Anova "Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer"

[weinoo]

Anyone have one of these?  Care to comment.  Currently on sale for $300, which is a pretty good price - if the machine is worthy.

 

 

https://anovaculinary.com/products/anova-precision-chamber-vacuum-sealer

Edited May 11, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[ElsieD]

I don't have one but the sale applies to Canada too and I'm thinking about it.

[rotuts]

Ill say this :

 

should this have an oil pump 

 

and the bags come from a ' general ' source 

 

https://vacuumsealersunlimited.com

 

my old source 

 

its well worth looking into .

 

if a dry pump , then , its longevity might be different .

 

how large are the largest bag it fits ?

 

what vacuum does it pull ?

 

the lid looks flat , vs a dome 

 

dome might support higher vac's

 

which might not really be important 

 

the price seems attractive 

 

if well made and the bag size is not proprietary 

 

and water vapor does not damage it 

 

might be a fine item for home use 

 

ed,:   100 bags , $ 30 USD  ::  $ 0.30 // bag.

 

$ 0.04 // bag ( back in the day )  wild be more interesting .

 

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

The chamber is smallish. 3" deep X roughly 1 ft square.

 

That 3" seems limiting. I'm not sure a roast would fit etc.

 

Anybody have one?

[rotuts]

re : bags ::

 

https://vacuumsealersunlimited.com/shop/commercial-chamber-vacuum-sealer-bags-pouches/3-mil-chamber-bags/6-x-8-chamber-vacuum-sealer-bags-case-of-1000/

 

6 x 8  :   

 

https://vacuumsealersunlimited.com/shop/commercial-chamber-vacuum-sealer-bags-pouches/3-mil-chamber-bags/6-x-10-chamber-vacuum-sealer-bags-case-of-1000/

 

6 x 10 

 

and indeed 3 "  depth is limiting 

 

a nice 2 "  ' chop ' ?

 

might b fine , 

 

understanding the capacity limitations 

 

 

 

 

[btbyrd]

I've had a dry pump machine for almost ten years and it has not given me any problems. If you're doing high volumes or sealing a lot of hot liquid for some reason, maybe an oil pump would be worth paying extra for. But for casual use at home, dry pumps are fine.

[rotuts]

i had to replace a dry pump 

 

once .

 

with home use ,

 

I hope no one ever goes through that expense

 

and disappointed .

 

it did get me to $ 0.04 bags 

 

so there is that .

[curls]

I have one. Purchased it June 2022 during their Father's Day sale when the price was $280. I like it but I still have a FoodSaver that I can use for larger items. I like that it is lightweight and small; it is stored in the basement when I am not using it. It is great for stocks and items with lots of liquid -- the stuff that is difficult (or impossible) to do with a FoodSaver. Also had some fun with compressing fruits and quick pickles and infusions.  I purchased 250 each of two sizex of bags 6" x 10" and 11" x 10" bags. 11" x 10" is the largest bag that will fit in the chamber. I wanted to see how much I used it and what I used it for before I bought a case of 1000.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

[Kerry Beal]

5 minutes ago, curls said:

I have one. Purchased it June 2022 during their Father's Day sale when the price was $280. I like it but I still have a FoodSaver that I can use for larger items. I like that it is lightweight and small; it is stored in the basement when I am not using it. It is great for stocks and items with lots of liquid -- the stuff that is difficult (or impossible) to do with a FoodSaver. Also had some fun with compressing fruits and quick pickles and infusions.  I purchased 250 each of two sizex of bags 6" x 10" and 11" x 10" bags. 11" x 10" is the largest bag that will fit in the chamber. I wanted to see how much I used it and what I used it for before I bought a case of 1000.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

Assuming you can use bags for any chamber vac - there's nothing special about their proprietary bags except the size?

 

[curls]

8 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Assuming you can use bags for any chamber vac - there's nothing special about their proprietary bags except the size?

 

Correct. All chamber vac bags will work, no need to buy the Anova bags.

You can get the 11" x 10" bags from Anova or Avid Armor (they have a similarly sized vacuum sealer) and purchase other sizes from @rotuts's preferred vendor - Vacuum Sealers Unlimited.

 

[palo]

5 hours ago, btbyrd said:

I've had a dry pump machine for almost ten years and it has not given me any problems. If you're doing high volumes or sealing a lot of hot liquid for some reason, maybe an oil pump would be worth paying extra for. But for casual use at home, dry pumps are fine.

I believe you and I have the same machine (Vacmaster VP112) - mine has also worked flawlessly until now - it has suffered a catastrophic mental illness (it's brain-dead) the control board emits a high-pitched sound - it still works but that noise can't be good! - the VP112 has been discontinued and parts are unavailable - factory technician suggested I try EBay

 

I ordered and received today a Vevor DZ-260c chamber vac - oil pump, 12 inch sealing bar - $535CDN vs $1249CDN for the cheapest Vacmaster (VP215)

 

No brainer as far as price and obviously I don't expect Vacmaster quality - Chinese import and Youtube reviews point out its idiosyncrasies (weaknesses?) - but if it performs as illustrated in reviews I'll be happy

 

Seems a better deal than the Foodsaver choice imho

 

p

[dtremit]

@curls — this may be a silly question, but as I've never had a chamber vac before — can you give an example of the largest food item you can fit in the Anova, vs something that didn't fit? Have you tried anything in a jar?

[curls]

50 minutes ago, dtremit said:

@curls — this may be a silly question, but as I've never had a chamber vac before — can you give an example of the largest food item you can fit in the Anova, vs something that didn't fit? Have you tried anything in a jar?

