Excellent review. Still using a FoodSaver but have been researching chamber vacuums and it looks like Avid Armor hits a sweet spot on quality, size, and price point for home users. Thanks for your videos!
when I seal pulled pork, i put the foil pan in the fridge over night, then vac chamber (divide it up into approx 1lb. each bag). it helps the pork firm up in its own fat. works out great. then just toss a bag of it into hot water to reheat from the freezer.
Great sealer, I purchased the same rebranded here in the UK, I find to get a tight vacuum you have to set the vacuum time to 60 seconds plus. Bags here 250x300mm x 1000 90mu 6p.each.
Nice review. I'm in the UK and I have the exact same chamber vac badged under the Sous Vide Tools name. Bought mine around 4 months ago and very happy with mine, Watching this I realised I hadn't been placing the bag correctly on the sealer so thats been a real help. I haven't noticed an issue with my lid but I'll keep an eye out.
I’ve had my USV32 for about a week now, and the first time I used it on a pound of ground beef, I didn’t notice that it wasn’t pulling a vacuum until about 10 seconds into the operation. When I pushed down on the lid, it then began the vacuum. I ended up cutting that one open and starting from scratch. Had I thought about it in time, I could have just pressed the “Cancel” button and started over then. But not devastating, and I learned something...won’t make that mistake again. Mine works flawlessly. And I love the smaller footprint, because 99.9 percent of the foods we vacuum easily fit this unit...plus it doesn’t weigh a ton like the VacMaster models. When I opened the lid for the first time, I noticed the metal and plastic plug had come off, and was just sitting in the chamber. Not sure how that happened, because the sealing bar was in place. Quality control needs some attention? I know it ships out of Kansas, but I thought I read or heard somewhere that this model is manufactured in Kansas, so that made me happy to buy American (sick and tired of Chinese products), but when I took it out of the box, on the back it says, “Made in China.” Seriously?!? Hope it continues to perform well. Great video!!
my chamber sealer...if you take the back off, the rubber tubing rests against a sharp edge of metal. I taped some cardboard to protect the vacuum tubing from the metal edge
great video-- just bought one and am learning how to use it. it has worked well on solids but when i recently tried some roasted tomatoes (room temp, 3 inch head space), the juice misted out into the chamber so i cancelled the attempt & froze the bag into a sold before retrying... since the tomato mist probably got into the motor (?), do you know of any way to clean the motor or is it possible to run some solvent thru the chamber to clean it (like alcohol)?
Thank you for the useful video. One was just delivered to me today and it was good to see how to position the bag in the chamber (not in the instructions that came with my machine - it’s the identical model but here in the UK it’s branded SousVide iv300 or something like that.) Hands across the ocean - again!
It does fine with liquids. YOu just have to shorten the vacuum time a bit. The low pressure created by the vacuum actually causes liquids to boil at room temp :)
Looks like a nice, inexpensive vacuum sealer. However, does this unit draw as much of a vacuum as the DZ260-C did? That maintenance free pump doesn't seem like it's as quick and powerful. Thanks for the review!
I"m not sure and I don't have a way to compare how much vacuum is being drawn. I have another sealer coming soon that is an oil pump also.. more on that later...
@@ManCaveMeals I look forward to seeing your review on that one. I saw another video uploaded where someone's DZ260 fried up the sealing strip, and a few wires. It's beyond repair according to that video. Your Avid Armor has the same power that my VacMaster VP120 did, which removes roughly 27" of mercury. I now have a Hamilton Beach HVC254, and it is an NSF rated and pricey unit, but I am very happy with it. The Hamilton Beach will remove 29.5" of mercury in less than 37 seconds. It can compact hamburgers much better than I can by hand!
The $399 model didn't exist when I bought mine. I am not sure what the differences are in the two. I have since moved to the JVR Industries Vac100. There is a review on that sealer here also.
Good review. I'm still not sure why I got the black cushion in the box. It says it's to help take up space in the well, but there is nothing about it in the manual. Did you get that also? We have had a chamber vac from Polyscience for 5 years. We paid $1000 for it. Our sealing bar needs to be replaced and we can NOT get anyone to send us a new one. We finally gave up on it and bought this Avid Armor. I like that the replacement parts are included and can be ordered via their website.
Did you need to press on the lid in order to make the vac process to work? I saw their amazon review video, the pressure on the lid is not needed. Also did you also hear the popping sound from the front of the machine in the vac process?
