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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 12-07-2017, 05:50 PM   #1
Porcine Perfection
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Default I Think My FoodSaver Died - What Do You Use?

The heat strip on my V2840 Doesn't get hot enough to melt a bag anymore. Not sure I even want to look into fixing it. The seals (2nd set) are about ready too. She lasted a few years of heavy use which I guess is all you can ask for out of anything these days. I do almost all meat and never even hooked up the pressure vacuum on the V8240 jars. Looking for something in the $125 - $150 range.

So what is everyone using?
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Old 12-07-2017, 06:09 PM   #2
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Cabela's has some good vacuum sealers. I went through 3 different Food Savers,finally invested in a Cabela's Commercial Grade model 20-150. I love it. It's more expensive but worth it.
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Old 12-07-2017, 06:10 PM   #3
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I use a Vacupack. It is made in Italy by the same company that made the first food saver. I have had mine 5 years without any problems.
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Old 12-07-2017, 06:57 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pig_Farmer View Post
Cabela's has some good vacuum sealers. I went through 3 different Food Savers,finally invested in a Cabela's Commercial Grade model 20-150. I love it. It's more expensive but worth it.
The 12" was on sale for $149 last week.

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Old 12-07-2017, 07:11 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pig_Farmer View Post
Cabela's has some good vacuum sealers. I went through 3 different Food Savers,finally invested in a Cabela's Commercial Grade model 20-150. I love it. It's more expensive but worth it.
I have the same one, we use it alot and it is pretty awesome. Plus the warranty is hard to beat.
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Old 12-07-2017, 07:14 PM   #6
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We got a ziplock sealer $50.00. It works good but it is loud.
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Old 12-07-2017, 07:46 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beentown View Post
The 12" was on sale for $149 last week.

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It’s “on sale” now for $229.99. Regular $329.99. This model was $149 last week???

Are the bags expensive? Do Foodsaver bags work? Are they cheaper?
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Old 12-07-2017, 07:53 PM   #8
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The bottom line is:

We will give you all kinds of recommendations and it may even confuse you in making your final choice....

You need to figure out what you want from your sealer and just how often you will use it before making an educated choice.

I started out with a FoodSaver which made poor seals and within 4 months it bit the dust. After a second FoodSaver which lasted a little over 6 months. However, I used it a lot, much more than the average kitchen. For occasional use it probably would be a great unit. After the second FoodSaver went bad, I realized that I would have to keep buying these units for who knows how long... They are not repairable, parts are not available for them, and they are considered disposable units.

For someone who do not seal items on a regular basis, it is probably a great unit for the price and will work very well with low frequency. It is light and it stores easily between uses in a cabinet or on a shelf taking up very little space.

After my second Foodsaver failure, I figured I had already spent enough to buy a heavy duty unit, so now I actually figured it was time to purchase one and be done. I chose the Weston because it has dual piston pumps rather than a singe pump. Although a perfect vacuum is 0 psi, the food saver draw is -7 psi whereas the Weston is -14 psi. We all realize that neither will ever reach the 0 psi of a vacuum, but the Weston unit does remove the air with more consistency over a shorter period of time, with a much stronger seal. It has both manual and automatic seal functions, so one can manually seal wet foods with "manual" operations or let it automatically seal with dry operations.

The Weston also has user serviceable parts readily available so you can repair the unit if need be, or you can send it back for repair. I have had mine for 6 years now and only recently I replaced foam seals and heater bar for less than 30 dollars. It took less than 10 minutes with minimal effort. Although the unit was still working properly, I felt preventative maintenance is also part of caring for the unit.

While there are many makes models to choose from, I choose the Weston Pro-2300 model because it had a stainless steel shell, the 2100 is identical but has an enamel finish for about fifty dollars less. Weston now has the Pro-3000 model which is the Po-2300 with a visible vacuum gauge and an adjustable seal timer. Vac-Master also makes some lesser priced heavy duty vac-sealers for a little over $200.00.

I have had the Weston for over 3 years now without incident, sealing 10 to 20 bags a week depending upon activities for that week. The downside of the Weston is that it has a very large footprint and weighs about 40 (or more) pounds so it does not store easily unless you have a second kitchen or private prep area where you can leave it out all the time.

