VacMaster PRO350 Suction Vacuum Sealer

This is a heavy, and seemingly well constructed piece of equipment. I only just received it, replacing a FoodSaver that I'd had for several years, but had used only lightly and off-and-on. The VacMaster PRO350 is a much more "serious" machine and I'm very happy with the purchase. I also have a VacMaster chamber vacuum in shipping/storage, but I'm on a one-year job assignment and won't see my chamber vac for about a year. I was in the middle of starting a long sous vide cook when my FoodSaver died, and I can't imagine not cooking sous vide until I'm reunited with my chamber vac. I compared the Weston 2300 and I also looked at the VacMaster PRO380. It seems the PRO380 is identical except for the wider (16") seal bar. I don't need something so big, thus my choice of the PRO350. The Weston had more and better reviews - it seems like a great choice. However, I had good luck with my VacMaster chamber vacuum, so customer/brand loyalty figured into my decision. I have also read that Ary has great customer service and facilitates repairs remotely. Although I've never needed to contact them, I'm encouraged that they may help me troubleshoot and fix any future problems remotely because I spend much of my time overseas. The pump on the PRO350 pulls to 27.5 Hg, which is at the high end of what I saw in suction machines (I believe the Weston is rated at 28 Hg, but that seems like a negligible difference). It has three presets for vacuum strength, or you can set the Hg level manually. You can also do a manual seal at any point during the vacuum process. The seal time defaults to 2.5 seconds, but you can adjust that if needed (2.5 sec works fine in my experience). It has a big, 5mm seal that even sealed through a bit of moisture when I was sealing some beef brisket the other night. It has an accessory port and comes with a hose, which is nice for sealing canisters and marinating. To summarize: Pros Quality build - this feels very well built and I'm optimistic I'll get several years of heavy use out of it. Strength - about as strong a pump as you can get. Customer service - I haven't needed Ary's customer service, but haven't seen many gripes and have read many accolades. Customizable - vacuum strength, seal time, manual seal...just about anything you might want to change, you can. Cons It's heavy (I believe around 17 lbs, but double check if that's important to you) It's big (although not much bigger than my FoodSaver; it doesn't seem excessive, it just needs to be big to do its job) It's arguably a bit expensive. However, if you want a vacuum sealer, I think this should be your bottom-end price consideration. If your budget doesn't support this, and you are cooking sous vide (my main application), then use Ziplock bags and the water displacement method; I've had good luck with that. All-in-all, I think this is a great product at a fair price. I'm very pleased with it and highly recommend it.

After using this for a year, it is finally time for a review. I'm glad that I picked this unit because it produces an excellent vacuum, and has some flexibility in the vacuum pressure and heat bar time settings. This permits you to make some adjustments based on what you are sealing and the required melt time for a bag. In addition it has the other basic features: start button for auto vacuum and seal, seal button, accessories button, will hold a complete roll of bag material. I use the unit for sous vide cooking, vacuum sealing meat for the freezer, coffee beans in mason jars, and wine bottles. I use the Food Saver mason jar sealer and wine stoppers. They are compatible and work great. I can't speak to the longer term durability under heavy use. My use can be considered to be daily, but light duty. So all in all , I'm very happy with the unit. A last recommendation is to always use good quality material for the bags. I tried a couple of the cheaper options on Amazon and didn't like the quality and sent them back. I use the VacMaster rolls which are always reliable. I buy them direct from VacMaster around the holidays when they have some specials on the pricing which makes up for the shipping cost.

The sealer works great for sealing dry good and canning jars however it has been discontinued along with the maintenance kits needed to keep it working. I would only buy another Vacmaster sealer if I could also purchase several maintenance kits at the same time.

I read through the negative reviews and am amazed at how vague the issues were. Read the instructions as it is very concise about procedure and timing. Once that is understood, it's as smooth an operation for a vacuum sealer as I've ever had the pleasure of owning and using. We have had steak and chicken, purchased on sale, up to two years after they were sealed and frozen. No flavor or taste issues whatsoever. No freezer burn. No ice crystals. It works so well for the long haul that we purchased a separate freezer so as to take advantage of all the sales. It uses every brand of bag rolls which makes Amazon an ideal source for inexpensive replacement bags.

Well…I was unhappy at first with the purchase, but being stubborn I gave it my all: I make my own sausage and soup and usually shrink up a couple hundred bags a year so I use my Vac Shrink units a lot and usually wear out the pumps in a year or so. After I received this unit my first thought was it was heavy and bulky compared to the food saver units I have had in the past. Upon experimenting with the unit by shrinking bags with non food items, the seals would burn thru on the bags. I tried food saver bags, weston bags, zip lock bags and the bags that came with the unit all with the same results. I noticed that the seal time was preset to 3 seconds, so I set the seal time at 1.5 seconds and tried again. I left the pressure setting still at 27.5 and proceeded to experiment again with non food items. Walla…….perfect seal…perfect vac pressure…..it works well with all bag manufactures bags, yes it is heavy…..yes it is bulky…yes it makes some noise….but the damn thing seals perfect. I suggest experimenting with non food items to get the settings right for a good vac and seal. Yes on some manufactures bags you have to hold down the the lid to get it started, but I can live with that….Please before you get frustrated with this unit….experiment with it……Good Purchase…..

I have used foodsavers and an avid armor sealer. None lasted very long (a few months to a year). The vacmaster pro 350 appears to be more sturdy. It has a strong vacuum and the sealer works very well. Too early to say anything definite about longevity but so far so good. Having a clear view of the edge of the bag when sealing is a real plus. The bag cutter is also nice.

This is a great sealer, if you don't mind doing a little extra. It isn"t a fully automatic machine like a foodsaver. This machine has several manual features that make it a much more versatile sealer. The seal is much wider, the vacuum is much stronger, and the storage tray will hold bulk rolls of bag material. My biggest problem with my previous foodsaver was long wait between seals, that isn't a problem anymore. I don"t have any issues myself, but some people may not like the large size. I must put it away between uses, so it's not always readily available.

i expected this model to be more than the previous one thats discontinued. its made in china. the outlook overall looked quite "pro". wasn't expecting much at this price range vacuum sealer but this one is really average. it seals very well. has the capacity to hold a 50' roll of vacuum packing roll. but does not fully suck out the air even at max. i tried contacting VacMaster and they did not even bother to reply. i will keep trying. other than that . its like a glorified sealing machine sans the vacuuming function.

Carries on working great even after packaging 35 packages of homemade bacon. The pulse feature is great for resealing bags of chips etc. that a regular vacuum sealer would simply crush. Chip bags can be sealed in their original bag. We do a lot of sealing and this unit is the bomb. UPDATE JAN 31/2019 After 4 years machine is still running strong and a money making addition to our kitchen. Bravo.

Arrived on time as promised. Fantastic machine. Three friends have seen it and 2 will probably buy one. Heavy, sturdy construction, easy to use and performs as advertised. Nice wide seal and very little wasted bag when sealing. Can't say enough good things about it.

I would have given this product a great 5 STAR rating except that a few days before the warranty ran out it didn’t work. No vacuum (suction) and the Sealer bar is overheating. I called for warranty and have been told it sounds like the circuit board is damaged, but they don’t have them in stock. I am now getting the run around about the warranty which has now run out. After paying such a high price for a good vacuum sealer, then have it break in less than a year is extremely disappointing. NO I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT ANYMORE

Love it great machine

Very pleased! Have not had the chance to use it alot but has worked great so far!