teebig

I'm torn on what to do for a vacuum sealer. I'm debating between dropping $500 on this commercial grade vacuum sealer or $100 on this fish and game vacuum sealer. Realistically I'm going to process 2-3 deer per year at the most but I will use it a lot for filleting fish during the summer time. My old sealer came off amazon and it quit working after literally 2 fishing trips. I also throw my deer on ice for a couple days before I take it off the bone and seal it so it has to hold up to the higher water levels. These two options say they will hold up to that. I'm leaning towards the cheaper option simply because its more compact and can run on 12v battery or off a normal house plug. I travel a good ways for all my hunting and fishing trips so I don't really want something thats a pain to haul around.

Seems like I'm already answering my own question as I type this out but I'd like to hear some opinions. I want something that is going to hold up but at the same time isn't a pain to haul around.

dhasemann

I had a similar dilemma this year when my old vacuum sealer broke. I too was looking at the Weston but I could not justify 5x the cost for my use. I ended up going with a cheaper food saver brand sealer that I have used in the past. I'm on my 3rd food saver in 15 years and adding up the price of each, I still have not exceeded the price of that Weston.

bronko22000

teebig...did you ever consider getting a moderately priced one Even if it runs off a 120 volt AC you can always buy a inverter for your vehicle. To run a vacuum sealer you don't need an expensive inverter. Just a thought

teebig

Yes that's a good point, but I just don't want to have to lug around anymore stuff than I absolutely have to. I ended up buying the fish and game sealer for $100. It has battery clips and wall plug so real easy to run either way. It has a scale too which is nice. Other than that the weston one appears to just be a more commercialized setup for doing large volumes. I'll have to follow up on how it works out.

Bocajnala

Let us know how it works for you. I'm considering going to a vacuum sealer instead of freezer paper that I've been using.

-Jake

teebig

For starters I am very impressed with the fast shipping. This is everything it comes with. The two big rolls on the left side I bought extra, they are 8" and 11" vacuum bag rolls. It comes with some precut vacuum bags and a small roll but it doesn't look like it's enough to last more than maybe one trip. I haven't used it yet but it appears to be very good quality. I will be putting it to use over the next month though.

Oldtimr

There is a company that makes and sells zip lock vacuum bags in different sizes for sous vide cooking. The bags have a valve in them that you place a hand pump over and suck all the air out of the bags. They get just as flat as the machine vacuum unit bags do. I have been using them for over a year and have not had a single problem. The beauty is that the bags can be washed and reused. The company is Asiani Candy Sous Vide kit. I was going to buy an electric vacuum sealer but now I don't have to. Link

Rob96

I use a Cabela's 12" commercial sealer that I picked up on sale for $239 or $249 I believe. Great sealer. I believe they are made by Weston.

CalHunter

I'm trying out a FoodSaver model just now. The reviews and ratings looked good and the price was very reasonable being well under $100.

teebig

We (my family) just finished processing 200 lbs of deer sausage / chili and the vacuum sealer worked flawlessly. Funny thing is we ran out of electrical outlets because we had a lot of other processing equipment going, so I hooked it up to one of my extra car batteries and I must say I am impressed with the ability to run either way (110v AC or 12V DC). That is going to be huge when we go fishing because the cleaning stations almost never have electrical outlets. The sealer comes with a small amount of bags but we burned through those pretty quickly. Definitely get an extra roll or 2 of their vacuum bags if you decide to get one.