Are you looking for a simple and easy way to store freshly cut game fish? Vacuum sealing fish keeps your harvest fresher for a longer time than traditional plastic freezer bags. Also, it’s an excellent way to keep items in your freezer organized. Therefore, we put together this buyer’s guide to help you pick out the best vacuum sealer for your needs. Now, let’s take a look at our top five picks:
Hook and Bullet Top 5 Best Vacuum Sealers for 2021
| PRODUCT | FEATURES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Geryon Vacuum Sealer |
| Check The Price! |
 | LEM MaxVac 100 Vacuum Sealer |
| Check The Price! |
 | FoodSaver FM5200 Vacuum Sealer |
| Check The Price! |
 | Nesco VS-12 Vacuum Sealer |
| Check The Price! |
 | Weston Pro-2300 Vacuum Sealer |
| Check The Price! |
Why Can You Trust Us?
As an avid sportswoman, during deer and fishing season, my freezer is constantly packed with meat. Over the years, I found the most effective way to store my harvest is by vacuum sealing it. For example, vacuum sealing my food keeps it from getting freezer burn, so the meat retains its quality and freshness.
Also, I hunt and fish for a chance to help provide food on the table for my family. So, having the ability to save and stockpile game meat confidently for 12 months out is essential. Thus, keeping my family’s bellies full and our meat expenditures low for the year. Now, let’s get into further detail about our top five choices for vacuum sealers.
Best Budget-Friendly Vacuum Sealer
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The Geryon vacuum sealer is a great value buy with multiple sealing modes and a built-in bag cutter.
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Why We Like It: First, the Geryon is an inexpensive option for anglers who want to learn how to seal their fresh harvest. Second, its simple design with clearly labeled buttons and LED indicator lights makes using it a breeze. Third, its removable base makes sanitizing your machine an effortless task.
Plus, a bonus to the Geryon is its built-in bag cutter, so you can quickly size bags to fit your fillets. Lastly, this vacuum sealer features multiple functions for a budget machine, such as a canister, gentle or standard mode for dry and moist foods.
Who Should Buy It: Anglers looking for an affordable and user-friendly vacuum sealer.
Best Compact Vacuum Sealer
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The LEM 1379 MaxVac 100 is a compact vacuum sealer with a powerful pump and a 12-inch seal bar.
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Why We Like It: Sitting in my cupboard is the LEM MaxVac 100, I like this machine because it is compact yet powerful. Plus, its sleek stainless steel design is elegant and easy to wipe down after each use. The LEM MaxVac 100 is perfect for vacuum sealing on the go for out-of-state fishing or hunting trips. However, it’s still capable as an in-home-use appliance with its powerful 22.4” Hg pump.
In addition, the machine can handle 26 consecutive seals, which is sufficient for storing an entire bag limit worth of fish. Lastly, it features a 12-inch seal bar, plenty long enough for your average-sized fish.
Who Should Buy It: Anglers wanting a vacuum sealer that doesn’t take up much counter space but still performs well. Or anglers who plan on sealing their harvest while traveling.
Best Vacuum Sealer with Built-In Storage and Cutter
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The FoodSaver FM 5200 is a durable vacuum sealer featuring built-in bag storage and a cutting system to increase your sealing efficiency.
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Why We Like It: This FoodSaver model comes with many bells and whistles at a decent price range. For example, although not a necessity for sealing, FoodSavers express bag maker makes it easy to store and size bags. This design comes in handy when packing larger quantities of fillets by cutting down the time spent making bags. Also, the vacuum view window is another nice touch because you can precisely see where the seal will sit.
Additionally, the FM 5200 is compatible with various bag sizes, from 1-quart to 1-gallon. So, you’ll be able to pack in virtually any cut of fish, whether you’re keeping them dressed or filleting them. Lastly, with this appliance, you’ll be able to make 30 consecutive seals with a 20-second cool-down period in between.
Who Should Buy It: Anglers who want a larger in-home vacuum sealer capable of packing all cuts of fish.
Best Multi-Functional Vacuum Sealer
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The Nesco VS-12 features a double-line sealing technology for added protection for your harvest.
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Why We Like It: First, I always double-line seal my bags. So, being able to do so without taking the bag in and out is fantastic. Next, the Nesco VS-12 is an excellent all-purpose, multi-functional vacuum sealer that can do more than pack fish. For example, this model has an option to vacuum seal canisters and a mode for quickly marinating food. In addition, the VS-12 has three sealing options, dry, moist, and double vacuum. The dual vacuum pump mode works well for expelling air from oversized items like dressed or gutted fish.
