NDKoze
Moderator
My 10+ year-old Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer finally seems like it might be getting ready to give up the ghost. It is taking a lot longer to seal and sometimes just running and running and not sealing unless I click the seal button.
So, I started researching what was available and was pretty much thinking that I would go with a VacMaster PRO 350 because I got one for my folks last year and it has been a very strong heavy duty unit. But then I found the VacMaster DUO550 Suction and Chamber Vacuum Sealer in One unit which seems like the best of both suction and chamber sealer worlds for a price under $500.
The reviews that I have seen have been pretty positive, but I thought I should come to my most trusted source and see what you guys think.
Have any of you had any experience with this unit or something similar?
Whether you have or have not, if you have any opinions or suggestions I am looking forward to your feedback.
*** 10/11/16 - UPDATE ***
After much research, review of published reviews, Bing searches that yielded information from other 3rd-party forum threads, feedback from this thread, and PM messages with Tony, I have pulled the trigger on a VacMaster 215.
In theory, the DUO550 combo unit sounds like a great idea. But, it lacked chamber height (3" vs. 5") and as pointed out on this thread has a lot of plastic for this amount of money which made me worry about how well it would hold up to the heavy use that we put these things through during deer/hog processing season. So, rather than performing suction and chamber sealing OK, I started looking for a Chamber Vacuum sealer that would focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well.
So, I moved on to the VacMaster VP112S, VP210, and VP215 chamber vacuum sealers.
I have listed a comparison below that I used to help identify the differences/similarities between these three models:
VP112S - $468.95
• Chamber Size - 11" X 12" X 5"
• Max Bag Size - 12" X 14"
• Weight – 46lbs
• Marinate Function – Yes
o But I am not sure how much I would use this. I have a marinating container that I bought for my Food Saver that I have never used.
Although this would be easier since there would be no clean-up since you marinate right within the bag.
• Lid - Plastic
o I wonder how well this will hold up? I read in some reviews that the intial release of this model had some issues with the lids cracking. But, they upgraded the lid on the new models and I have not read any reviews where they claim that they have had any issues with the lids on the new models.
• Sealer Bar - 12"
o Can use 12” Wide-Mouth bags.
• Rapid Cycle Time - 30-60 Seconds
• Pump Type - Dry No Maintenance Pump (Exact same pump as the VP210) – The pump seems a little loud. But, from some of the video reviews I have read, many say that it is actually quieter than their external pump machines. So, maybe not a big deal.
VP210 - $668.92
• Chamber Size - 11.25" X 15.25" X 5"
• Max Bag Size - 10" X 18" (VacMaster site actually states that the max bag size is 10x13, but as with the VP112S you can typically use a bag that is about 3" longer than the chamber length. I thought it was funny that the 112S has a chamber length of 11", but the max chamber bag length was 14". So, after speaking with Lisa at VacuumSeallers Unlimited, she confirmed that the 210 and 215 max bag size is 10" X 18" which totally makes sense. So, this is another advantage of the 210/215 over the 112S.)
• Weight – 83lbs
• Marinate Function – No
• Lid - Heavy Duty Glass
o No question that this HD lid is an upgrade over the 112S
• Sealer Bar - 10.25"
• Rapid Cycle Time - 25-60 Seconds
• Pump Type - Dry No Maintenance Pump (Exact same pump as the VP112S)
VP215 - $679.00
• Chamber Size - 11.25" X 15.25" X 5"
• Max Bag Size - 10" X 18" (VacMaster site actually states that the max bag size is 10x13, but as with the VP112S you can typically use a bag that is about 3" longer than the chamber length. I thought it was funny that the 112S has a chamber length of 11", but the max chamber bag length was 14". So, after speaking with Lisa at VacuumSeallers Unlimited, she confirmed that the 210 and 215 max bag size is 10" X 18" which totally makes sense. So, this is another advantage of the 210/215 over the 112S.)
