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We get many calls from both home users and small commercial users asking "what's the best vacuum machine for my needs?" That question is sometimes hard to answer! We now have a variety of machines starting as low as $110 that can meet a wide variety of vacuum packing requirements. We get asked every day what the differences are with the various types of machines we carry. We've set up this page so you can find out more about the three basic types of vacuum machines and what works best for different applications. You may find other sites call these type of machines by different names. What they are called makes little difference. It's how they work and what type of pouch they use that does make a difference.
- External Clamp (Pouch) - These machines clamp the open end of the pouch shut while the air is being evacuated. Because the pouch is clamped shut, this type of external clamp machine must use special pouches to pull the air out of the bag. We go more into the different types of pouches below. All of these machines that we carry have an external vacuum port that lets you vacuum other items such as containers and canning jars. This type vacuum machine works well for most home users and small businesses that don't require a lot of packages. Machines of this type that we carry are Best Vac, Fast Vac and Mini 2010. Some of the other makes that can be of this type are Foodsaver®, MagicVac® and VacMaster®.
- External Clamp (Snorkel) - Also called Retractable Nozzle Machines. This type of machine also clamp the open end of the pouch shut while the air is being evacuated. They differ from the first type in that they have a retractable snorkel (tube) that pulls the air out of the pouch. This tube eliminates the need for a special pouch. More about pouches can be found below. Machines of this type that we carry are Sinbo, AmeriVacS and AV-MVS Validatable Machines.
- Chamber - These are the work horses of the food packaging industry! They are simply a stainless steel box (chamber) with a seal bar(s) to seal the pouch. The air is pulled from the entire chamber during the vacuum process, the bag is sealed and then the air is let back in the chamber. Most chamber machines can be set up to gas flush. Because the entire pouch is in a vacuum, chamber machines use standard "flat" vacuum pouches and they work great for vacuuming liquid and/or product that has a lot of liquid in it. The Minipack MVS series of machines all have a slanted liquid tray available to help you package liquids. We carry a couple of brands of chamber machines which can be found on the following pages: Table Tops Chamber Machines, Floor Model Single Chamber Machines, Double Chamber Machines and Clean Room Compatible Machines.
- Vacuum for Gusseted Bags - Coffee Bag Sealer - The WVT-455T features top & bottom sealing which enables it to make a good, air tight seal through the toughest material. You can use a gusseted bag (one that folds at the top to make a three dimensional bag. This type of bag is typically used for vacuum packing coffee. You can also use our micro-layered bags with the WVT-455T.
The SINBO is an external clamp, snorkel type machine; the BEST VAC, FAST VAC and MINI 2010 are external clamp, pouch machines; the MVS-31 and MVS-45 are both chamber machines. We also have larger chamber machines and larger retractable snorkel machines. The retractable snorkel and the chamber machines use the common (less expensive) flat vacuum pouches. The external clamp machines must use a special bag with micro-layered-film® that is more expensive. Chamber machines have oil filled rotary vane vacuum pumps that pull a tighter vacuum than the others.
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