Vacuum Sealer (primer) Information Sought

[JamesD]

Good folks,

I'm in need of a vacuum sealer "system" (i.e., machine plus bags)

Here are the parameters that are most important to me:
- the machine will take as wide a roll of material as possible, i.e., I want my bag to have as wide a mouth as possible (well... within reason    you know what I mean)
- I want the bags themselves to be pretty "tough" and durable (as opposed to thin and flimsy)

This will be my first such machine, so my familiarity with all this is zero.
So please don't assume I know ANYthing; I will not be offended by kindergarten level information [actually will appreciate it].

Much obliged,

JamesD

P.S. the strength of sophistication of the vacuum drawing part of the system is of minimal importance.
i.e., don't need every molecule evacuated, or subtle controls to control the vacuuming process, etc.
Just some/any basic air evacuation will do fine.

.

[Graybeard]

Ours is from Cabela's but only takes up to 11" wide tho any lenght. The widest bags I believe are 15" and yeah you better betcha the price goes up fast as size of bag increases.

Cabela's top of the line unit takes bags to that 15" size and costs about $450. I think ours was less than $200 and does all we need it to. We get our bags from Cabela's as well and they seem plenty strong.

[Ranger99]

that's good to know.
i would like to have one myself,
but the finances are not in place
for me to purchase one.


f.y.i.
the big vacuum storage bags for non-food
items (i.e. sleeping bags-blankets-etc.) work
really well. i use 'em at my place to keep
bedding,spare heavy clothing, etc.
keeps the lil varmints out and keeps 'em
clean and dry.
you suck the excess air out with
the vacuum cleaner.

[spruce]

Ours is a Foodsaver model V3460.   Without measuring it I'd say it takes bags about 11 or 12" wide.
 
You can buy different size bags, or a roll that you can cut and seal to any length you want.
 
We've had it just over a year with no problems, wife uses it a lot.  We still have a few pieces of venison from last November in the freezer that show no signs of freezer burn.
 
One thing we learned is that if you have some quite "moist" meat like fresh ground burger to put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up before you vacuum out the air and seal it.  If you suck any moisture up around the area of the seal then it may not seal tight.
Don't remember what we paid for it (around $100???).  Wife bought it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with one of her 20% off coupons - they carry bags too.

[charles p]

I have vacuumed tons of fish with a commercial machine (for charter fishermen).  Where I work we only have 120V service and are limited to a machine that can prepare two bags at a time.  About a mile away, a competitor has a machine that works on 3-phase 230V and it is much larger and faster. Contact a food processing company for products and ideas.  Ours was made in Germany.  Rebuilt machines are available also.  Our machine is programable and the heat tape produces a double seal.
 
 
 
 

[Gun Runner]

I scored good last year at a thrift shop, and got one for 5 dollars. Works fine and takes 11 in,. bags''


Gun Runner

[Lloyd Smale]

those cabella and gander mountain units are rebadged Weston units. Its a great unit. Ive had mine for a few years now and its packaged 100s of lbs of meat and i mean 100s. Look on ebay and you might find them cheaper then cabelas sells them.

Ours is from Cabela's but only takes up to 11" wide tho any lenght. The widest bags I believe are 15" and yeah you better betcha the price goes up fast as size of bag increases.

Cabela's top of the line unit takes bags to that 15" size and costs about $450. I think ours was less than $200 and does all we need it to. We get our bags from Cabela's as well and they seem plenty strong.

[JamesD]

.

Thanks everybody.


I've read all the replies.
Followed up by clicking and searching around.
I'm learning.
Here's where I'm at:


a) There's lots of 11 inch or so models out there.  Many are probably good products but a little small (mouthed) for what I want.


b) Then there's ones that are 15", even a 16" one I found.  Bigger and probably big enough for me.
But, as the monkey said when he peed on the cash register, "This is going to run into some money."


c) But then Ranger99 mentioned non-food vacuum storage bags and that got me started thinking about A THIRD OPTION.
I saw some guy had a video of him
- putting a bunch of something (grains? popcorn? cereal?) into a big mylar bag
- putting some O2 absorbers into the bag
- sealing the top of the mylar bag with an iron
- then he came back later (on the video) and showed how the O2 absorbers had done their work and the bag was all shrunk down around the contents


I 'spect that that wouldn't do for meat or other food items where you would want ALL the air OUT, but for non-food items, or even food items like bulk grains or such - would this do?


