The Best Vacuum Sealers

The simple, intuitive control panel; stellar performance; and moderate price of this midsize model made it ideal for most home cooks. The “gentle” setting and pulse mode both worked well when vacuum-sealing fragile foods like strawberries. The handle locked the lid firmly into place with a reassuring click. A digital screen that tracked the machine’s progress and built-in storage for a plastic roll were handy bonuses. Although the seal bar and gaskets are fairly high off the counter, two little tabs help keep the plastic bag in place while sealing.

This model has a relatively moderate footprint and reliably kept all sorts of dry and wet foods perfectly sealed over time. It has a separate “wet” mode that let us seal foods with liquid especially well. It’s easy to open and close, and the lid handle securely clicks shut when not in use. There’s a built-in plastic roll storage that we liked. And the bag cutter earned the model extra points, as it helped us customize the size of the bag and seal produce more easily. Our only quibble is that the zip-style bag cutter felt flimsy and sometimes jammed while we cut bags.

We loved the slim, compact design and sleek user interface on this vacuum sealer. When vacuum-sealing delicate or crunchy foods, we manually controlled the sealing process instead of letting the machine run automatically. A dial on the side of the machine moves the lid's latches through three positions—open, store, and operate—and required no physical force. We loved that the dial was clearly labeled and very easy to use. It didn't have a countdown screen like the two top scorers but was otherwise very easy to use. A removable tray inside the gaskets makes for easy cleaning.

This powerful chamber vacuum sealer did a fantastic job of sealing everything from fragile cereal and pretzels to dense chicken legs and steaks. It can even vacuum-seal liquids and be used to infuse and quick-pickle foods. We liked its simple, streamlined display and controls, which include automatic and manual settings and options to adjust both vacuum and seal strength. (You’ll want to use a lower vacuum strength to seal those fragile items.) The downsides? It’s expensive, heavy, and big. And its capacity is quite limited. The sealer’s actual chamber is surprisingly little—about two inches high at its tallest—and oddly shaped, with a large slope eating up otherwise usable space. As a result, it can only be used for sealing or infusing smaller foods, or foods that can easily lie flat in the narrow chamber; you won’t be able to seal large roasts or sides of salmon. Still, if you seal lots of liquids, liquid-heavy foods, or small batches of food and like the added versatility that this chamber sealer affords, this could be a great option.

This lightweight vacuum sealer did a good job achieving a tight seal and reliably kept all wet and dry foods in airtight conditions for months. It offers some customization, as we used the “extended” button to suck out additional air. It also has a hose port that allows external accessories (available for separate purchase) to be attached to vacuum seal canisters. But it’s a bit noisy in use and bulky in size, which makes it harder to store in the cabinet. It also required some extra effort to open and close the lid.

One of the lightest, most compact model in our lineup kept pace with other models in our vacuum-sealing and food storage tests. But we didn’t like that we had to press hard on the lid to close it. Especially given its small size, we worried that the required force would break it. For about the same price, you can purchase a slightly sturdier model that closes more gently. We learned that by pressing the “cancel” button we could stop the automatic vacuuming cycle, which was a helpful trick when sealing fragile foods like berries.

Small and compact, this sealer is ideal for people who prioritize space needs. It’s a basic model that lacks the bells and whistles some of the more advanced models have, but it kept dry goods tightly sealed over the course of a few months. However, it didn’t have as much strength as the more highly rated models. It also didn’t fare well when sealing wet foods, resulting in some leakage.

The heaviest, bulkiest, and most expensive model in our lineup performed well, but we didn’t get anything extra for all that heft and money. Vacuum-sealing wasn’t any easier, faster, or more efficient than with less expensive and more compact models. The special Teflon tape over the seal bar became wrinkled after just a few uses, which could interfere with the seal. There was no gentle setting. When sealing fragile or delicate items, we pressed “manual seal” when we judged that enough air had been removed.

It took a lot of trial and error to use this machine successfully. A dial on its side appeared to refer to labeled buttons but actually had no relation to them. We had to twist it, press down hard on the lid, and twist it again to release the latch. Doing so created cracking, popping sounds that always made us worry that we were damaging the machine. Indicator lights dimmed too soon, so we were never sure what settings we had selected. Its gentle setting pulled out only a tiny amount of air, so we recommend manually interrupting the regular vacuum setting instead.

If you like tinkering with vacuum strength and seal times to find the optimal settings for your favorite foods, this heavy-duty machine might be for you. Most of our testers didn't need that level of customizations—especially because it came at a premium price and footprint. But it was relatively easy to use and performed as well as our overall winner. It has built-in storage for a plastic roll and an integrated plastic cutter. The lid closed gently, which we liked, but it had to be held in place for the first few seconds of operation. It was also a little trickier to keep the bag in place because the platform was high and there were no tabs to keep the bag in place.

The buttons and indicator lights were clearly labeled and easy to use, and it did a fine job of vacuum-sealing food. Unfortunately, handling was an issue. We had to press the lid very firmly to close it. First-time users couldn't figure it out and, once they understood what to do, they were surprised by the amount of force required to close the lid. Pressing the release buttons on the side of the machine opened the lid with a disturbingly sharp crunching noise. The gentle setting was a bit too gentle; it barely removed any air and we recommend using manual mode when sealing fragile items.