The Best Vacuum Sealers Under $100 (Besides FoodSaver)

By trk

Last Updated: April 24, 2023

vacuum sealer

If you're looking for the best vacuum sealer under $100 but aren't sure what features you want, we can help. Find out how to save money, time, and food with these amazing appliances.

This review is limited to:

Edge sealers (no chamber sealers or handheld sealers)
Under $100
Non-FoodSaver brands (see reviews of best-selling FoodSaver vacuum sealers)
An average rating of 4 or more stars on Amazon.

The Best Vacuum Sealers Under $100 at a Glance

If you don't want to read the whole article, here are the basics on the bestselling models. For details, skip down to the Reviews section. Click the sealer name to see it on Amazon.

Note: Table may not be visible in mobile view.

	Starter Kit	Features/ Dimensions
NutriChef B01N2HE2HD	1-Hose 1- Wine stopper 5-8x12”bag 1-8x79”roll	110W 11" max seal 14 x6x 3’’ 3 lbs
Nesco VS02	2-8x10'rolls 5-8x12”bags 5-11x12” bags	11.8" max seal Hi/Low seal 18.3x5x12" 6.3 lbs
Geryon A TRK pick!	1-Extra Gasket 1-Wine stopper 1-Hose 5-8x12" bags 1-8x78" roll	Vac: 23.6" Hg 11" max seal 14x5.5x2.6" 2.7 Lbs Lftme. Warr. 24/7 support
Cosori CP428VS	1-Hose 5-11.5x9.5" bags 1-8x197" roll	Vac: 20.8" Hg 11" max seal 16x3.4x7.9 5.8 lbs 1 Yr. Warr.

What We Looked At on the Best Vacuum Sealers Under $100

We spent almost 100 hours selecting, researching, and testing these vacuum sealers. We narrowed down the category by popularity and quality: popularity by number of ratings, and quality by average rating. There are some other vacuum sealers with a huge number of reviews, but if the rating was less than 4 stars, it went in the discard pile.

Once we had our models selected, we did research and testing until we understood the good and the not so good about each of these sealers. To determine performance, we looked at ease of use, features, durability, and average life span (based primarily on reviews). We also looked at the companies that made the sealers when possible (this information can be hard to find).

All of these vacuum sealers are made in China, and all are going to provide decent, but not stellar, performance. For example, because of the inexpensive internal parts and lack of cooling fans, none of these sealers will be the best choice for bulk sealing jobs. (And this is true even if the sealer makes promises that it is.)

With that in mind, we compared these sealers to each other and to other sealers in the same price range. We did not compare to more expensive edge sealers (and of course, we didn't compare to chamber sealers or handhelds).

What Features Are Important to Consider?

Nutrichef vacuum sealer with marinade container

Besides sucking air out of a bag and then heat-sealing it, vacuum sealers come with a range of other features. Here are some of the most common ones:

