Last updated on December 13th, 2021
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Vacuum sealers are the latest word in preservation and protection – but not just of food. While sealing food in a vacuum bag does keep it longer and fresher, consider using the vacuum sealer for better sous vide cooking or for re-sealing your bags of crisps (if you’re one of the few people who don’t eat them all at once!).
Vacuum sealer attachments let you seal things in a vacuum inside jars (think canning) and even non-food items (your matches when camping, for example).
We review the best vacuum sealers in a variety of prices ranges. We list their pros and cons and discuss their features before making our recommendation. Our Buyer’s Guide explains the many uses of vacuum food sealers.
Best Pick
Best Budget Pick
Best Vacuum Sealers reviews
1. Nesco American Harvest Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer
Best Pick
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Nesco American Harvest Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer is the most powerful of the units we review. With 130W of power, this vacuum sealer offers enough customisation so that all your foods (and other items) can be vacuum-packed and sealed in the best way.
First of all, you have a choice of two levels of pressure. The normal pressure setting is for the more hardy foods – meats, root vegetables etc. The gentle setting is best used for soft foods, such as berries and thin biscuits. There’s also the option of manually pulsing the vacuum which serves to quickly marinate the meat or other items in the bag with the marinade you include.
You have a choice of three sealing settings: one for dry items, a stronger one for wet items that contain some liquid and double sealing for ultimate preserving.
All the buttons for these functions are in a pad on the top of the unit. These touch buttons are clearly marked as are the options that you select. Note that you can also just seal a bag without applying the vacuum first. Although there’s a button for applying a vacuum to canisters (jars), none of the attachments you need are included in your purchase.
The Nesco VS-12 takes bags of different sizes, which you store tidily away within the vacuum sealer unit. There is a built-in bag cutter that neatly creates the right custom size bag at the end of the process.
Pros
- Plastic vacuum sealer with 130W of power.
- Three sealing settings – dry, moist and double.
- Two levels of pressure: normal or gentle, plus pulse option.
- Handle is easy-lock for one-handed operation.
- Control panel has buttons for sealing and pressure, manual seal and marinating.
- Viewing window in the lid.
- Built-in bag storage and bag cutter.
- Includes two rolls of storage bags in different sizes.
- Dimensions: 40cm (width); 20.3cm (depth) and 11.4cm (height).
Cons
- Can’t seal wet items in the bags.
- Need to buy the attachments for sealing canisters separately.
Our recommendation
The Nesco American Harvest Deluxe Food Nesco VS-12 Vacuum Sealer is our choice for Best Pick out of the models in this review. The choice of options for sealing and for creating the vacuum should suit any food (or other items) that you want to vacuum pack. In addition, the locking lid protects both you and the sealer when it’s in use. We also like the option to use this sealer with jars, even at the additional cost for attachments.
The Nesco American Harvest Deluxe Food Nesco VS-12 Vacuum Sealer is a great choice for those who buy in bulk or spend the summer growing fruits and veggies in their large garden or smallholding.
2. Homeasy Vacuum Sealer
Best Budget Pick
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The Homeasy Vacuum Sealer is a white, slimline model without all the bells and whistles of our more expensive models. As such, it’s an easy-to-use vacuum sealer that, surprisingly, comes in a selection of other colours – pink or black.
This vacuum sealer gives you a choice of either just sealing a bag or vacuum sealing it. There is only one level of vacuum pressure and one method of sealing. At 80W, this Homeasy unit isn’t as powerful as most of the other sealers we review and some online reviews complain about its light suction power. However, you can seal dry or moist contents in the bag safely.
The indicator lights on the control panel on the top of the unit tells you what is going on. A lit red light means that the unit is sealing a bag, flashing green indicates that the vacuum process is happening and a steady green light tells you that it’s all done.
As previously mentioned, there is only one level of vacuum pressure. But you do have the option of stopping the vacuum process part way through to leave some air (and less vacuum) in the bag for the softer items you pack up. When to do this effectively during the process will take some experimentation on your part.
There are clear instructions for use on the sales website and you receive a selection of bags in two sizes to start you off.
Pros
- White, slim line vacuum sealer with easy to use controls and 80W of power.
- Two modes – vacuum seal and seal only.
- Works with dry or wet items in bags.
- Comes with 10 BPA-free storage bags.
- Hands-free – just put bag in sealer and press button.
- Indicator light shows function: red is sealing; flashing green is applying vacuum; solid green is finished.
- Clear instructions for use on sales website.
- Dimensions: 35.5cm (width); 8.2cm (depth) and 6.5cm (height).
