The last thread on this topic I can find was in 2022 and primarily discussed chamber vacuum sealers. I am in the market for a vac sealer to preserve wild game/fish, store bought meat and garden produce. Food saver has been junk in my experience.

I am intrigued by both the Weston and Meat 16'' sealers. Budget is no more than $500. Any recommendations appreciated

I must have the best Food Saver ever built, because I read about how they are junk on here all of the time.

Mine is 16 years old and has sealed an obscene amount of food, etc. - still rocking and rolling and the only thing I've replaced is the gasket at the front that goes around the little tray.

i have a weston and its been great. was like 80 bucks if i remember correctly, but it only takes bags up to 12".

I've had two Food Savers. One broke. The other has been working for probably 5 years or so.

I'm with you, I'd go with something more high quality.

My food saver Game Saver is 8 years old and still going strong.

Have a had a CostCo food saver for probably 10 years. Works great still. Will get my next one at Costco again due to their return policy.

schmellba99 said:

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I must have the best Food Saver ever built, because I read about how they are junk on here all of the time.

Mine is 16 years old and has sealed an obscene amount of food, etc. - still rocking and rolling and the only thing I've replaced is the gasket at the front that goes around the little tray.

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Yep same here.....and the gasket set was $3 from foodsaver website

Count me in as another with a 10ish year old Food Saver that's still going strong. And we use it quite often, i.e. not just once a year doing deer. We buy meat in bulk and use it to portion out and freeze probably once to twice a month on average.

Another vote for food saver. Can't remember what model mine is but it was about $200. Got it 3 years ago. Use it heaviest during sausage making, but other than that about once a month. No problems so far with mine.

I have a nesco I got on Amazon for way less than your budget max. I'm very happy with it, though it doesn't get heavy use.

I think my foodsaver is 13 years old. Still going strong. Thank goodness for Amazon rolls of bags because I hated spending money for the name brand ones.

Go search Rodriguez Butcher Supply Co. out of San Antonio.

They carry the vac-master chamber machines.

Best thing I have done.

Free Shipping as well.

lol

OP specifically mentions he saw the chamber vacuum sealers and was looking for other recommendations....and that his budget is max $500....

So you recommend a $1,200 chamber vacuum sealer

But it's the best thing he's done!

Maybe I did not read everything….

But they also have the other types under the vac-master brand.

Would check them out though.

htxag09 said:

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lol

OP specifically mentions he saw the chamber vacuum sealers and was looking for other recommendations....and that his budget is max $500....

So you recommend a $1,200 chamber vacuum sealer

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texags gonna texags

I really like my cabelas branded one. It's been going strong for 7 years.

[url] https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-12-pro-series-vacuum-sealer?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CPMax%7CProprietary%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&&&gclid=CjwKCAjwzJmlBhBBEiwAEJyLu8lkxAexpMOWGtqFHUx-xaOpaXY2J5Evo1yeWdipVuzi8MYx_-y2bhoC8KYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds[/url]

For $500, you could by 6 Food Savers. Just sayin'

htxag09 said:

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lol

OP specifically mentions he saw the chamber vacuum sealers and was looking for other recommendations....and that his budget is max $500....

So you recommend a $1,200 chamber vacuum sealer

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You must be new around here... This is how the OB rolls.

I've had some of the original FoodSavers last 10+ years and newer ones not make it a year. Several years ago I switched to a chamber vac and won't go back. I can seal stuff I couldn't do with a Foodsaver without a lot of prep, the bags are cheaper, and I don't have to wait for the machine to cool down.

Comes down to how much you use it. I didnt want to spend the up front cost but at the time was processing 5 - 6 deer, a dozen or so pigs, and a nilgai every year. Plus whatever duck, quail, pheasant etc we shot during the year. I did the math and foukd it would break even after just a few years.

I purchased a chamber vac from Meat and am please with them as a company.......if you end up choosing their brand I would sign up for their newsletter and you will get a 10% coupon code emailed to you.

