There are really three basic types: internal, "chamber" sealers (like Ultravac or vac master), external, "clamp" type sealers (like most FoodSaver models), and portable, typical handheld, retractable nozzle types (in which you often attach a handheld suction pump to a vacuum suction port on a special bag).
Chamber sealers are the "yoders" (I.e., Cadillacs, pinnacle,...) of the sealers and are used by restaurants, butchers and packaging companies but are typically too costly for most homes. Chamber sealers allow you to place the entire bag with food in it inside the sealer's chamber. A vacuum is drawn inside the entire chamber and the bag sealed while the chamber is under vacuum. Because the bag is inside the chamber, it's contents are not sucked out like they are in external clamp type systems, making them far more versatile than other types, because you can do wet foods like soups and marinated foods without the sealing process removing the liquids from the bag to achieve a vacuum. They also typically have much stronger piston style vacuum pumps and can draw much stronger, often user controlled vacuum strength pressures. They typically run well over $1,000 and are heavy and take up a good amount of counter space. Bags are not ridged and are relatively inexpensive.
With external clamp type sealers, you typically just insert the edge of a special channeled bag into the mouth of the sealer to seal it. If you want to draw a vacuum on it, it sucks as much air out as it can through the ridges in the bags but it ends up drawing liquids out of your bag too--not just air. These work fine for meat and fish and cheese, particularly when dry, but are difficult to use for wet items like soups and marinated proteins. The vacuum pump motors on most of these types of units are inferior to their chamber sealer big brothers and you will not be able to fully remove all the air from most of what you're sealing (though it's good enough for many applications). Additionally, the bags are costly.
I'm not going to spend time on the portable nozzle types.
To answer your question, there's what I want and what I have...I could not justify the 10x price difference between the Ultravac chamber sealer I want and the FoodSaver GameSaver model I have ( my 2nd FoodSaver.). I got the GameSaver because I got a great deal on it and it's vacuum sealing strength rating was superior to some of the more expensive FoodSaver units. None of the FoodSaver products work great on wet and marinated foods in my view so I really want a chamber sealer for both quality and functional reasons. For now, the GameSaver allows me to buy wholesale cuts of meat and cut them into useable home portions and freeze them safely without burning until we're ready to use them later. It's good for smoked items like leftover brisket or pulled pork and also works fine for cold smoked items like salmon and cheese. I have found that both FoodSaver sealers I've had do an "ok" job of removing air from the bags but not great. Definitely not commercial quality, but again they work ok for many of the things I do--they're just not as good as I'd like.
There are tons of these clamp type sealers out there and they can be tough to compare. If you can compare the strength of the vacuum they can pull and the bag sizes they can handle, these are the two most important features in my view. I personally find most of the other features to be gimmicks. Don't be fooled by "wet" sealing features on FoodSaver models. They still draw liquids out of the bags. After the bag sizes and pump strength, it's really cost and warranty.
Cabelas supposedly has some nice units but I have no direct experience with them. I got a good deal on my GameSaver by calling FoodSaver directly. I got it for much cheaper than I could have online or at Costco by going direct so it's worth a call.
Hope that helps a bit. You can definitely do some online research to learn more.
Good luck and let us know what you decide to buy.
Link to Ecobag
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Vacuum Bag Supplier.
I own one of each type: a) VacMaster VP112 chamber vac/sealer, and b) VacMaster PRO305 suction vac/sealer. I use both, but I use the chamber vac most often. Why? It can handle liquids, and the bags are about 10% the cost of suction bags. I do a lot of sous vide cooking, and chamber vacs are much better suited to the kinds of things I like to eat.
Downsides of a chamber vac:
1) They're SLOW.
2) They're BIG.
3) They're EXPENSIVE. (to begin with)
If I'm doing a high-volume bag job, I go with the suction vac if it works with the contents. Much quicker. The only downside to the quickness is that I've burned through a few bags sealing them because the sealing element stays hot (a quick wipe-down with a damp cloth works great, IF you can get to the sealing element (like you can on the PRO305)).
That said, the PRO305 is in a cabinet and the VP112 is on my kitchen counter next to my Sous Vide Supreme.
If you can afford the list price of the VP112 ($699), you won't regret it. The PRO305 lists at $299, a heck of a lot more than a FoodSaver, but built and works like a tank. Awesome piece of kit.