Cons
- Can’t vacuum pack liquids.
- Not much suction power.
- Difficult to open unit once bag is sealed.
Our recommendation
The Homeasy Vacuum Sealer is our pick for Best Budget Model. It is a good basic unit for sealing and vacuum-packing dry and moist contents. You can seal or vacuum seal with a little control over the vacuum pressure used. It comes in pink and black as well as white.
If your vacuum-packing needs are limited to your autumn harvest or perhaps repacking bulk blocks of cheese, this is a good choice.
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3. Caso 1405 FastVac 4000 Commercial Vacuum
Best Professional Pick
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The Caso 1405 FastVac 4000 Commercial Vacuum is also marketed as a professional vacuum sealer. And it certainly has all the functions and features needed for long-term daily use, including a food manager app for your smartphone. But, as with other Caso products, the controls are labelled in German. But a quick session with an online translation program will explain everything.
This unit is fully made of stainless steel for quick clean-up and durability, not to mention that it doesn’t rust. There’s 350W of power that makes for quick and full vacuum processing. You can adjust the vacuum pressure fully as well as pulse it manually to step down the pressure to what you require. Controlling the pressure manually allows you to process soft foods and those containing liquids.
There’s also an intense marinating function that forcefully pushes the marinade into the cells of whatever protein or vegetables you have in the bag.
Sealing the bags effectively is supported by the electronic temperature control that ensures that the welder doesn’t heat all the way through the plastic. You can also choose the strength of the seal; choose a stronger seal for nags with some liquid in them. Cutting the bags is automatically and cleanly done with the double-bladed cutter.
Bags up to 40cm wide are usable with this Caso commercial vacuum sealer. You receive a sample roll of bags with your purchase.
Pros
- Commercial fully automatic vacuum sealer with 350W of power.
- Adjustable vacuum strength via a single button.
- Manual pulse control of the vacuuming function.
- Takes bags and rolls up to 40cm wide.
- Completely made of stainless steel.
- Electronic temperature monitoring.
- Intense marinating function.
- Comes with 10 professional-strength, tear-resistant bags.
- Includes vacuum hose for containers.
- Dimensions: 52cm (width); 29cm (depth) and 15cm (height).
Cons
- Need to buy connector set for use with containers separately.
Our recommendation
The Caso 1405 FastVac 4000 Commercial Vacuum is our choice for Best Professional Vacuum Sealer. By “professional” we include ambitious amateur chefs, people who have a smallholding full of vegetables every year, those who cook all their meals ahead of time, and anyone else who finds themselves needing to vacuum pack stuff intensely on a regular basis.
Read next: Best halogen ovens for cooking healthy food
4. Caso VC10 Vacuum Sealer
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The Caso VC10 Vacuum Sealer is a silver-coloured vacuum sealer that handles any roll of bags up to 30cm wide. (You receive a roll of 10 bags complimentary with your purchase.) Though this is a very well-reviewed vacuum sealer, all the controls are written in German, but they are easily understood; the process indicator lights have icons that explain what they refer to.
Your selection of processes is limited to sealing or vacuum sealing. Vacuum sealing is done at -0.8bars of pressure, there are no optional pressures. One unique feature of this model in our review, is that it has electronic temperature monitoring. This applies to the process of sealing each bag and stops heat from burning through all of the plastic and not sealing it up.
Pros
- Fully automatic lightweight vacuum sealer.
- Vacuum strength is -0.8bars.
- Electronic temperature monitoring when sealing the bags.
- Choose from just sealing or vacuum sealing your bags.
- Suitable for storing, freezing, microwaving and sous viding food.
- Handles bags up to 30cm wide.
- Comes with 10 professional-strength, tear-resistant bags.
Cons
- Instructions on buttons in German.
Our recommendation
The Caso VC10 Vacuum Sealer is a mid-priced model that is very well reviewed. It vacuum seals or just seals in bags up to 30cm wide. All the controls are in the panel on top of the unit and are easily understood, even those in German.
This is a good choice for those who freeze proteins, fruits and vegetables year-round, or want to store pre-cooked meals for microwaving later.
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5. LAICA vt3120 Vacuum Sealer
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The LAICA vt3120 Vacuum Sealer is a good looking, heavy-duty vacuum sealer marked as “Professional” by the manufacturer. This designation highlights the extra features that this model has over some less expensive units.
One of these features is its 20L/minute suction ability. This is the highest rating in our review and means that you don’t have to wait too long before running another bag through the process.