I have the Cabelas 15" commercial version.
I've liked it a lot after going through a number of others over the years.
I really like the fact that with the wider bag I can vac seal larger cuts. I routinely vac seal briskets and pork shoulders without issue. It also creates a double seal, which is great for the things I sous vide.

I went through 2 food savers in 10 yrs using them when processing 1-2 deer/yr, fish filets, and meat for storing or sous vide, around 1.5-2x a month. Switched to a chamber sealer last spring and it is a night and day improvement and well under your price cap. I also use it much more to seal stews, gumbo, chile, homemade chicken stock, etc. They are currently on Amazon at $309 and mine has been great.

https://a.co/d/96d8Ab0

This. Also have the Cabelas commercial Sealer, although mine is close to 20 years old, and only does a single seal. Thing is a beast if you have good bags. Wife got me a LEM sealer for birthday last year, and although it is definitely lighter than the Cabelas, it quit after probably 50 seals. Sent me a new board to put in it, so now it will vacuum again, but won't seal when it needs to. Junk.

Added to my wishlist.

skelso said:

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I've had some of the original FoodSavers last 10+ years and newer ones not make it a year. Several years ago I switched to a chamber vac and won't go back. I can seal stuff I couldn't do with a Foodsaver without a lot of prep, the bags are cheaper, and I don't have to wait for the machine to cool down.

Comes down to how much you use it. I didnt want to spend the up front cost but at the time was processing 5 - 6 deer, a dozen or so pigs, and a nilgai every year. Plus whatever duck, quail, pheasant etc we shot during the year. I did the math and foukd it would break even after just a few years.

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Humble brag disguised as a "best" vacuum sealer post.

I'm old school and still package my fish in a ziplock with water.

This on packaging your normal Texas caught fish.

I have never bought a vacuum sealer, but would like to....

How about that one "as seen on TV" ?

Power XL something something.... around $99.00..... does anyone have one of those?

After looking through this thread, I would just go down to Rodriguez Butcher Supply since I already have been there a couple of times.

I had a Food Saver that did a serviceable job for about 10 yrs. When it died, I upgraded to a Weston and realized very quickly there's no comparison between the two. Commercial vacs are superior in every way.

https://westonbrands.com/weston-pro-2600-vacuum-sealer-65-1301-w

Bird93 said:

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I had a Food Saver that did a serviceable job for about 10 yrs. When it died, I upgraded to a Weston and realized very quickly there's no comparison between the two. Commercial vacs are superior in every way.

https://westonbrands.com/weston-pro-2600-vacuum-sealer-65-1301-w

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This is the one I am leaning towards.

You haven't had any issues with yours?

Works great. Full disclosure…I've only had it for a year. I've processed one deer, bagged some fish, and just random meats here and there.

Rattler12 said:

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skelso said:

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I've had some of the original FoodSavers last 10+ years and newer ones not make it a year. Several years ago I switched to a chamber vac and won't go back. I can seal stuff I couldn't do with a Foodsaver without a lot of prep, the bags are cheaper, and I don't have to wait for the machine to cool down.

Comes down to how much you use it. I didnt want to spend the up front cost but at the time was processing 5 - 6 deer, a dozen or so pigs, and a nilgai every year. Plus whatever duck, quail, pheasant etc we shot during the year. I did the math and foukd it would break even after just a few years.

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Humble brag disguised as a "best" vacuum sealer post.

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Lol! Not meant to be one. Unfortunately the "at the time" is because I don't get to hunt as much these days - responsibilities, lol poor, and all...

I had a foodsaver for years then it just quit. Bought another one that lasted about a year, however the foodsaver warranty is two years, so they sent me another one. Then that one crapped out after about a year so I threw up my hands.

I bought a cheap one from Amazon in Oct of 2020. GERYON Vacuum Sealer Machine ~ $50. Has worked fine. It is not the fastest, but for fifty bucks you can buy two and increase your productivity. I use it all the time. Buy meat in bulk and store it longer or freeze. I grind my own meat because my wife likes to see it before its processed.

https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/vacmaster-vp95-chamber-vacuum-sealer/

This vacmaster chamber sealer is on sale for $475. I think you might even be able to get an additional 10% off.