If you're looking for a commercial quality vacuum sealer or chamber vacuum sealer, this article will help you decide which one to buy. We'll show you the important features to look for and help you find the right sealer at the best price.
See related articles:
Why Every Kitchen Needs a Vacuum Sealer
Why Cook With a Sous Vide Circulator?
The Best Vacuum Sealer in Every Price Range
VacMaster Vacuum Sealer Reviews: The Best Models for Home Users (newer, smaller pics for home users!)
Avid Armor: The Best New Sealers on the Market? (newer, smaller pics for home users!)
The average American household wastes about $2500 worth of food in a year. If a vacuum sealer helps save even half of that, then a commercial sealer will pay for itself in about half a year.
The Best Commercial Vacuum Sealers at a Glance
Here are our top picks for commercial grade vacuum sealers. We share links to Amazon and elsewhere (as they tend to go out of stock frequently). The prices are usually very close no matter where you buy.
Our picks are based on research and testing. There are other affordable options available, but these are the best commercial grade vacuum sealers at the best price that we could find.
The rating is based on quality, durability, and affordability:
Sealer | Features |
|---|---|
 | -12" seal bar w/5mm wide seal -13.5" x 8" x 4.25" (8" w/lid open) -14 lbs -Vacuum: 27.5" Hg -Pulse feature for easy sealing of delicate foods -Double piston cooled pump -Adjustable heat seal time -Comes w/30 bags, acc hose, and maintenance kit -About $300 |
 | -Heavy duty rotary oil pump won't overheat. -84 lbs -147W (standard US 120V/60Hz outlet) -Vacuum: 26.95" Hg to 29.53" Hg -Total size: 14x20x15 in. -Chamber: 11.25x14x5 in. -Max Bag Width: 10 in. -Max Bag Size: 10x14 in. -About $1000 |
 | -Has accessory port and marinade cycle. -60 lbs -Dry piston pump (maint. free) -120V (standard US outlet) -Total size: 16.75x14.25x14 in. -Chamber: 13.8 x 12 x 4.3 in. -Seal Bar: 11.5 in. -Max Bag Width: 11 in. -Max Bag Size: 11x13 in. -About $1000 |
What Does "Commercial" Mean?
"Commercial" means a product is more durable than those made for the consumer market. A commercial setting is more demanding than a residential setting. Items tend to get more use, harder use, and more continuous use. Therefore, commercial grade appliances tend to be more durable, and consequently more expensive than appliances made for the consumer market.
Commercial grade products are often suitable for home use, and are often marketed to home users. This is especially true for vacuum sealers, where home users can benefit from the much improved jump in durability found in commercial grade products.
There is a grade above commercial, and that is industrial. Industrial grade products are ultra heavy duty, and you'll know them by the thousands of dollars they cost. They are often larger and heavier than commercial grade sealers, too. A home user would rarely have a need for an industrial grade vacuum sealer.
You can get an excellent quality commercial vacuum sealer, one that will provide years of service, often for less than $1000. Chamber vacuum sealer prices have increased recently, but you shouldn't pay more than about $1100 for any of the chamber vacuum sealers we review here.
Here's a quick comparison table of the differences between consumer vacuum sealers, commercial vacuum sealers, and industrial vacuum sealers:
NOTE: Table may not be visible in mobile view.
Consumer (Edge/Handheld) | Commercial (Chamber or Edge) | Industrial (Chamber) |
|---|---|---|
Internal parts mostly plastic | Internal parts metal | Internal parts metal |
Pump is not cooled | Pump is air- or oil-cooled | Pump is oil-cooled |
Unit will weigh less than 10lbs | Chamber units will weigh upwards of 30lbs; | Unit will weigh upwards of 100lbs |
App Price Range: < $200 | App Price Range: $180-$2500 | App Price Range: > $2500 |
Why Buy a Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer?
The answer is simple: you're going to get more dependable, more satisfactory, and longer-term use from a commercial grade vacuum sealer than you will from a consumer grade sealer. Here's why:
- More durable
- Longer life
- More powerful vacuum (better for everything, including sous vide and eliminating freezer burn)
- Replace parts and repair problems instead of throw away the machine
- Better customer service
- With an average life span of about 2-5 years (depending on use), consumer-grade sealers will cost as much or more in the long run
- Chamber vacuum bags are cheaper than edge/handheld sealer bags, providing long-term savings.
Why Buy on Amazon?
