Adam holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Linguistics, and creative writing has always been his greatest passion. For more than 25 years he's been working for several well-known automobile and travel magazines as an editor and expert consultant, but when Adam started his writing path here, at WisePick, it turned out that he's capable of writing practically anything about everything.
Initially being an engineering specialist, Tom has never stopped learning and acquiring other knowledge and skills. Now he’s involved in technical support for a well-known household appliances manufacturer, so no wonder he knows everything about almost everything you buy for your home.
Last updated: June 22, 2021
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Let’s imagine you’re left with tons of leftovers after a large family party; even worse, leftover meats. When you use regular storage methods, bacteria metabolize oxygen and break down organic enzymes to leave behind harmful ammonia, amines, sulfides, and acids. Sealers, on the other hand, remove oxygen from storage bags where you save your food, and in removing oxygen – especially from easy-spoil meats – vacuum sealers prohibit bacteria from metabolizing food and reproducing. A vacuum sealer will preserve the life of your food 3–5 times longer, and the best commercial vacuum sealers are especially good at it, as they involve putting your food directly in a chamber for air to be extracted.
In the following review of the best commercial vacuum sealers, we strictly examined each product and its many features. The most important features being: airtight bags and seals (important for minimizing spoil for extended periods), size of the machine (for larger foods in medium to large bags), vacuum power and strength (best for rapid seal time), and the vacuum design itself (essential for extracting all the oxygen from an environment). We also considered each product’s design, warranty, and price, so as to pluck out the cream of the crop.
To make comparison easier for you, we summed up the best features of our favorite products in the table below. Keep reading for in-detail descriptions, facts, pros and cons of top seven vacuum sealers. Each model was chosen based on research not only into the products themselves but also into the general make and usage of commercial vacuum sealers. This research incorporates verified reviews, professional opinions, and comparisons made between different designs and how they operate. Following, we give some advice for purchasing the ideal model in the buying guide and answer frequently asked questions.
"Excellent edge sealer for the price; features a сommercial quality vacuum pump with fan cooled motor and two sealing modes for better control of even delicate jobs."
Our top pick among all commercial vacuum sealers we could find is an edge sealer made from sleek stainless steel with a transparent acrylic lid so you can keep track of the sealing process every time and make sure your bagging goes smoothly.
Built with a fan-cooled motor – so as to eliminate heat damage and allow repetitive use – this HG vacuum sealer with a 5mm Teflon-bar will even seal through moisture.
The seal bar is extra-long 15 inches so that you can seal a variety of small to large bags – especially useful considering those thick winter meats you want to seal and store in the freezer.
Sealing is fast and efficient with the automatic one-touch operation and powerful double piston vacuum pump. And there is an additional manual mode for sealing softer foods, photos, or delicate objects. When you’re done, cleanup is as easy as detaching the power cord and tucking your sealer into a pantry, cupboard, or drawer.
Why did it make our list?
Powerful and fast vacuum pump
Automatic one-touch operation
LED lights indicate progress
Detaching power cord
Manual seal mode
2-year warranty
What is not ideal about it?
Cool-down time between bags
No manual adjustment of vacuum motor
Machine itself can be hard to store in a crowded kitchen
Built with a heavy-duty stainless-steel design, this edge sealer with a 11-inch bar is perfect for your small business or personal kitchen. Using a commercial quality pump and built-in cooling fan, this machine not only vacuum seals all bags, but can easily seal multiple times without overheating.
It’s built with an option to perform manual sealing for better control over delicate food sealing. Besides, this vacuum sealer has some versatile controls as well for other things like marinating food and removing air from canisters besides vacuum sealing. The entire vacuum chamber is easy to use with manual settings both to prevent food from being crushed and to entirely remove all air. This is truly a competitor for all other commercial sealers. Especially taking into account it’s compact dimensions, which allow it to be used anywhere.
This sleek and more modern-looking edge sealer is designed with a dual piston pump and transparent lid, making it easy to check bag placement on the sealer bar before picking your vacuum setting, which will get the job done every time.
The seal bar is 12-inch-wide Teflon, creating a sturdy package seal for small to medium bags. For your convenience, this model is built with a unique and practical digital panel control, allowing you to choose the settings for every bag you compress.
