# Vacuum Sealer



## resurrected

Hi Guys,

Thinking of getting a sealer.

With me being the only meat eater in the house, I need to be able to store food.

Having never owned or used one I'd like to know if I can vacuum pretty much anything or what the limitations are with them.


This is the one I'm looking at


http://www.lakeland.co.uk/19653/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealer


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## wade

Hi Paul

I have not used the Foodsaver but I have used the Eiffel Freshpack Pro - which gave me several years of good service before I moved to a chamber vac pack.

Danny has the Andrew James Commercial vacuum sealer and he should be able to give you the low down on this

I hope these help.


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## resurrected

Wade said:


> Hi Paul
> 
> I have not used the Foodsaver but I have used the Eiffel Freshpack Pro - which gave me several years of good service before I moved to a chamber vac pack.
> 
> Danny has the Andrew James Commercial vacuum sealer and he should be able to give you the low down on this
> 
> I hope these help.



Thank you, Wade. 

Can you vac pretty much anything?


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## kettlecooker

i've got the foodsaver one, decent bit of kit, the rolls are pretty thick(argos sell them) so stand up to things like chop bones etc, you can either just seal and make bags, that is great for throwing things like a couple of chicken breasts in marinade for a few hours, or you can obviously vac, we use that for freezing stuff, leftover ppork or the likes.

the only limitations with it are the bag width, you have got 11" but you can make the bags as long as you like.

would deffo recomend one.

kc.


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## kettlecooker

dunno if you will be interested, but i have just noticed this....

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=25912

for that price, it's got to be worth a punt.

kc.


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## tombirmingham

Has anyone got one of these ? That is cheap !


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## tombirmingham

...just found these thoughts > http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=6&TopicID=219583. Might be false economy ?


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## wade

The important things to look out for really depend on what you are wanting to vac pack for and how often.

The important things are really sealing width, vacuum achieved, the power of the heat sealer and the duty cycle

*Sealing width*  - I found that the 30 cm of the Eiffel would do almost all of what I needed - There were a couple of times when I would have liked a larger seal but they were very rare
*Vacuum*  - Look for one that will do -0.8 Bar to -0.9 Bar. This is not as high as the in the chamber sealers but is good for a side suction unit
*Heat sealer*  - Along with the thickness/quality of the bag this determines how well the bag will remain sealed. The ideal is to have one that provides a twin heat seal but this is uncommon in this type of packer. Instead you should ensure that the unit can also do "seal only" as this will enable you to add a second seal if required. For thicker bags (e.g. sous vide) you will also need to have a more powerful heat seal.
*Duty cycle*  - check its usage rating by looking at the product reviews. Some are only designed for casual kitchen use and will overheat if used constantly without being allowed to cool. If you are only planning to seal the odd pack of leftovers this will not matter too much bit if you plan to pack 20 bags of smoked cheese at a time then this is a consideration.
I cannot see the vacuum rating or the sealing capability of the Foodsaver though I expect that they are out there.

For this type of machine you will need the embossed pouches as it is a side suction packer. These are readily available from a number of sources on the net and if you shop around you can get some good deals. When buying though make sure that they are food grade. Many of the really cheap ones on e-bay or Amazon are not.

You really need to get a selection of sizes as you will be packing a lot of different things. This is best achieved by buying the "bags" on a roll as a tube and cutting and sealing them to the desired length as required. If you buy two different width rolls you will be able to create an almost infinite number of bag sizes. Don't forget though that both the Foodsaver and Eiffel Freshpack Pro can handle a maximum width of bag of 11" (28cm) so don't buy rolls or bags that are wider than this. (This may sound obvious but learn from the mistake I made when buying my first stock of bags!)

I mostly used to buy mine from Lava Vacuum Packaging http://www.lava-vacuum-packing.com. At the time they were among the cheapest and the quality of the bags/rolls were good. Usually 90 micron bags will be fine for packing most things but you can also get extra thick 160 micron bags for sharper objects and for a longer packed life..


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## gav iscon

tombirmingham said:


> ...just found these thoughts > http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=6&TopicID=219583. Might be false economy ?