Amazon is a great place to buy a vacuum sealer. There are dozens of different options at several price points. You can see a wide range of options, from a $30 sealer for consumer use on up to a $4,000 industrial grade sealer.
And since commercial vacuum sealers are expensive items, you'll probably get free shipping, even if you don't have Amazon Prime. Sellers have to provide this to keep up in such a competitive market.
The user reviews are also a great source of information. No, you can't always trust that people are honest or knowledgeable enough to provide a fair assessment, but they are still helpful, especially if you know how to read them (yes, there's a knack to it). For more info, you can check out our article Can You Trust Amazon Reviews? (See also How to Buy Online: Teach Yourself About Technical Products and Buy What You Can Truly Love.)
Amazon also has their own warranty program. Buying their extended warranty is an excellent idea on high ticket items, but even if you don't, they'll still take return/replace your sealer within the first 30 days for free--and if you can make a good case, they will even accept returns beyond that date.
Amazon is also the only website that carries such a wide range of brands, so you can really compare different sealers. In fact, they have so many different products that it can be hard for buyers to choose if they're not sure what to look for.
We've done the research for you, as well as hundreds of hours of testing, so you can trust our recommendations. We work with other retailers, but Amazon is our number one choice for vacuum sealers.
Do You Need a Commercial Vacuum Sealer for Sous Vide?
You do not need a commercial vacuum sealer for sous vide. In fact, you don't need a vacuum sealer at all--you can use the air displacement method and avoid purchasing a vacuum sealer altogether. But if you're considering buying a vacuum sealer to use with that sous vide circulator you got for Christmas, our recommendation is to go for it.
Here's why:
- Vacuum bags are more durable than disposable food storage bags--this means fewer leaks in the water bath
- Vacuum sealers suck much more air out of a bag than the displacement method, so you'll have fewer problems with floating bags and get more even, more consistent results
- You don't have to deal with clipping bags to the side of the container or weighing them down. You can just pop vacuum bags right into the water bath (straight from the freezer, even, which makes dinner prep pretty darn easy!)
- Vacuum-sealing meals and pre-seasoned cuts of meat is an easy way to meal prep, and vacuum-sealed food will last much longer than non-vacuum-sealed food in the freezer and the fridge.
- You will use your vacuum sealer for dozens of other things besides your sous vide machine.
You're probably thinking that you don't need a commercial sealer for this list, and it's true. Any vacuum sealer will get the job done. But a commercial sealer is worth the extra money if you can afford it: it pulls a stronger vacuum, it will last longer, and it's a pleasure to use.
You can also check out our article on the best sous vide circulators.
Chamber Sealer Vs. Edge Sealer: Which Is Best?
Edge sealer.
Chamber sealer.
If you're going to spend the big bucks, it's our opinion that you should get a chamber vacuum sealer. With a chamber vac, you have more control over the sealing process and an all-around more durable product.
And you can seal liquids with it.
This is not possible with an edge sealer without a workaround (e.g., freezing the liquid first or not pulling a full vacuum).
You may think you won't have a need to seal liquids, but "liquid" includes all "wet" foods: casseroles and stews, for example, are much easier to seal in a chamber sealer.
Yes, you can freeze liquids first if you have an edge sealer, but what you can't do is freeze them flat: with a chamber sealer, you can seal the moist/wet food and it will make a nice, flat package. You'll be amazed how much extra room you'll have in your freezer when you can stack flat packages of stew, soup, stock, pesto, chili...you get the idea.
This is 4 packages of frozen pesto.
No Cool Down Time: A commercial-grade chamber sealer makes freezing leftovers and meal prepping both easy tasks-- you don't have to wait for the pump to cool down between seals. Commercial-grade chamber sealers are designed for continuous use. With consumer-grade edge sealers, you have to allow the pump to cool in between seals. This greatly increases the amount of time it takes to do a bulk sealing job.
The only real drawback to a chamber vac is that the bag size is limited by the chamber size. With edge sealers, you can use rolls of bags and cut a bag as long as you need it.
However, we have not found this to be much of a drawback. The ability to seal liquids far outweighs the limited bag size--which is easy to work around by how you portion out your food.
For more information, check out Why Every Kitchen Needs a Vacuum Sealer.
Our Reviews: Best Commercial Vacuum Sealers Under $1000
If you've decided to invest in a commercial grade, heavy-duty edge sealer or chamber vacuum sealer, it's time to start looking at what's available. There are many models to choose from; VacMaster alone offers at least a half dozen choices. (See also the Vacmaster website for more info.)