For delicate liquid-foods or even precious keepsakes and photographs, you can easily adjust the vacuum level and seal time. To seal foods quickly (when you’re hurrying to marinate meat or cook sous vide), you can easily increase the power, press ‘accessory’ vacuum, or decrease the regular amount of seal time. This commercial sealer truly lends itself to your needs, whatever they may be.
One of the ways to have your customers coming back time after time is to ensure the food you sell them does not go bad. You do this by sealing their meat and other foodstuffs with a device like the FoodSaver FM5200 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealer.
Doing this will eliminate freezer burn and air that would otherwise cause the food to go bad in a couple of days. One advantage it has over most of the competition is a way to detect levels of moisture in the bag. This way, it can change the mode in accordance with the needs of the moment. Consequently, air-tight seals are guaranteed every time you use the device.
You as well get an easy-view vacuum window. As such, guessing where you need to put the second seal is out of the question since you can see everything. In addition to this, there are LED guide lights that should give you guidance through the sealing process.
Also, with the open-roll storage design, you can easily replace old vacuum seal bag rolls with new ones when they are finished. Additionally, an express bag maker uses a secondary heat sealing bar to reduce the number of steps required to make sealing bags.
It might also be pleasing to know that this tool comes with a few accessories to help get you started.
What stands out?
Comes with an initial batch of vacuum seal bags and a roll to get you started
Open roll storage for easy feeding of new rolls
LED lights are provided to guide you through the sealing process
Features technology that changes the modes of the device according to the level of moisture in the bag
5-year warranty
Offers both edge and handheld sealer functionality
Despite the high price, the LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer with Bag Holder & Cutter is still worth consideration as a top pick.
It can handle 5 hours of continuous sealing, which is one of the reasons buyers are excited about it. Also, aluminum housing offers a bit of protection against accidents in the kitchen.
Additionally, users will have a breeze using this tool since it comes with a 1-hand locking mechanism. An automatic shut-off feature also activates at full vacuum. However, be aware you can turn this off and use the manual option to vacuum and seal your foodstuffs if you want.
Vacuum sealing bag material is also provided with this purchase. Make it a point to purchase an extra roll so that you can continue sealing once the complimentary roll is finished.
Seeing as though this is an electronic device, the inbuilt circuit breaker will likely come in handy. You as well get a cooling fan so that the machine doesn’t overheat as you are using it.
Why are we impressed?
The manufacturer offers a two-year warranty
The tool comes with a roll of bag material
The device can make up to 450 consecutive seals
Comes with an inbuilt circuit breaker for protection
Durable body
A circuit breaker is included in the construction
Wide seal bar
What negatives must you be aware of?
Expensive
The non-removable tray makes the tool a little harder to clean
The NESCO VS-12 Deluxe Vacuum Sealer with Bag Starter Kit and Viewing Lid is another device that is suitable for commercial needs. You will, however, need to stop use after every 100 consecutive seals. This will ensure the tool can continue giving you the service you need.
A highlight most buyers of this vacuum sealer will look forward to using is the 130-watt double vacuum pump. This ensures the extraction of all the air in the bag regardless of the size. That being said, this tool does have a maximum seal bar width of 12”.
Also, you have well-labeled buttons that you can use to activate the various settings and the sealing choices. This gives you complete control over the use of the device and how you seal your food.
You as well get hands free sealing and double line seals with this purchase. The latter ensures your seals are stronger than those provided by other machines. Also, you can create your sealing bags using the bag cutter in the device.
Why is it special?
Offers storage for bag rolls
Easy to control
Relatively inexpensive
The device offers stronger double line seals
The machine comes with a bag cutter
The vacuum pump ensures full extraction of all air from the bag
This chamber sealer is not only relatively small for easy storage in your kitchen, but its rotary oil pump also makes it quieter and even more productive – because oil pumps, unlike dry pumps, don’t require any cool-down time between bags.
Additionally, VP215 can vacuum package liquids and liquid-rich foods, giving each bag a double-seal, which is a much stronger and longer-lasting solution compared to other single-seal machines.
