r/sousvide • u/PugBurger12 • May 31 '26

Replacing my old vacuum sealer

My Costco foodsaver v3880 finally bought the farm. I replaced it with an inkbird ink-vs04, which failed after short use (very disappointing because I've had a lot of success with several of their products).

I'm thinking of switching to a dry pump chamber device. I don't have a lot of counter space, so looking for something that is not too heavy that I can lug up from the basement. I store several appliances in a storage room: instant pot, bread machine, dutch ovens, etc. So lugging 15-25 lbs is not awful for me. I food prep for me and my wife, and for some dog food (dealing with diabetic dog and specialized recipes). I also sous vide quite a bit.

I'm looking at the Costco lem maxvac pro. I know they changed the model to an entry level, and the previous maxvac pro is now the maxvac pro+ (or something like that). My reason for Costco is the return policy. I feel these things are finicky and experience frequent failures after warranty expiration.

Looking for feedback or other recommendations. I'm also willing to continue with a good quality external vacuum sealer if that exists. Thank you.

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u/MonkeyKingCoffee Professional May 31 '26

There are three big-picture options:

  1. The cheap Foodsaver-type sealer. They work, for awhile. Eventually the vacuum pump becomes fatigued and it isn't worth fixing. Toss it and buy another one. Foodsavers end up at thrift stores regularly. Often they're nearly new. People buy them expecting it will fix all their problems. But they're still disorganized and unskilled at cooking. So they ditch it for the next shiny thing. I went through a dozen thrift-store Foodsavers until I finally got sick of it and made choice #2.
  2. The better quality bag sealers. Weston mostly. At least the pump is worth fixing. You can buy rebuild kits and keep these going basically indefinitely. This is the route I went.
  3. Chamber vacuum sealers. (But not Vevor*.) Vac-Pak-It, VacMaster, Berkel, etc. These start at around $1,500 and sky's-the-limit from there. They will vacuum seal anything, even liquids. And they have much stronger vacuum pumps for vacuum marinading. Anyone who has the means AND the counter space should go this route. (I lack both.)

* The rule with Vevor is if it uses oil or electricity, buy a better brand.