• Weight – 84lbs
o I do periodically (approximately 4-5 times/year) need to haul this thing to my parents’ house when we process deer and package the products. So, hauling this thing that is 37lbs heavier than the 112 is somewhat of a concern
• Marinate Function – No
• Lid - Heavy Duty Glass
o No question that this HD lid is an upgrade over the 112S
• Sealer Bar - 10.25" – Disadvantage from the 112S as the 112S can use 12” wide bags.
• Rapid Cycle Time - 20-40 Seconds
o The increased speed in my mind is probably the biggest pro over the 112 or 210.
• Pump Type – ¼ Rotary Oil Pump
o I can’t decide if this is a pro or a con? Should be quieter and maybe more powerful, but are the oil changing requirements really worth the hassle of trying to determine how often to change the oil for a machine that I will not necessarily use daily?
o After a little further research, I think the combination of increased longevity, quieter operation, and faster speed, make the pump a worthwhile and in fact desired option over the dry piston pumps.
As mentioned above, this morning I ordered a VacMaster VP215 from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. I figure that I will make up the difference in price versus another suction sealer purely based on the huge amount of savings that I will get from buying chamber pouches versus suction pouches in less than 5 years. And this thing should last much longer than my 12+ year-old Food Saver.
Some of the major pros that tilted me toward the VP215 vs the VP112S are as follows:
• It is "commercial" grade. You can tell by the construction that it has much less plastic than the other models that I have listed in this thread (except the 210).
• Much like many of you who have made the decision to buy a Smokin-It smoker instead of a Masterbuilt or some other big box store smoker, I decided that I would be willing to pay up-front for a model that is better built, and will (hopefully) not fail me when I need it most. I strongly believe that you get what you pay for!
• Regarding the rotary oil vs dry dual piston pump, from what I have read in my research, the oil rotary vacuum pumps are stronger, faster, quieter, and longer-lasting than the dry dual piston pumps. Tony correctly reminded me in a PM that the stronger commercial machines all use the oil pumps and that this comparison can be likened to air compressors that can also be purchased in dry vs oil versions. Many of the "homeowner" models use oil-less, "no maintenance" pumps which are less than optimal for extended use. Good compressors are usually twin-cylinder, oiled pumps, which can run all day, every day!
• Larger Max Bag Size (10" X 18" vs 12" X 14")
• Heavy Duty Glass lid versus plastic lid
• Faster Cycle Time (20-40 seconds vs 30-60 seconds)
The biggest cons that I found for the VP215 vs the VP112S are as follows:
• 37 pounds heavier (84lbs vs 46lbs) which makes portability somewhat of an issue.
• Shorter Seal Bar (but I think this is negated somewhat by being able to handle a lot longer bag.)
• Shorter Cycle Time (30-60 seconds vs 20-40 seconds)
• No Marinate function - But as stated above, I am not sure how much I would use this and I think you can still use the VP215 to function similar to the VP112S. The 215 just doesn't have a built-in marinate option and you would have to adjust the settings to do roughly the same thing.
I still see a lot of advantages with the VP112S over the VP215 though. The 210 is pretty much out of the running for me. For just a few bucks more, you can get a 215. So, the real choice is between the VP112S and the VP215. I definitely have not found anything that would discourage me from suggesting/recommending the VP112S to someone who sees the VP112S price point as the max that they would be willing to spend on a vacuum sealer as it would still be a huge improvement over most if not all of the suction style machines.
I am just going to add a few words about things to consider when you choose where to buy your vacuum sealer and sealing supplies from. I decided to go with Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. You can buy the same unit from WebstaurantStore for about $20 less (This was the best price that I could find, and Vacuum Sealers Unlimited was the 2nd best), but I decided to go with Vacuum Sealers Unlimited for the following reasons:
• They are a small family owned business much like Smokin-It. I come from a small town where my parents owned/ran a small town department store for 20 years. So, I understand the struggle of trying to compete with the big box stores in nearby cities.
