Avid Armor Chamber Vacuum Sealer Machine USV20 Ultra Series for Wet Foods, Meat Vacuum Packing Machine, Compact with 11.5-Inch Vaccum Sealer Bar

I hemmed and hawed for months not wanting to shell out a bunch more money on another vac sealer after having my foodsaver and a previous brand both break down on me. This brand is certainly not the cheapest but, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND THEN SOME.This thing could not be easier to use, right out of the box it’s ready to go and you don’t even need instructions. No more pre cutting bags, no more failed seals bc there’s a spec of water on your food, no more subpar vacuum seals that still leave some air in the bag no matter how many times you run the machine. This thing works PERFECTLY the first time and every time I have used It so far.I can’t even explain how not comparable this thing is to the other cheaper brands, not only is It easier to use and less fussy, but the actual vac seal It puts around your food is professional grade, there is not a molecule of air in the pouch. Your food will now lay completely flat in the freezer of fridge which is a total game changer in terms of space utilization, and you don’t need to worry for one second about freezer burn (which still happened to some of my food with the cheaper vac seal brands).This product is definitely quite a bit heavier and bigger than other brands but to me that’s only bc it’s infinitely better built and more sturdy, thing is a tank. For me I just store It in a closet near my kitchen and bring It out when necessary, it’s heavy but definitely not to the level that anyone would have difficulty carrying It once in a while. If you have the counter space for It I think it’s a pretty sleek looking machine tho.Another thing I was worried about was how long It took to achieve the vac and seal. Ideally I would not have to wait over a minute every time I wanted to seal an item. Fingers crossed, to this point I have never had to change the setting past the minimum time of 20 seconds for vac and 4 for seal, that has gotten the job done every time for me. It’s just as quick as other machines in my experience and does a way better job.All and all if you enjoy vacuum sealing your food and are on the fence about shelling out the cash or going with a cheaper brand, I would take this product 10/10 times. Using this product is a thoroughly superior experience to any other brand I have tried and I could not imagine ever going back. Once you use this thing you will not regret spending a few hundred extra bucks.

This is a very good sealer. After receiving it on time I have used it to seal 80lbs of breakfast sausage,and 40lbs of chicken wings to date no issues with so even I have had 2 food savers in the past 7 years and both have failed me. this sealer has out preformed them many times over I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for preserving your food

Great back up for my commercial chamber vac machine. I can do smaller jobs without getting the big machine out.

Incredible and I don’t know how I was able to keep things fresh without it.