Theres also a comment on UK-Preppers from last year which wasn't favourable. Mines on this years xmas list :)


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## resurrected

Thanks everyone.


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## mummel

I'm getting this one next weekend.  $50 at Costco.













FM2100-000-1.jpg



__ mummel
__ Aug 6, 2015


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## kiska95

Just to chip in I got the Eiffel Pro from Ebay. They are normally around £99 but got mine for about £68 on the auction (same firm)













s-l140.jpg



__ kiska95
__ Aug 6, 2015


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## resurrected

kiska95 said:


> Just to chip in I got the Eiffel Pro from Ebay. They are normally around £99 but got mine for about £68 on the auction (same firm)
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> __ Aug 6, 2015



Chip away :biggrin:

Brian, 

Does it work with individual bags or does it take a roll?


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## wade

They will all use either rolls or pre-made bags. Some have the ability to store a roll within the unit but most do not. With either you simply cut the roll to the length of the bag required and then seal one end to create the bag. You then put in your food and vac pack it, sealing the other end. Most of these units will only create a single seal (which is usually fine) but they have a "seal only" function which allows you to add a second seal if necessary.


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## okie362

I have the Food Saver V3860 and would not recommend this unit.  I thought all the automation would come in handy but it's been a bigger pain than anything.  It needs an automatic/manual mode so you can make it do what you need it to at times.


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## tombirmingham

The Andrew James one is 40 quid at the moment, anyone used it ? All reviews are good on Amazon.


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## dirtsailor2003

I don't know what the shipping would be to the UK, but you should check out Vacmaster. They are a sponsor here and they give us a 10% discount code every month for their products. Lisa's customer service is top notch and the vacmaster reviews are excellent.

https://www.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=vacmaster


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## smokewood

I am looking at these at the moment:

http://www.fresherpack.co.uk/sections/1/vacuum_sealers/


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## resurrected

smokewood said:


> I am looking at these at the moment:
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> http://www.fresherpack.co.uk/sections/1/vacuum_sealers/



Same as the one Brian mentioned above.


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## smokewood

dirtsailor2003 said:


> I don't know what the shipping would be to the UK, but you should check out Vacmaster. They are a sponsor here and they give us a 10% discount code every month for their products. Lisa's customer service is top notch and the vacmaster reviews are excellent.
> 
> https://www.vacuumsealersunlimited.com/
> 
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=vacmaster


I am not sure that they would work in the UK as our electricity is 240 v


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## smokewood

kiska95 said:


> Just to chip in I got the Eiffel Pro from Ebay. They are normally around £99 but got mine for about £68 on the auction (same firm)
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> __ kiska95
> __ Aug 6, 2015


They have still got them I have just ordered one. plus free delivery


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## smokewood

What sizes does anyone use to cover all eventualities? or have you a selection.


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## kiska95

My thoughts too!

The bags that came with it are 26cm by about 32cm and to be honest I have used 2 to make fatties they are the perfect size! But I note they come in 10, 15, 25 cms in most cases with the odd one outside of the X 5 sizing. I think as Wade pointed out the max is 28cms or 11inches


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## resurrected

There are quite a few sites that sell bags and rolls, including fresherpack that make the Eiffel.

The site that Wade posted earlier in the thread have bags on the site but no prices. Possibly no stock?


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## kiska95

Nah you have to click on the one you want and the price come up


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## smokewood

I have also bought an 8 inch & 12 wide vacuum sealer bags on a roll from here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310865949914?var=610236706000

I don't know what the quality will be like but the price was OK.  If the reviews are anything to go by they should be OK


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## bravemurphy

I have got the Andrew James vac packer and have had it for around 6 years and it is great and still going strong.


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## gav iscon

Eiffel Pro ordered...


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## smokewood

Got my Eiffel Pro yesterday, it seemed to take ages to seal and when it did I could have sucked the air out myself better.  Not blaming the machine, I must be doing something wrong like have a bad seal or something.

I will trawl through the fridge tonight for something else to seal and have a play...... to be continued.


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## wade

Hi James - It sounds as if the lid seal with the bag isn't as good as it needs to be and air is getting in. Are you wetting the seal rubbers with a damp cloth before putting in the bag? Also it is locking shut before you start the vacuum?