If you’re not storing food and just cooking, this machine is perfect for sealing meats in with a marinade, or even for sous vide cooking a range of products.
The quick-seal chamber allows for manual adjustments in the vacuum time and will fit bags 10 inches wide and 13 inches long, that means if you can naturally fit it, the entire chamber will vacuum it.
If you’ve never used a vacuum sealer before – or only external vacuum sealers – then you might just barely be getting acquainted with commercial sealers. The following advice is provided in this buying guide so that you might better understand what a commercial vacuum sealer is, what it does, and what parameters will help you chose the best device for your business or personal kitchen.
Benefits of using a commercial vacuum sealer
Most personal kitchens now have external vacuum sealers or handheld vacuum sealers, or maybe yours has neither, and that’s even better. The major difference between these common sealers and the commercial machines is that a commercial machine either has a chamber which you put your bags into or a large slot (edge) where you feed the bag into. When your bag is ready to be suctioned and sealed, rather than having to do it yourself and not taking out all the oxygen, the entire chamber (or edge sealer) suctions out the oxygen via a pump. In the process, your bag(s) are vacuumed and sealed, and there are rarely any breaks or leaks.
Handheld sealers risk ripping a bag or not removing all the oxygen, and small rips will shorten the storage life of your food and can cost you exorbitant amounts in purchasing new seal bags all the time. Another perk you see with commercial models that you won’t with others is the quantity of bags you can seal at a time or throughout the day. In restaurant kitchens especially, where steaks (for instance) keep getting ordered, one of the quickest ways to marinate meat is by throwing a steak and marinade all in one seal bag and then vacuum sealing the two together. Another reason to quickly seal packages might be if a stormy season is coming and you’re worried about leaking or flooding in your house.
Features to consider before buying a vacuum sealer
First off, ask yourself if you’re primarily getting a sealer for food storage, cooking purposes, or for storing dry goods. Depending on the use of your vacuum sealer, you might want to consider where it’s going to be stored away (the size of the machine), how often you’ll use it (the life/repairs eventually needed), and how quickly you’ll need each vacuum seal to be done (the power, pump, cool-down time, etcetera). A chef who needs to marinate several stakes quickly should consider a vacuum sealer with a larger chamber and no cool-down time such as VacMaster VP215. Additionally, edge sealers have an excellent sealing bar for pulling a marinade into your meat; consider the Weston 65-0501-W.
Someone with simple needs and a lower amount of storing should get an affordable, easy-to-store, easy-to-use option, like NESCO VS-12.
The features which you need are what you should focus on as you’re buying a vacuum sealer because there are many different features for each machine on the market. Many of the following features are listed and explained below to help your decision along.
Type and pump
There are different types of commercial sealers, and depending on your needs you should know about each type and how it’s going to work.
Full-chamber vacuum sealers are the type in which you take your seal bag (with freshly picked vegetables in it) and place them inside an entire chamber with a closing lid. Most of these have very straightforward buttons and settings, allowing you to custom-choose the time or amount of suction applied to each bag. For your vegetables (in this example) you might want to lower the amount of time that the chamber vacuums out oxygen – or some machines even have a ‘pulse’ option which slowly takes out most of the oxygen but adds a little back in – thereby not crushing your moist veggies into a fine paste. A great example of a deep chamber sealer above is VacMaster VP215 which will not only fit larger bags, but runs on an oil-pump rather than a piston-pump (more on this below).
Edge sealers have a side bar on them with a handle that almost looks like the beginning of a chamber. However, all the edging bar is clamping down on the edge of your bag – which you feed into the bar, and then a pump inside your machine (often a dual piston pump) will remove the oxygen with the remainder of the bag there on your table. Usually, this process takes 20 seconds or less with a high-quality vacuum sealer; one such example is Weston Pro-2300 which seals a bag very tight and does one of the best jobs pulling a marinade through the muscle fiber of steak or chicken or whatever meat you’re fixing.
Different pumps will also change the specifics of your vacuum sealer. While an oil pump is quieter and requires very little cool-down time, it will need the oil changed quite frequently. Dual piston pumps, on the other hand, are great at fully suctioning a bag, but often require cool-down time between each bag unless they have a built-in fan.