Accessory port: An accessory port allows you to hook the vacuum up to various containers such as mason jars, wine bottles, and marinade canisters. This is a great feature. Most sealers that have an accessory port come with the hose (not all, but most), but the special lids and containers themselves are sold separately. These containers and lids are inexpensive and reusable, so the savings can really add up. Maybe best of all, the accessory ports and hoses are almost always universal, meaning they'll work with any brand of vacuum sealer. (So if you have port accessories from an old sealer, they will most likely work with a new sealer, even if it's a different brand.)
Different settings: Most sealers have at least 2 settings: dry and moist, or low and high. Some have 5 or 6 different settings. However, a vacuum sealer has one job: to remove air from a bag. So all of these different settings merely adjust the speed and strength with which the air is removed. So for example, if you use the "Moist" or "Soft Foods" setting, the vacuum won't pull as hard or fast so as not to crush the food or suck liquid up into the tube. If you're going to seal soft or moist foods, this is a nice feature, but you can accomplish the same thing by stopping the vacuum process manually (a feature most, if not all, vacuum sealers have). Also keep in mind that the lighter pull is going to result in a bag that doesn't have as much air removed, so food won't stay fresh as long.
"Automatic" or "one-touch" sealing: Most vacuum sealers on the market today offer automatic sealing, meaning that once the bag is in place and the vacuum has kicked in, it will finish the job by itself, instead of you having to hold down a button until it's finished. This isn't much of a selling point anymore for a few reasons: first, most sealers have this feature today, and second, as discussed above, automatic sealing still requires positioning, latching, and observation to ensure the sealer works correctly. Finally, automatic sealers tend to use more of the bag, which is going to cost you more money in the long run.
Roll storage and bag cutter: Some vacuum sealers come with a space to store a roll of bags and a cutter so you don't have to use a scissors. These are nice features, but they add weight and bulk to the sealers, making them harder to store when not in use.
Removable tray (for easy cleaning): Some sealers have a removable tray, which makes them easy to clean--because, yes, food will sometimes spill inside the sealing chamber. It's not a deal breaker if a sealer doesn't have a removable tray, but it is a nice feature. Some sealers, including some on this list, offer other easy clean options like a removable lid. You can live without these features, but they do make cleaning easier if you have a spill.
Starter Kit: Most vacuum sealers come with an assortment of bags and other accessories to get you going, and these are called "starter kits." The size of the starter kit that's included varies quite a bit among brands, and the more that comes with the starter kit the more you can save on future purchases--so it's worth paying attention to. Edge sealer bags are expensive, so the more bags and/or rolls included, the less you'll be spending on the next set of bags you need. Some also come with other goodies like an accessory hose, and some include even more extras. If you're a wine drinker, you might like a sealer that comes with a wine stopper. If you'll use these extras, they'll save you a few dollars over having to buy them at some point down the road.

What to Expect from the Best Vacuum Sealers Under $100?

The Best Vacuum Sealers on Amazon Under $100

If you want a sealer for light duty home use (e.g., sealing up leftovers a few times a week), or you're flirting with the idea of vacuum sealing and want an entry level product to find out if you'll use it or not, then these sealers offer an excellent opportunity.

Yet, despite the thousands of positive, even glowing, reviews, a vacuum sealer under $100 has some limitations. You should know what they are before you buy.

It's a Throwaway Product

Creating a vacuum requires a lot of mechanical energy. It's actually kind of amazing that these sealers work at all, given that they're mostly plastic, don't have cooling fans, and are designed to be a throwaway product--that is, once they stop working, they're not intended to be repaired, but rather, replaced. There are a few exceptions to this (the Geryon comes with an extra sealing gasket, and we love it for that), but in general--because they're so cheap--most people throw them out and replace them when they stop working.

In fact, most vacuum sealers under $100 are designed to be replaced rather than repaired.

This goes against our main philosophy here at Rational Kitchen, which is to buy once, cry once--and just as importantly, to not contribute to landfill garbage by buying throwaway products rather than fixable ones. We also prefer the better experience of using high quality tools. But hey, we know some people just aren't ready to make a bigger investment, and that's okay. We're here to help you, too.

Limited Life Span

Under light use--a few times a week, a few seals per session--you can expect these sealers to last for a couple of years. After that, the parts are going wear out. Either the sealing gasket goes, or the heat-seal bar, or it stops pulling vacuum. If you read the negative reviews, you'll find that this can sometimes happen after just a few months.

Yes, some people can get more than that out of them. But the average life span of an inexpensive vacuum sealer is likely going to be under 5 years.

Bulk Sealing Can Be an Ordeal

Also because of the lightweight parts and lack of cooling fans, bulk sealing is going to be an ordeal. Because pulling a vacuum requires so much energy, the motors get really hot really fast. So you have to let the sealer cool down between seals.

If you're only doing this occasionally, it's not that big of a deal. However, if you're investing in a vacuum sealer primarily to cut down on your food bill by buying in bulk, you may find it frustrating with a low-cost sealer. What you can do in an hour with a more durable sealer could take 4-5 times as long with one that needs to cool down between seals.

Yes, many vacuum sealers under $100 claim that they can do several seals without a cool down period. But read the fine print--or better yet, read the one star user reviews, which will tell a different story.

