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Community => Butchering, Cooking, Recipes => Topic started by: northwesthunter84 on October 14, 2019, 05:15:00 PM

Title: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: northwesthunter84 on October 14, 2019, 05:15:00 PM: Keep a look out for these. Scored one today for $440 out the door. It was a display model but works flawlessly.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: The Weazle on October 14, 2019, 09:02:10 PM: What size is it? How much does it weigh? I’m looking for a portable chamber sealer because my vacmaster is very heavy and cumbersome when traveling.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: northwesthunter84 on October 14, 2019, 09:37:13 PM: Website says shipping weight is 100#s. Chamber is 13.25”x 16”x3.25”. The case is 14.5”x19”x18”. Capacity is 15”x10” bag.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: 3boys on October 15, 2019, 03:34:57 PM: Quote from: northwesthunter84 on October 14, 2019, 05:15:00 PM
Keep a look out for these. Scored one today for $440 out the door. It was a display model but works flawlessly.
What Costco?
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: northwesthunter84 on October 15, 2019, 05:12:18 PM: Silverdale
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: duramax on October 15, 2019, 07:31:06 PM: I bought one of these at the Kirkland Costco, works great!
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: bearhunter99 on October 15, 2019, 08:42:21 PM: How long ago did you guys purchase these? I can't even find them online?
Thanks
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: northwesthunter84 on October 15, 2019, 08:43:47 PM: Yesterday, they aren’t online. The disclaimer says some items are only available in store and are not listed on the website. Normal price is $599 at Costco. Still $150 plus shipping less than Midway USA. Sportsman’s has them for $999 which is the MSRP.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: duramax on October 15, 2019, 08:45:37 PM: I picked mine up a month ago didn't get the demo so was a little more but under 500. Wife is upset I sealed everything in the house that weekend. Way better than my foodsaver.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Bridger81 on October 17, 2019, 02:23:18 PM: Had the manager look these up. Covington, Bellingham, and Spokane have a good number left. A few other stores might have one or two, if any. Most stores don't have any.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: blackpowderhunter on October 30, 2019, 09:07:51 PM: i bit the bullet and bought one of these last week.
gave it it's first workout tonight. i smoked up a bunch of summer kings and packaged over 30 packs of smoked salmon.
not a single hickup with this machine.
not to mention i spent less than 1 dollar on bags doing all of those... had i cut them from a vac sealer roll that would have easily run 10-12 bucks.
over the course of an entire fishing season it adds up. im excited to use this to package my elk grind and loose elk sausage.
(500 bags 8x12 inch and 1000 bags 6x10 inch together cost me less than 50 bucks)
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: The Weazle on November 01, 2019, 07:57:33 PM: Quote from: blackpowderhunter on October 30, 2019, 09:07:51 PM
i bit the bullet and bought one of these last week.
gave it it's first workout tonight. i smoked up a bunch of summer kings and packaged over 30 packs of smoked salmon.
not a single hickup with this machine.
not to mention i spent less than 1 dollar on bags doing all of those... had i cut them from a vac sealer roll that would have easily run 10-12 bucks.
over the course of an entire fishing season it adds up. im excited to use this to package my elk grind and loose elk sausage.
(500 bags 8x12 inch and 1000 bags 6x10 inch together cost me less than 50 bucks)

I buy the ziplock bags for jerky, summer sausage, and smoked salmon, they are pretty cheap also when I buy 1k of them and share with friends, and work great.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Angry Perch on November 18, 2020, 04:23:07 PM: You guys still having good luck with the LEM?
I'm officially in the market, and wondering how these stack up to the VacMaster.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: h20hunter on November 18, 2020, 04:32:24 PM: Still 100% happy.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Angry Perch on November 18, 2020, 04:45:30 PM: Quote from: h20hunter on November 18, 2020, 04:32:24 PM
Still 100% happy.

Cool. Thank you.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: mallard on November 18, 2020, 04:48:59 PM: FYI for anyone looking, these are available for Costco online purchase with free shipping.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Angry Perch on November 18, 2020, 07:55:44 PM: Quote from: mallard on November 18, 2020, 04:48:59 PM
FYI for anyone looking, these are available for Costco online purchase with free shipping.

