I have already done the FoodSaver/Tilia experience and will not buy those products again.  Please, let us skip the commentary on those non-serviceable hunks of junk.  Currently, I am looking at the Cabela’s CG-15, or either the Weston Pro 2300 or 2100.  I believe they are made by the same manufacturer, and are very similar.  The 2300 and 2100 only differ in that the 2300 is stainless and the 2100 is appliance white.  At one time all units were serviced by the same company Pragotrade/Weston Supply.  I believe Cabela’s now provides parts support for their own model.  The commonly replaced items though, like heating element and seals are the same, and can be purchased from either source.

If you have any first hand experience with these or any other low end, “commercial grade” units, please chime in.  I am only interested in units for which all service parts are available.

ETA
Changed the subject field to better represent the thread.

perfect timing...i just bought a chinese chamber vacuum sealer for the same reasons your looking. sick of the low end units burning up from juices or fluids getting into the pump.
i got my chamber for $750 whick is a steal compared to sim units. i like the fact that you can buy better bags for 1/3 of the price as well as retort bags (just ordered some today) which i will use to can with.
i looked at the cabela's unit but it still has all the short coming of that style machine....textured bags and no liquids. i can now bag my french onion soup and freeze it or retort it and make my own mre's.

Chamber units are definitely another step up.  The initial cost is daunting, though.  Still, maybe I should consider them.  What make & model did you get?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110535924885&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

S&H is listed as ~$250, bringing the total price up to $1k.  I am turned off by the lack of specs, operating manual, and info on service parts.  I will not rule it out, though.  Have you actually used it yet?  I cannot find any long term feedback on it.

Have done a little more research on vacuum chamber packers in general.  Want to think this through a bit as they represent a decent investment.  The three chamber units I have been looking at most closely are all made by ARY, Inc. for their VacMaster line.

VP112 - ~$670

VP210 - ~$1040

VP215 - ~$1290

The VP112 is essentially the budget introduction to chamber types.  The VP210 is the cheapest, truly commercial style chamber unit.  The VP215 appears to be the same as the VP210, except it has a rotary oil pump as opposed to the dry rocker piston pumps found in the lower units.  Supposedly the rotary oil pumps will last as much as 5x as long and cycle ~2x as fast.  I want to get some quotes for service parts, specifically the pump on the VP112, heating elements, and gaskets.  I would also like to understand how long these differnet pumps could be expected to last.

oh yea i've used it. it is very heavy that's why the shipping. it will come in a crate and be shipped common carrier. no ups here. i was lucky and picked it up in person so i paid $750 out the door.
inside it is very simple parts that can be bought here in the usa from graingers or the like. the only part i would sweat is the pc board, but that is with anything electronic. it gives a nice wide seal, has two sealing bars and will pull a complete vac in 20 seconds. sealing has a time, cooling and 4 temp setting which will depend on your type of bags and thickness. i'm waiting on the new bags to come in but i have been playing with it using the standard textured bags from my old unit. very cool watching water boil. i plan on doing soups, stews etc so it is perfect for this. it is all stainless steel and has a serious vacuum pump (oil). it also comes with a spare parts kit and a one year warranty.

i think how long they last are how often you use it. a butcher shop i get my kalbasa from uses theirs (different brand) all day long. i'll use mine rarely.

Well, except for bags and possibly some common service parts, my search is done.  I just bought a new VP210 through eBay with a Buy it Now bid for $750 shipped: new unit but damage box.  If there are no surprises, this will be a smoking deal.  Rotary oil pump would have been nice, but like I said, the price was too good.

We usually harvest and process deer through end of December.  I plan on providing a review after we are done processing.

Assuming this deal is legit, it is still quite a bit of money.  I am subscribing to the “cry once, buy once” theory on this purchase.  In addition, my father has up to this point supplied all the processing equipment and most supplies, and it is about time someone else contributed.  If we cannot get at least 10 seasons of trouble-free use out of this without significant service cost, I will be disappointed.

I am not certain what pouches I am going to order.  Initial thought is to get a smaller quantity of 10”W x 13” pouches for items like roasts and a larger quantity of 8”W x 12” pouches for most other stuff.  Still not certain what mil.  4 mil is probably the minimum I will consider, but 5 mil would be nice; just  more expensive.