First off, let me get this off my chest, I think Amazon should not do business or Outright BAN the use of any company that offers bribes for good reviews. Usually some companies will offer accessories or cheap gifts for blatant 5 star reviews, with that said, I took a star off for Avid Armor's 'Bribe' included in the packaging for writing a review w/pictures in exchange for another year of warranty coverage. I believe your product will speak for itself, if it's good, reviews will reflect that, if it's a dog, reviews will reflect that also, When companies offer 'Extras' for reviews, all that does is taint the review process and makes ANY Good review that much more questionable, Avid, You seem to have a Great Product and seem to be a Great company, If you want to offer a 2 year warranty, then offer it, but STOP encouraging positive reviews with bribes, I detest when companies resort to cheap tactics to sell their products, From everything I see and read, Avid should be above that cheap snake oil sales tactic.OK, On to the review, I bought this for several reasons not really knowing much about Avid Armor, I just assumed they were another Chinese company selling on Amazon, Was I wrong, they are based in the USA and make a quality product by all accounts, I just bought mine, so longevity remains to be seen, but my understanding is this USV20 model was released in 2019, it's now 2021 so if it was junk, I'd like to believe the reviews both here and YouTube would reflect that.It IS on the small side, So if you are upgrading from a Foodsaver type machine and as in my case only have 2 people in the household, then this is perfect, although keep the Foodsaver for larger items like roasts/hams etc. The Chamber on this USV20 has a maximum depth of 3" so don't expect to be sealing large bulky items. The size though makes it perfect for the Countertop and will serve probably 95% of the home owners needs, hence why you should hang onto the old Foodsaver for the other 5%I haven't found much I don't like, although this is my first Chamber Vacuum sealer, so I'm no expert on what to have and not have for features. For me, the small size was a plus although it's bigger brother the USV32 was tempting, I went with this smaller unit solely for it's ability to seal outside the unit, allowing Mason jars and other Vacuum canisters to be used thus expanding it's range of capabilities to a different level, that's something the larger UVS32 can't do.As for Bulk and weight, Think small toaster oven, the unit weighs around 17 pounds and is easily picked up by the integrated handles and moved wherever needed, another plus for Avid.I found with the Old Foodsaver that long term storage for dry goods like Rice was not good in Foodsaver bags, eventually the seal starts to leak (ask me how I know) Yet, with the Avid on the other hand it has a Dual Seal and gives commercial grade packaging that should last until the item is used. I suppose I should mention the Bag cost, cause everyone else seems too, Bags are way cheaper than Channel Vacuum type bags as used in sealers like the Foodsaver, plus there are multiple sources online for bags in bulk where you can buy rolls or precut bags/pouches for literally pennies on the dollar, so if you vacuum pack a LOT, in the long run the cost savings pays for the machine along the the quality of packaging the Avid is capable of doing.It was tough finding the answer to one thing I was wondering, Yes, it appears that you CAN use Mylar bags, I even watched a video and also saw the Co-Owner of Avid state that in most cases you can, You just need to increase the Seal time to the Max of 9 seconds. However I haven't tried this yet and I would assume Thick Mylar bags over say 6 mil or thicker probably wouldn't do as well as say a 3-4 mil bag. Another plus for me is the old Foodsaver bags will also work just fine. Once I do my next batch of Freeze dried food, I'm going to try this on the Mylar bags instead of just sealing with an O2 absorber and an impulse sealer, which works fine for long term storage, but removing the air in a chamber vac will not only increase the long term, but make storage take up less space. After watching a video of someone doing just that, sealing a Mylar bag, I have no doubt it can easily be done.One thing I'd like to see Avid offer as an accessory for their Chamber Vacs is a Cover since these units can sit out on the counter if you so choose, a cover would be nice, I ordered a 'Printer Cover' for mine, it should work but finding one close to the dimensions was a challenge. Yeah, it'd be nice if it was included along with an extra seal tape/gasket like they do on the UVS 32 model, But keep in mind, this unit was designed to meet a certain price point for the average budget minded homeowner and the manufacturer still needs to be able to show a profit at the end of the quarter or they go out of business, So I'm fine with all this being offered instead as accessories, I believe a spare gasket and heat seal which are both consumable eventually, come in at less than $25 off Avid's website, not bad at all.In closing, I'm very happy with my purchase, it'll be nice to be able to seal soups and liquids without them getting sucked up into the machine, that alone is a big plus for any Chamber Vacuum purchase over a Foodsaver type sealer. My only complaint was covered in the first paragraph and the lack of a cover which are both minor in the scheme of things. One last thing, Keep in mind, Avid themselves state that most people get these and then return them not because it broke, but simply to upgrade to the larger unit, So I'd recommend if you are interested in these, Go watch some comparison videos on YouTube between the 32 model and the 20 -- Other companies sell much larger units that are meant to be Restaurant Quality stationary units weighing 100#'s or more, So unless you are packing hundreds of pounds of food everyday, then those units are overkill for the homeowner. Also, My research showed if nothing else, Stay away from the Cheap Unbranded No Name Chinese junk sold elsewhere, YouTube has a few comparison videos on the internals, and unless you are purposely looking to burn down your home, then steer clear.Thanks for Reading this far. I'll try to come back with updates if needed.Update:6/2022No update really needed here, this has been a great machine and I haven't regretted the purchase, probably the only major thing to add since my original post is that Avid now offers a 3rd Chamber vac that is kind of this model with some cost cutting measures, such as idiot lights instead of the vacuum gauge. But my understanding is the unit itself is every bit as good as this model.Other than that, this has come in handy for buying in bulk and stocking up the freezer and also putting leftovers away for another day.I would definitely buy this again and I hope Avid continues to offer great products.