Chamber Vac Reviews

[Don Qui Puncher]

I've owned a VP 215 for a while and a VP 112 before that. Going into a the purchase think about the availability of support and parts, parts do wear out with use. You can get just about every part for a VP 215 from vacmaster, but also from several retailers. The company has been around and there are a lot of units out there. Will that be the case for the others? There is a positive buying from a known company that offers good support too. Going into it a VP 215 or bigger is the way to go in my opinion.

The quality of the product produced is superb with the quality chamber vacs. As for a chamber vac being compared to freezer wrap, PLEASE.

That’s why I’m leaning towards LEM I have heard great things about customer service and I have had good experiences with Costco, we had a TV take a dump like a year after we bought it and we brought it in even though it was way passed the 90 days. They gave us a gift card for the purchase price and the TV was 100 cheaper so we had that difference on the card. I did use a buddies cryovac Chamber one a few times and I’m not sure if he had it set Properly everything looks like this now.

 

[PA Hunter]

Anyone use the MEAT brand one? I’m on the fence with the Costco LEM or the MEAT. Haven’t found much feedback on it the LEM has good reviews

There is a YouTube video on comparisons after watching that I am going vacmaster 215 they show inferior parts on cheaper Chinese models on the inside.

 

[sndmn11]

There is a YouTube video on comparisons after watching that I am going vacmaster 215 they show inferior parts on cheaper Chinese models on the inside.

For clarity, the LEM model is from China. The manual is a good laugh trying to read through knowing a Chinese speaking group of people somehow thought they got it correct.

 

[Don Qui Puncher]

There is a YouTube video on comparisons after watching that I am going vacmaster 215 they show inferior parts on cheaper Chinese models on the inside.

Yup I did the same I got the vacmaster 215 delivered last week

 

[Runningwater]

I'm pretty sure the vacmaster is also built in China fwiw....

 

[BFazz]

Following. I’ve been contemplating a chamber vac for a while

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

Update: we bought the MEAT brand. It’s done two elk, a pile of sausage, a bunch of random stuff my wife brought home from Costco and a few gallons of water (because boiling cold water is fun). So far it’s been fantastic. Easy to adjust and haven’t had a bad deal yet. For the price I’d buy another one. Also appears to be very very serviceable with parts I could find online.


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[lovelight]

The VacMaster vp215 appears to be about $980-$1000 online. Is that about the best deal around? We've owned a few of the non-chamber style sealers but they all eventually stop working well. I suspect it can only be so good trying to suck the air out of those bags. The two things that have put me off of the chamber style is the weight of the machine and not being able to freeze a side of salmon in a single piece.

 

[Runningwater]

I've had very good luck with my LEM from Costco for $599. Only used it for 6 months but so far so good.

https://www.costco.com/maxvac-pro-chamber-vacuum-sealer-.product.100536866.html

 

[Tod osier]

The VacMaster vp215 appears to be about $980-$1000 online. Is that about the best deal around? We've owned a few of the non-chamber style sealers but they all eventually stop working well. I suspect it can only be so good trying to suck the air out of those bags. The two things that have put me off of the chamber style is the weight of the machine and not being able to freeze a side of salmon in a single piece.

It is hard to find a price much better. They are heavy and expensive.

For the VP 215, you can not fit a salmon filet, not by a long shot. When I've suck vacuumed whole Sockeye fillets, about a quarter made it home still sealed. With a chamber vac they will all make it home sealed in my experience nearly 100%. I have 10x15" bags, which are longer than recommended, but they work well as a general purpose bag in the vp 215. For something small like a sockeye, they don't even fit in half, but close. I freeze 1) the longest part of the front, 2) the longest second piece I can cut and then 3) there is a couple inch tail tip piece that I save in bulk and smoke.

 

[Runningwater]

I bought 1000 10x15s of the 'boilable" from webrestaruantstore. The 10z15 work well if what you are packing have a little bulk and give you the max capacity available. They can easily be cut down for smaller stuff or of course you can get an additional size. The biggest downside of the personal use chamber vacuums imo is the 10 inch width. Decent sized roasts and the like won't fit. But getting up into the 14 inch or so and your jumping to a whole new level and expense. I could see getting a high end suck sealer and still having it available for larger items such as sous vide prime rib.

 

[Tod osier]

I bought 1000 10x15s of the 'boilable" from webrestaruantstore. The 10z15 work well if what you are packing have a little bulk and give you the max capacity available. They can easily be cut down for smaller stuff or of course you can get an additional size. The biggest downside of the personal use chamber vacuums imo is the 10 inch width. Decent sized roasts and the like won't fit. But getting up into the 14 inch or so and your jumping to a whole new level and expense. I could see getting a high end suck sealer and still having it available for larger items such as sous vide prime rib.

I stock 7x12s and the 10x15s. The VP 215 was a bit of a downgrade as far as bag size from my VP112, which has a 12" bar, but TRIPLE DAMN the VP215 seals like no one's business. The quality of the vac job and the aggressiveness of the seals is amazing.

webrestaurantstore.com is where I've always gotten my bags.

I'm glad that the larger units are not only so much more expensive, but also so much physically larger and heavier, otherwise I'd be able to justify one. The place I'd like the larger unit most is in Alaska for fish, but and 80 pound VP 215 is all I can deal with for storage and transport in the camper.

For really large sous vide I keep a few oven bags on hand (like for turkey). They are light and thin, but work great. If you put the meat in the bag and submerge without tying the air all gets pressed out and then you can tie with a knot. Works better than great. Try it.