Avid Armor Chamber Vacuum Sealer Model USV32 Ultra Series, Perfect for Liquid-Rich Foods including Fresh Meats, Marinades, Soups, Sauces and More. by Vacuum Packaging the Professional Way

I have waited a while to write this review, wanting to test the machine thoroughly. Having done so, I come down to assigning a five star rating. I have used this machine for packing for the freezer, for pouching liquid, and for sealing up dry goods. It has performed well in all applications. It presents two very important advantages, its weight and its price point. It would be false to say this unit is lightweight. At the same time, it is not so heavy that it can’t be called portable. Even my wife can pick it up and move it around, and that’s an important qualification. The lowest VacMaster model, for example, weighs more than three times as much and is only portable in the sense it can be put on a cart and moved in that way. Other capable and reliable chamber machinescost about a thousand dollars, at the bottom of the scale. At six hundred dollars, this machine gets quite adequate performance per dollar. Is it perhaps not best suited to the home butcher who is bringing home five deer every hunting season and is perhaps packing his buddies’ kills as well, and may be packing feral hogs, too. For such users, a thousand dollars is a worthwhile investment in a heavier, sturdier machine. For someone like me, who is merely buying his ground beef in bulk from Sam’s, vacuum packing homemade chorizo from an occasional pork shoulder, and cooking sous vide every month or so, this machine works, works well, and is much more economical. There’s no need to buy a trip hammer to crack a walnut. A very handy feature of this machine is the marinade cycle, which enables you to get an hour’s worth of marinating done in two minutes. I have one caution to offer, which applies to all chamber vacuum machines, without exception. Don’t, for Heaven’s sake, try to vacuum seal a liquid that is not right out of the refrigerator. Even very cold liquids will “boil” as the pressure is reduced. This will stay within reasonable bounds if the liquid is cold. If it’s not, you will have a nasty mess on your hands. The one reservation I have is with the owner’s manual, which says that when the seal button is pressed to abort the vacuum and seal the pouch, the vacuuming will stop “immediately.” In fact, it doesn’t stop for 13-15 seconds. As the manufacturer explains in answer to a question asked on this site, the sealing bar depends on a certain drop in pressure to raise it into position to seal. Not wanting to run the vacuum cycle merely to seal a pouch, I decided to invest forty bucks in a sealing bar which seals quickly, easily, and securely. I think it’s the better way, particularly if you use, instead of pre-made pouches, rolls of pouch material. If you do a lot of sealng, that’s how to make the price per pouch descend to the point of being dirt cheap. However, if you are doing that much, this may not be the machine to do it with. It’s a great appliance, but not for a high rate of production. The owner’s manual also says to hold the cover down until the vacuum takes hold. I’ve never found that necessary. It pulls a vacuum perfectly every time. Highly recommended.

Esperé algunos meses para poder hacer una reseña basada en el uso y ahora puedo decir con toda claridad que es el mejor electrodoméstico en el que he invertido. Tener una cámara de vacío tan práctica cómo está me ha permitido ahorrar mucho dinero y tiempo ya que puedo cocinar, empacar porciones más pequeñas y conservar en refrigerador o congelador e irlo usando con base en mis requerimiento. El envío y atención al cliente de esta empresa es de primera.

I absolutely love this machine. Works as expected for everything I have used it for. I do like the effect on marinating that it does. Wish I had bought it years ago. A lot faster than using my other machine which required to be held shut the entire time. Start the machine and go fill the next bag. 😍

For freezing and storing food, to prepping for my sous vide, to marinating meats, I use this machine multiple times every day. Absolute gamechanger! Airtight seals every time! The ability to do liquids is also awesome. Way more efficient than my old vacuum sealer. Night and day difference between what was in my freezer with the old sealer compared to what is going in now. If I buy a large bag of fruit or veggies, I repackage them into usable size portions and they aren't turning into blocks of ice or a freezer burnt mess. Our food is too expensive to waste so its important to me to store it the best way possible.

After using a FoodSaver for years, I debated for a long time about whether spending more on a chamber sealer like this would be wise investment. If you cook a lot - it's one of the absolute best investments you can make. As mentioned, I started my foray into vacuum sealing with a pretty basic model foodsaver. It did what it's advertised to do, but the bags were expensive, the quality of the seal and strength of the vacuum varied a lot based on multiple factors, and due to the effort involved - it spent more time in my pantry than being used. Enter the chamber vacuum sealer. Now I can not only buy super cheap pre-made plastic bags in various sizes, I can seal soups, chicken stock, and other items that would have been impossible with the FoodSaver style of sealers. (You really need a chamber-style-sealer to effectively seal foods with any modest amount of liquid) Chamber-style sealers do a far better job of removing the air - once you try it you'll understand what I mean. This thing has *MORE* than paid for itself in food savings. I can buy things like ground beef in bulk, portion it out into bags, freeze it, and I never have to worry about it getting freezer burnt. Gone are the days of opening the fridge to find mold on cheese - I have a block of cheddar I sealed months ago that's every bit as good today as the day I bought it. One area that I never thought of before buying this is how it helps with leftovers. Seal them up in a vacuum bag and they'll last in the fridge for months instead of days. And if you do sous vide, this device is the perfect complement. (Typically I'll reheat leftovers by putting them in a sous vide bath at 155 - preserves flavor and texture) I keep this on my countertop right next to the fridge - and hardly a day goes by that I don't use it multiple times. The only things that get used more in my kitchen are the stove and the fridge. The build quality is solid - I've never had to do any maintenance (other than simply cleaning) and have never had any issues with it. Yes: this is a big investment....but it's one that will save you a lot of money in the long run. If you're at all on the fence like I was - trust me when I say - for serious/passionate cooks - this is a must-have. You'll use it a lot more than you think. Pros: Build quality, excellent vacuum, ease of use, super cheap bags, Cons: Initial price, a little more counter space than a foodsaver