • Like 3
palo

palo

Posted
Posted

An interesting alternative:

 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0819N2Z9S/ref=syn_sd_onsite_desktop_180?pd_rd_plhdr=t&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMTNUOUhITlRHNjMwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTg3MTcwUUVXM1czVjZLRVRCJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMjIxOTgxWFBXNUI5NDE5RElHJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c2Rfb25zaXRlX2Rlc2t0b3AmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

 

Not sure how it would hold up to long term storage, but worth considering if you don't have a chamber vac or if it doesn't have the interior size to accommodate your protein they have different sizes

 

p

dtremit

dtremit

Posted
Posted
On 8/1/2022 at 10:51 AM, Steve Irby said:

I've had the JVR Vac100 for 6 months and will do a review in the next few weeks.  As a spoiler alert I'm really glad that I bought the JVR unit rather than the VP-215.  High performance with a countertop footprint smaller than the VP-112.

 

Really looking forward to your review — that looks like a *fantastic* design for a <$1k machine. Ticks a lot of boxes for me: fairly compact, >12" seal bar, deep enough to seal small jars on its own, and an accessory port.

  • 2 weeks later...
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