Best Vacuum Food Sealers

Hunting season is knocking at our doors and we must be ready. There is nothing worse than losing your precious meat because you didn't have the necessary equipment to optimize its storage.

Food Sealers are more convenient then you could think. The amount of meat harvested from a deer will be considerable and you should make sure that you won't have to buy a second fridge to store your delicious back ribs. That being said, the following list is also excellent for anything else than meat.

There are three main types of vacuum sealers: 

1. handheld valve sealers
2. external vacuum sealers
3. chamber vacuum sealers

Most known food sealers are the external ones for their quality and their affordability.

Handheld sealers are more practical as they are more maneuvrable but not as efficient as the external sealers. The last category is the chamber food sealers, they are more for commercial use as they are extremely efficient but much more pricey and also heavier.

The food sealer's main purpose is to increase the longevity of keeping the meat in optimal conservation status while reducing the space since it's shrinking the bag all around the object inside. Two keystone elements when you are considering storing your harvested meat. Since, meat or veggies react strongly to the contact of air, the importance of limiting its contact is capital.

Underestimating this step could lead you to lose more then you think. Storing your food, after hunting, becomes one of the most important things to figure out. Food sealers can help you save meats for as long as one or two years which is a great economy with time.

It is why you have to consider food sealers that feature maximum air extraction so its storage lasts longer but also few other factors.

How to determine the best vacuum food sealer

Whether you use it for your wild game meat or simply for everyday use, the criteria for choosing a vacuum food sealer are pretty much the same.

• General use: As the concept of extracting air from a bag is a simple concept, the use of the machine should be as simple as the concept. The machine should offer a clear range of controls, and this, without being complicated to understand. You clearly want to spend your time sealing your food instead of fighting the machine to achieve what you want. 
• Vacuum strength: In other words, the capacity of the machine to extract a maximum air from the food sealer bag to ensure the best conservation status. So having a strong and capable motor to draw out more air means your food stays good longer.
• Size: Not everybody has the size of a restaurant kitchen in their house. Therefore, the size becomes a factor because you don't want to take half of your counter for one machine.
• Noise level: Sealing all your food after harvesting your game can be a long task. The fact that your food sealer produces as little as possible noise will be a pretty interesting feature after two hours of sealing, trust me!
• Food sealer bags: The often forgotten aspect of buying a food sealer device. Make sure that the brand you will pick offers quality and a fair amount of replacement bags to buy when you finish your initial amount of bags. As all machine comes with bags, some of them are more generous from the beginning. That said, food sealer bags can get pricey, especially if they are more or less quality fabrics. I would recommend you to pay attention to it.
• Care & Maintenance: Obvious criteria, there is no need to really explain why this is important. As you are making an investment, you want it to work as long as possible, and you are right about that one. I would recommend you to read the critics of previous buyers before getting a specific brand. Some brand stands by their products and some not, causing a lot of trouble when you want to repair your machine in case of problems. 
• Quality for the Money: Finding the balance between the price and the quality of a product is hard. The price range is often wide and makes difficult to specifically choose one over the others. It is crucial then to analyze your purchase with the above criteria to ensure the best decision possible and then pick what fits into your budget.

Best Vacuum Food Sealers 

Weston Pro 2300 Vacuum Sealer

A professional product but can be easily used at home. With its nice neat stainless steel design, the Weston Pro 2300 offers durability and longevity. The machine delivers a commercial 995 watts of suction power and features a double piston vacuum pump, which readily removes air from your bags. The Weston Pro 2300 food sealer allows you to seal bags up to 15 inches which means more to seal in a lesser number of bags.

It features a bag alignment to optimize the use of the bags. A great asset lacking in many other food sealers. Two main seal modes offered. Manual or automatic where you can modify the pressure to adjust it accordingly to what you are sealing. For instance, soft cookies need a different set of pressure to preserve them. 

Only textured or embossed-lined bags are compatible with this model. The company offers it's own replacement sealer bags. The downside of this machine could be its size, more of a commercial size but at a much more affordable price. Which is more important is your own choice.