• Many of the other Vacuum Sealer retailers out there (like WebstaurantStore) ship by Fed-Ex Ground vs Freight that Vacuum Sealers Unlimited uses. This is not a problem at all for some things as I get tons of stuff delivered by Fed-Ex and have rarely if ever had a problem. But, we all know even with the Smokin-It smokers that even with the awesome packaging that Steve uses, with that heavy of a machine/box, they still do occasionally get damaged during shipping. And it sounds like VacMaster doesn't pack quite as well as Steve. According to the owner (Lisa) from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited who said that VacMaster told her that shipping Fed-Ex Ground results in approximately 15% damage rates when shipping these sealers. There is a tip over device in the VacMaster Shipping container that shows whether the box was tipped over or not and if the box was tipped over, the replacement would have to go through WebstaurantStore. I would normally react like you and think, "yeah, of course you are going to tell me that because they are your competitor and you don't ship these units via Fed-Ex". But, in reading the reviews of the 215 even those on the Webstaurant website, the biggest negative that I found with these machines was that were dead on arrival and almost always attributed to poor handling during shipping. There were also several reviews that described boxes that were badly damaged and luckily the machine still worked. But for how long and how will you prove that the damage was because of shipping? So, I tend to believe her. I have important meat processing to do next weekend and do not want to take the chance on having any problems for $20.00.
• In addition to my machine purchase, I also purchased two cases (1000 bags/case) of bags (1 Quart Sized and 1 Pint Sized). Because the bags and machine ship directly from VacMaster, Lisa was able to wipe out the shipping cost of the bags that was actually more than the $20 increase that I was paying for the machine. So, I actually ended up paying less than WebstaurantStore by purchasing from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited.
• No, I am not a sponsor and am not being reimbursed in any way for recommending Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. In fact, I think this is actually only my 4th purchase from them. Prior to this purchase, I had purchased a VacMaster 350Pro for my parents that has worked extremely well for them and a couple of other orders for sealer pouches. But, I have seen several other strong recommendations from other meat smoking forums that initially prompted me to check them out.
Hopefully, this will be of some help if you are in the process of trying to decide on a chamber sealer or which one to get.
Next weekend, my family and I are going to be making about 84 pounds of snack sticks and will be giving this machine a good workout. So, after that, I will provide a review based on the results.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
So, I started researching what was available and was pretty much thinking that I would go with a VacMaster PRO 350 because I got one for my folks last year and it has been a very strong heavy duty unit. But then I found the VacMaster DUO550 Suction and Chamber Vacuum Sealer in One unit which seems like the best of both suction and chamber sealer worlds for a price under $500.
The reviews that I have seen have been pretty positive, but I thought I should come to my most trusted source and see what you guys think.
Have any of you had any experience with this unit or something similar?
Whether you have or have not, if you have any opinions or suggestions I am looking forward to your feedback.
*** 10/11/16 - UPDATE ***
After much research, review of published reviews, Bing searches that yielded information from other 3rd-party forum threads, feedback from this thread, and PM messages with Tony, I have pulled the trigger on a VacMaster 215.
In theory, the DUO550 combo unit sounds like a great idea. But, it lacked chamber height (3" vs. 5") and as pointed out on this thread has a lot of plastic for this amount of money which made me worry about how well it would hold up to the heavy use that we put these things through during deer/hog processing season. So, rather than performing suction and chamber sealing OK, I started looking for a Chamber Vacuum sealer that would focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well.
So, I moved on to the VacMaster VP112S, VP210, and VP215 chamber vacuum sealers.
I have listed a comparison below that I used to help identify the differences/similarities between these three models:
VP112S - $468.95
• Chamber Size - 11" X 12" X 5"
• Max Bag Size - 12" X 14"
• Weight – 46lbs
• Marinate Function – Yes
o But I am not sure how much I would use this. I have a marinating container that I bought for my Food Saver that I have never used.
Although this would be easier since there would be no clean-up since you marinate right within the bag.• Lid - Plastic
o I wonder how well this will hold up? I read in some reviews that the intial release of this model had some issues with the lids cracking. But, they upgraded the lid on the new models and I have not read any reviews where they claim that they have had any issues with the lids on the new models.
• Sealer Bar - 12"
o Can use 12” Wide-Mouth bags.