Another welcome feature is the sealer’s ability to handle bags with dry, moist or wet items in them. The sales blurb doesn’t actually say “liquids” though, so don’t just put liquid in a bag and expect it to seal. Wet probably covers the use of a marinade, as one of your choices for vacuum level is a marinate function. There is a tray built into the base of the sealer that handily collects any liquid that is forced out of the bag.
Choose from normal or gentle vacuum pressure depending on the hardiness of your bagged item. Raspberries, for example, need gentle pressure so they aren’t squished, while roasts and steaks can withstand the normal pressure without any harm. This LAICA vt3120 Vacuum Sealer has double suction pumps to really expel all the air from the bags.
All the touch buttons for the features are on a panel on the top of the unit. The LCD display shows you the time countdown for whichever process you are doing – as you can also seal a bag without applying the vacuum first.
You use bags (up to 30cm wide) from a roll, of which two rolls have been included in your purchase. The sealer includes a two-way cutter to cut off the bag (at the necessary custom size) when you’ve finished the process.
For canning (fruits, vegetables etc.) at the end of the growing season, the container tube is of interest. However, there is no mention of any attachments you will need to connect the tube to the jars for vacuuming.
Pros
- Smart black and silver heavy-duty vacuum sealer with 20L per minute suction power.
- Seals bags containing dry, moist or wet items.
- Option to just seal the bag without the vacuum process.
- Choice of two suction levels – normal or gentle.
- Can manually pulse the vacuum to control how much air you leave in the bag.
- Tray at bottom collects any liquid sucked out of the bag.
- Comes with attachment to create vacuum in jars.
- Handle locks when unit is in use.
- LCD display shows the progress of the vacuuming and sealing cycle.
- Includes two rolls of bags.
- Dimensions: 40cm (width); 20.5cm (depth) and 12.2cm (height).
Our recommendation
The LAICA vt3120 Vacuum Sealer is an excellent choice of vacuum sealer for those who preserve a significant amount of food. It’s easy to use and the options for the features give you a wide range of ways to package your food (or other items). It seems that you need to buy attachments to use this unit with jars, though.
The LAICA vt3120 Vacuum Sealer is very similar to our Best Pick, the Nesco American Harvest Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer, but it hasn’t received as many reviews.
Buyer’s Guide for Vacuum Sealers
You might be shrugging and wondering what all the fuss is over vacuum sealers. Our Buyer’s Guide tells you why they are a worthwhile purchase and how they can be used.
Preserving and protecting food
Placing food in a vacuum by sucking all the air out of the bag or container keeps the food fresher and in better shape for up to seven times longer than in normal conditions. This is because there’s no oxygen left in the bag for mould to grow in. Vacuum sealers let you use bags up to a certain width (of the unit) for this. Some bags are better than others – look for plastic bags with lines or with folds at the sides.
Food stored this way can be frozen and then microwaved (cut the top of the bag off first) or boiled in a saucepan of hot water. Or just portion out the big block of cheese or tray of chicken thighs you bought into smaller portions and vacuum seal them.
Not in bags
Although all the vacuum sealers in our review come with a starter kit of bags, most purchases also include a tube that you can use to create a vacuum in other containers. You need to buy an adaptor for this as well as jars and plastic containers with a vacuum valve at the top.
But you can use your vacuum sealer to store canned fruits and vegetables in glass jars or perhaps infrequently used foods in containers.
Protect other items
Bear in mind that vacuum-packed items are kept dry. If there is any chance that something that fits into the bag for your vacuum sealer may get wet (hiking in the rain, for example), place it in the bag and then vacuum seal it. Keep your walking snack of granola dry and crunchy; your matches flammable; and your home emergency kit of candles, matches and medications out of the way of any harm.
Final Conclusion
Once you have a vacuum sealer you discover all kinds of things that store better in that environment: fresh herbs, sliced carrots, cheese, fish, cooled meals, granola for your hike, matches to keep dry in case of emergencies. Storing items in a vacuum-pack bag not only serves to protect and preserve them but also removes all the air that takes up space and encourages mould growth, making the bag smaller and a healthier environment. Vacuum sealers are useful beyond the kitchen.
Our Best Pick Vacuum Sealer is the Nesco American Harvest Deluxe Food VS-12 Vacuum Sealer. This model gives you options for the amount of pressure to use and the method of sealing as well as having one of the best power ratings in our review.
Our Best Budget Pick is the Homeasy Vacuum Sealer. If you just want to vacuum-seal bags occasionally without worrying about pressure or type of seal, this model is certainly worth a look.
Read next: Best wine fridge for storing red and white wine at the optimum temperature
Last update on 2024-11-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
