Costco LEM Chamber Sealer

[mallard]

FYI for anyone looking, these are available for Costco online purchase with free shipping.

[Angry Perch]

FYI for anyone looking, these are available for Costco online purchase with free shipping.

Yup. Got one on the way.

[Encore 280]

Just finished ordering one from Costco. 

[Angry Perch]

I kind of want to hit the old Food Saver with a baseball bat now.

[andersonjk4]

I’ve used traditional vacuum sealers (food saver and cabelas) for 15+ years and been pretty happy with the results. I’ve really been considering making the switch to a chamber sealer, but don’t really see the added benefits outweighing the initial cost. What am I missing? Are pump and seal times faster? I have read bags are cheaper, but are they as durable?

[Stein]

Seal time isn’t great but they are easier to use and can seal liquids.  Cheap bags will eventually cover the cost.  They are much larger if storage is an issue.


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[Angry Perch]

Sealing liquids, or even wet items is my number one. Next comes bag expense. Also, from my very limited knowledge, I think they may provide a more reliable seal. As someone who isn't awesome about getting through things in order and in reasonable time, not throwing out something I killed is important. Plus they are pretty cool!

[Encore 280]

I've been using the Cabela's commercial grade one for a few years now and the last couple years I've lost fish to freezer burn but my venison is fine. I'm thinking my problem is from wrapping the fish in those thin plastic bags that you find in the produce section of grocery stores. I had got a whole roll of those bags thinking that it would help preserve the fish a little better. I thought I was getting the air out but maybe not. Won't be doing that anymore. Got a bunch of plastic sheets from Cabela's to cover fish bones so the bones don't poke holes in the bags, they seem to work nicely. Can't wait til the new one shows up.

[Stein]

Normal fish bones (salmon, trout, whatever) shouldn't poke through the bag.  Where I have had problems are 1) poorly sealed bag to begin with (check them 24 hours later and see if the seal was good to begin with), or 2) rough handling - when they are in the freezer, don't throw other stuff on them or bang them around reorganizing or digging for stuff.  Once fish is frozen, it's really hard and sharp edges of other bags or other things in the freezer can puncture them.  It's also hard to stack or organize, so put it in there and move it around as little as possible.

That said, fish certainly has a shorter freezer life than red meat.  Properly packaged fish has a hard time going beyond 6-9 months without serious drop in quality where I have pulled red meat out with a 2 year date and it was as good or better than when it went in.

I do think the chamber bags are a bit tougher, but you can wreck them as well if you don't have a reasonable amount of care.  With chamber bags, you can also have a bit of water in the bag which freezes and provides a protective layer around the fish.  With vac bags, it pretty much has to be dry to draw a good vacuum and seal.  in that case, freeze half way first, spray a bit of water on the fish, let it drip dry for a few seconds and vac.

[Bareback]

A Chamber Sealer may be one of the best sportsman investments I’ve made. Vacuum sealers aren’t even in the same league when it comes to preservation of food. Advantages of Chambers sealer:

Precut(one side sealed) bags in various sizes ranging in 3 to 5 mil thickness with an approximate cost of 3-8 cents a piece. There are even bags with a zip lock on one side. Prices of vacuum sealer bags is absurd; then there’s the time to cut and seal each one.

When butchering/packaging game or filleting a weekend of salmon, it becomes a production line. Buying time, one of my favorite things to do.

Process versatility. User can control vacuum time, cool time and sealing time. Varying parameters according to bag thickness or contents pays big dividends with product quality. Chamber sealer has a double strip so you get two seals at once.

Food preservation. With five mil bags more then 4+ years. We are eating halibut and salmon that are four years old. It makes for good fish tacos but by no means is it remotely fresh, definitely has frozen texture. Vacuum sealers - forget that time frame. Occasionally get a bad seal but that’s mostly due to operator error.

Backpacking- we buy bulk dehydrated food 10 lb containers and seal them into individual packages. Ends up costing about <$3 meal. beats the socks off of Mountain House.

The wife loves how the packages stack in the freezer. She’s an organization freak. Grind, soup, hamburger patties are filed like a cabinet.

Cleaning is a breeze and the vacuum ports don’t suck crap into them like a VC.

I seal important documents, boat registration, insurance cards, etc. Anything in an environment that is wet.

Our payback was about three years, after that all grins.

Drawbacks: Price, size and maintenance(changing oil).

I still have a vacuum sealer for one purpose, sealing salmon roe in canning jars.

[blackpowderhunter]

for those that dont see the drawbacks of the regular vac sealer....you might not see the benefit of the chamber as often or as quickly.
for me it was a multitude of things.
1. cool down period.  after a day on the water and vacuum sealing my single serving sizes off of salmon fillets, i would have to spend time waiting for the vac sealer to cool down.  that and cutting, and sealing both ends of the bag adds to that time.  with the chamber sealer i have all of my bags loaded up with fish, and just one after another they pop in and seal em up.
2. cost. cost. cost of bags.  i bought multiple years worth of bags for what i spend on one box of rolls.  like others have said they can be had when you buy them in bulk for around 5 cents a bag.

the drawbacks are that wherever you put it, it will live.  mines in the garage because its a heavy son of a gun...but for me its not an issue as that's where i process game and fish.
i have buddies who come use it and its great...they bring some beer to drink while they seal stuff up to offset the cost of bags...but in reality they use like 3 dollars worth of bags 

[andersonjk4]

The big downside I experience with the traditional vac sealer is the cooldown period.  Although I have learned to adjust my sealing process to account for it. Cabela's sells pre-cut, 4-mil, bags that I have had really good luck with.  I have one of the Cabela's "commercial" sealers and can use it to seal pretty much anything.  I do bone stock, pre-marinated meat, dripping wet fish.  All that being said, someday when I get my processing area finished in my shop I will probably end up with a chamber sealer. Until then, the size/weight will probably deter me as I like having it handy in the house to seal up misc. items. 

[CP]

Anyone have an opinion on this model?


https://www.amazon.com/Avid-Armor-USV20-Liquid-Rich-Professional/dp/B08GZH6Y36/ref=pd_ybh_a_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=M7SEJ1BYW2AM9Q62375T

[Encore 280]

Oh man the LEM just showed up!! Gonna have to add on a room for this thing with an overhead chain hoist, weighs a ton! Guess I'll save the box it came in and store it in that out in the shop!! Don't destroy the box trying to get it out when it arrives. Just reach down the sides inside the box and it has handles for lifting, comes right out. Can't wait to give it a try!

[Angry Perch]

 
I just carried mine from the front porch.
It's a tank!