The Vacuum Is Mediocre

Also because of the small, inexpensive motors, the vacuum pulled isn't going to be as strong as it will be with a more expensive sealer. This is important because the longer shelf life of vacuum-sealed food is directly related to how much air is removed from the bag.

How much vacuum a sealer can pull is the whole ball game. The Weston Pro 2300 pulls a vacuum of 28 inches of mercury (28" Hg). 28" Hg is about the highest level of vacuum pulled by an edge sealer, and a good benchmark for what a sealer is capable of doing.

Inexpensive edge sealers often don't have vacuum specifications (the FoodSaver company considers this proprietary information). But of the ones reviewed here that do provide that spec, the highest is the Geryon, at 24 "Hg.

This is actually pretty good, as independent testers have put FoodSaver around 20-22"Hg. But compared to the Weston, you're leaving a lot of air in the bag.

You're still going to get decent results, and certainly results worth the price of these inexpensive sealers. But just know that there are sealers out there that will do a better job.

It Won't Seal Liquids

It's kind of amazing how many edge sealers claim the ability to seal liquids, because this: An edge sealers can't seal liquids.

This is true no matter how powerful the motor is or even how much you pay for it.

Here's why we can say this with such certainty: it's a law of physics. The difference in atmospheric pressure outside the vacuum bag vs. the much lower pressure inside the vacuum bag forces liquids up into the sealer. It's unavoidable. It's like putting a straw in a glass of water and expecting to suck air.

What about the "moist" settings on these sealers? Here's what they do: they simply reduce the amount of vacuum pulled, which reduces the possibility of liquid getting sucked up the vacuum. But because this also reduces the amount of final vacuum, it's not ideal.

If food isn't fully vacuumed, you may as well use zip top bags or cling wrap, because it provides roughly the same amount of preservation (well, slightly better). Air in a bag accelerates spoilage and is responsible for freezer burn--the opposite of what you're going for.

Food doesn't have to be 100% dry. For example, you can seal raw meats easily, and even raw meats with a small amount of oil or marinade liquid. But you can't seal soups, stews, casseroles, and other liquid foods without using reduced vacuum.

The simplest workaround for liquids is to freeze them before vacuum sealing. It's an elegant solution to the problem that savvy edge sealer owners have been using forever.

Just know going in that none of these sealers has the ability to vacuum seal liquids, regardless of having "moist" settings or claiming that they work with liquids. If you want to seal liquids or "wet" foods like casseroles and stews without freezing first, you need a chamber sealer. (They work because the pressure in the chamber is the same as it is inside the bag.) For more information on chamber sealers, check out Chamber Vacuum Sealer Reviews: The Best Deals on Amazon.

"Automatic" Sealing Might Be a Stretch

Most edge sealers claim to offer automatic or "one-touch" sealing, but rarely is it that simple.

Edge sealers can be kind of finicky. You have to get the bag in just so in order for the sealer to work. Not too much bag, not too little. If it's too full of food, it won't seal well. It has to be centered carefully. And, there are usually latches or locks you have to set in order for the "one-touch" seal to work. In other words, not quite one-touch or automatic.

This isn't a drawback, per se, but "one-touch" and "automatic" might be a just a little bit misleading. If you read user reviews that say the sealer doesn't work, keep in mind that there's a learning curve.

Who Should Buy a Vacuum Sealer Under $100?

Other than low-priced sealers being throwaway products, you can work around all of the above issues. So once again if you're looking for an entry level sealer or plan on giving it light use, inexpensive sealers can be a great option. If you're not going to use a sealer very much, why spend more than you need to?

But we will say this: If you've never had a vacuum sealer, you're probably going to fall in love with it. It's a truly fantastic kitchen tool that will revolutionize how you think about food (and food waste) in your kitchen. You're probably use it a lot more than you think you will.