• General Use: Clear and easy
• Vacuum Strength: 995 Watts
• Size: Commercial home friendly
• Noise Level: Low to Medium level
• Food Sealer Bags: Many options
• Maintenance: One year warranty, Last long
• Quality for the money: Affordable High-end product

 

Vacmaster VP210 Chamber Vacuum Sealer

Excellent for hunters and fishers who want to seal moist, fresh meat and fish and not end up with a bag of ice crystals or freezer-burned food. Chamber vacuum sealer offers an extra feature that other external or handheld cannot offer. The Vacmaster VP210 permits you to seal liquids and also keep all the moist from your precious meat. in other words, this food sealer keeps the taste of what you sealed in.

It offers a high suction level to ensure high-quality preservation. Made for heavy-duty jobs. The value of using a chamber food vacuum sealer is that you get an even tighter seal over the entire surface of the bag than you would with a traditional vacuum sealer.

Even a beginner will get to master the machine but will need additional help compared to traditional food sealers which are easier to master. The range of controls is however easy to manipulate but offers more options which make it more complicated than a more basic version of food sealers.

• General Use: Clear controls for intermediate users
• Vacuum Strength: 27-29 hg level of vacuum
• Size: Commercial home friendly (14" wide, 20"deep and 15" high)
• Noise Level: Low to medium level
• Food Sealer Bags: Many options
• Maintenance: Respect recommended maintenance for longer longevity
• Quality for the money: Pricey but best on the market for all purposes

Foodsaver V2244 Vacuum Sealer Kit

Among the most popular on the market for its affordability and quality of preservation. Perfect for beginners as the machine offers two modes "seal" and "Vacuum-seal". 

A multi-purpose device that seals veggies to fresh meat. It comes with a hose that you can operate as a handheld device to remove the air from all types of FoodSaver containers. This compact machine comes with the FoodSaver’s CrushFree air-tight sealing mechanism to ensure the preservation of your food.

The Foodsaver V2244 comes with a starter kit with all the items necessary to use it out of the box. Many options are available for replacement bags, however, the Foodsaver vacuum sealer bags are recommended once the initial bags are done.

• General Use: Beginner-friendly
• Vacuum Strength: Standard motor
• Size: Compact size
• Noise Level: Medium level
• Food Sealer Bags: BHA-free plastic
• Maintenance: Normal care to maintain
• Quality for the money: Almost inexpensive

FoodSaver V4440

A FoodSaver upgrade compared to the V2244. It seals foods well in a plastic bag, which is the traditional approach, and it also gives you a hand-held vacuum hose to draw the air out of bags. The hose is directly mounted on the machine itself compared to the attach-detach hose on other models.

The machine offers the option to store a roll of bags inside the food sealer so you won't have to look for them when you want to use the machine. The FoodSaver works automatically as it notes that there's a bag there and starts to suck the air out of it. The Foodsaver vacuum sealer bags are recommended once the initial bags are done.

If you need a specific setting, you can take control of the machine with the moist/dry controls on the front.

At first, the dimension of the machine looks big but the FoodSaver 4400 weighs only 10 pounds which is great for storing it anywhere.

The FoodSaver V4440 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealing System is well-designed and quite versatile for its price range.

• General Use: Automatic or nearly automatic, beginner-friendly
• Vacuum Strength: 24-26 hg level of vacuum
• Size: Medium Size (11" long, 20" wide and 12" high)
• Noise Level: Medium Level
• Food Sealer Bags: Integrated stored bags, BHA-free plastic
• Maintenance: Drip tray to safely clean, 5-year warranty
• Quality for the money: Middle range price

Nesco VS-12 Vacuum Food Sealer

A proud competitor of FoodSaver food sealers. The Nesco VS-12 vacuum food sealer has integrated roll storage to ease its use for any users. Simply cut the length of the bag needed and start vacuuming in seconds.

The steps to seal your bags are easy to follow and all the controls are clear and simple. The vacuum-seal option is automatic and takes less than a minute to vacuum and seal the bag. 

Like many brands, they recommend to use Nesco food sealer bags but it is possible to use any other bag brands to preserve your food.

It is a small machine, it is recommended to let the machine cool down for two minutes in between sealings for maximum results.

• General Use: Clear range of controls
• Vacuum Strength: 130 Watts
• Size: Compact size
• Noise Level: Medium to high level
• Food Sealer Bags: Any Roll or bags affordable in aftermarket
• Maintenance: Minumum care needed
• Quality for the money: Impressive suction for the money

FoodSaver FM5200

The FM5200 offers few more options than the FM4440 for about the same price. These options depending on your needs might be the best choice for you. The device has the marinade sealing option, the moist-dry sealing option, and the traditional automatic sealing system.

