VacMaster VP210C Dry Piston Pump Chamber Machine, Metallic

Seals food with liquids, but has a small learning curve to use it
I am a home cook and have been cooking food sous vide, but the standard external sealers always pull moisture/liquids up and out of the bag which is very frustrating. The VP210 chamber allows you to seal bags with none to alot of liquid. However, there is a learning curve, and I had to call technical support a couple of times to get the machine set up correctly, but once it is set up, it works great. I am able to seal meats and liquids in the machine without a problem.
The first machine that I received was dented on a back corner and the cover of the machine was set too low so it was impossible to plug it in. Amazon overnighted a replacement (thank you, I needed it for thanksgiving).
Then I needed to speak to technical support a couple of times to help set up the machine settings. I had to increase the the seal time of the machine up to 1.4 or 1.5... technical support said not to raise it above 1.5, but the setting as set by the factory was too short, so when the bag...

You might want to also consider....
Amazon currently has one of the best prices for this unit. I considered buying it for a while... Actually, I had a bit of indecision trying to choose between this model, the next step up (the VP215) and the next step down (VP112). The VP210 and VP215 are externally identical but the vacuum pump has been replaced with a heavier-duty, oiled pump. Because of this, it can obtain the same vacuum in about half the time as the VP210. If you look around, you can find a VP215 for under $1250.

In the end, I decided to go with the VP112. The reasoning was:

1) Mechanically, it has the same pump as the VP210. So you get the same performance and same life expectancy.
2) While the chamber is slightly shorter than the VP210, the VP112 has a 12" sealing bar so you can actually use bigger capacity bads.
3) The height between the bottom of the chamber and the sealing bar is greater on the VP112 so you can seal bags with more liquid.
4) The VP112 actually...

Expensive but awesome
I'm reviewing this from the perspective of a home user. If you are a light commercial user...it'll work fine for you, assuming the chamber is big enough and it has the features you need.

Anyway...

This is my third vacuum bagging appliance and my first chamber style unit. I am a big fan of vacuum storage, not just for prolonging the life of foods but also to infuse different flavors and create ready-to-cook meal packets for the freezer. I have played around with sous-vide cooking as well though I'm not really a regular practitioner of that art.

I bought this for my home kitchen for several reasons:
1) I make a lot of soups and sauces. I have been vacuum sealing with jars and refrigerating them; I want to be able to bag and freeze instead.
2) I wasn't satisfied with how my previous vacuum baggers (from a warehouse club) dealt with meats. I especially didn't like when they sucked meat juice into the machine, and was tired of having to...

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