I wanted to share one of the greatest kitchen tools to ever enter our kitchen. It’s the VacVida VS301 Chamber Vacuum Sealer by SoVida*. With the bulk prepping that I do, this chamber sealer has basically been the best assistant I could have (other than my sous chef Adrienne).
Why I love the VacVida VS301
Before getting down into the details and features of this machine, here are the top 3 reasons why I love it.
- I love the way it looks! Most other vac sealers look too commercial or even look a bit homemade, if you know what I mean. The vs301 is super sleek and modern with its black stainless steel look, so it’s not a giant eye sore on your counter top.
- It’s big enough for all the jobs I need to do. Whether it’s breaking down and sealing pieces of a 40lb case of chicken or packing individual servings of our homemade dog food for Kacang, all the kitchen related jobs get done with ease. If that wasn’t enough, we have also used it to pack our emergency supplies and sealing some important documents to protect from water damage.
- The biggest reason I love this machine is that this chamber vac does a really great job sealing liquids. I can make large batches of soups, stocks, and sauces and then seal them and freeze them for later use. If you’re into sous vide cooking, which I am slowly getting into, then it’s a game changer. With regular suction cup sealers you wouldn’t be able to seal any wet marinated meats but with this vacuum sealer you can, allowing for more flavor to penetrate the meat during the sous vide process.
VacVida VS301 Features
Now for the VacVida VS301* features! It’s no small potato, so make sure to measure and make sure this bad boy will even fit on your counter. It’s 20 inches tall, 14 inches long, and 15 inches wide and a little over 75 pounds, while the chamber itself is 10 inches wide by 13 inches long. The VS301 is a hefty machine, but totally worth it.
Especially because this machine is powered by an oil pump that allows for continuous use. This means none of that cool down time you would have with a dry pump machine. Basically, if you have to seal more than 2-3 bags, make sure your machine has an oil pump. There’s a simple control panel that allows you to customize the vacuum time, the sealing time, the cooling time. You can control the temperature of the sealing bar between high, middle, and low.
Another great thing about chamber vacs is that, in general, they use cheaper bags than the external suction sealers. But the true beauty of a chamber vac is that they remove the air from the chamber while keeping the air pressure the same inside and outside the pouches so liquid stays put. Suction sealers do exactly what the name implies, it sucks the air (and usually liquid) out of the pouch which makes it difficult for to seal liquids.
An unexpected plus is that SoVida has wonderful customer service! Not often do you contact the contact the company and get a response from the owner itself. I had a lovely conversation with Will, the owner, when I needed a help adding oil to the pump. He gave me clear directions for what to do and was very nice!
Is the VacVida VS301 Worth it?
I honestly think having a chamber vac is worth the money. Even though they may be more expensive up front, it will last longer than any other suction sealer. I have wasted more money in suction sealers and replacing them than the initial cost of the VacVida VS301. Even though it requires more maintenance than other chamber vacs,the VacVida VS301 is simple enough to maintain and to use. So that’s my review of the VacVida VS301 Chamber Vacuum Sealer by SoVida*. If you have any more questions about it, leave us a comment or shoot us a message on any social.
*We are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to [Amazon.com](http://amazon.com/) and affiliated sites.
How do I get in touch with Will. I have a vs301 and need replacement parts.
Hi Russell Brown, you can reach out to customer support – that’s what we did and it just so happened to be Will. What parts do you need to replace? Wishing you luck!
HOw do I reach customer support? The e-mail in the manual does not work.
Hi Tony! Unfortunately it looks like SO-VIDA has closed up shop and is no longer operating. We’re not likely able to help, but out of curiosity, what’s going on with your machine?
Where can I obtain replacement split bolts for the sealer bar on my VacVida VS301? It is a great machine but like anything, replacement parts are often needed. Split bolts for vacuum sealers evidently are a specialty size item and not readily available at hardware stores and are expensive to have fabricated at a machine shop. If anyone knows where to obtain or source split bolts for the sealer bar on a VS301, I would appreciate it. Since VacVida closed up and sold their business, I am at a loss to find technical help for my unit. My unit will be useless to me unless I find a source for a replacement split bolt.
Hi Will! Yea, sadly with VacVida closing up it’s now much harder to get support and maintain the machine. In terms of split bolts though, a quick Google Search shows that there are a couple industrial companies (f4p-usa, proprocessor) that offer replacement parts like split bolts. We haven’t needed to replace anything on the machine yet and haven’t dealt with these companies so we can’t say anything about it other than they exist and seem to offer parts, like split bolts. Sorry we can’t be of more help, but best of luck and please let us know how it goes!
Not sealing.
Well, that’s a bummer, a sealer not sealing. We’ve had that happen due to human error before – like if there was any wetness that got on the heating plates or when there was some build up in that area. But in terms of the machine itself, not sure what that would be. Are the heating plates actually getting hot at all?