Great video, as usual, John. Bags for my Foodsaver unit are available from a myriad of sites, each with different pricing. Have you found a site that you like the best for pouches for your AVID?
Great review.. I'm doing a little research on food saviers and come across these chamber sealing machines. I think it might be better to spend a little extra for one of these.
I watched both your reviews do you notice when using these the Chinese unit pulls vacuum a lot faster and more vacuum? Oh and those Chinese units are now $520
Have you contacted Avid Armor about having to press down on the lid of the USV20 to create a seal? I've watched other videos and didn't see people having to push down on the lid.
It's doing fine... its been one of my two go-to thermometers since I did that video... I am using it and the Javelin fairly exclusively just to see how long they perform well.
Can this machine be used to package clothing for shipping? I don't want to suck the life out of the clothes but the air out of the bag to reduce the shipping size.
Yes it could as long as what you want to package can fit in a bag that this machine can handle. 10x12" bags are about as large as you could go with this.
I haven't tried it on this one yet but I have done it on the previous unit. It's hard to tell if it is a real improvement in the process or not because marinades do not penetrate the meat much. This system might allow some added penetration because of the ultra low pressure. I don't know how that might affect the overall process.
They do very well.. you just back the vacuum time down a little. This machine can't suck liquid out of the bag if you have the bag set in the chamber properly.
Food on Fire i have never seen any textured bags for chamber sealers. I use the standard 3 mil bags but there are 4 mil bags available if heavier bags are needed. I dont mess much with sous vide so i cant speak much to that effort.
Hi I am currently looking seriously to buy a chamber vacuum sealer. But I am concerned on the “bag”. Since, I am going to do it a lot. Which brand can be used with the reasonable-priced bags, reusable bags or even mason jars, cans, etc?
@@aestheticallyesme10151 You need to use bags that are designated for use in chamber sealers. These are the ones I buy - smile.amazon.com/Vacuum-Chamber-Pouches-10-1000-Approved/dp/B07SFJNT9T/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=chamber+sealer+bags&qid=1599587163&sr=8-4 and I buy those in different sizes that I need.
@@ManCaveMeals Ah, I have the Happy Buy one and I'm guessing I have sealed about 400 bags so far on the original tape. I'm betting the thing was out of calibration.
So what? Do you know of any that are made in the US? I wish I could buy everything made in the US but you 'made in china' people are really annoying. If you don't wanna buy something then please don't buy it. IF you want something that is not made domestically then what do YOU do? I guess YOU would do without. Go piss in someone else's cornflakes.
Excellent review. Still using a FoodSaver but have been researching chamber vacuums and it looks like Avid Armor hits a sweet spot on quality, size, and price point for home users. Thanks for your videos!
when I seal pulled pork, i put the foil pan in the fridge over night, then vac chamber (divide it up into approx 1lb. each bag). it helps the pork firm up in its own fat. works out great. then just toss a bag of it into hot water to reheat from the freezer.
Great sealer, I purchased the same rebranded here in the UK, I find to get a tight vacuum you have to set the vacuum time to 60 seconds plus. Bags here 250x300mm x 1000 90mu 6p.each.
Great demo! Just ordered one of these machines. I’ve worn out 4 foodsaver machines through the years. This will be our first chamber machine.
Nice review. I'm in the UK and I have the exact same chamber vac badged under the Sous Vide Tools name. Bought mine around 4 months ago and very happy with mine, Watching this I realised I hadn't been placing the bag correctly on the sealer so thats been a real help. I haven't noticed an issue with my lid but I'll keep an eye out.
I’ve had my USV32 for about a week now, and the first time I used it on a pound of ground beef, I didn’t notice that it wasn’t pulling a vacuum until about 10 seconds into the operation. When I pushed down on the lid, it then began the vacuum. I ended up cutting that one open and starting from scratch. Had I thought about it in time, I could have just pressed the “Cancel” button and started over then. But not devastating, and I learned something...won’t make that mistake again. Mine works flawlessly. And I love the smaller footprint, because 99.9 percent of the foods we vacuum easily fit this unit...plus it doesn’t weigh a ton like the VacMaster models. When I opened the lid for the first time, I noticed the metal and plastic plug had come off, and was just sitting in the chamber. Not sure how that happened, because the sealing bar was in place. Quality control needs some attention?
I know it ships out of Kansas, but I thought I read or heard somewhere that this model is manufactured in Kansas, so that made me happy to buy American (sick and tired of Chinese products), but when I took it out of the box, on the back it says, “Made in China.” Seriously?!? Hope it continues to perform well. Great video!!