The Weston unit seals appears to be twice as wide as FoodSaver, and it seals flawlessly with liquids or food residue present. I have never had a weak or faulty seal with the Weston Pro-2300. The Weston bags are rated food safe for use in boiling water and they are also dishwasher safe. I have never reused bags, but many others have said they have washed and reused bags.

The marketing for some sealers is geared toward recurring sales of sealing bags. they make much more from sales of the bags than from the machine. They lead you to believe that you save money by purchasing their bags on sale, but they won't tell you that other bags of the same size are compatible with their sealer. FoodSaver regularly has sales on their bags and rolls which give you up to 50% off if you buy in volume. The sale price even at 50% off is still higher than the normal prices of Vac-Master and Weston brand bags and rolls. When you compare the prices of other micro-channel bags to FoodSaver, you will save a great deal of money.

I pay $9.99 for 100 pint bags 15.95 for 100 quart bags. Weston Pro Series will also seal the 15" X 18" bags which will easily seal 2 - 3 pulled pork butts. Weston will use any brand of micro-channel vac-seal bags including Foodsaver and Vac-master. Vac-master and Weston bags are so cheap they make the use of rolls to save money an antiquated choice. However the use of rolls is still a great choice for sealing whole racks of ribs and other long items.

But don't be misled here, no vacuum sealer likes liquids, and liquids can damage the unit if it gets into the vacuum chamber. This is even true with both FoodSaver the Weston Pro, and many others. Chilling soups, stews, and chili for a few hours makes sealing these items easy without incident. You also have the manual seal button which you can press if liquids start to flow into the collection tray before they can be sucked into the the vacuum port. You can also freeze the liquid in a shallow dish and then put the frozen item into the bag and Vac-Seal. The only unit that does well with liquid content is the vacuum chamber sealer which draws the air our of the chamber rather than the bag. But the price of a chamber sealer is usually cost prohibitive, even for the seasoned vac-seal user.

The best advice I can give you, is to do your homework before you buy, Compare, compare, and compare again!!! The final decision is yours and only you will have to live with your choice, whether it be good or bad. In today's market a higher price does not always mean higher quality, but sometimes it is just an opportunity to make a greater profit from an uneducated customer. A higher price does not always mean a better unit, that's why it is important to do your research.

Yes, sometimes you get what you pay for, but without research on the different units you could also wind up a lot less that what you paid for.

Cheap Vac-Seal bags
https://www.sorbentsystems.com/channel_bags.html

Brethern Review of the Weston Pro-1100
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...34&postcount=1


Comparison of various Foodsaver Models
https://youtu.be/THz60ATXMus

Chamber Sealer
https://youtu.be/YJIIAHIrggg

Weston Pro 2300
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rZ_ehQWLsc
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Old 12-07-2017, 08:32 PM   #9
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I use the Vacmaster pro350 it is currently on sale for $224.00 including shipping. I like the pulse function when sealing items containing liquid. I went through this process last year and it is very confusing. My next sealer if my Pro350 ever goes out will be a chamber sealer.
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Old 12-08-2017, 04:08 AM   #10
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I bought my 3rd Food Saver a couple yrs ago. First two like others crap out easily.
If you want to stay with Food Saver due to cost. Look at their Game Saver. If I remember right, Food Saver is only good for around 12 seals in a row. That's 6 bags, if everyone of the tries worked. It is recommended to let the unit/plastic pump fully cool before use again. Game Saver was not quite double the seals in a row? For only a few $$ more. Get it on sale.
But I don't really use it any more. I typically freeze meals/foods every week. I keep both of my upright freezers pretty full, if not packed. OCD.
Now I use freezer bags, squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal shut, wrap in butcher paper. Write the description/date on the BP. Put in freezer. Over the past few years, I have not seen where using the vac sealer vs wrapped held any food better/worse even when stuff gets lost and you find it more than a year later. I find using bags/paper soooo much easier to do also.
Just a thought.
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Old 12-08-2017, 08:55 AM   #11
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Weston.
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Old 12-08-2017, 09:07 AM   #12
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I have a food saver but find I can get almost as good results using water displacement with a ziplock bag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrZPLF0ezw8
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Old 12-08-2017, 09:46 AM   #13
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+1 BillN
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Old 12-08-2017, 01:55 PM   #14
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I still like my foodsaver. if it died I would buy another.
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Old 12-09-2017, 03:50 PM   #15
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Thank for the info. I don't hunt anymore but something for a little rugged application might be beneficial.
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