Chamber Vacuum Sealers, 2014–

[chefmd]

So it will work if I apply huge amount of pressure, like my whole weight to the lid.  My previous lid had to be pushed down gently too but nothing like this one.  Not sure how long the new lid will last.  May have to simply buy a new one.  Which chamber sealer in the lower price range is considered to be the best for home use?  Sous vide couple times a week or so.

[rotuts]

if you have to push it down hard that says to me there are issues w the seal.

 

check that the plastic lid is "" square ""  which was the issue w this model

 

and fiddle and faddle until it becomes square.

 

when this lid is not square  that's when it cracks.

 

I'll do my best to find the place I got mine in TX soon.

 

I take it you want an oil-less pump ?

 

there is no " best "  

 

just something that suits your need

 

that doesnt give you Angina.

[chefmd]

Thank you rotuts.  How does one fiddle with lid until it is square?  It seems to be pretty rigid.

 

What is the advantage of oil vs dry pump?  I bought VP112 because it was the cheapest and also it fit on top of my refrigerator.  I found VP 215 on line for 849.

[rotuts]

I cant tell you about the fiddle

 

the pumps that need oil are not damaged by moisture.

 

849 is about what i paid for mine

 

be aware  ; Its 100 lbs or so.

[Okanagancook]

I have the VP215 which is an oil pump.  Cost me around $1500CDN about 3 years ago.  Love it.  Sturdy, easy to use, not too heavy and big, chamber is big enough for most things in terms of height, easy to adjust.  I have changed the oil once and it was crystal clear.  Oil pumps last longer I believe.

cheers

[chefmd]

Thanks everyone. I will keep applying pressure to my vac sealer until it dies.  After that, VP with oil pump it is.  It will have to live on the floor somewhere.  May be in guest bedroom closet.

[Martin Fisher]

You need to adjust the lid.

Call Gary at VacMaster and he'll walk you through it.

[rotuts]

that's the guy

 

Texas, correct ?

[Martin Fisher]

No, VacMaster is in Missouri.

 

I think that you're thinking of the place where you bought yours...Rodriguez Butcher Supply.... www.homebutcher.com/

[rotuts]

that's it

 

thanks.

[MattS]

I have the VP215 which is an oil pump.  Cost me around $1500CDN about 3 years ago.  Love it.  Sturdy, easy to use, not too heavy and big, chamber is big enough for most things in terms of height, easy to adjust.  I have changed the oil once and it was crystal clear.  Oil pumps last longer I believe.

cheers

 

Same here, I was worried that it would be too big for my countertop and wouldn't be able to open fully (cabinets above) but in practice that has not been an issue at all. I just place a silicon oven mitt on top of the lid and it cushions the lid when it bumps against the cabinets above. I'll probably upgrade this by just adding some silicon strip the underside of the cabinets, but for now the ghetto oven mitt solution is working adequately. I was on the fence for a long time before ordering one of these from Webstaurant, but it's been one of the best kitchen purchases that we've made over the years - we use it at least a few times a week.

 

 

 

Side note - The ARY vacmaster bags are often cheapest ordered direct from their website in bulk when they go on sale for 20% off or so. Much cheaper than Amazon, Webstaurant, etc. once you factor in shipping costs.

[greenmonk]

Side note - The ARY vacmaster bags are often cheapest ordered direct from their website in bulk when they go on sale for 20% off or so. Much cheaper than Amazon, Webstaurant, etc. once you factor in shipping costs.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Same here, I was worried that it would be too big for my countertop and wouldn't be able to open fully (cabinets above) but in practice that has not been an issue at all. I just place a silicon oven mitt on top of the lid and it cushions the lid when it bumps against the cabinets above. I'll probably upgrade this by just adding some silicon strip the underside of the cabinets, but for now the ghetto oven mitt solution is working adequately. I was on the fence for a long time before ordering one of these from Webstaurant, but it's been one of the best kitchen purchases that we've made over the years - we use it at least a few times a week.

 

 

 

Side note - The ARY vacmaster bags are often cheapest ordered direct from their website in bulk when they go on sale for 20% off or so. Much cheaper than Amazon, Webstaurant, etc. once you factor in shipping costs.

[cstefan]

What is the opinion on the ARY Vacmaster VP215 versus more expensive chamber vacuum machines with Busch pumps such as Minipack and Henkelman?

While I know Busch pump machines are much more durable and features such as being able to set the vacuum percentage or having a moisture stop sensor seem nice does any of this justify the increased cost? Especially since I'm a home user and won't be putting the duty cycles on a machine the way a commercial establishment would.

[horseflesh]

I have a Minipack with a Busch pump so I have some opinions. 

