Ever wondered why your vacuum sealer struggles?
Buying a vacuum sealer from a department store
You just went out and bought a new vacuum sealer and you’re not happy. Let’s say you went to the department store and you asked the guy on the floor for a good quality vacuum sealer to vacuum seal your meat. So did he straight away start talking about the vacuum sealers and in particular a certain one. He had you convinced in about 5 minutes that this $350 whiz bang model was the one for you. STOP! STOP! Don’t buy it in fact don’t buy anything of that guy. Did he once ask you what sort of meat you were vacuum sealing and how much you were sealing or how often you would be using it. NO, he didn’t, he just sold you the vacuum sealer that he wanted to sell. Did he point out the wattage of the vacuum sealer or the negative pressure it went to. Were the functions of the vacuum sealer talked about like, auto function and pulse function, canister capability, switching into seal, cancelling the vacuum sealer. NO, I suspect not as he probably did not know.
Where is the transformer information on a vacuum sealer
One of the most important parts of a vacuum sealer is the transformer. To know how big the transformer is, just have a look at the compliance plate on the bottom of the vacuum sealer. By law it has to be on there.
Domestic vacuum sealers
So, any vacuum sealer that is 100w or less do not waist your money, it is not strong enough to qualify as a vacuum sealer. 110w to 200w is classed as a domestic vacuum sealer. It will be capable of vacuum sealing 1 to 30 bags at a time 1 – 2 times a week. It is suitable for vacuum sealing the groceries after a shop and maybe some home-grown vegetables from the backyard. It will probably go to about 75Kpa. Domestic vacuum sealers have a single seal.
Professional vacuum sealers
If the vacuum sealer has a wattage of 200w – 300w it is classed as a professional vacuum sealer. This type of vacuum sealer will be capable of a bit of hard work. You will easily do 30 – 100 bags in a session 1 – 2 times a week. The professional vacuum sealer is suitable for those that want something with a bit more grunt, fisherman, hunters maybe even a small business. It will go to about 80kpa – 90kpa. A professional vacuum sealer should have double seals.
Commercial vacuum sealers
A commercial vacuum sealer should not be considered in this category unless it is at least 300w or more. The important part here is, the more work you are going to throw at it the higher the wattage should be and the Lava vacuum sealers go up to 1800w. So, there is really 2 categories in the commercial vacuum sealers being light commercial and heavy commercial. They are suitable for doing continuous vacuum sealing and are the type of vacuum sealer you should be looking at if you are doing a full beast or wanting to vacuum seal all day in a commercial environment. Commercial vacuum sealer will go to a vacuum of 85Kpa – 95kpa. A commercial vacuum sealer will have double seals and some have triple seals.
The cycle time of a vacuum sealer
So, there is a bit of a break down on the wattage of your vacuum sealer and if your current vacuum sealer is not coping with the work load then I would say the wattage is too low for the work you are throwing at it. Also, I should mention here that ALL vacuum sealers have a cycle time. This means it is the time between activating the vacuum sealer to vacuum seal a bag and activating it to seal the next bag. This is your cycle time, and no matter how big the transformer is, your cycle time should be 1 minute. If you exceed this then in lower wattage machines you will find they will over heat and shut down. Some machines will have a over heat shut down built into them so when it recognizes that you are going to fast or excessive heat builds up it will shut down until the temperature drops. Also, you can get a residual heat build up on the heat bar so when you put the next bag in it starts sealing the top of the bag before the pump starts or during the vacuum process. This will seal the bag up before all the air is out of the bag. The bag is sealed and there is still a lot of air in the bag. Most people will straight away blame the machine but in reality, it is the operator.
Buying a vacuum sealer online
This same information applies if you were to buy a vacuum sealer online. Pick up the phone or send an email to the company you are going to buy from. If they do not reply within at least 24hrs then I would avoid them. If they are not asking or replying to questions like “what are you vacuum sealing” “how many bags at a time are you vacuum sealing” “how often are you doing these volumes” then they have no idea what vacuum sealer will suit you, they are just selling you the machine they want to sell.
How to select the right vacuum sealer
Finally, I would recommend deciding which category you and your next vacuum sealer will fit into. Then select 2 – 3 machines of the correct wattage and then decide on things like functions and price. The money you spend on your next vacuum sealer will be a waste of money if it is 120w vacuum sealer and you’re going to vacuum seal a whole beast with it.
Also, don’t be fooled by the wording if it is 120w then it is not a professional or commercial vacuum sealer and should not be sold as such. No if’s but’s or maybes, 120w is a domestic vacuum sealer. You will find that once you start looking for a vacuum sealer with a 200w plus transformer, that your choices are limited unless your shop where the professionals. Food Vacuum Sealers Australia