What’s the best vacuum sealer for Alaska?
Publisher Melissa Norris is testing several vacuum sealers and talking with the fishing community. We share her best vacuum sealer for Alaska findings currently and she will continue using and testing these products and others then we’ll come back to update this blog.
Story and photos by Melissa Norris
I had just finished making 25 salmon burgers. I placed them on a cookie sheet to put in the freezer before vacuum sealing. An hour later I pulled out the Weston 2300 Pro Vacuum Sealer I have had for years and plugged it in. I filled freezer bags with two burgers per bag, placed the open end of a bag over the seal-bar heating element, closed the lid, and pressed the green button. I heard the vacuum pump start. It ran for what seemed like 30 seconds, then the bag sealed, but I could see from looking at it that it hadn’t compressed. I tried another cycle. Same thing, dang it.
I make a lot of soups and like to freeze the leftovers after a couple days of eating it. I must have gotten liquid in some internal components. Before that it worked like a champ. Weston has some replacement parts, but that’s above my mechanical level so I had to move on. I offered it on a freebie giveaway page and someone else took on the repairman job.
The ex got the LEM MaxVac Pro+ Chamber Vacuum Sealer in the split, so it was time to get another sealer. With all the liquids and the wet nature of the fish and seafoods I preserve, I knew I needed a commercial-grade chamber machine instead of a traditional external vacuum sealer. From what I have read, dry-piston-pump external vacuum sealers pull out around 80% of the air on average; dry-piston-pump chamber vacuum sealers pull about 90% on average; and an oil-lubricated rotary-vane vacuum pump chamber vacuum sealer can pull as high as 99.8% of the air. Having used all three types, I can see how that holds true. I heard about several high-quality chamber machines that cost well over a thousand dollars and some far more. I took to Google to see if I could find a better price point.
My friend Jeff is the Alaska representative for LEM Products. He told me about a new MaxVac Pro Chamber Vacuum Sealer low-profile machine they recently launched and that it was available at Three Bears. We had great success with that LEM MaxVac Pro+, in fact it’s still functioning perfectly five years later, so I checked out the LEM website for details on the new machine.
LEM MaxVac Pro Chamber Vacuum Sealer
For just under $500 you get a chamber sealer that has a relatively small footprint and is lightweight and portable. An air-chamber-style vacuum sealer in this price range at this size is a find. This new Pro Chamber sealer weighs just 22.5 pounds. That’s compared to the larger Pro+ that is over 80 pounds, so you don’t even have to find a permanent location for the machine. The Pro model is smaller with an 11.24” L x 11.81” W x 3.93” H chamber size. You can also seal bags outside of the unit like you would with an external sealer, but I have not tried that.
The LEM MaxVac Pro Chamber Vacuum Sealer was easy to use right out of the box. You simply plug it in and adjust the digital settings based on what you’re sealing. The maintenance-free, dry pump on the Pro does not require oil. I noticed that other chamber machines I have used that have an oil-lubricated pump versus a dry vacuum pump have a greater vacuum draw, but overall the compression is acceptable and the seals are great. You can adjust settings up and down to seal liquids, softer items and solids. The cost and ease of use of this chamber unit could make it the ideal one for your household.
Other Brands
I have several friends who have VacMaster and LEM machines, and for personal use they are affordable options. Most lodge owners I know use one or more from the Minipack MVS series they can buy and have serviced from the local Anchorage dealer. They are in the high-volume category and the machines cost over $3,000 for the base MVS31X model. Prices go up from there.
When doing the initial internet search for affordable air-chamber vacuum sealers I came across another brand called JVR Industries. I called and chatted with one of their main guys. We talked about our needs for vacuum sealing in Alaska and I asked what made their machines stand out. It seemed like customer service was the most important element of their business and they back up their well-made product. Every unit that leaves their warehouse is tested for performance before it ships. I learned that JVR Industries has been in business for over 50 years. Turns out I was impressed enough to want to test one of their units.
JVR industries makes a range of air-chamber vacuum-sealing machines for the at-home user all the way up to major commercial food-manufacturing levels. Peter and I narrowed the focus down to two machines that were most applicable to Alaskan households—the JVR Vac100 and the JVR Vac110. Both are high-quality, commercial-grade machines with oil-lubricated pumps, but there are a few differences. My lodge-owner friends can scope the JVRinc.com website to learn about the upgraded, commercial models if they’re in the market for some new sealers, but for us at home, here is what you need to know.