One comment on the newer FoodSavers (models starting with a '3' or a '4') have have the auto-sensing feature...
It does work, but you need to pay careful attention to the orientation of the bag when you insert it (the bag must curl down, not up, and then sometimes you still need to play with it). I gave my FoodSaver to a friend when I bough the VacMaster.
One comment on bag cost...
Suction bags cost in the neighborhood of $0.20 each, where the chamber bags are a much more reasonable $0.02 to $0.03 each. If you do a lot of bagging like I do, you'll start recovering the cost of a chamber vac very quickly.
One final comment on the VP112...
One nice little extra feature is the inclusion of a suction port. I kept the suction gizmo you can get from FoodSaver for sucking the resealable zip bags. Works GREAT with the VP112. I use it mostly for resealing bacon.
If your requirements for bagging are light, you'll probably find it very difficult to justify the cost of either VacMaster. But...they are real, heavy-duty tools. Can't say the same for the FoodSavers of the world.
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Yoder YS640 (currently pooping BBQr's Delight pellets)With a LONG history of a variety of woodworking projects spanning 50 years it seems that I now have a need for a vacuum bag press to do some veneering. My last project with clamps and cauls was a disaster. Can someone please suggest a fairly modest starter list of equipment to use? I will need a bag that is around 48" in the longest dimension.
Thanks.
Here's a reliable source for parts if you want to put together your own system https://www.veneersupplies.com/categ..._Press__Parts/. For a complete system https://www.vacupress.com/. I have two Gast rotary vane pumps bought from Ebay for <$150 each - one is over 30 years old and still working well. You can get a venturi device that generates vacuum from compressed air but it will use a lot of power.
A vinyl bag will work well, polyurethane is more flexible and longer-lasting. If you get serious about veneer a frame press is far easier to use than a bag. Vacuum is also very useful for obstruction free clamping of workpieces for routing, reverse turning bowls and the like. Have fun.
Thanks for the reply Kevin. I was aware of the venturi option but didn't know if it required the compressor to run constantly in order to keep the required amount of vacuum. If so, the noise from the compressor will be a factor. I see that Harbor Freight has a 2.5CFM vacuum pump and wondered if it would be suitable for the infrequent use I will probably give it.
I make my own bags from 25 mil clear vinyl that I first bought from McMaster Carr and got the last time at my local boat cover fabricator. The first bag is 5' x 8' and is now more than 25 years old and has been used at least 100 times. Vinyl glues great with PVC pipe cement. I fabricated the hose penetration on the first bag but you can buy them from Joe Woodworker, too. Closure requires nothing more than rolling the open end of the bag around a wooden bar a couple of times; it seals to itself well enough to maintain a good vacuum.
I have two Gast pumps but I think the HF one you mentioned will work just fine. An air conditioning vacuum pump would work well, too, although it would be slow to evacuate the air initially. And I don't have a fancy control system; I just set the pump to cycle on/off using a cheap timer. In any case, I definitely would go with a vacuum pump and not a venturi system - much quieter and much lower energy cost.
John
Careful with the Harbor Freight unit. Tried one once, and discovered why you need to pay attention to how the pump is lubed. It was oil = room full of an oil haze before I realized what was going on.
Stick with Joe Woodworker/Veneer supplies if you want to dip your toe in on a budget, and little details like that are already dialed out of the equation. They care about you succeeding.
Just don't waste your money on Polyurethane bags. Highly over-priced and over-rated, and certainly not necessary if you're just getting started. Vinyl will last years longer, due to lower sensitivity to UV rays and oxidation. IME, the durability claims for polyurethane are complete hogwash.
You don't need massive CFM for vacuum bagging. Once the air is starting to be sucked out of the bag, atmospheric pressure, outside the bag is doing a lot to help get the rest out. If you have a bagging system with minimal, if any leaks, the pump is not having to work hard to counter these, that's why a small pump works just fine, even with a large bag.
Doing a veneer on a piece 2' x 3', my bag will be under full pressure in less than 30 seconds of the pump starting.
I have a Gast pump and a HVac pump, the Gast was about $80 from eBay and the HVAC from Amazon, but that one has oil that will leak a little and needs to be topped up periodically.
I prefer the Gast pump, it's almost silent in operation.