Have had mine 1.5 years now.. Love it
my chamber sealer...if you take the back off, the rubber tubing rests against a sharp edge of metal. I taped some cardboard to protect the vacuum tubing from the metal edge
I love my Avid Armor Chamber and Channel sealers! Great video John!
great video-- just bought one and am learning how to use it. it has worked well on solids but when i recently tried some roasted tomatoes (room temp, 3 inch head space), the juice misted out into the chamber so i cancelled the attempt & froze the bag into a sold before retrying... since the tomato mist probably got into the motor (?), do you know of any way to clean the motor or is it possible to run some solvent thru the chamber to clean it (like alcohol)?
Thank you for the useful video. One was just delivered to me today and it was good to see how to position the bag in the chamber (not in the instructions that came with my machine - it’s the identical model but here in the UK it’s branded SousVide iv300 or something like that.) Hands across the ocean - again!
Very nice work. Thank you for this review. The pace and content were perfect. I have loved to see a liquid (soup) demonstration but that’s nitpicking.
It does fine with liquids. YOu just have to shorten the vacuum time a bit. The low pressure created by the vacuum actually causes liquids to boil at room temp :)
Looks like a nice, inexpensive vacuum sealer. However, does this unit draw as much of a vacuum as the DZ260-C did? That maintenance free pump doesn't seem like it's as quick and powerful. Thanks for the review!
I"m not sure and I don't have a way to compare how much vacuum is being drawn. I have another sealer coming soon that is an oil pump also.. more on that later...
@@ManCaveMeals I look forward to seeing your review on that one. I saw another video uploaded where someone's DZ260 fried up the sealing strip, and a few wires. It's beyond repair according to that video. Your Avid Armor has the same power that my VacMaster VP120 did, which removes roughly 27" of mercury. I now have a Hamilton Beach HVC254, and it is an NSF rated and pricey unit, but I am very happy with it. The Hamilton Beach will remove 29.5" of mercury in less than 37 seconds. It can compact hamburgers much better than I can by hand!
Just ordered one. Can't wait to get it.
You are gonna enjoy it!
There is a $399 Avid Armor Chamber sealer. Is it simply size or is there something else that you purchased the $599 model? Thanks!
The $399 model didn't exist when I bought mine. I am not sure what the differences are in the two. I have since moved to the JVR Industries Vac100. There is a review on that sealer here also.
pushing down on lid to start vacuum is normal. it's just the mechanics of how vacuum works. also, when you buy bags...get the thicker (mil) bags.
Thank you in particular for the explanation of the tabs. Strangely not included in the instructions.
Good review. I'm still not sure why I got the black cushion in the box. It says it's to help take up space in the well, but there is nothing about it in the manual. Did you get that also? We have had a chamber vac from Polyscience for 5 years. We paid $1000 for it. Our sealing bar needs to be replaced and we can NOT get anyone to send us a new one. We finally gave up on it and bought this Avid Armor. I like that the replacement parts are included and can be ordered via their website.
yup- it's to take up space and require less vacuum...
Did you need to press on the lid in order to make the vac process to work? I saw their amazon review video, the pressure on the lid is not needed. Also did you also hear the popping sound from the front of the machine in the vac process?
Great review - very useful. Thanks!
best review I've seen on this device thanks
Thanks for your video. Have you heard about error E2?
Great video, as usual, John. Bags for my Foodsaver unit are available from a myriad of sites, each with different pricing. Have you found a site that you like the best for pouches for your AVID?
vacuumsealersunlimited.com/product-category/commercial-chamber-vacuum-sealer-bags-pouches/
It's where I buy my bags from.
Why did the man seal the tape measure?..... To see how long the seal would last.
Great review.. I'm doing a little research on food saviers and come across these chamber sealing machines. I think it might be better to spend a little extra for one of these.
Thanks for watching... I have been quite happy with this one. I have sealed several hundred bags with it already and had no issues.
whats the max height of item you can seal
Hi, have you ever used mylar bags? I wonder if they will work too?
Never tried it
I watched both your reviews do you notice when using these the Chinese unit pulls vacuum a lot faster and more vacuum? Oh and those Chinese units are now $520
I don't notice it much and don't have any way to measure it.
John is the USV32 still going strong any complaints .
It was still going strong before I upgraded to a different unit.
@@ManCaveMeals What did you upgrade to?
@@czwest7845 I am using the JVR Industries Vac100. I love it.
