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Best Overall
FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1
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Summary
The FoodSaver is an incredibly versatile machine that’s easy for novice users to pick up and use thanks to the automatic sealing system.
Best Chamber Sealer
Avid Armor USVX
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Summary
The Avid Armor’s chamber is ideal for messier jobs involving wet foods or liquids, and it cleans up easily when the job is finally done.
Best Commercial Grade
LEM Max Vac 1000
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Summary
The Max Vac is an incredibly rugged sealer built to handle the demands of serious hunters and anglers with a ton of meat to process.
Every dedicated hunter and angler should own a quality vacuum sealer. These machines are one of the best ways to preserve your wild game harvests
. In addition to protecting from freezer burn, they can also help marinate and season choice cuts for later meals. These devices can effectively extend the shelf life of harvested meat longer than it would last wrapped in standard butcher paper.
Since there are so many options available, we broke down our top picks into categories to make your life easier. However, it’s important to determine how much you’ll use your vacuum sealer and what you need it to do before making a purchase. This will help guide your decision to find the best model for you. To save you some time, we did our research and testing to highlight the models worth considering. Here are the best vacuum sealers being offered today.
Best Overall: FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1
Best For Beginners: Nesco VS-09
Best Chamber Sealer: Avid Armor USVX Ultra Series
Best Commercial Grade: LEM Max Vac 1000
Best Cordless: FoodSaver Cordless
Best Value: Weston Wet & Dry Vac
How We Chose the Best Vacuum Sealers
We spent a fair amount of time comparing and testing the different vacuum sealers available today. We mostly looked for models that are designed with hunters in mind. This included looking at factors like power, capacity, and sealing options. Here is a further breakdown of our considerations:
Bag Size Capacity: Can the sealer accommodate a variety of sizes?
Sealing Options: Does the sealer have modes for wet and dry sealing? Is there an option for delicate food items?
Accessories: Is the sealer compatible with accessories such as jar sealer for preserving liquids?
Value: Does the price point match the quality of the sealer and the included features?
Best Vacuum Sealers: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1
Best Overall
Specs
Price: $224
Dimensions: 11” x 20” x 12”
Type: Edge and handheld
Accessories: Jar sealer
Pros
Automatic bag detection
Easy to clean
Handheld sealer is a great bonus
Cons
Doesn’t work well with non-FoodSaver bags
The FoodSaver is one of the highest-rated options on the market because of its excellent versatility and build quality. An automatic sealer detection system lets you know when the bag has been properly inserted, which makes it a great choice for novices. It works equally well for both wet and dry foods and can utilize multiple bag sizes. FoodSaver sealers do have a reputation for not working well with bags outside their own brand, so make sure to buy their specific bags. This machine works great for sous vide cooking techniques, and I like the bonus handheld sealer and compatibility with FoodSaver’s jar sealer for long-term preserves.
Best For Beginners: Nesco VS-09
Best For Beginners
Specs
Price: $74
Dimensions: 15” x 4.92” x 7.68”
Type: Dry and moist edge
Accessories: Hose
Pros
Easy to use
Affordable
Versatile
Cons
Vague instructions
Extremely short cord
I’ve owned the VS-09 for over a year now, and this simple sealer serves my needs just fine. It features a dry and moist edge sealer that is perfect for smaller portions of meat. I frequently use it to seal my homemade jerky and snack sticks for later use. Just place the open edge of the bag in the end, clamp it down, and hit the seal button. Simple and effective.
Unlike some of Nesco’s other offerings, like the popular VS-12
, this sealer does not have a built-in storage area for the bags. The cord is also super short, which is frustrating. But I haven’t had any problems with this unit taking up too much storage space when not in use. Considering it only costs $74, it is ideal for someone who might only use it once or twice a year.
Nesco’s controls are simple and intuitive to use. Travis Smola
**Best Chamber Sealer: Avid Armor USVX Ultra Series
**
Best Chamber Sealer
Specs
Price: $429
Dimensions: 12.25” x 12.75” x 8”
Type: Chamber sealer
Accessories: Jar sealer
Pros
Great for wet foods
Easy to clean
Great for sous vide
Cons
Heavy
Noisy
For messier sealing jobs involving a lot of moisture or liquids, the Avid Armor stands out from the crowd. This chamber sealer has a ton of power. It easily takes all the air out of the chamber before effectively sealing in all the moisture. That makes it especially effective for marinating foods that are difficult to do with an edge sealer. While it has some auto vac settings, the vacuum levels can be manually set for a custom job. Once you’re done, the simple chamber design is easy to wipe clean.
Because this sealer is quite large, it does eat up a decent amount of storage space. Additionally, the chamber area limits the size of the food you can seal. Larger cuts of meat likely won’t fit. However, this sealer is a great option for prepping smaller cuts of meat into meal-sized portions. There’s also a rather affordable jar vacuum sealing system that adds value to this unit.
