Vacuum Sealer?

[The Bandit]

Hi all. Looking for a little help please.

I'm looking to buy a vacuum sealer but not at all sure what I should be looking for - type, features etc.

I shall be using it for curing and packaging bacon and storing my coffee beans mainly.

If there is a model that's just the thing, I'd be very interested. 

I'm not looking to get the cheapest but on the other hand I don't think all the bells and whistles are needed either. Something middle of the road that will do the job well. I may well be looking for 'the moon on a stick', if I am please tell me and put me straight.

Thanks.

[Wade]

23 hours ago, The Bandit said:

Hi all. Looking for a little help please.

I'm looking to buy a vacuum sealer but not at all sure what I should be looking for - type, features etc.

I shall be using it for curing and packaging bacon and storing my coffee beans mainly.

If there is a model that's just the thing, I'd be very interested. 

I'm not looking to get the cheapest but on the other hand I don't think all the bells and whistles are needed either. Something middle of the road that will do the job well. I may well be looking for 'the moon on a stick', if I am please tell me and put me straight.

Thanks.

The type of sealer that you need will really depend on what you will be using it for - not just the food to be packed but also where it is going. There are two main types of vacuum packer - (1) Side suck and (2) chamber

The side suck vacuum packer is the most common type that is used at home as it is inexpensive and small. Its main drawback is that to use it you need the more expensive textured vacuum bags. These are readily available though and if you are not expecting to do a lot of packing then these usually work out more cost effective.
These are typically around £40-£80 
At the lower end of the price range is something like the Andrew James Vacuum Sealer at around £38 - and at the higher end you have sealers like the Luvele Deluxe Pro at around £150. When looking for the right side suck packer check the maximum bag width (the wider the better), the time between seals (some machines require a 40 second wait to allow the sealing element to cool), the vacuum pressure that is achieved (though most will give you sufficient for home use), and just as important is its physical size (do you have room to store it when it isn't in use).

The chamber vacuum packers are more for the professional packers, though there are some that are affordable for home use - these range from about £250 to £3-4K and higher. These are larger than the side suck machines but generally produce a higher vacuum, double seal the bags as standard and they also use the less expensive plain food vacuum bags. The most important thing to check with these is the size of the chamber as you must be able to get all of the food you are packing fully inside and close the lid. Realistically you should be expecting to pay £700 and up for one that will be sufficiently versatile. There are refurbished ones on the market from companies like Sous Vide Tools. The ones I use for my business are the Henkelman Boxer 42 XL - however these will set you back around £3,000 each.

My advice would be to start with a side suck vacuum packer and the model would depend on how much you are expecting to pack. If it was me, I would go for something like the Luvele, as it is designed for use in a commercial kitchen, however if space in your kitchen is an issue then the smaller Andrew James style sealer will also do the job.

I hope this helps - and I am sure that other members will be able to give you the benefit of their experiences with their own machines.

[The Bandit]

Thank you for your help Wade.

Now ordered. We went for a mid-priced one.

[Skagg2000]

Does anyone know how noisy the Luvele Deluxe is? Our Low Noise Eiffel has just about given up & we need to buy another. The Eiffel was good & I like the fact it wasn't noisy like the cheaper domestic sealers such as the Foodsaver. The Luvele seems to get good reviews but if is noisy then i'll pass & buy another Eiffel.

Cheers n Gone Nick