That looks like a great unit and I would love to own it but the cost is well, too much. I wonder if a rental place would have one that I could rent for a weekend and vaccum seal everything or when I process an animal.

I just called my local rental place and they do not have them. They also said in 18 years he has never had a request for one.

Oh, well.

put an ad on craigslist. maybe offer some meat for use of it. i would do a deal like that.

Well, it arrived as described.  Packaging had been damaged as explained in the auction details, but machine was pristine and appeared unused.

So far, I have only packaged ~20lbs of pork loins and 10lbs of turkey brats.  There is a short learning curve.  I am very happy so far with my purchase.  This machine is a beast compared to those FoodSavers and etc.  The lid is 3/4” thick plexi-glass or Lexan.  Body and vacuum chamber pan are stainless steel.  The pan is 1/8” thick; very impressive.  I checked out the innards, and am very impressed.  Quality in construction and materials appears excellent.  It is clearly designed with service in mind, as you would expect with commercial-grade equipment.  I like terminal blocks and industrial relays. I intend to write a more in-depth review after deer season.  I have high hopes.

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: it can.  I believe the FoodSaver I had utilized a vacuum switch and energized the seal element once a non-adjustable vacuum setpoint was reached.  This VacMaster operates differently.  It evacuates air from the chamber until the adjustable time setpoint is reached.  So far I have used the default setpoint of 35s, and it is definitely pulling higher vacuum than my FoodSaver.  With the FoodSaver, I always had to work the air bubbles out of the bag while it was pulling a vacuum.  Obviously, that is not even an option with a chamber sealer.  It also is not necessary.  Since the pouch is in an evacuated chamber, air bubbles work themselves out much better because of the higher vacuum.  In addition, since the pouch is in an evacuated chamber, higher pressure in the bag (air bubbles) act to open the bag mouth and equalize pressure.  With the external sealers like FoodSavers, the pressure differential created acts to compress the bag mouth and inhibit pressure equalization between the bag and small, internal vacuum chamber.

eta
My FoodSaver used a tiny little motor and puny pump.  The motor and pump in the VacMaster are huge by comparison.

How can a vacuum be more than 14.7#/sq 1"?

If all the air is gone, its gone, its not like there is a negative vacuum in a plastic bag.

What am I missing????

We are talking in relative terms; sort of jargon.  “Higher vacuum” = closer to perfect vacuum.

I have used and burned up a old foodsaver (I still use a new model for 99 percent of my chores). I have also been a partner on a 5K commercial unit and used that in AK processing fish and game. I have found no difference on the vacuum between the two. I have found a difference on sealing ability and continuous use of each though. You pay for the volume and continuous use for the larger machines, not the ability to pull "more" of a vacuum.

I guess I've always missed what you guys are seeing between the two.

you are wrong. in a perfect vac which would be 30" pull, the closer you get to it the longer the food will last. oil less units just don't pull as much as oil pumps. if it doesn't matter to you it may to others. i have aguage on my old foodsaver and it would pull 27" my new unit pulls 29". you may not see the difference in the pull but it is there and that is important for the long haul.

Quick Update

We have now packaged 8 – deer with this vacuum sealer.  We encountered only one problem, which I initially attributed to operator error.  We had some occurrences where the heat elements failed to energize.  We determined that the seal bar was not making good electrical contact with the piston electrodes.  I explained what we had found to a customer service rep and he shipped out a new bar at no cost.  We processed 7 – deer on the new bar without a single problem, so I think the issue is resolved.  So far, this machine has been large enough to package all cuts, including neck roasts.  We use 10”x13” bags for those.  There have been no very large bucks processed yet, though.  I am not certain how much larger a roast could be sealed.

Another short term update on the ARY Vacmaster 210.

Since the seal bar replacement after the first deer processing, we have had 0 problems.  The machine has been used to package 10 whitetails plus other miscellaneous foods.  AFAIK, there have been 0 package failures with the 4mil pouches we use.  Will update periodically to prevent archiving for a while.