SousVideTools iVide Chamber Vacuum Sealer | Sous Vide Sealer and Food Preservation System | Suitable for Dry, Moist, and Wet Foods | 300mm Sealing Compartment | Dry Rocker Piston Pump

Good product but no instructions and sealer bags don’t work all the time

This is a really good machine for the home chef. How does it compare with anything you may have used in a pro kitchen? - Tech specs are few and far between for vacuum machines so it is very hard to compare before you buy...1) It works wellI have been able to seal solids and liquids in both normal (cheap) bags and the old super thick rolls of my previous basic vac machine (the kind that doesn't handle liquids). I have yet to try the marinating function.2) It works slowlyOn a pro machine you would expect 20 seconds for fragile items and 30 seconds for full vac. This is 50 and 90 seconds respectively. Make sure you have something else to do if doing a batch!3) It seals but doesn't cutThe bags are sealed but not cut to size like in pro machines. I will experiment with longer sealing durations to see if if this does the trick. Standard sealing time is 5 seconds.You can also seal from a roll but, bizarrely, the machine goes in Vac mode for about 15 seconds before sealing. In this respect it is slower/less accurate than my old machine.4) Handling bags can be a bit fiddlyBecause of the lower suction power compared to a pro machine, it needs to ensure that the bag is slightly open to extract all the air. To do this you have to place it in a specific way on the sealing bar which can be a bit fiddly. Not a big deal but bear in mind.In conclusion: you get what you pay for and this is very good value for money. It accommodates large bag sizes, comes with a spare sealing gasket and a spare sealing bar, and is the first proper home vac machine. It just requires a bit more patience that your pro machine.

I bought my first Sousvide Tools chamber vacuum sealer in 2012 and used it constantly to portion bulk buys of meat, cheese, fish etc for the freezer, reseal foods kept in the fridge, vacuum pack the results of batch cooking sessions of curries, ragu, stews and soups. I also bought a rather bulky Sous Vide water bath and had great fun pretending to be on Master Chef - and actually producing some stunning meals.When we moved to our current house four years ago the very heavy and bulky chamber sealer had to live in the garage and, consequently, it didn't get used as much and I bought a little portable sealer to keep in the kitchen, which was absolutely fine for dry foods, not so good for juicy steaks.So I decided to look at chamber sealers again and was surprised to find that the successor to my old model is the iVide, which is much smaller externally and, amazingly, less than half the price that I paid for the original in 2012! It arrived today and I'm absolutely thrilled with it. It's a beautifully constructed machine - sleek stainless steel and tempered glass, and the footprint isn't much bigger than a standard scanner/printer. The controls are easy to use and the 30cm sealing bar is big enough for most domestic needs.I'm really looking forward to using it and already planning cooking a large beef joint that's been in the freezer for ages, slicing it and portioning it up for beef sandwiches, and getting back to some sous vide cooking - I fancy belly pork.

A simple question from the user manual to there support department resulted in an unbelievable answer and still has not been answered. No problem with the product it does all I want but I don't like being given an unbelievable answer.

After a few trials and error, I and finally got it right. Loving the vacuum chamber now. It has been put to good use for sous vide and Lacto fermentation.Great for liquids.

After years of using a foodsaver to add extra life to purchased supermarket food, I took the plunge and bought a chamber vacuum sealer. Oh I so wish that I had bought this year's ago.Firstly, it's more compact than I thought it would be. I love the control of vacuum (no more squashed. , ruined food).I love the fact that I can use liquid in a bag with no worry of it rising out and spoiling the seal. I love that I can get my shopping delivered, portion it into manageable amounts and freeze it. Sous vide will be easier than ever now. The pickle and marinade in a bowl is genius. My small foodsaver containers fit in so yet another bonus .It's not too noisyIt's quicker than I thought.The added extra gasket and seal is a big plus.Bags are cheaper than embossed ones.Ability to buy bulk packs of food and then split them and freeze them is economical.Once food is vacced, it can be smoothed straight as in the minced beef. This saves space in the freezer.Within ten minutes of putting on the worktop, I was prepping my shopping. I've labelled it too so that I know exactly when froze.It is expensive but on the other hand, it's extremely useful and will pay for itself in cheaper bags, more important for me is zero food waste.

This is a must if you pack a lot of food for the freezer. It is so much better than the ordinary cheaper machines which vacuum through the seal bars wi th special pouches.I can vacuum pack with any poly bag as long as it fits in the length and breadth of the machine, and it pulls the best vacuum ever.The marinate button which just vacuums for 99 seconds is amazing at speed marinading meat, almost worth buying just for that.Quality product with spare sealing strip and gasket for when it’s needed.Yes it’s expensive but not for what it is.I would buy again. (But I don’t think I will ever have to)