I assume that you are using the embossed bags too?


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## smokewood

Thanks Wade, I am using embossed bags, I must admit that I did not wet the seals but I will try that, and have another play with it tomorrow.


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## resurrected

smokewood said:


> Thanks Wade, I am using embossed bags, I must admit that I did not wet the seals but I will try that, and have another play with it tomorrow.



How did it go?

I'm still undecided between the Eiffel Pro or the Andrew James. 

The Andrew James is winning out at the moment as I like the convenience of having the integrated roll and cutter.


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## smokewood

I am still not convinced.  I managed to seal some rhubarb in a small packet, but I tried to seal 4 chicken fillets in a marinade but it was hopeless I couldn't get it to work.  I tried 3 or 4 times and gave up in the end.  So at the moment it has been thrown in the back of the cupboard until I have the patience to try again, personally I thought it would have been a lot easier.


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## resurrected

smokewood said:


> I am still not convinced.  I managed to seal some rhubarb in a small packet, but I tried to seal 4 chicken fillets in a marinade but it was hopeless I couldn't get it to work.  I tried 3 or 4 times and gave up in the end.  So at the moment it has been thrown in the back of the cupboard until I have the patience to try again, personally I thought it would have been a lot easier.



Is it because the liquid of the marinade is being sucked through to the seal? I've heard this can happen but can be overcome.


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## smokewood

No I was really careful and there was no contamination of liquid into the machine, but while I was watching the link that you sent me I found this video which could be a lot cheaper for bags.  I use ziploc bags in the Shack so I will give this idea a go.


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## resurrected

smokewood said:


> No I was really careful and there was no contamination of liquid into the machine, but while I was watching the link that you sent me I found this video which could be a lot cheaper for bags.  I use ziploc bags in the Shack so I will give this idea a go.




For the sake of a couple of quid saved, I really could not be arsed with the faff. Life is way to short.


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## wade

That is really disappointing James. I used one regularly for a couple of years and it behaved impeccably.


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## resurrected

I wonder if it's faulty as Kiska has one and has not had an issue and a couple of guys on another group have told me that they have one and they're great.


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## smokewood

I tried it again and it worked a treat, It must be user error


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## kiska95

Hi James

Sorry for a late reply but yes I did have similar problems but vanished once I had moistened the seals. Mind you never got any instructions with mine and the You Tube Vid was cack!


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## smokewood

The instructions are rubbish, but I think it works better with adding a bit of moisture to the seals.


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## sotv

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, But hooked on making my own bacon and smoked cheese now. Thinking of getting the    Luvelle Supreme (direct rather than Amazon though) for keeping fresh or freezing after smoking. Anyone have any experience of this machine on here? Seems very well reviewed and the little video in the reviews, seems to show it to be an easy to use machine. Famous last words....

One other question, I dry cure my bacon in ziploc bags at the moment, Would it be better to cure for 7 days in these vacuum packed bags or continue with the ziploc? as I would imagine the size of the bacon joint would be the most prohibitive thing in doing this.


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## wade

I have not used the Luvele Supreme however I have used the Andrew James Professional, which worked very well and is a similar price. With these side pump sealers you do need to use the textured bags/rolls as they ares requited to allow the air to be pumped out of the bag from one side. This isn't a problem as there are a lot of suppliers of these bags out there.

The things to look for is vacuum pressure, cycle time/rating and the availability of spare parts.

The higher the vacuum the better but it is also good to be able to vary the vacuum for different foods.
Cycle time/rating becomes more important if you are looking to pack in volume. Some units need time to cool down after a certain number of seal cycles
The main spares you will need are the soft vacuum sealing ring and the heat sealing element. Depending on how much vac packing you are doing these would normally be expected to be replaced every 12-24 months.
I do all my bacon curing in vac packed bags. It helps to keep the cure and any resulting brine in intimate contact with the meat. It is also good for applying rubs on joints and ribs overnight. The meat size should not be a problem providing it will fit width wise into 30 cm. The length of the bag can be as long as a roll of bag tube. Cost here may be more the issue if you are doing large amounts of lards pieces of meat.

