I do a lot of sealing between BBQ, sausage making, and generally buying meat when it is on sale. In the early 2000's, I burned up a Seal-a-Meal and two Foodsavers in a span of about five years.
Frustrated with crappy sealers, I dropped some cash on the Cabela's Pro-Series by Weston in 2012. It has been a fantastic sealer and I have used the heck out of it. I liked it because it was serviceable and you could buy parts through Weston. I have changed the seals several times.
Recently, my Pro-Series developed a stress crack in the corner of the lid. When I put a bag in it, it draws a seal and when the pressure countdown drops to "0" the crack in the lid becomes visible breaking the vacuum.
Cabela's no longer sells rebadged Weston's, so I contacted Weston. They do not sell a replacement lid for the Cabela's model. I haven't contacted Cabela's yet, but I plan to. It used to be that any Cabela's-branded merchandise had a lifetime warranty. However, I have read that since the BassPro merger they no longer honor that warranty.
Looking at the Weston site, they offer the Pro-Series 1100, which appears to have the same lid as the model I have. Then there are the 2300/3000 models with the acrylic lid. The 2300/3000 are fully serviceable and parts are available for future maintenance. I also looked at the Cabela's site. They offer their own house brand sealers now that are a bit cheaper.
I intend to go to Cabela's and see if they will honor the old warranty. I expect that they won't, and I won't be too upset if that is the case. I did get 7 years out of this one.
My question to the Brethren is this: Assuming I have to but a new sealer, do I:
1. Dig deep and come up with the cash for the Weston 2300/3000?
2. Go with the Weston 1100 and hope for another 6-7 years?
3. Try the Cabela's Commercial at half the price of the 2300/3000?
4. Go another way that I haven't identified here?
Thanks in advance for your input.
David
Frustrated with crappy sealers, I dropped some cash on the Cabela's Pro-Series by Weston in 2012. It has been a fantastic sealer and I have used the heck out of it. I liked it because it was serviceable and you could buy parts through Weston. I have changed the seals several times.
Recently, my Pro-Series developed a stress crack in the corner of the lid. When I put a bag in it, it draws a seal and when the pressure countdown drops to "0" the crack in the lid becomes visible breaking the vacuum.
Cabela's no longer sells rebadged Weston's, so I contacted Weston. They do not sell a replacement lid for the Cabela's model. I haven't contacted Cabela's yet, but I plan to. It used to be that any Cabela's-branded merchandise had a lifetime warranty. However, I have read that since the BassPro merger they no longer honor that warranty.
Looking at the Weston site, they offer the Pro-Series 1100, which appears to have the same lid as the model I have. Then there are the 2300/3000 models with the acrylic lid. The 2300/3000 are fully serviceable and parts are available for future maintenance. I also looked at the Cabela's site. They offer their own house brand sealers now that are a bit cheaper.
I intend to go to Cabela's and see if they will honor the old warranty. I expect that they won't, and I won't be too upset if that is the case. I did get 7 years out of this one.
My question to the Brethren is this: Assuming I have to but a new sealer, do I:
1. Dig deep and come up with the cash for the Weston 2300/3000?
2. Go with the Weston 1100 and hope for another 6-7 years?
3. Try the Cabela's Commercial at half the price of the 2300/3000?
4. Go another way that I haven't identified here?
Thanks in advance for your input.
David