We picked our favorites based on usability, durability, customer reviews, many hours of testing, and our own experiences with chamber vacs. We've been using the VacMaster VP210 for going on 5 years and haven't had a single problem with it. It's easy to use, easy to clean, has fully adjustable vacuum time, it's great for sous vide, super-fast marinading, sealing liquidy leftovers like stews and casseroles, and many other tasks.
Because of our positive experience with this product, we're partial to the VacMaster brand, as are many other people, judging by the number of positive reviews on their products. However, they also just happen to have the most offerings in the commercial category (or at least, the most offerings with good reviews and a good rating on Fakespot.com).
Here we review our top choices on Amazon: three chamber vacuum sealers and one heavy duty edge sealer.
Avid Armor A100 Commercial Edge Sealer
See our Avid Armor Vacuum Sealer Review
Following in the footsteps of ARY VacMaster, Avid Armor is a small midwestern American company with manufacturing in China. Being fairly young, the company currently makes just four vacuum sealer models: 2 edge sealers and 2 chamber sealers. This edge sealer, the A100, is their heavy-duty edge sealer; the other one is a high quality consumer grade edge sealer (see it here). Their chamber vacuum sealers are also high quality, but they aren't quite as heavy duty as the commercial grade chamber sealers we review here (though they are an excellent choice for home users).
We tested several commercial grade edge sealers, and the A100 was our favorite. It's well-built and easy to use. We love the adjustable heat seal time--something usually seen only on chamber vacuum sealers--and the extra wide, 5mm seal. It comes with an accessory hose that works with all your old FoodSaver containers, and the Pulse feature, which allows you to pull vacuum manually, is seen only on the most expensive consumer grade sealers. These "bells and whistles" mean you get almost as many options as you do with a FoodSaver--but in a heavy-duty, commercial grade sealer that's going to last for many, many years.
It's not perfect: we wish it had a bag cutter, and bag storage would also be nice. And, there are other edge sealers we really like that have longer seal bars (such as the Weston Pro 2300 and the new PrimalTek 15" Edge Sealer, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of chamber sealers (they tend to have a seal bar 11 inches or less). But the Avid Armor just hit all the right notes for durability, usability, and affordability that we look for. So while these other sealers with extra long bars are also very nice, this is our new favorite commercial grade edge sealer.
Features
- Stainless steel body
- 5mm wide seal
- Clear lid so you can monitor sealing
- Extra wide vacuum channel for easy sealing and cleaning
- 450W
- 27.5" Hg vacuum pulled
- 12" sealing bar
- Pulse setting for delicate foods
- Marinade function (for use with accessory hose)
- "Impulse seal" to seal bags without vacuum
- Adjustable heat seal time
- Double piston pump with cooling fan (continuous sealing
- Accessory port with accessory hose included
- 1 year warranty
- Made in China.
Operation
The A100 edge vacuum sealer is easy to use. You just insert a bag in the channel and press the Start button:
You can adjust the seal time (for example, if your bags are melting, you should lower the seal time).
You can press Seal at any time during sealing to end vacuum and seal the bag.
You can use Pulse Vac to seal delicate foods.
You can use Impulse Seal to seal bags without pulling any vacuum (leftover chips, etc.).
The Marinade function is designed for use with the accessory hose, which is why they're together on the control panel.
Specifications
Color: Stainless
Size: 16x24x9 in. (14in. high fully open)
Weight: 14 lbs
Motor: 450W (standard US 120V/60Hz outlet)
Vacuum: Up to 27.5 in.Hg
Seal bar length: 12 inches
Maximum Bag Width: 12 in.
Included
- User manual
- Accessory hose
- 30 bags (10 pint, 10 quart, 10 gallon)
- Maintenance kit including gasket, heating element replacement for seal, and heat tape.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Lighter weight and more portable than a chamber vacuum sealer
- 12" seal bar with 5mm wide seal and adjustable seal time
- Powerful vacuum, esp. for an edge sealer
- Pulse feature makes sealing delicate foods easy
- Accessory hose, maintenance kit, and 30 bags included.
Cons:
- Edge sealer vacuum bags are more expensive than chamber sealer bags
- No bag storage and no bag cutter
- Can't seal liquids.