You can seal manually your bags if you are sealing soft items by simply pressing the seal button on the top when you judge that enough air is suctioned from the bag.

The machine is really efficient to prevent freeze burns and then excellent to keep your food much longer into your fridge. 

Foodsaver sealer bags are a good aftermarket purchase when you finished your initial bags from the package.

• General Use: More options but still a clear range of controls
• Vacuum Strength: Standard engine
• Size: 9.3" x 17.6" x 9.6" 
• Noise Level: Medium level
• Food Sealer Bags: Many options
• Maintenance: 5-year warranty
• Quality for the money: More options for the money

Crenova VS100S Upgraded Vacuum Sealer

Among the smallest model of the ranking but still equal for air suction. The lid is easy to lock in place. Only four options which are a charm to use. For delicate items, you can use the pulse button which suctions as long as you press it. To make sure that the Crenova makes its job perfectly, make sure that the drip tray is always dry.

The machine makes noise but considering the size and that it takes only a few seconds to seal your bag, it is not a big downside. 

The Crenova allows all types of bag material but you have to respect the size of the machine. 

• General Use: 4 clear options
• Vacuum Strength: 80kpa High Air-Tight
• Size: Ultra-compact size 13"x 6" x 3"
• Noise Level: Medium to high level
• Food Sealer Bags: Many options
• Maintenance: Low maintenance, 3-year warranty
• Quality for the money: Great results for the money

Geryon Compact Food Sealer

The Geryon vacuum food sealer is an easy-to-use appliance as it is an automatic device. The machine works the same way as previous models by slipping the open end of the bag into the front of the opened machine, push down with both hands to hear locks so the food sealer starts to vacuum.

The sealing takes about six to 10 seconds and vacuum sealing extending for 10 to 20 seconds. Geryon Compact Sealing System lets you use any brand of bags, which is a real benefit.

The starter kit included in the package offers 5 x heat-seal bags (7.8"x11.8"), 1 x roll (7.8"x78"). 

The only downside of the Geryon would be the fact that you cannot use any hose to connect to the machine. However, for the price, if it fits your needs, this device is a serious option for preserving longer all your food. 

• General Use: A Clear set of controls
• Vacuum Strength: Standard engine
• Size: Compact Size 5.4" long, 14.6" wide and 2.5" high,
• Noise Level: Medium to High
• Food Sealer Bags: All brands accepted
• Maintenance: Manufacturer's Lifetime Warranty & Support
• Quality for the money: Basic model but efficient

 

Seal a Meal VS230 Vacuum Sealer

This food sealer comes with integrated roll storage which becomes pretty handy when you have many items to seal. Roll down the length of the bag you need and cut an extra 3 inches to give you space to seal the bag. 

The Seal a Meal offers a great alternative for beginners with food sealers. The steps to follow are illustrated on the machine as you lift the top. Clear lights on the board that indicate to you the process of sealing while it's vacuuming.

A hose is possible to purchase as an upgrade if you want to seal jars.

You can easily seal many bags before the machine starts overheating. Make sure that you will have enough seal a meal vacuum sealer bags at your disposal.

• General Use: Few settings all easy to understand
• Vacuum Strength: Standard engine
• Size: 6.7 x 12.6 x 18.2 inches
• Noise Level: Medium to High Level
• Food Sealer Bags: Seal a meal bags recommended
• Maintenance: Dishwasher safe, Microban antimicrobial product protection
• Quality for the money: Efficient and durable

 

Overall Pick

Without a doubt, all food sealers of this ranking are recommended by many other reviewers, and this, no matters their allegiance. The Weston Pro 2300, if your budget is allowing, would be the best pick to make sure that you have the maximum for your money. That said, any FoodSaver series would be my pick for the quality and price.

Remember that sometimes the extra money invested in a more expensive product might make a huge difference in its quality of preservation. See it this way, the longer your food is preserved, the less your initial investment is big with time.

Thank you for reading us, do not hesitate to comment or leave your experience with one of those food sealers.

Have a nice Hunt!