Additionally, we like the Nesco VS-12 because it has a very hands-free sealing process. So, you can multi-task by prepping and making other cuts of fish while it seals. Lastly, Nesco states this appliance is capable of producing 100 consecutive seals for large quantities.
Who Should Buy It: Anglers who want a multi-functional vacuum sealer they can use for harvesting fish and other food products.
Best Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer
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The Weston Pro-2300 is a commercial-grade vacuum sealer with an extra-wide 16-inch seal bar for packing oversized items.
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Why We Like It: This commercial-grade Weston sealer features a durable stainless steel material that increases the shelf-life of this appliance. In addition, the Weston Pro-2300 has a powerful pump with the ability to pull up to 28” Hg vacuum strength. Also, another highlight of this machine is its extra-wide 16-inch seal bar so that you can pack even oversized cuts of meat. Furthermore, you can use the Weston Pro-2300 continuously because its fan-cooled motor keeps the heating element from overheating.
Lastly, we like the Weston Pro-2300 for its extra-wide 5mm seal bar, capable of creating a complete seal even through moisture. This characteristic is critical for hunters and anglers since we’re typically sealing moist game meat.
Who Should Buy It: Anglers who want to upgrade their current vacuum sealer with a commercial-grade model.
The Benefits of Vacuum Sealing
Here is a list of some of the benefits you’ll get from vacuum sealing your food:
- Vacuum sealing preserves food longer than traditional methods.
- It keeps the quality of your foods intact by sealing its juices and flavors.
- Vacuum sealing your food is a great way to keep your freezer organized so that you can practice first in, first out.
- It protects your food from getting freezer burnt or cross-contaminated.
- You can quickly and safely store dry and moist foods by vacuum sealing.
The Disadvantages of Vacuum Sealing
Here are some of the drawbacks of vacuum sealing:
- It can become an expensive process, from the start-up price of the machine to having to buy all the accessories.
- Vacuum sealers require specialized bags to use them.
- Your food could still potentially spoil even after vacuum sealing it.
Features To Look for In a Vacuum Sealer
Image Credit: LEM on Amazon
Vacuum Strength
First off, when it comes to selecting a quality sealer, you need to look into the specifications of its pump’s vacuum power. Typically, a vacuum’s pressure is measured in inches of mercury (“ Hg). The scale starts at 0” Hg, meaning no vacuum, and ends at 29.92” Hg, which is a complete vacuum. Thus, pumps with higher inches of mercury measurement have a stronger vacuum than others.
Moist Food Sealing Option
Initially, the row of buttons on a vacuum sealer can seem intimidating to new users. For anglers, an essential mode you will need to have is an option for sealing moist foods. You’ll use this mode frequently for packing in freshly caught fish. For instance, this mode protects your vacuum sealer by telling it to expel added moisture into the drip tray. In addition, the moist food mode adjusts the temperature of the heating element so that it can create a secure seal through high moisture.
Ability To Make Consecutive Seals
Lastly, you want to ensure your machine is capable of making consecutive seals. For example, this feature is excellent for crappie anglers with a daily limit worth of fillets to pack into multiple bags. Generally, sealers built for continuous use are less likely to overheat or malfunction.
How We Picked
We wanted to ensure we picked the best sealers for our 2021 roundup with so many available options out there. Therefore, to do so, we examined a long list of highly-rated, buyer-recommended products and hand-selected our favorite ones. Each vacuum sealer on this list has a variety of features that cater explicitly to anglers and hunters. For example, these appliances had to seal through high-moisture foods like game fish and other meat. Plus, they had to be rated for continuous use to pack a large quantity of food efficiently. So, we are confident any of these sealers in this review will get the job done and do it well.
What Is the Best Vacuum Sealer for 2021?
In conclusion, selecting a suitable vacuum sealer to meet your needs will depend on multiple variables. For instance, you’ll have to ask yourself questions like: do you want a sealer specifically for packaging game fish? Or, would you like one with more features for storing other food items? Is it necessary for you that the machine has built-in bag storage and a cutting station? Should you invest your money in a commercial-grade vacuum sealer with a longer shelf-life? Answering these questions will ultimately help you in choosing the best sealer for you.
However, our top choice is a vacuum sealer that is affordable, efficient, and multi-functional. Thus, the vacuum sealer that sticks out from the rest and meets these criteria is the FoodSaver FM5200. This vacuum sealer is reliable, durable, decently priced, and includes luxury features like an express bag-making station and a vacuum view window. Did this article benefit you? If so, give it a share or comment below. Or, if you liked this review, you might also enjoy our review on the best fillet knives for 2021.
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