Recommendation
If you want commercial grade quality but don't want to commit to the expense and weight of a chamber vacuum sealer, we recommend this Avid Armor A100 edge sealer. It's powerful, easy to use, and relatively lightweight compared to a chamber vacuum sealer. Its 12 inch sealing bar is longer than the standard 11 inch, but not as long as the 15 inch bar on the Weston Pro 2300.
buy the avid armor edge vacuum sealer:
VacMaster VP 215 Chamber Vacuum Sealer
The ARY VacMaster VP215 is another excellent commercial grade chamber vac. It's one of the few chamber vacs at this price point with an oil-cooled rotary pump, the type you find in heavy-duty industrial grade chamber vacs. The good side of this is that it's a tank that will probably last you the rest of your life. The downside is that the rotary pump is not maintenance-free like the dry piston pumps found in most commercial grade chamber vacs. If you're good at maintenance or willing to learn (it's not hard), this chamber vac is a great option.
The VP215 operates automatically upon closing the lid. When finished the lid lifts automatically too, ready for the next bag. This makes quick work of big sealing projects.
Its vacuum and seal time is fully adjustable. Removable filler trays speed up vacuum time (by decreasing the amount of air that needs to be pumped out of the chamber), and can also be removed to make sure liquids sit on the bottom of a bag before sealing. Like all VacMaster sealers, it is designed for easy use and easy cleaning.
Features
- Rotary oil vacuum pump
- 10.25 in. seal bar, removable for easy cleaning
- Filler boards to decrease vacuum time
- 4mm wide seal
- Automatically begins sealing when you close lid
- Full view polycarbonate lid
- Easy-to-clean stainless housing and chamber
- Brushed stainless steel body
- Control panel – adjustable vacuum level and seal time
- Vacuum gauge
- Mylar pouch capable (2-6 mil thickness)
- Made in China.
Operation
Here's the VP215 control panel:
Using the VP215 is easy. Once you have the settings where you want them, operation is as easy as closing the lid.
This starts the process, and once the bag is vacuumed and sealed, the lid pops open, ready for the next bag.
The seal time is adjustable, so if you're doing heavier bags (mylar, for example), you can increase the seal time to make sure you get a good seal. But be careful, because too much seal time can melt the bag. You rarely need to go use the full seal time.
The Stop button (the big red one) also allows you to stop suction and seal immediately. This is particularly useful when sealing liquids, and you see them beginning to bubble up into the seal bar area. (This can happen if liquids are too warm, so make sure your liquids are room temperature or cooler before sealing. Not doing so is a common cause of messes in a chamber sealer.)
The VP215 also has the easy-to-clean, stainless chamber with rounded corners:
The VP215 chamber.
Faster Sealing: The VP215 comes with two filler plates you can use for small bags. They fill the chamber to make it a smaller space to speed up the evacuation time. For big bags, or liquid (where you want the bag below the seal level), you can remove them.
VacMaster VP215 filler plates.
Maintenance
The VP215's rotary oil pump is powerful and it can operate for hours without needing a cool down period. But all that durability requires maintenance, unlike the chamber sealers with dry piston pumps.
Maintenance isn't difficult, and is required rarely, especially for home use, as the sealer will get less use than in a commercial setting.
When the oil level gets low or the oil gets cloudy, it's time to change it. It's not a difficult job and oil is inexpensive. The maintenance included with the VP215 has oil, and it will probably last several years.
Specifications
Color: Stainless and black
Size: 13 in. wide x 19 in. deep x 15 in. high (with lid closed)
Weight: 84 lbs
Motor: 1/4 hp (147W): standard US 120V/60Hz outlet
Vacuum: Adjustable from 26.95" Hg to 29.53" Hg
Pump Type: Rotary oil
Pump Capacity: 10 cubic meters/hr
Chamber Size (WxDxH): 11.25x14x5 in.
Maximum Bag Width: 10 in.
Maximum Bag Size: 10x14 in.
Cord Length: 120 in.
Included
- Filler plates (2)
- Maintenance kit
- User manual
- 25-6x10 in. vacuum bags
- 25-8x12 in. vacuum bags
- 25-10x14 in. vacuum bags
- Commercial warranty.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Oil-cooled pump for continuous operation (no cool downs)
- Powerful vacuum
- 5" tall chamber is bigger than most.
Cons:
- Heavy
- Pump requires oil changes
- Expensive.