JVR Vac100 Chamber Vacuum Sealer
This machine is low profile, doesn’t take up a huge amount of space, and has an excellent vacuum draw made possible with an oil-lubricated rotary-vane vacuum pump with a 4m3/h flow rate and .2 hp pump capacity. It arrived at my home fully intact from being very well protected for shipping. It was easy to follow the directions and access the working components of the unit by removing three screws and propping it open with the safety hinge feature. The oil is very easy to add with an external view of the oil reservoir and levels. Right away I was pleased with how easy everything was to set up. The machine is clearly well made with quality parts and is very simple to use. The digital display was preset to the average time and levels for what I needed. When I get the chance I will test out the additional three-gallon JVR Vac100 Chamber Accessory that allows you to seal any size Mason jar that has a two-piece lid. You attach the JVR Vac100 Chamber Accessory with a pre-attached hose and the pump button evacuates air from the chamber accessory instead of the chamber in the unit. You can alternately seal up to four 8-ounce Mason jars at a time standing upright inside the chamber of the unit. The JVR Vac100 weighs 52 pounds, so a permanent location is probably best. I like a rolling cart that I can stash out of the way when it’s not in use. The internal chamber specs are 13.8” x 12” x 4.3”, sealing a maximum-sized pouch of 12” x 14”. The JVR Vac100 has a 12.3” seal bar with a 6 mm heat-strip width. Priced at $899, this highly effective machine seems like it is going to last for a good long time. It’ll definitely get the job done for most Alaskan anglers, but there is one more unit to consider.
JVR Vac110 Chamber Vacuum Sealer
Having two machines shipped to my door, it is obvious JVR’s people put some thought into their packaging. The JVR Vac110 arrived in perfect condition as well, was equally easy to set up as the JVR Vac100—simply unscrewing and raising the cover using the hinges to prop it up. It has the same great, visible oil-capacity feature and is equally as easy to fire up. Oil changes will be easy a couple times a year with either unit. To me, it’s well worth the maintenance time and the small oil expense for the vast increase in vacuum strength with an oil-pump unit. The JVR Vac110 has a stronger pump than the 100 with an 8m3/h flow rate and 1/3 hp. It’s a taller unit than the JVR Vac100 and weighs 77 pounds, which means it needs a dedicated spot such as a rolling cart or a counter in the garage or shop. Max pouch size on the JVR Vac110 is 11” x 16” so this might fit your family’s needs better. The JVR Vac110 has an 11” seal bar and a heat strip that is 8 mm wide. It is not compatible with external accessories, but does everything you need within the unit. The JVR Vac110 costs $999, which is on the low end of the cost spectrum for its class.
So far I am leaning towards the JVR Vac100. I have a family of three and I like to seal things in small serving sizes to produce less waste, and I can do two small packages at a time in the JVR Vac100. The difference between the JVR Vac100 and JVR Vac110 is that the latter produces the 99% air extraction about 10 seconds faster on average. Both are a significant upgrade if you are coming from a dry-pump chamber machine or a traditional external vacuum sealer. I will continue to use them and put them through the test of time, then I’ll circle back with my findings. You’ll probably see them in use in the video cooking segments I have planned later this spring. I am eager to test them out for sealing Mason jars. It’s going to be much easier freezing liquid leftovers. My precious seafood harvest this summer will be painstakingly cared for and placed in the freezer for ongoing use over the next year. I am pumped to keep using the machines and will definitely share more feedback.
Melissa Norris is Founder/Publisher of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines. She is an avid angler and a foodie who spends lots of time in the kitchen, most often preparing self-caught, high-quality Alaska seafood.
Melissa Norris
About the Author Melissa Norris
Melissa Norris is the founder and Publisher of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines. She has over two decades of experience fishing all over Alaska, writing about her time in the field, testing gear, planning trips and cooking and harvesting wild Alaska seafood. In addition to writing tons of content for the magazine and our website, Melissa heads our digital platforms and leads the design team.