• Rapid Cycle Time - 30-60 Seconds
• Pump Type - Dry No Maintenance Pump (Exact same pump as the VP210) – The pump seems a little loud. But, from some of the video reviews I have read, many say that it is actually quieter than their external pump machines. So, maybe not a big deal.
VP210 - $668.92
• Chamber Size - 11.25" X 15.25" X 5"
• Max Bag Size - 10" X 18" (VacMaster site actually states that the max bag size is 10x13, but as with the VP112S you can typically use a bag that is about 3" longer than the chamber length. I thought it was funny that the 112S has a chamber length of 11", but the max chamber bag length was 14". So, after speaking with Lisa at VacuumSeallers Unlimited, she confirmed that the 210 and 215 max bag size is 10" X 18" which totally makes sense. So, this is another advantage of the 210/215 over the 112S.)
• Weight – 83lbs
• Marinate Function – No
• Lid - Heavy Duty Glass
o No question that this HD lid is an upgrade over the 112S
• Sealer Bar - 10.25"
• Rapid Cycle Time - 25-60 Seconds
• Pump Type - Dry No Maintenance Pump (Exact same pump as the VP112S)
VP215 - $679.00
• Chamber Size - 11.25" X 15.25" X 5"
• Max Bag Size - 10" X 18" (VacMaster site actually states that the max bag size is 10x13, but as with the VP112S you can typically use a bag that is about 3" longer than the chamber length. I thought it was funny that the 112S has a chamber length of 11", but the max chamber bag length was 14". So, after speaking with Lisa at VacuumSeallers Unlimited, she confirmed that the 210 and 215 max bag size is 10" X 18" which totally makes sense. So, this is another advantage of the 210/215 over the 112S.)
• Weight – 84lbs
o I do periodically (approximately 4-5 times/year) need to haul this thing to my parents’ house when we process deer and package the products. So, hauling this thing that is 37lbs heavier than the 112 is somewhat of a concern
• Marinate Function – No
• Lid - Heavy Duty Glass
o No question that this HD lid is an upgrade over the 112S
• Sealer Bar - 10.25" – Disadvantage from the 112S as the 112S can use 12” wide bags.
• Rapid Cycle Time - 20-40 Seconds
o The increased speed in my mind is probably the biggest pro over the 112 or 210.
• Pump Type – ¼ Rotary Oil Pump
o I can’t decide if this is a pro or a con? Should be quieter and maybe more powerful, but are the oil changing requirements really worth the hassle of trying to determine how often to change the oil for a machine that I will not necessarily use daily?
o After a little further research, I think the combination of increased longevity, quieter operation, and faster speed, make the pump a worthwhile and in fact desired option over the dry piston pumps.
As mentioned above, this morning I ordered a VacMaster VP215 from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. I figure that I will make up the difference in price versus another suction sealer purely based on the huge amount of savings that I will get from buying chamber pouches versus suction pouches in less than 5 years. And this thing should last much longer than my 12+ year-old Food Saver.
Some of the major pros that tilted me toward the VP215 vs the VP112S are as follows:
• It is "commercial" grade. You can tell by the construction that it has much less plastic than the other models that I have listed in this thread (except the 210).
• Much like many of you who have made the decision to buy a Smokin-It smoker instead of a Masterbuilt or some other big box store smoker, I decided that I would be willing to pay up-front for a model that is better built, and will (hopefully) not fail me when I need it most. I strongly believe that you get what you pay for!
• Regarding the rotary oil vs dry dual piston pump, from what I have read in my research, the oil rotary vacuum pumps are stronger, faster, quieter, and longer-lasting than the dry dual piston pumps. Tony correctly reminded me in a PM that the stronger commercial machines all use the oil pumps and that this comparison can be likened to air compressors that can also be purchased in dry vs oil versions. Many of the "homeowner" models use oil-less, "no maintenance" pumps which are less than optimal for extended use. Good compressors are usually twin-cylinder, oiled pumps, which can run all day, every day!