The ideal buyer for a vacuum sealer under $100 is going to be:

Entry level user: new to vacuum sealing and testing it out to see if it's something they'll use.
Light use: will only use the vacuum sealer a few times per week, a few seals at a time.
Not interested in bulk freezing projects: these sealers aren't the right choice if your goal is to buy in bulk and do large sealing projects.
A sous vide user: if you're buying for sous vide, an inexpensive sealer is a great choice (much better than using zip top bags).

What Kind of Bags Are Needed?

Getting the right bags is half the battle with edge sealers.

First of all, you need to be sure you're buying edge sealer bags. Bags designed for other types of sealers won't work. You may be tempted to buy chamber sealer bags (because they're a lot cheaper), but they won't work with an edge sealer. Edge sealer bags have ridges on the inside which are necessary to help "push" air out of the bag when sealing:

Most edge sealers also have a Seal-Only function that allows you to seal just about any type of bag if you're not using the vacuum. With the Seal-Only feature you can seal any type of plastic or mylar bag--great for chips and other snack bags.

What you don't need is brand-name bags. Any edge sealer bags will work with any edge sealer. The bags may differ slightly, and you may have to try a few brands to find one you like. But all edge sealer bags will work with all edge sealers.

In other words, if you buy a Geryon vacuum sealer, you don't have to buy Geryon edge sealer bags. You can shop around for the lowest price bags and as long as they're not defective, they should work just fine.

If You're Buying for Sous Vide...

A surprising number of articles and websites imply that you need a special type of "sous vide" sealer to work with sous vide. That's complete nonsense. Any vacuum sealer that can pull air out of a bag and make a tight seal will work for sous vide. So any vacuum sealer is ideal for sous vide, whether it's a $29 hand held or a $2900 commercial chamber sealer.

In other words, buy the sealer you want, based on other criteria, and it will work for sous vide.

About Amazon Reviews

The under $100 vacuum sealers we review here have hundreds or even thousands of positive reviews. This may lead you to believe that they are excellent products. But believe it or not, thousands of positive reviews doesn't automatically mean a product is great.

Why not? One reason is that people write most of these reviews while still in the honeymoon phase with a product. Then, if something goes wrong, they don't update their review.

Another reason for this is people's expectations. A lot of people who write reviews don't have a lot of experience with the product, much less technical expertise. This means that they don't have anything to compare it to, and that they don't fully understand what makes a product good or not so good. In the case of vacuum sealers, both issues come into play.

This doesn't mean these reviews can't be helpful or that these people aren't doing a service to potential buyers. It just means you have to read reviews carefully and try to figure out where people are coming from.

To get the most out of user reviews, you have to do seemingly contradictory things: 1) pay close attention to them, and 2) take them with a grain of salt. Here are a few tips:

Read the negative reviews carefully to get a feel for what people don't like about the product.
Read the positive reviews less carefully, but looking for clues about the person's knowledge, experience, and length of use of the product. Try to find positive reviews from people who've owned and used the product for awhile, as these are the best indicators of a product's real quality.
Ignore negative reviews from people who can't get the sealer to "work." It takes some time and trial and error to get an edge sealer to work. Even "one-touch" sealers usually require some finesse. (More on that below.)
In addition to looking at the average rating, look also at the ratings distribution. (On Amazon, you will find this at the beginning of the user review section.) Products with a 4-star average can have less than 5% 1-star reviews (like the example below), or they can have 20% 1-star reviews (or more!). If a product has, say, more than 10% 1-star reviews, proceed carefully--yes, even if it has a 4-star average rating. This many 1-star ratings can indicate a serious quality issue, and should not be ignored.

User reviews are great (they really are!), but you have to know how to assess them. Positive reviews could mean a product is fabulous, or it could mean people's expectations are low or they lack experience with the product and/or technical expertise. Only by combing through the reviews can you get close to the truth about a product.

For more info, see our article Can You Trust Amazon Reviews?

Troubleshooting: If You Have Problems Sealing

If you read the user reviews, you'll find that a lot of people have trouble making their vacuum sealers work at all. While it's possible that most of them got lemons, it's more likely that they don't have the machine figured out yet.

So we thought we'd include a short section to help you set your expectations.

