Need a new sealer, hunter style duty

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archeryrob

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Oct 26, 2015
716
304
Western Maryland
I had a Food saver V3240 my wife got and they say this thing needs a 20 second break between seals and the board probably fried. I sealed 10 bags in a row after making bruanschweiger. I need something that can handle sealing processed game and not being really expensive.

Delete, I am getting the Cabelas Commercial model, I got points to use.
Cabela's Commercial-Grade 12" Vacuum Sealer
  • Compact 12" dual heat-strip sealing bar for an airtight seal
  • Intelligent Sealing Bar monitors and adjusts heat level
  • Smart Heat Technology for nonstop use with no waiting periods
  • 26 in. Hg of pressure keeps food fresh five times longer
  • Crush-resistant, replaceable foam seal gaskets
 
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Ouch, but it still says food saver on it and is more expensive than other models out there.

I seal many things at a time. I male 20# or more, of bologna, hotdogs or kill deer and may butcher chickens soon. I'll report back, but the sealer duty is why most die for me.
 
I'm in the camp that you just have to buy a good quality one (not FoodSaver brand) which means you will pay the money. Vac Sealers are notorious for crapping out so you just gotta fork over the money and bite the bullet.

Let us know how the Cabela's one pans out. It SUUUUUUUUCKS to have the sealer crap out when you have put all that work into processing your game animals and then you have to scramble to handle storage issues while the meat has been in and out of the cooler for days now. It is unnerving lol.
 
I went with one of the vacmaster chamber vacuum sealers. It works so much better than the foodsaver type. Over a couple of years we packed north of 2,000 bags out at my friends farm when we butchered some pigs and chickens. They liked it so much that when i moved away they bought one and the neighbor also got one so they didn't have to share. At the rate they use it the cheaper cost of bags will pay for the unit over time. For me I like the fact that you can seal wet products without an issue although I wasn't paying attention when I was packing pig lungs and they expanded to fill the entire chamber.
 
I went with one of the vacmaster chamber vacuum sealers. It works so much better than the foodsaver type. Over a couple of years we packed north of 2,000 bags out at my friends farm when we butchered some pigs and chickens. They liked it so much that when i moved away they bought one and the neighbor also got one so they didn't have to share. At the rate they use it the cheaper cost of bags will pay for the unit over time. For me I like the fact that you can seal wet products without an issue although I wasn't paying attention when I was packing pig lungs and they expanded to fill the entire chamber.

If I could dedicate the room for chamber vacuum sealer I would surely love to have one. Maybe someday if I end up with a dedicated enclosed (like screened in) outdoor kitchen area. I would add a chamber vac sealer to that setup.
I can see it sitting next to the island/table area opposite of the sink area.
Oh how I can dream of the day :D
 
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I just got the Cabelas sealer, haven't had a chance to give it good test yet. I got the 15 inch and it is pretty big. Im thinking the 12 inch will be nice
 
I just got the Cabelas sealer, haven't had a chance to give it good test yet. I got the 15 inch and it is pretty big. Im thinking the 12 inch will be nice

With the bigger ones you can sometimes seal 2 bags a time if you wanna get cute with it :)
 
I don't have the room for a chamber one in the kitchen, nor the approval for that outlay of coin. That is much higher end than I could get approval for.
 
I have been very happy with the LEM MaxVac I purchased. 28HG piston pump and rated for 10 hours continuous use, not that I will ever come close to even 5 hours of continuous use. But it was a good selling point as was the 5 year warranty. Enjoy whatever you get!
 
Vacmaster 380 Pro is what I have. It pulls 27.5, & has a 16" sealing bar.
It has a cooling fan that keep it cool enough, so you can do continuous sealing.
You can seal the big 15" bags with no problem.
Al
 
I have been very happy with the LEM MaxVac I purchased. 28HG piston pump and rated for 10 hours continuous use, not that I will ever come close to even 5 hours of continuous use. But it was a good selling point as was the 5 year warranty. Enjoy whatever you get!
I put their model 1000 maxvac into service a few months back, and we give it hard daily use.

Hands down the best sealer I have ever used at any price, more money than most consumer grade machines but it seals so much faster and reliably I can't see ever using anything else.

Plus it will reseal any commercial packaging, from potato chips to bags of frozen peppers and onions it has resealed any foil or plastic packaging perfectly. Anything with a pleated seam just needs that side pointing up.
 
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I'm a vacuum sealer machine hoarder :emoji_astonished:. Currently own 4 machines and am considering another.

I own 3 external sealers which are a used original Foodsaver (still perhaps the best Foodsaver model made, in my opinion), a Sinbo nozzle type sealer, and a Food Shield nozzle type sealer which works like a more automated Sinbo model.

I also on a Vacmaster VP120 chamber machine. This is my go to for the most serious vacuum sealing. It fits on my counter top and works fine. The biggest dislike however is the thing is LOUD. I have to wear ear protection when the machine is running or else I get a headache after a few runs. I live in a condo and can actually hear the machine running when I'm out of my unit and down the hallway.

I'm looking at a Waring Commercial WCV300 Chamber Vacuum sealer which I understand isn't so loud.
 
Here is a model/brand you may not have heard of before. Made in Italy, but the dealer is in the US and made this video:
 
My first try with the cabelas one did not go very well on very wet goose breasts. I soak for a week changing water to drain blood and such. I wonder if it helps much any more. Wounding from killing them makes blood trama around the meat many times. Anyways, I did 4 breasts in a bag and it suction was not strong enough to remove the air pockets in the back. It sealed two breasts in a bag.

I think I need to try freezing them right away or par freezing them and then sealing. I was not terrible impressed with the vacuum on the cabelas model. The sealer works great, but the vaccum seems weak. I plan to try it again, but we shall see. It used several more inches of bag than the food saver did also for the same size of meat. I can handle that, but it just seem wasteful.
 
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The vac on mine seems a little underpowered as well. I wish it good be adjusted
 
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Pumps do go bad. Maybe the company can send a replacement. If shopping for s new machine get one with a high rating in the mid to high 20’s of mercury, read hg. Prepare to spend a couple of hundred dollars or more.

Wet food- Get some absorbent pads from a meat company or somewhere like LE M. You can also use paper towels. Or freeze before sealing.
 
The paper towel trick works . I have a Game saver deluxe plus . Has a moist setting and a tray to catch the liquid . I roll a paper towel and put it across the bag at the end to be sealed .
 
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