 

My Minipack has been running well. I can't compare it to a Vacmaster and so it is hard to say if the Busch pump was worth it... all I know is, it's been working well, and the pump can boil ice water. 

 

I honestly find the moisture stop feature to be pretty worthless. You need to go in to that mode specifically and I never take the time; I just hit Stop when I see the inside of the lid fog up, or when the boiling in the bag picks up. Since I often seal a variety of things in one session--for example, a few different kinds of leftovers--it takes more time to use the built in moisture stop feature than to just eyeball it. For a commercial workflow where you needed the machine to run unattended while you prep the next bag, it would probably make more sense. 

 

I seal a lot of things with liquids in the bag. Not needing to care about how much liquid there is or how often I do it is great. I think that choosing an oil pump over a dry pump is the most important thing if you are getting a chamber sealer. Getting the better type of oil pump is nice but as a home user with only about 700 cycles on the machine, I have a hard time proving that it was "worth" the expense. 

[rotuts]

"""  choosing an oil pump over a dry pump is the most important thing if you are getting a chamber sealer """

 

I do in deed believe this myself.

 

""  as a home user with only about 700 cycles on the machine, I have a hard time proving that it was "worth" the expense. ""

 

I have the VP215.  should this die, dead , based on my peculiar curcumstances

 

It going to be a Kitchen Monument, as getting 100 lbs some where else its not going to happen here.

 

from time to time, when I look into a "" Big "" purchase, I try to find just what suits my need.

 

I take some time.  but what I have learned is that its worth a "" bit "" to get the next item up that chain.

 

this has worked very well for me, especially with computers.

 

we all now the Next Chip is a lot tastier than the one you have.

 

back to the chamber vac's

 

if you have the funds, and you have done your due fiddle faddle

 

get the one you feel might last a ( bit ) an awful lot longer with no repairs.

 

you will forget the cost in about  a week.  should you have those funds right now.

[Doofa]

Hi Folks.

 

Does any contributor have any info on Henkelmans as chamber vacuum sealers. I have rather a good deal on the Mini Jumbo machine lined up. I am keen to have the views of this forum just for background information and any pitfalls. I have a Foodsaver and it's time to upgrade, especially for the fluids aspects of sous vide cooking.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Mark

[cstefan]

Does any contributor have any info on Henkelmans as chamber vacuum sealers. I have rather a good deal on the Mini Jumbo machine lined up.

[Doofa]

I will now be checking my copy of MC & MC@H. I wish I could get a deal that many could get in on. Just the shipping alone would ruin it from here. It's a one off offer to me from a friend of mine.

Nice to hear they have a good rep.

[entrtaner]

I have a Vacmaster VP112 and I was curious if anyone has found local service/repair available on their chamber vacuum sealer?  If so, how did you go about locating sed service?

 

I'm located in the Hudson Valley of NY, near the CIA, so I have to assume they have someone who they use for service.  I just don't relish the idea of sending this thing out to Missouri to get it looked over if all I needed was a new lid.  

 

I have called Gary in the past, though I may call him back to see what he thinks of the pressure it is currently pulling.  Am I alone in having a lid that seems to be attached more loosely than I really feel comfortable with?  

 

Matt

[mgaretz]

I just got a VP112S and I'll need to get some bags. I'm not sure what size, so does anyone have a source for somebody who sells an assortment or what are your recommendations if I just bought one size?

[rotuts]

I use these :

 

http://shop.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/300-Chamber-Bag-Combo-Pack-CHCOMBO6810.htm

 

Im happy with this assortment.

 

they are heavy and the shipping is substantial for some reason.

 

but worth it over all to me as I can't use 500 x three different sizes

 

the 10 x 13 might not fit in your machine

 

then consider this :

 

http://shop.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/8-X-10-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer-Bags-Box-of-500-40722.htm

 

 

on the other hand the site says it comes with 10 x 13

 

 

ncludes: (10) 6" x 12", (10) 8" x 10", (10) 10" x 13", (10) 12" x 14" Chamber Vacuum Pouches, User's Guide Edited July 26, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[horseflesh]

That assortment is awesome! They did not have that when I bought bags a couple of years ago... so I have, like, thousands of a size it turns out I don't use. 

 

The size I use most, by far, is the 6" x 10" pint bag... but if I could only have one size on hand it would be 8" x 12" quart bag. Sometimes, a pint just isn't big enough. The quart bag is big enough for almost anything, but it doesn't cost a lot more so I wouldn't feel too bad about not using the smallest practical size.

[rotuts]

they don't seem to sell 500 of 8 x 12

 

1000 would be 3 lifetimes or so.

[horseflesh]

If you think you'll not go through 1000 bags, you probably could have bought a cheaper sealer. I have had my chamber about a year and a half, and I have gone through 953 cycles. (Probably 2/3 of those were pint bags.)