VacMaster Chamber Vacuum Sealer - Considering a purchase

[quadrafire]

Anyone experienced the gas production  from certain veg items?
I purchased  a bunch of Kirkland garlic cloves as a trial. 2 weeks the bag was about to pop.

In guessing you didn't blanch then first.  They are still ripening even though the ate vacuum sealed, therefore releasing gases.

No. Was doing an experiment. Sealed some fresh(these) sealed and froze some
Just to see how they would store best. I was impressed by the gas production.

[Angry Perch]

Anyone experienced the gas production  from certain veg items?
I purchased  a bunch of Kirkland garlic cloves as a trial. 2 weeks the bag was about to pop.

Exact same results from the same product. Blanching sounds like an interesting idea.

Also, if you find yourself with half a bag of Costco garlic that you can't get through. put it in a sauce pan with just enough olive oil to cover, and simmer on very low heat for a couple hours. Use the infused oil for whatever you like, and smash the cloves into a paste. Spread it in on toasted baguette, an a sandwich, or

[jbauch357]

We purchased a Vacmaster VP215 for fish camp and ended up getting rid of it in one season due to inconstant vacuum pressure on our fish.  I called and talked with the manufacturer, who confirmed everything was working as expected, but regardless of all our efforts the thing just wasn't consistent enough for our uses.

What I'm not using at home is a Vacmaster Pro 380, it's a tank and hasn't had a single issue after a year of use.  Our fish camp rig (that seals well over 500 packs of fish a season) is a Weston Pro 2300, it'll get a bit warm after 40-50 bags in a row and will need to cool off but other than that it's been running solid for 4 years without any issue.

For bags I've landed on these - http://a.co/aU9jqHo
There are cheaper options out there and thicker options for rough use, but these seem like a reasonable middle ground and they're super convenient with the rip top and built in ziploc strip.  After multiple transfers between freezers and coolers at camp, then airport handling, then another couple freezer transfers at home, I'll get a couple failed bags out of 80-100 packages but not enough to really worry about.  I haven't had any issues with bags packaged at home that go straight to the freezer losing their seal.

Foodsaver brand anything is way overpriced and underbuilt, we played that game for a few years before moving to Vacamster and Weston products exclusively.

[luvmystang67]

Tough to hear.  I just bought a rolling cart for mine and made it a permanent staple in my house.  I've never had a suction issue with mine.  I don't have years of experience with it either, but did put a whole elk and probably 5 deer worth of meat and burger through it without a hitch.  I ran it on a 30 second cycle time.  I really love it.

But yeah, I need to sell the Foodsaver on CL now.

[NRA4LIFE]

4 years now with my 215 with no problems whatsoever.  I've probably done 2000 bags or more.  4 oil changes now I think.  The unit has now paid for itself in bag savings.  I've done 4 deer, a moose, probably 500 lbs of fish, crab and clams, and countless quantities of vegetables, spices, etc.  It's almost a daily workhorse for us.

[Crunchy]

I just pulled the trigger on the 215.  No more foodsaver.  Sealed up some fresh salmon fillets today with a friend's.  Convinced me to buy one myself.

[Jim/WA]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm on my 3rd vacuum sealer which isn't too bad for 20 years more or less but I've never been overly happy with the results. The failure rates are just too high. Last week I pulled out a "lost" Halibut fillet from my freezer that was commercially sealed in a chamber vac 2 years ago. It was in perfect condition. I'd never get that with my Foodsaver.