I've been wanting to get a vacuum sealer for a while now, and have narrowed it down to 2.
A Vacmaster 350 pro for about $250.00 or a Vacmaster VP215 at $819.00. I am pretty much 50/50 between the two. I wish I knew how much I would use it as the chamber sealer may very well be cheaper in the long run if used enough. I would think I would like to seal jars of spices/rubs and using the canister attachment, but I guess I could just seal them in small bags. I've seen a few posts by people who own both, and they say they rarely use the external machines.
External Sealer Pros.
Can use larger bags, since you can cut your own.
Can seal larger jars and canisters.
More portable, 19 lbs. vs. 83 lbs. though it still uses quite a bit of counter space.
Marinating capability using a vacuum canister.
External Sealer Con's.
Bags are more expensive. 17 to 21+ cents per bag.
More waste due to failed seals.
High liquid foods are tricker to handle.
Chamber sealer pro's
Bags are much cheaper, around 3 to 6 cents per bag.
Handles liquids much better than external type.
Easier to use?
Less failed seals.
Chamber sealer cons.
Initial Cost, wife may shoot me if she sees how much I paid for it.
Limited size of items to seal, can't seal anything that won't fit in the chamber.
Size takes up quite a bit of room.
Heavy, not very portable, would probably need to set up dedicated area in the basement as a sealing station.
No accessory port for sealing jars/marinating, though I think you can seal smaller jars if they can fit in the chamber. Anyone know what size jars fit?
