Why the wattage of your food vacuum sealer matters.
We all look at price and that is wrong.
Weather we go to the department store to buy a vacuum sealer or we look on line and do a Google search to select that vacuum sealer, we all look at the one thing. That one thing that decides which machine you are going to buy. THAT IS THE PRICE. Well, listen to me very carefully here because if that’s you, you have got it all wrong and you are more than likely wasting your money and will end up with a vacuum sealer that will not do the job you expected. So, what do you look at when buying a good quality vacuum sealer.
What should we look at first when buying a Vacuum sealer.
The biggest thing that matters in a vacuum sealer, the one thing that determines if that vacuum sealer will do the job you expect it to do is the wattage of the vacuum sealer. Ok so let’s explain the wattage of a vacuum sealer first. The wattage is a true indication of how big the transformer is inside that vacuum sealer. The transformer is what feeds power to the seal bar and seals the vacuum sealer bag. The sealing of the vacuum sealer bag is actually the hard part for the vacuum sealer not the vacuuming. The more work you throw at the vacuum sealer the bigger the transformer you need also if you have a vacuum sealer that has more than 1 sealing wire or a sealing wire wider than 3mm or is longer than 30cm then the machine will need a bigger transformer which means higher wattage.
What qualifies as a domestic vacuum sealer.
Ok, now we know what to look for, let’s talk about some minimum requirements for a basic, domestic vacuum sealer. A domestic vacuum sealer is a vacuum sealer that you are going to use once or twice a week and vacuum sealer anything from 1 - 20 bags. Any vacuum sealer that is less than 110 watts, you should not waste your money on. Also, at this level the negative pressure it takes the bag to is important also. Any vacuum sealer that will not take your bag to at least -70Kpa (-0.7 bar) should not be considered. If the specifications in the listing or on the box do not give you any of these 2 bits of information, then it probably does not pass the pub test and you should not waste your money on it. To re-cap, a good quality domestic vacuum sealer should be between 110 watts and 200 watts and it should go to a negative pressure of -70 Kpa to – 80 Kpa and is suitable for low volume use once or twice a week. It will have a single sealing bar and a 3mm wide seal. You will pay anywhere from $200 to $350 for a good quality domestic vacuum sealer.
What qualifies as a professional or semi-commercial vacuum sealer.
A vacuum sealer should not be considered as semi-commercial unless it has a transformer that is over 200 watts, anything less and it does not matter what else it has or how good it looks it will only perform like a domestic vacuum sealer and is only suitable for low volume. So don’t get fooled by bells and whistles “LOOK AT THE WATTAGE FIRST”. A professional vacuum sealer should have a transformer between 200 watts and 300 watts. It should go to a negative pressure of around -80 Kpa to -90Kpa. A professional vacuum sealer is suitable for the fisherman or hunter that is coming home with his catch to vacuum seal. This type of vacuum sealer is great for doing up to about 100 bags and is capable of more but if you do work it hard it may need pacing and a rest for a few minutes here and there. Not that I recommend it, but I do have customers doing full beasts with a professional vacuum sealer. For me if it is a professional vacuum sealer it should have either a double seal or an extra wide seal, 5mm wide. Once you have selected a range of vacuum sealers within these specs you then look at the bells and whistles. A pulse function for manual operation is always good, Heat settings, I like to see on a vacuum sealer, also for me I like the facility for using canisters. A roll film holder and cutter are very handy but once you get to this level of vacuum sealing it is much better to use pre-made bags. And finally, a lift out drip tray is not essential but can come in handy. The one thing I do hate is giving customers the sense of security with the wet heat setting and a drip tray that it is now ok to suck liquid into the vacuum sealer as this will stop the bag from sealing no matter how many watts the sealing bar is getting. “DO NOT SUCK LIQUID INTO, OR PAST THE SEAL AREA”
What qualifies as a commercial vacuum sealer.
So, a commercial vacuum sealer should be no less than a 300 watt transformer, no exceptions. And the more work you are going to throw at it the higher wattage you will need. The German made, Lava vacuum sealers start at 500 watts and go up to 1800 watts. A commercial vacuum sealer will be capable of vacuum sealing a whole beast in 1 sitting. Commercial vacuum sealers should really be split into 2 groups, light commercial, and heavy commercial. Light commercial vacuum sealers, being 300 watts up to 400 watts. Heavy commercial vacuum sealers, being 400 watts plus. Your light commercial vacuum sealer is what you would see in a small business doing smaller quantities every day or on a farm or station doing a large quantity every so often like a full beast. Your heavy commercial vacuum sealers are what you would see in a busy commercial business that is packaging meat or food and being used to do large quantities every day.
More food vacuum sealer information on transformers and extra notes.
Finally, if you are looking at a chamber vacuum sealer the same applies.
The heavy weight that you fell when picking up a European vacuum sealer indicates it has a large transformer as the Europeans use a wound transformer. The Chinese vacuum sealers are generally a lot lighter and this is not because the transformer is small, it is because they use digital transformers which are very light. The digital transformers offer better monitoring of temperature and loads, also they are better at monitoring and adjusting to power requirements due to power fluctuations. The failure rate in digital transformers is also lower due to an early detection system.
As a final note on buying a good quality vacuum sealer in Australia. There are no vacuum sealers made in Australia. All the vacuum sealers are made in either China or a European country, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Spain.
If you are in the market for a good quality vacuum sealer then do yourself a favour and either email the company or ring them with any questions you may have and make sure, they know their vacuum sealer and they at least sell the basic spare parts like the foam seal kit and replacement heat strip.
Here are some of the big brands known in the shops.
Who owns them and where the vacuum sealer is made. Some of them may surprise you.
Food saver. (Newell Brands Inc). Owned in USA. Made in China.
Sunbeam. (Newell Brands Inc). Owned in USA. Made in China.
Russell Hobbs. (Spectrum Brands). Owned in USA. Made in China.
Albiano. (ALDI Nord). Owned in Germany. Made in China.
Devanti. (New Aim Pty Ltd). Owned in Australia. Made in China.
Luvele. (Joe Dutch). Owned in Australia. Made in China.
Kings Vacuum sealer. (Vella). Owned in Australia. Made in China.
Proline. (Proline). Owned in Australia. Made in China.
Vakumar. (Vakumar). Owned in China. Made in China.
Inkbird. (Shenzhen Inkbird). Owned in China. Made in China
What Food vacuum sealers Australia supplies.
Preservac. (Taste Factory). Owned in Australia. Made in China.
Lava. (Lava). Owned in Germany. Made in Germany.
Status. (Status). Owned in Slovenia. Made in Slovenia.
I do hope this article helps you decide on a better vacuum sealer for you.