Have you contacted Avid Armor about having to press down on the lid of the USV20 to create a seal? I've watched other videos and didn't see people having to push down on the lid.
I did not. I didn't consider it to be a real issue.
You could have bought a Vacmaster VP for what you spent on two cheaper chamber sealers.
The reason you may have to hold down on the cover longer is that these have small pumps.
This makes my FoodSaver seem inadequate. How is the Thermopro TP19 thermometer doing?
It's doing fine... its been one of my two go-to thermometers since I did that video... I am using it and the Javelin fairly exclusively just to see how long they perform well.
Man Cave Meals Thanks. Looking forward to a follow-up should you choose to do one.
Can this machine be used to package clothing for shipping? I don't want to suck the life out of the clothes but the air out of the bag to reduce the shipping size.
Yes it could as long as what you want to package can fit in a bag that this machine can handle. 10x12" bags are about as large as you could go with this.
thats just... beautiful.
I'm interested in the speed marinating feature. Does that work for you? Might be a cool video.
I haven't tried it on this one yet but I have done it on the previous unit. It's hard to tell if it is a real improvement in the process or not because marinades do not penetrate the meat much. This system might allow some added penetration because of the ultra low pressure. I don't know how that might affect the overall process.
@@ManCaveMeals Perhaps if meats were previously injected, it might pull the marinade throw the fibers better??
How to soups, stews and other very high liquid foods do in it?
They do very well.. you just back the vacuum time down a little. This machine can't suck liquid out of the bag if you have the bag set in the chamber properly.
Where is the Avid Armor manufactured?
Good demo. How puncture resistant are the bags you used vs the textured ones that come with typical suction sealers?
I dunno. I have never had a puncture from either.
@@ManCaveMeals It happens some times with meat that has sharp bones, especially when cooking such meat in a long sous vide session.
Food on Fire i have never seen any textured bags for chamber sealers. I use the standard 3 mil bags but there are 4 mil bags available if heavier bags are needed. I dont mess much with sous vide so i cant speak much to that effort.
@@ManCaveMeals I have a boat load of textured bags ....will they work??
@@stevewynn2517 You will just have to give it a try and see. I do not know.
Hi I am currently looking seriously to buy a chamber vacuum sealer. But I am concerned on the “bag”. Since, I am going to do it a lot. Which brand can be used with the reasonable-priced bags, reusable bags or even mason jars, cans, etc?
I don't htink you can use jars on this particular model. It doesn't have that capability. Any bag will work with it though.
Man Cave Meals thanks for your reply. What do you mean "any bags"? Does it mean any "vacuum seal" brands will do, or any ordinary plastic bags?
@@aestheticallyesme10151 You need to use bags that are designated for use in chamber sealers. These are the ones I buy - smile.amazon.com/Vacuum-Chamber-Pouches-10-1000-Approved/dp/B07SFJNT9T/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=chamber+sealer+bags&qid=1599587163&sr=8-4
and I buy those in different sizes that I need.
Sold!!!😃
thank you for your informative inforamtion.
What was the issue with the Chinese one?
I am constantly having to replace the teflon tape on the sealer bar.
@@ManCaveMeals Ah, I have the Happy Buy one and I'm guessing I have sealed about 400 bags so far on the original tape. I'm betting the thing was out of calibration.
Fantastic review!
Great machine, thanks for the info
Excellent review ...ordered one earlier this morning
Excellent? Let me know how you like it when you get it. I have been pushing mine pretty hard and it's working great.
Got mine about a year and a half ago. My lid would need to be held down to start it. Now don't need to .
Hi, mine for some reason is forcing air into the bag and it looks like it'll explode, any idea why?
Are you sealing hot food? Stuff needs to be room temp or cooler to seal in a chamber sealer...
@@ManCaveMeals Hey, no, just trying to marinate some tofu, cold marinade. I've got the same model as you.
@@cf1315 I'm not sure why that might be happening. Does it do it every time?
great video. Do you know where they are made? would like one that seals cans too. Great price
Hong Kong
That's made in China too!
Surprised? I don't think anyone makes these in the US
Made in China 🇨🇳
So what? Do you know of any that are made in the US? I wish I could buy everything made in the US but you 'made in china' people are really annoying. If you don't wanna buy something then please don't buy it. IF you want something that is not made domestically then what do YOU do? I guess YOU would do without. Go piss in someone else's cornflakes.
Get what you pay for..Cheap. 👎 good...
What do you find wrong with this chamber sealer?
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Nothing wrong with the Avid Armor sealers.