Recommendation
The VacMaster VP215 is an excellent chamber vac at a good price. If you want something that's super heavy-duty and don't mind the weight and maintaining the rotary pump yourself, it will provide years of reliable service. It's probably overkill for home users (a dry piston pump sealer is less expensive and adequate for most home users), but it's a durable, powerful machine that you can't really go wrong with if that's what you're looking for.
BUY THE VACMASTER VP215 VACUUM SEALEr:
PolyScience 300 Series Vacuum Chamber Sealer
"Maintenance-free design provides professional-level features at a home cook's price." (from the PolyScience website)
With an accessory port for external sealing, a marinade function, an infusion cycle, and three programmable seal times, the PolyScience 300 Series chamber vac has a lot of great features.
The PolyScience 300 is a heavy duty sealer made with commercial parts, but designed for home use.
PolyScience is a laboratory equipment company probably best known for their immersion circulators, which they made for laboratories long before they made them for sous vide. After sous vide took off in 2011 or so, PolyScience created PolyScience Culinary division and devoted more time to developing products for kitchen use. The company has a reputation for high quality precision equipment, and this chamber vac is no exception.
Like all vacuum sealers, the PolyScience 300 Series is made in China.
Check out the PolyScience 300 Series reviews on Amazon
check out the polyscience 300 series reviews at williams-sonoma
Features
- Maintenance free dry piston vacuum pump
- One-button operation
- Three programmable presets for common vacuum operations
- Marinade cycle
- External port for sealing bags and canisters (canisters sold separately)
- Large vacuum chamber for expanded pouch sizes.
Operation
Here is the PolyScience 300 control panel:
As with all chamber vacs, there is a slight learning curve. And because the 300 Series has so many features, you'll have to figure out what settings work best for sealing, marinating, accessories, and more. but once you've got the settings where you want them, it's easy to use.
Accessory Port: Most chamber sealers do not have accessory ports, but this one does. This means you can use it to seal mason jars, marinade containers, and a number of other vessels depending on which accessories you have.
Programmable Settings: Three preset buttons can be programmed to provide the exact vacuum levels, vacuum hold times and seal times for meats, fish and even infusions (from Amazon).
Marinades: You can use the marinade function to pull intermittent vacuum, or you can use the accessory port to marinade in a separate container.
NOTE: You can buy the PolyScience canister, but if you already have containers from an old FoodSaver sealer (or other brand), they should work with the PolyScience 300, as vacuum sealer accessory hoses tend to fit all sealers universally.
Specifications
Color: Stainless
Size: 18.2 x 14 x 11.8 in.
Weight: 55 lbs
Pump: Maintenance-free dry piston
Power: 120V (standard US outlet)
Chamber Size (LxWxH): 13.8 x 12 x 4.3 in.
Seal Bar Length: 11.5 in.
Maximum Bag Width: 11 in.
Marinade Cycle: Yes
Accessory Port for External Sealing: Yes
Shipping Weight: 60.5 lbs
Included
- 6 1-pint vacuum bags
- 6 1-quart vacuum bags
- 6 1-gallon vacuum bags.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Very lightweight for chamber vacuum sealer
- 12" seal bar (compare to most chamber sealers' 10" bar)
- Can use under upper cupboards
- Powerful vacuum
- 5" tall chamber is bigger than most.
Cons:
- Being phased out so hard to find
- Expensive.
Recommendation
The PolyScience 300 Series chamber vac isn't our favorite chamber sealer. We had no problems with it during testing, and we liked its operation. But the number of negative reviews on Amazon gives us pause: this sealer may not go the distance like VacMaster sealers. However, if you want the accessory port for sealing mason jars and other external containers, this is one of the few chamber sealer options out there. And while this is a nice feature, keep in mind that the chamber itself can double as a container in many instances, including sealing pint-sized mason jars and smaller.
Update: There are many more chamber sealers to choose from today. Check out Chamber Vacuum Sealer Reviews: The Best Deals on Amazon for more options.
buy THE POLYSCIENCE 300 SERIES CHAMBER VAC:
Final Thoughts
A chamber vacuum sealer is a big purchase. We've picked three top options for your consideration, all with unique features:
- The Avid Armor A100 is a heavy duty edge sealer that should last for decades.
- The VP215 has a heavy duty rotary oil pump for those looking for super heavy duty performance without cool downs and don't mind occasional maintenance.
- The PolyScience 300 has 3 programmable shortcut buttons and an accessory hose for sealing external containers.
Depending on what you want, these are all great options.
Thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments section below. And thanks for reading!
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