I started out with a side seal vacuum unit and used it successfully for several years before I moved to a chamber vacuum.


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## sotv

Thanks for the reply

It has an 85 KPA rating, which seems to be towards the higher end of the scale for these type of machines in the £50-100 price bracket. It has variable vacuum pressure settings as well.

Good point about the spares have emailed the company to ask about this. If they are, then I think this is the one I am going to get.


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## wade

You may find this video interesting as it shows how to use a side suck vacuum packer with standard commercial pouches - which are much cheaper. This shows the Andre James machine but the same principle should apply to the Luvele too.


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## sotv

That looks a really useful video, thanks for posting Do you think these are the type of bags used in your video http://www.ebay.co.uk  item number 182494177973 (tried posting a direct link up but it defaults to some other merchant on here?

I have ordered the Luvele and hopefully it will be delivered today or tomorrow. Looking at this video, it seems very similar to the Andrew James one in the video, so this cheat will work also?


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## smokin monkey

Another great tip Wade!


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## molove

Wade said:


> You may find this video interesting as it shows how to use a side suck vacuum packer with standard commercial pouches - which are much cheaper.


Great vid Wade. This will be useful for dry aging bags too.

So where do you get commercial vac pac pouches from?


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## wade

I have used several suppliers but this is one I have found is good value and they are very helpful. The also do the embossed bags too.

https://www.thevacuumpouch.co.uk/


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## homeruk

I have the luvele one but its called something different same machine tho, bought it about 8 years ago and have really hammered it and it is still going strong, purchased a spare set of neoprene seals but are still on the first set, just remember to give them a clean if any liquid gets sucked up by mistake especially when using curing salts

I always use this place for the bags https://www.bagsoffreshness.co.uk/

tried using different brands of bags a little cheaper off fleabay and the likes and there just not as good

nisbets do some decent well made vacuum canisters on the cheap which are good for marinating meat etc and also use them when making a Texas slaw although you will need to make up a vacuum hose with 2 different ends on to interface the luvele to them.

found nisbets rolls of bags to be pretty useless

girlfriend got one for her birthday too


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## sotv

Thanks for the info, mine came yesterday, very simple to use and sealing and vacuuming seemed very easy, quick and efficient on the few things I tried it out on.

I saw the original canisters on the Luvele site, where I got the machine from, but unsure what they did. Will have to look into them further, as my wife also makes a lot of her own soups. But the quantity she makes up, means there is usually some leftover for the next few days and these canisters would be useful for that. How long does food and liquids stay fresh in the canisters for in your experience?


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## wade

sotv said:


> I saw the original canisters on the Luvele site, where I got the machine from, but unsure what they did. Will have to look into them further, as my wife also makes a lot of her own soups. But the quantity she makes up, means there is usually some leftover for the next few days and these canisters would be useful for that. How long does food and liquids stay fresh in the canisters for in your experience?


I did try these when I first got my side sealer and to be honest I found that they are a waste of money. I quickly learned that the bags were much better for freezing/chilling left over soups and stews. Here are a couple of methods to try. I have used them both and they both work well. All of my soups are now frozen and stored in flat pouches.

Fold back the top of a bag and spoon/pour in the soup. The bag is folded back to keep the part that is going to be sealed clean from food. Raise the vac packer slightly by placing it on a thick cutting board and lay down the bag slowly so that all of the air is displaced as you place the edge of the bag in the vac packer. Gently press on the bag so that the soup rises to almost touch the vac packer before clipping it shut and then just press seal - no vacuum required. You can then label and freeze the soup on a flat tray which then makes them easy to store in stacks. Below is a YouTube clip I found of something similar however she does make a bit of a mess at the top of the bags.



Alternatively you can pour the soup into a plastic bowl and freeze it. Press it out of the bowl as an ice lump and place this in a pouch and vac pack. There is a YouTube clip here that I have found which shows this being done.


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## martyn c

Wade said:


> You may find this video interesting as it shows how to use a side suck vacuum packer with standard commercial pouches - which are much cheaper. This shows the Andre James machine but the same principle should apply to the Luvele too.



I have this model, it's a good little unit, does the job (for me) perfectly


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