- Any of y'all have any experience with O2 absorbers?
- Any of y'all have any experience with sealing mylar bags with an iron?
- Any of y'all know anything about mylar bags, how tough they are to tearing or holes getting poked in them?


I'm trying to let my mind "explore" all possible options, and wondering if this is one?
( It would be cheap.   )


Thanks,


James


P.S. If mylar turns out to be thin, thinner than vacuum machine sealer bags, and might be "fragile", could I get some vacuum machine bags, just the bags, and seal them with and iron (or if there is a better heat sealer tool made for such?), with O2 absorbers put in to get the (majority of the) air out???


(My father was a pilot and I'm like him, always looking for a clever solution to a problem, a creative solution to a problem, what's  j-u-s-t  the best way to do something.  I can't help it, I'm just like him, but proud to be so!     )


.

[spruce]

Reading your last post reminds me of those commercials for space saver bags for clothes where they put them in a big bag and suck the air out.  Was it with a vacuum cleaner attachment?

[charles p]

Here is a tip to help your bags stay sealed.  In the commercial business where I worked, we had two bags.  The fish went into a smaller bag that had about a 1" fold over.  That bag then went into the vacuum bag.  This kept the mouth of the bag absolutely clean.  Works for venison as well.

[Ranger99]

the bags i mentioned are not for food storage.
they do however work as advertised for bulky
items like i have used them for.
you need the proper vacuum bagger/sealer
and bags for food items.
for grain storage i would use food-grade
buckets and the mylar liner bags sold for
the purpose. folks fill the bags in the buckets
and either use nitrogen gas or dry ice to
"chase" out the oxygen so the food item will
store. also it's supposed to kill any pests (weevils,etc)
that may have gotten to your grain/beans/rice etc.
that you are storing.

[bubbadoyle]

I got the vacmaster vp112 for a little under $600. It is a chamber vacuum sealer. Its a little bit big but works much better than any of the foodsavers I have had. The other benefit is bags are a lot cheaper. Ordered 250 10"x13" bags just the other day and it cost me $32 including shipping. Another benefit is that you can vacuum seal liquids without sucking the liquid out of the bag.
I believe that over the life of this vacuum sealer that it will pay for itself just in the cost of bags.
If anyone has any interest in one of these they can PM me I will give you the site I ordered from. Cheapest I could find online and mine was delivered to my door three days after order was placed.

[Lloyd Smale]

looks like a cool machine but does it give you the option of using bulk rolls for bags? I can buy rolls at menards for about 4 bucks a roll. Much cheaper then individual bags.

I got the vacmaster vp112 for a little under $600. It is a chamber vacuum sealer. Its a little bit big but works much better than any of the foodsavers I have had. The other benefit is bags are a lot cheaper. Ordered 250 10"x13" bags just the other day and it cost me $32 including shipping. Another benefit is that you can vacuum seal liquids without sucking the liquid out of the bag.
I believe that over the life of this vacuum sealer that it will pay for itself just in the cost of bags.
If anyone has any interest in one of these they can PM me I will give you the site I ordered from. Cheapest I could find online and mine was delivered to my door three days after order was placed.

[bubbadoyle]

looks like a cool machine but does it give you the option of using bulk rolls for bags? I can buy rolls at menards for about 4 bucks a roll. Much cheaper then individual bags.