Best Commercial Grade: LEM Max Vac 1000
Best Commercial Grade
Specs
Price: $529
Dimensions: 17” x 11” x 5”
Type: Edge sealer
Accessories: None
Pros
Large size for big jobs
Extremely rugged and durable
Manual modes for more precise work
Cons
Heavy
Expensive
For anyone who processes multiple deer or elk a year, a heavy-duty vacuum sealer is needed. And LEM products are designed specifically with hunters in mind. This sealer can easily handle larger roasts or steaks and can run for up to 10 hours continuously. Manual modes will give a precise touch and custom seal that experienced butchers prefer. This sealer is heavy and big, weighing 23.8 pounds. Thus, it’s not something you’ll easily be able to keep in your kitchen full-time. But for anyone with a dedicated game prep area, this shouldn’t be a problem. It also comes with a six-foot cord length that eliminates the need for an extension cord or awkward placement.
Best Cordless: FoodSaver Cordless
Best Cordless
Specs
Price: $39
Dimensions: 4.73” x 2.24” x 2.31”
Type: Handheld sealer
Accessories: None
Pros
Great for extending the shelf life of frequently-used food
Simple to use
Pays for itself quickly
Cons
Requires specialty bags
The only problem with vacuum sealing is that once you cut open the bag, the clock starts ticking on the shelf life of the food. The FoodSaver handheld solves that by utilizing resealable bags. The whole idea is that you can crack open a bag, take out what you need, and then re-vacuum seal it until next time. That means less pressure to finish off the whole bag all at once, and a lot less food waste in the long run. The only downside is you have to use specialized bags. But the benefit is that they can be cleaned and reused, plus they offer a more environmentally friendly option.
Best Value: Weston Wet & Dry Vac
Best Value
Specs
Price: $150
Dimensions: 6.3” x 16.5” x 8.3”
Type: Dry and moist edge
Accessories: Hose
Pros
Storage for multiple bags
Stamp dates on bags
Able to seal liquids
Cons
Poor instructions
This Weston sealer has a large capacity storage area that helps keep all the bags neatly organized and features a pulse system for the sealing of more delicate items. It also had an elevated seal bar which helps seal and freeze liquids like soup. And it features a heat stamp system that imprints the date on the bags. I recommend watching an instructional YouTube video about setup and use for this sealer. The included instructions are vague and unhelpful. But for $150, this unit offers great versatility in an affordable package.
What to Consider When Choosing a Vacuum Sealer
It’s worth considering exactly how much you plan to use your vacuum sealer before you buy. For example, if you just plan to seal up some venison chops and steaks from one or two deer every year, you probably won’t need a professional-grade device. Other features like a bag storage area and built-in cutter make the entire process a little smoother.
Sealer Types
Edge sealers are the most common. These devices use bags that are open on one end, which is where the sealer sucks out all the air, then puts a seam on the other end, closing off the contents. The bags are often interchangeable between brands. They are also the most affordable, but aren’t great for sealing liquids such as soup.
Another style to consider is a chamber sealer. These sealers hold the bag and food in the interior of the device during the sealing process. This style excels for marinating and sealing liquids. Chamber sealers are usually much more effective in getting all the air out of the bag. However, the downside is that this style of chamber is much larger, heavier, and more expensive.
While slightly less common, smaller handheld sealers are another option. These are great for anyone on a budget, or those who don’t have a ton of storage space. The major downside is they often use proprietary bags with a specialized seal.
Accessories
The most common and useful accessory is an attachment that allows the vacuum sealing of mason jars and plastic containers. Fortunately, these accessories are extremely cheap. Just be sure the sealer you purchase is compatible with one before you buy.
FAQs
Q: Are vacuum food sealers worth it?
Food sealers are worth it for anyone who wants to preserve meat and other foods for longer periods without freezer burn. For hunters who do their own processing, it is the best way to prevent freezer burn and preserve the meat for an extended time.
Q: How long will vacuum-sealed food last?
It depends on the type of food and whether it is refrigerated or frozen. Food that’s stored in a fridge will usually last a week or two while sealed. However, when frozen, that shelf life can sometimes be extended to a year or two. But it depends on the meat type.
Q: What foods should not be vacuum sealed?
There are some food items that should not be vacuum sealed
raw such as onions, garlic, mushrooms, bananas, apples, cabbages, broccoli, and radishes. Some of these items need to be pre-frozen, blanched, or cooked before they can safely be vacuum sealed.
Best Vacuum Sealers: Final Thoughts
Best Overall: FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1
Best For Beginners: Nesco VS-09
Best Chamber Sealer: Avid Armor USVX Ultra Series
Best Commercial Grade: LEM Max Vac 1000
Best Cordless: FoodSaver Cordless
Best Value: Weston Wet & Dry Vac
Any of the vacuum sealers above will help preserve your wild harvest for long periods of time. Although the versatility and price point of the FoodSaver stand out among the rest, so does the overall quality of the build. For the regular hunter and angler, it’s hard to find a machine better suited to the job.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