I should be able to take some photos this weekend with canning jars and various items. Any particular stuff that you would like me to test?

[dtremit]

@curls Oh, thank you!

 

Other than jars, I honestly don't think there's a specific thing that would be a deal breaker for me if it didn't fit — just trying to get a general sense of how limiting the dimensions are or aren't. Is there anything you've wanted to seal but couldn't?

 

I don't have the counter space for a larger machine (nor the back to heft a 60lb one regularly!) so I'm really comparing this or something like it to not having a chamber vac for the foreseeable future.

 

As an aside, the Anova looks awfully similar on the inside to this AvidArmor unit.

 

[rotuts]

I have a chamber vac , oil 

 

so Im not in the market for an other 

 

in terms of the depth :

 

Id be interested , as a seasoned Theoretician :

 

how thick a '  chop '   ' roast '  ' blocks of 2 x 4 's '

 

would comfortably fit and get vac'd ?

 

in terms of hight .

 

bags that fit any machine 

 

are much cheaper elsewhere 

 

pick your place 

 

and then get 300 or so , various sizes 

 

and then work from there 

 

if new to Vac's   you will pic a size 

 

that has extra room , eventually 

 

as you get those , and they can be cut down

 

easily for smaller projects .

 

and , when you get your Advanced Vac'D 

 

certificate  , 'make your own "

 

you will add Vac'D  items 

 

in a bag , with head rm

 

the freeze the contents

 

and then pull that bag 

 

out of the freezer 

 

take what you need  , right then

 

and re-seal that same bag

 

has been woking well for me

 

for some time 

 

Bell's seasoning 

 

its a power 

 

best purchased 2 or soo weeks 

 

before the American Thanksgiving

 

not just fresh , but at 1/2 price 

 

set for years , should you 

 

plan carefully 

Edited May 12, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[palo]

@rotuts Big up on headspace and resealing - I do that with big slabs of cheese (400 g) - keeps it fresh and un-moldy

 

p

[dtremit]

In terms of leaving room to cut the bag down later — can you use a bag longer than the theoretical maximum if the excess at the closed end is folded?

 

E.g., if the "max" is 11"x10" (with an 11" seal bar), could you use an 11"x13" bag as long as there's no food in the last two inches?

[rotuts]

@dtremit 

 

a v3ry interesting question .

 

my take is you want to curl up 

 

a longer bag , than layer out , flat in your Vac.

 

Id guess the real limiting size is 

 

your seal bar

 

and then , maybe your head room.

 

for the Vac .

 

I am interested your ideas about th9is .

 

what do you plan to do w the 

 

' Vac"D curl ?'

 

 

 

[sverreef]

20 hours ago, dtremit said:

In terms of leaving room to cut the bag down later — can you use a bag longer than the theoretical maximum if the excess at the closed end is folded?

 

E.g., if the "max" is 11"x10" (with an 11" seal bar), could you use an 11"x13" bag as long as there's no food in the last two inches?

 

I haven't tried this myself, since my Henkelman has a fairly large chamber compared to the bags l normally use, but this could work. I've found that if you fold up excessive length of bag just inside (or outside) the seal bar, it seems like it can create a "barrier" which affects evacuation of air from the bag though. This can again lead to excessive"ballooning" of the bag inside the chamber, especially if you vacuum products with a lot of air bubbles/voids which release air slowly.

 

Because of this, it might be better to move some of the headroom (the folded bag part) to the other side of the produce? Based on my (limited) experience with chamber sealers, I'm not sure if I'd like to try this with a bag who's total volume exceeds the volume of the chamber.

[ElsieD]

I was seriously considering this until my recent customer "service" experience.  On May 16 I wrote to them about an issue I was having with my APO.  This was acknowledged by them 5 days later by giving me a ticket number.  I wrote to them on May 25 in an attempt to find out what if anything, is happening.  Including the 16th, I am on day 12.  Nothing.  If I call them, I get an auto message.  Personally, I will never, ever buy anything from them again.  

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

that makes sense .

 

Anova in the past , is not Anova now.

 

there are other chamber vac's 

 

should you get one 

 

you will very much enjoy it.

 

so ' look around '

 

[palo]

@ElsieD

 

VEVOR: https://www.vevor.com/s/dz-260c

 

My pick, based on price and features - basically you're buying the machine with little or no support, but after a couple of weeks, I'm happy - Youtubers like it - roughly 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the Vacmaster

 

p

[dtremit]

8 hours ago, palo said:

@ElsieD

 

VEVOR: https://www.vevor.com/s/dz-260c

 

My pick, based on price and features - basically you're buying the machine with little or no support, but after a couple of weeks, I'm happy - Youtubers like it - roughly 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the Vacmaster

 

Great if you have space for a large, 50lb device — which sadly I do not 😔

 

Given @rotuts experience with the bags, I wonder if the AvidArmor is worth considering as an alternative to the Anova — the vacuum chamber and specs on their cheapest model look identical to the Anova, which makes me wonder if they come from the same OEM:

 

https://avidarmor.com/avid-armor-ultra-series-usv20-chamber-vacuum-sealer-machine/

[dtremit]

10 hours ago, rotuts said:

Anova in the past , is not Anova now.

 

This has happened before with them — when sales of their sous vide took off, IIRC they were severely understaffed and emails ended up going into a black hole for a while.

[rotuts]

@dtremit 

 

excellent points 

 

I can't imagine machines that similar are being made by two different companies

 

and Anova was purchased by a much larger company , and I suspect

 

that has a lot to do w all aspects of Anova II  products.

Edited May 28, 2023 by rotuts (log)