Vacuum sealers

[Sliver Sticks]

I'm thinking about buying a vacuum sealer for venison. Has anyone had experience with these machines? I'll be looking for one that's fast and sturdy. Are there any other features that are desirable?

[WTT03]

Sliver Sticks,

I have one, the Foodsaver brand model V2835. It's the one that stands up rather than laying flat on the counter. I was looking for one for awhile too and just never got one, then I got it as a present for Christmas. Man I love it! I process all my own game meat and it's so easy, fast and works great. We freeze stuff from the garden every year and it lasts longer, and my wife uses it for marinating foods also. You'll find alot more uses for it than just for venison. Great for waterproof/airproof storage of non-food items too.

I don't think you'll regret getting one. We leave ours plugged in on the counter like a regular appliance so there's no "pain" in getting it out, setting it up, etc...just turn it on and go.

Good Luck!

[ishiwannabe]

I have a food saver, and I use it to package all of my game. I also started buying meat in bulk and freezing sections.
I think they are a great way to guard your hard earned game against freezer burn and the like.

This one came with a few sealable containers, a tube to do jars...

I could go info-mercial on ya, but I mainly use it to package and freeze meat, game and fish. Im not too disturbed by the price of the bads, which are readily available at Wally world.

[AkDan]

I've used the foodsavers for quite awhile...really liked them but I've noticed a very common trend...they seem to burn out rather quickly.  I think you're better off looking at the cabelas cg15 model

Cabela's Refurbished CG-15 Vacuum Sealer Item:2UG-519156  
$349.99  

Plus the bags are MUCH Cheaper the food saver bags!!!  

I've done a couple of moose with mine and a ton of fish...but I've also had 2 die right smack in the middle of sealing fish.   Not a great position.  So I think from here on out I'm buying this cg15!  Just my 02c

[AkDan]

ps...I think you can find cheaper bags that will work with this....in many different sizes, as you dont need the fancy foodsaver specific bags in this machine..you can use regular smooth sided bags.

[joe skipp]

I've using one for 3 yrs now....excellent. Frozen food lasts much longer plus you can store more product due to the smaller size.

[nate c]

I'd echo AKDan's experience.

Vacuum sealing has changed the way we eat wild caught meat at my house.  Halibut fillets in April that were frozen 12 months ago are still very good.

FoodSavers are great when new but we tend to wear them out.  (By wear them out I mean processing 300 or so pounds of fish and it croaks.)

The commercial grade ones are much more expensive, but worth it in the long run.

[Sliver Sticks]

Thanks much guys. Read a lot of mixed reviews that make the choice puzzling. Some claim that theirs overheat and require a wait until the unit cools down, even on the more expensive models. Other people claiming that they never worked well right out of the box. Don't want to throw my money away. Do the more expensive ones vacuum faster? Is that their advantage?

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Whatever you do get one that holds the bag roll and has the cutter right on the unit baecause this gives you a straighter cut.  If you get a bad cut on the end of the bag it won't seal correctly.

[Recurve50 LBS]

I have the Foodsaver for a few years now and think it's a good choice. It is easy to use and you can buy bags for it in Wal Mart.

[AkDan]

depending on HOW they vacuum, the professional grade one cabelas's is selling (the 1100 dollar one) doesnt suck at all.  it inflats the bag, creates a vacuum outside the bag, and then forces the air out, wamo ALL the air in the bag is gone....perfect every time!  We used these guiding fish charters on the ocean (a slightly larger model).  But they are not cheap, ie 2 to 3k for an average one!  The one we had was just under 2k, very nice but I dont think it's made anymore.  worked great every summer I guided and we did tons of fish literally!   Normally it'd only do 2 bags, you could stack 2 on top and get 4 per shot.

The big thing about the higher end models is they'll last you a LONG time with no commercial use..get a few guys on one, and you'll be happy you did.  The lower end pro models dont nessicarly do more then one bag, sometimes you can stack them though.   The life is worth it...bags are CHEAP compared to food saver bags (not 100% on the cg15 bags yet).  And they vacuum MUCh better!  I'm really looking forward to checking the cg15 out when I'm back home next week!!!  I'll try to remember to post back about it.  I cant afford to buy it yet, but all the feed back I've been given it's my next vacuum sealer WHEN my current one dies!

If you're occasionaly going to use it, the foodsaver models are fine...if you're going to buy a higher end foodsaver I'd save the money and buy the cg15.  It's a common story from people up here about the fS's longevity...but then many dont vacuum pack as much as we do either.   Last time mine died we were doing 45 sockeye salmon and had two sealers going.  Like I said I HAVE done moose with a foodsaver and they worked well...but it always seems ONE is failing at the most inopportune time.

right now I have the gamesaver...it does OK.  It did hiccup on me when I was doing my last batch of reds on a trip to anchorage this year...came home with 18 on that trip (sealing 6 at a time per day and freezing that nite).   Dunno why or what happened.  It's working ok now..have done some chicken and some burger I picked up on sale the other day with no problems.  It does hold the roll and does have the cutter.   and if it wouldnt die it would be a great vacuum sealer!!!

So figure out how often you plan on using it....that'd be the ultimate deciding factor in my book!

[Ringneck]

The cheap foodsaver models burn out as mentioned above. I have gone through 2 of them.

[Shaun]

The ss one that AkDan recommended is the one I use. Just ate a year old elk stake that was as fresh as the day the arrow flew.

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

Yes, the foodsavers will eventually burn out BUT they replace them with NO HASSLES! I've had only one replaced in the several years I've been using the system. They make their money several times over selling you bags!
Speaking of which, the absolute cheapest place to buy bags (by the rolls) is on the all-too-famous online auctions site. The bags are generic but work just fine at a fraction of the cost.
One little tip - get a can of "air" to blow out the little vacuum hole in the slot you put the bag end into to seal. Food will eventually get in there and that's what makes them stop working. Also, if liquid - like blood - soaks into the foam rubber rings that form the seal when you close the lid they will become stiff once the blood dries and the vacuum will stop. Keep it clean and the machine should last you many years.

[Mint]

I went through the cheaper food saver model so I picked up the "Turbo" model and it has worked great so far. I normally do a couple of hogs and deer ayear along with regular use on large buys of chicken and steaks.

[boznarras]

I have used a vacuum sealer for several years now and also find it to be very good for keeping game meat and fish fresh.
One trick we came up with on really wet stuff like fish filets was to pat it dry with a paper towel, and/or even put a rolled up paper towel inside the bag next to the open end before sealing. Otherwise the juice that gets sucked out of the meat makes sealing difficult, and also gets in & on the machine so you have to clean it up.
As already mentioned, they are good for nonfood items too. Spare batteries are kept dry and don't rattle around. Extra socks are really good this way; they stay dry and are compressed down to a small packet easily carried to the woods. Ditto for backup rolls of toilet paper for camp; dry and about half the volume, just transfer to a ziplock as you open each one.
A handy emergency firestarter kit is easily made by vacuum sealing 4 or 5 kitchen matches and a couple of birthday candles in a small packet.
Those bulky mesh game bags shrink down to a very tiny item when vacuum sealed, and the bag is reusable to carry out heart, tongue, etc.

[SouthMDShooter]

been using one for years, theyre great

[AkDan]

I've also done the rolled up paper towel (ripped into quarters or so...folded a time or to and slid in half way from the top to the fish or so...to keep the juices from getting out of the bag.  works like a champ!