• Larger Max Bag Size (10" X 18" vs 12" X 14")
• Heavy Duty Glass lid versus plastic lid
• Faster Cycle Time (20-40 seconds vs 30-60 seconds)
The biggest cons that I found for the VP215 vs the VP112S are as follows:
• 37 pounds heavier (84lbs vs 46lbs) which makes portability somewhat of an issue.
• Shorter Seal Bar (but I think this is negated somewhat by being able to handle a lot longer bag.)
• Shorter Cycle Time (30-60 seconds vs 20-40 seconds)
• No Marinate function - But as stated above, I am not sure how much I would use this and I think you can still use the VP215 to function similar to the VP112S. The 215 just doesn't have a built-in marinate option and you would have to adjust the settings to do roughly the same thing.
I still see a lot of advantages with the VP112S over the VP215 though. The 210 is pretty much out of the running for me. For just a few bucks more, you can get a 215. So, the real choice is between the VP112S and the VP215. I definitely have not found anything that would discourage me from suggesting/recommending the VP112S to someone who sees the VP112S price point as the max that they would be willing to spend on a vacuum sealer as it would still be a huge improvement over most if not all of the suction style machines.
I am just going to add a few words about things to consider when you choose where to buy your vacuum sealer and sealing supplies from. I decided to go with Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. You can buy the same unit from WebstaurantStore for about $20 less (This was the best price that I could find, and Vacuum Sealers Unlimited was the 2nd best), but I decided to go with Vacuum Sealers Unlimited for the following reasons:
• They are a small family owned business much like Smokin-It. I come from a small town where my parents owned/ran a small town department store for 20 years. So, I understand the struggle of trying to compete with the big box stores in nearby cities.
• Many of the other Vacuum Sealer retailers out there (like WebstaurantStore) ship by Fed-Ex Ground vs Freight that Vacuum Sealers Unlimited uses. This is not a problem at all for some things as I get tons of stuff delivered by Fed-Ex and have rarely if ever had a problem. But, we all know even with the Smokin-It smokers that even with the awesome packaging that Steve uses, with that heavy of a machine/box, they still do occasionally get damaged during shipping. And it sounds like VacMaster doesn't pack quite as well as Steve. According to the owner (Lisa) from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited who said that VacMaster told her that shipping Fed-Ex Ground results in approximately 15% damage rates when shipping these sealers. There is a tip over device in the VacMaster Shipping container that shows whether the box was tipped over or not and if the box was tipped over, the replacement would have to go through WebstaurantStore. I would normally react like you and think, "yeah, of course you are going to tell me that because they are your competitor and you don't ship these units via Fed-Ex". But, in reading the reviews of the 215 even those on the Webstaurant website, the biggest negative that I found with these machines was that were dead on arrival and almost always attributed to poor handling during shipping. There were also several reviews that described boxes that were badly damaged and luckily the machine still worked. But for how long and how will you prove that the damage was because of shipping? So, I tend to believe her. I have important meat processing to do next weekend and do not want to take the chance on having any problems for $20.00.
• In addition to my machine purchase, I also purchased two cases (1000 bags/case) of bags (1 Quart Sized and 1 Pint Sized). Because the bags and machine ship directly from VacMaster, Lisa was able to wipe out the shipping cost of the bags that was actually more than the $20 increase that I was paying for the machine. So, I actually ended up paying less than WebstaurantStore by purchasing from Vacuum Sealers Unlimited.
• No, I am not a sponsor and am not being reimbursed in any way for recommending Vacuum Sealers Unlimited. In fact, I think this is actually only my 4th purchase from them. Prior to this purchase, I had purchased a VacMaster 350Pro for my parents that has worked extremely well for them and a couple of other orders for sealer pouches. But, I have seen several other strong recommendations from other meat smoking forums that initially prompted me to check them out.
Hopefully, this will be of some help if you are in the process of trying to decide on a chamber sealer or which one to get.
Next weekend, my family and I are going to be making about 84 pounds of snack sticks and will be giving this machine a good workout. So, after that, I will provide a review based on the results.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