Yup. Got one on the way.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Encore 280 on November 18, 2020, 07:56:47 PM: Just finished ordering one from Costco. :tup:
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Angry Perch on November 18, 2020, 08:09:59 PM: I kind of want to hit the old Food Saver with a baseball bat now.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 18, 2020, 08:15:27 PM: 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?
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Stein on November 18, 2020, 08:29:51 PM: 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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Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Angry Perch on November 18, 2020, 09:37:58 PM: 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!
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Encore 280 on November 18, 2020, 10:03:19 PM: 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. :tup:
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Stein on November 18, 2020, 10:21:10 PM: 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.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Bareback on November 18, 2020, 10:49:21 PM: 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.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: blackpowderhunter on November 19, 2020, 07:24:57 AM: 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 :chuckle:
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 19, 2020, 01:30:08 PM: 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.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: CP on November 19, 2020, 02:12:58 PM: 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
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Encore 280 on November 24, 2020, 06:24:52 PM: 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! :tup:
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Angry Perch on November 24, 2020, 07:12:58 PM: :yeah:
I just carried mine from the front porch.
It's a tank!
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Encore 280 on November 24, 2020, 07:20:42 PM: Already got mine up and running! Sealed up some fish I smoked the other day. That thing is sweet! I think I might like it. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: MacAttack on November 25, 2020, 07:58:43 AM: I saw a floor model at the Burlington Costco over labor day weekend and couldn't pass it up! Love it, even though it was tag soup for me this year due to braking my ankle, still happy I finally have one.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: bigdub257 on November 25, 2020, 09:12:17 AM: Been thinking about picking one of these up. Only thing holding me up is some of the bad reviews I've read on the internet. Seems like everyone here is having pretty good luck so far. I suppose if there were any issues it would be pretty easy to return to Costco since they are quite liberal in this regard. Still mulling it over, but that's a darn good price for a chamber sealer.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: northwesthunter84 on November 25, 2020, 09:17:46 AM: Love mine, no issues. Oil is still clear and no leaks. Use it even more than my old food saver.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: carlyoungs on November 25, 2020, 09:36:03 AM: Can somebody send me the link? I keep trying to find it on Costco website and it is nowhere to be found
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: bigdub257 on November 25, 2020, 09:47:01 AM: https://www.costco.com/maxvac-pro-chamber-vacuum-sealer.product.100536866.html
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: lastmk8 on November 25, 2020, 09:58:42 AM: Wish I could chime in on how much I Love mine, but unfortunately I'm still waiting for it to be delivered. Must be the time of year and all the next round of shut-downs and everyone buying on line now. Should be here Monday though and I'm ready to put it through the paces.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: bigdub257 on November 25, 2020, 10:36:29 AM: Just pulled the trigger on one. Hope it works out. If not it should be no problem to return it.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: birddogdad on November 25, 2020, 10:48:49 AM: Quote from: bigdub257 on November 25, 2020, 10:36:29 AM
Just pulled the trigger on one. Hope it works out. If not it should be no problem to return it.

we had just talked of this at camp this season.. they work well and having the chamber makes it much easier wrt "juicy" game sealing (like salmon steaks).
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: CP on November 25, 2020, 12:54:00 PM: Quote from: CP on November 19, 2020, 02:12:58 PM
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

I went with this little one. So far I'm impressed. Weighs less than 20 lbs and a little bigger than a toaster. Takes up to an 11" x 10" bag. Plenty big enough for me.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: MacAttack on November 25, 2020, 04:48:14 PM: I was looking at the Avid Armor before I bought the LEM. Based on the size, I might just buy that for my parents.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: grundy53 on November 25, 2020, 05:01:23 PM: Quote from: carlyoungs on November 25, 2020, 09:36:03 AM
Can somebody send me the link? I keep trying to find it on Costco website and it is nowhere to be found
I can't find it either.

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Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: grundy53 on November 25, 2020, 05:01:53 PM: Quote from: bigdub257 on November 25, 2020, 09:47:01 AM
https://www.costco.com/maxvac-pro-chamber-vacuum-sealer.product.100536866.html
Says product not found

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Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: bigdub257 on November 25, 2020, 05:05:37 PM: Quote from: grundy53 on November 25, 2020, 05:01:23 PM
Quote from: carlyoungs on November 25, 2020, 09:36:03 AM
Can somebody send me the link? I keep trying to find it on Costco website and it is nowhere to be found
I can't find it either.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I just tried the link I posted earlier and also searched Costco. Doesn't work now so they must be out. I ordered on earlier today. We'll see if the order goes through.
Title: Re: Costco LEM Chamber Sealer
Post by: Encore 280 on November 25, 2020, 09:13:06 PM: Maybe someone can go in and change their order to 2. :dunno: