Avid ArmorChamber Vacuum Sealer Machine USVX Ultra Series 10" Seal Bar for Liquid-Rich Wet Foods, Cooking Sous Vide, Infusions. Compact Size Vacuum Chamber Sealer Black Color Great for the Countertop

The media could not be loaded. I had been wanting to upgrade from my suction sealer for years now, but the price, size, weight, and appearance of chamber sealers had kept me from making the switch. I had considered the smaller unit from Avid Armor for a while, but when the USVX ultra came out, I pulled the trigger. The advantage of the USVX over the smaller Avid Armor unit is that the chamber is larger, to accommodate larger items, and the look was such that I can leave it on the counter permanently without making the space look too industrial. Many people who have visited thought it was a small printer or scanner. I can live with that.Setup was simple, although the first few times I pressed the auto seal button, nothing happened. Since then it has worked flawlessly. It generates a much stronger vacuum than the Foodsaver I have used for years. I can seal a lot of bags at a time and the seal function always works. The Foodsaver would only seal a few and would then need to cool down. I anticipate that foods will last longer in the freezer with the USVX because it creates such a stronger vacuum. My sons have taken a liking to it as well, vacuum packing all manor of things to see what happens. Their favorite is sealing an empty soda can on highest vacuum, to watch it completely crush the can when the vacuum in the chamber is withdrawn.Being able to freeze liquids has been a game changer for me. I like to cook with a sous vide machine, but had to use ziplock bags and the water displacement method for anything with any appreciable amount of liquid in it. For freezing, it's also nice, since I can freeze things in a marinade. The suction type sealers simply don't handle anything moist - by the time you got a vacuum level worth anything, the unit had sucked all moisture out of the bag and into the drip tray. It has been fun to experiment with other things, like compressed fruit as well.The only things I could complain about would be that the black outer casing is plastic and flexible. Doesn't affect the performance or look (and probably cuts down on weight vs. stainless steel). Just when pressing buttons on the control panel, the whole case flexes a little bit. Other than that, the unit seems to vibrate a bit when sealing, which I assume would be less with a steel case, but this, at most, makes it a bit louder. Also, would be nice if Avid Armor sold a filler plate for this model, although I assume there will be one sometime in the future.Overall, I am extremely pleased and wish this model was around years ago. It's a higher price tag for a kitchen gadget, but absolutely worth it.

This vacuum sealer is definitely on the pricier side but if you already have a "more traditional" vacuum sealer you know that sealing up anything that has any sort of liquid in it, it's nearly impossible to keep that from getting sucked in to your vacuum sealer. You can also forget about doing things like chili, etc. unless you freeze it first then seal it up. I really didn't want to turn my food saving into a multi-step process after I've already spent most of a weekend making up meals for next couple of weeks. That is why we invested in this vacuum sealer. This thing works like a champ! It's definitely noisier than some other countertop vacuum sealers but it's not deafening. Your vacuum cleaner is likely far louder than this appliance. This device is a lot larger than other counter top vacuum sealers as well so you will need to plan for counter space. It also on the heavier side so getting in and out of a cabinet may not be something you want to do either. Both of these are small annoyances given the benefit of this appliance. I can make up a couple week's worth of meals and seal them up for the freezer and it doesn't matter what it is. Chili, steaks, mac and cheese, soup (yes, soup), it works like a charm. Avid Armor also designed this device with ease of use and maintenance in mind too. Spilled some food in the vacuum chamber or overfilled your bag and made a mess? No sweat. The chamber is smooth with practically zero crevices for food particles to get into making cleaning it out super easy. The heat element also pops out very easily to both clean it and also clean under it. I imagine that if that element ever burns out, replacing it will be as easy as changing the batteries in your TV's remote control (maybe even easier). I'm super glad we have invested in this appliance. 5 stars all around except on the value because the device is very expensive by comparison BUT the time this is saving us with cooking meals during the week is going to save us money in the end. We are a very, very busy family of four and after working 10-12 hours a day Mom and Dad are not in the mood to spend another hour in the kitchen cooking. Instead of ordering take-out (which has become a habit since the pandemic) we are just heating up food we've cooked ahead of time on the weekend. Given that, we expect this appliance will easily pay for itself in a couple months and we will start saving a lot of money after that. If you have the budget for this and are ordering take-out a lot like we were then I *highly* recommend this. An added bonus, we are no longer filling our trash can with all the packaging that comes with ordering take out either!