I got the vacmaster vp112 for a little under $600. It is a chamber vacuum sealer. Its a little bit big but works much better than any of the
 I have had. The other benefit is bags are a lot cheaper. Ordered 250 10"x13" bags just the other day and it cost me $32 including shipping.benefit is that you can vacuum seal liquids without sucking the liquid out of the bag.
I believe that over the life of this vacuum sealer that it will pay for itself just in the cost of bags.
If anyone has any interest in one of these they can PM me I will give you the site I ordered from. Cheapest I could find online and mine was delivered to my door three days after order was placed.

As far as i know nobody sells rolls for the chamber vacuum sealers  You can still use the bag rolls but it does not require the ridges on the inside of the bag. The bag goes in the chamber then all the air is removed from the chamber then it seals while still under vacuum. You don't end up with air pockets stuck behind meat or fish in the bag. If something is too long to fit in the chamber you can use foodsaver type bags and put the bag outside the chamber and use like a foodsaver type vacuum sealer. They should work inside the chamber also but are not needed. As far as bag prices go. I purchased 250 10" x 13" bags for a little over $30 shipped. That is 270 feet of 10" bag. You would have to be getting almost 34 foot long rolls for it to be an equal cost for bags. There are many different sizes of bags also and the smaller ones get quite a bit cheaper. If you want any more info on it let me know.

[Dixie Dude]

I'm on my 3rd one from the last 20 years.  All took the 11" bags or rolls.  If I get another one it will be the Cabelas $450.  I've heard very good reviews on this one and they say it outlasts the ones under 4200.  I've sealed deer meat, fish, veggies etc for freezing.  3 years later, the food is still good.  I've used it to vacuum seal canning jars with dehydrated foods.  They last at least 2 years (oldest, apples).  We seal nuts like pecans in jars, even cheese in the frig vacuum sealed will last months.  Lots longer than ziplock bags or white wrapping paper.  When we cook a ham, the left overs and bone are cooked and made into soup, vacuum sealed and put in the freezer for later soup eating.  Sometimes we do left over ham or turkey from holidays, vacuum seal and freeze for later use.  That being said, we are going to get more into canning since storage doesn't require electricity. 

[Ranger99]

new cabelas catalog just received:


preservac portable model- 12volt & 110v - sale 129.99
preservac basic model - 110v - sale 89.99


     

[Bugflipper]

For a little off the subject, but still along the same lines: I just use an old IH Scout. Mainly I use ammo cans, food pails, 5 gallon buckets or small plastic drums. Occasionally I will use ziplock bags for stuff in the freezer. The containers have a check valve installed in the lid. I just unplug the vacuum wiper, stick a piece of aquarium tube to the hose and plug it in the container. With the bags just zip it up with the hose in it. When it's done pull the hose out while sealing it. No doubt the commercial ones would probably do a better job than my bags because they don't let any air back in and melt the bag sealed. But with containers not so sure. It doesn't take long to pull the air out of an ammo can, or a 20 gallon drum for that matter.
I imagine any car would work, maybe a fellow would have to get a long piece of vacuum line to plug in. Then a male to male fitting to plug in a line that can be sanitized. I'm not saying it's better than a commercial unit, just that I am cheap. 

[Ranger99]

would work better on an older vehicle.
newer vehicles are sensitive as far as
air flow and vacuum. pull the wrong
vacuum port loose and it will die.
an older carbureted engine won't
have an issue with this.

[Graybeard]

I purchased 250 10" x 13" bags for a little over $30 shipped. That is 270 feet of 10" bag. You would have to be getting almost 34 foot long rolls for it to be an equal cost for bags.

where you getting them that cheap. Cabela's price on bags is way more.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive even used mine to vaccum seal .223 ammo for long term storage.

[bubbadoyle]

I purchased 250 10" x 13" bags for a little over $30 shipped. That is 270 feet of 10" bag. You would have to be getting almost 34 foot long rolls for it to be an equal cost for bags.

where you getting them that cheap. Cabela's price on bags is way more.

Gander mountain online. They did no have the cheapest price I found but with free shipping it was $31.45 and cheaper than other sites with shipping factored in.
These bags are only for chamber vacuum sealers.