Acceptable bags (Seal bar width/chamber size)
The size of your machine will directly correspond with the size of bags you can use, because although some vacuum sealers can hook to a hose, not all of them can. If you’re trying to marinate an entire chicken, you’re going to need both a bag that will fit the chicken – around a 2-gallon bag, or 15 by 18 inches. Next, you’ll need a commercial vacuum sealer, which either has a big enough chamber for your bag and bird, or a long enough sealing bar. For instance, the only above sealer which is big enough for a whole chicken is Weston Pro-2300.
However, for steaks, any 12- to 10-inch bag should provide more than enough space for both meat and marinade. Additionally, this would be plenty of room for vegetables, fruits, bread, etc. One of the best vacuum sealers which also has a long enough seal bar is LEM Products 1253 MaxVac 500 Vacuum Sealer with Bag Holder & Cutter. For bags filled primarily with liquids (soups or stews) you’ll either have to freeze your foods and then vacuum pack them or need a commercial vacuum chamber.
Vacuum strength
Put most simply, the stronger your vacuum, the quicker your bag will seal and the stronger your foods will be suctioned together. This can actually be a good or a bad thing depending on what you need, although most machines offer settings to control or limit vacuum strength. If you’re trying to preserve mostly moisture-based fruits (like strawberries) a powerful vacuum risks pulverizing your produce. One of the best options on this list with a comprehensive digital panel control is VacMaster PRO350 which will allow you to limit or increase your vacuum strength. Keep in mind that most vacuums run off a dual-piston engine, and so require some cool down after each bag, that is unless the model is equipped with a built-in cooling fan like Weston Pro-2300.
Ease of use and safety
The easiest-to-use commercial vacuum sealer on our list is NESCO VS-12, which is a very self-explanatory device that can be immediately put to use upon delivery. It’s simple and safe – sealer will not burn you and turn off after each use, though does require some cooling. Other devices are a little more complicated but offer enough options to make sure you get the right vacuum and seal every time.
With edge sealers, be aware that heat is applied to the bag within the pressed-down sealer bar. Therefore, don’t touch the inside flat surface immediately after sealing or during sealing. Other precautions to consider are when buying machines that also come with bag cutters – make sure these sealers have the capability to store the bag cutters. Additionally, the safest options for edge bar sealers are bars which lock down over the bag, totally preventing burn.
Warranty
Finally, consider the warranty which comes along with your commercial sealer. You’re probably going to want time to test your sealer and make sure it works consistently. Also, make sure your vacuum sealer is suitable for the task at hand. For large purchases, you definitely want this security, especially with VacMaster VP215 which is a highly expensive full-chamber vacuum sealer. A year’s warranty or longer should be your buying limit, and nothing under a year.
If you’re purchasing your unit for a restaurant and think you’ll need multiple devices, first purchase one vacuum sealer and test it. Finally, when you do buy multiple machines for your kitchen, make sure you opt-in for the warranty.
Unfortunately, this question might depend on your budget and your preference. None of the edge sealers can vacuum seal bags with tons of liquid in them (like soups), because you risk liquid being vacuumed into the machine and ruining it. However, you can freeze liquids and then safely vacuum-pack them. On this list, the only device which will safely vacuum seal non-frozen liquids is VacMaster VP215 because it is a chamber style vacuum sealer.
Based on our research, common consumer needs for private kitchens and restaurants, the reviews and the faculties of each model, here are the top commercial vacuum sealer picks.
Weston Pro-2300 – Because of its excellent motor, vacuum, and sealing bar which works with the largest number of bag sizes, this is one of the best options on our list. Additionally, it comes at a low price compared to other vacuum sealers which offer less functionality.
Weston 65-0501-W – Not only does this machine have a sleek modern design which looks great in any kitchen, but it’s easy to use and provides multiple settings for optimal vacuuming of produce. On top of that, this model comes with the option for manual control and built-in cooling fan.
VacMaster PRO350– This is one of the best commercial vacuum sealers which is great for a regular personal kitchen. It is designed with a dual piston pump and transparent lid, making it easy to check bag placement on the sealer bar before picking your vacuum setting. This sealer works with all manufacture seal bags.