Edge sealers can be a little touchy. If you don't have everything just so, the sealer might pull a partial seal that doesn't hold, or seal the bag without pulling any vacuum, or it may not seal at all.

You can also expect a small percentage of bag failures: an unfortunate and ugly truth about vacuum sealer bags. And once in awhile, you might a whole box or roll of defective bags. So if you have issues, consider the bags may be at fault, not the sealer.

The learning curve can be frustrating if you have expectations of "automatic" sealing. Once you learn to use the sealer, though, you'll be able to get it to work most of the time. (No sealer works 100% of the time, but with practice, you should be able to make it work most of the time--more than 90%.)

Each sealer is going to be different and you have to read the manual. Having said that, here are a few tips to getting a good seal:

Make sure you have the right kind of bags. You have to use bags specially designed for edge sealers. They have ridges that "push" air out of the bag. Without these ridges, the vacuum pump won't be able to suck all the air out of the bag. There are other types of vacuum bags--such as chamber bags--that are cheaper, but won't work with an edge sealer. Be sure you have edge sealer bags.
There's a right way and a wrong way to insert a bag. This is different for each sealer. Read the manual and experiment until you get it right. (Yes, even for "one-touch" and "automatic" sealers.)
Make sure all the latches are latched, etc. Again--read the manual.
The sealing edge has to be completely dry in order for the sealer to work. Accomplish this by folding the edges over before filling the bag, as shown here:

Review: NutriChef PKVS18 Vacuum Sealer

See the NutriChef PKVS18 Vacuum Sealer on Amazon

Nutrichef makes several vacuum sealer models (see our complete review), and this is one of their biggest sellers. This NutriChef PKVS18 vacuum sealer has several thousand reviews on Amazon and an average rating of 4.2 stars. The product gets a "A" rating on Fakespot.com.

This sealer comes with a good accessory kit: a hose, a wine stopper, plus several bags and a bag roll of small bags--be sure to buy a roll of larger bags, too, because you're going to need them.

Check out NutriChef reviews on Amazon

Specifications

Color: Black or silver

Size: 14’’ x 6’’ x 3’’

Weight: 3 lbs

Power Usage: 120VAC/50-60Hz (standard US outlet)

Power (Strength): 110W

Max bag width: 11-in.

Storage space for bags? No

Accessory Port? Yes

Roll cutter? No

Warranty: 1-year limited.

Included with Starter Kit

1-Accessory Hose

1- Wine stopper

5-8x12 inch bags

1-8x79 inch bag roll.

Recommendation

A great entry level sealer with accessory port and generous starter kit. It's small and lightweight enough for easy storage, and people love it. The only thing it's missing is a bag cutter, but if you don't mind using scissors, this sealer is a great deal.

Buy the NutriChef Vacuum sealer on Amazon now:

Amazon buy button

Review: Nesco VS-02 Vacuum Sealer

See the Nesco VS-02 vacuum sealer on Amazon

Nesco is a reputable American company that's been making quality food service products for a long time. They make a few different vacuum sealers, with the VS-02 being their most popular. As of this writing the Nesco VS-02 has more than 1100 reviews and an average rating of 4 stars. Fakespot.com gives the Nesco VS-02 an A rating (that is, no questionable reviews).

With about 10% of the ratings at 1-star, the sealer is on the bubble for what we recommend. Most 1-star complaints are that the sealer quit working after just a couple of months or just a few seals, followed by unsatisfactory customer service from Nesco.

At this price point, you may want to take that risk. With 79% of reviews in the 4- and 5-star range, only you can decide if the low price is worth giving this sealer a try.

Features:

One-touch sealing that turns off automatically when sealing is complete
Roll storage and bag cutter on unit (VS-02 only, not VS-01)
11.8-inch wide sealing bar (so an 11-inch bag width)
2 speeds for sealing different types of foods (slower speed for moist or soft foods)
Accessory port (hose and accessories sold separately)
Comes with 2 rolls of bags plus 10 bags in 2 sizes
1 year limited warranty.

CHECK OUT NESCO VS-02 REVIEWS ON AMAZON