The question that we are most often asked is “what is the best vacuum packing machine for my needs?” Before answering that question, it is worth explaining the differences between the two different types of machine on the market. These are usually referred to as ‘vacuum chamber machines’, where the whole bag and contents fit inside the machine, and ‘external bag machines’, where only the end of the bag fits into the machine and the rest of the bag and the contents remain outside of the machine. These two different types of vacuum packaging machine are very different when it comes to; purchase price and operating costs that it is usually a fairly simple choice between the two.

External Bag Machines
These are the cheaper of the two types and prices range from about 100 euros to 1,200 euros. Whilst the very cheap machines (less than 200 euros) may look tempting, they don’t actually work very well. The fact is that all vacuum machines need a high quality air pump and heat sealing mechanism and it is simply not possible to put quality components into a machine at this price.

This means that whilst the purchase price of external bag machines is significantly lower than vacuum chamber machines (Realistically, 250-1.200 euros as opposed to 3.000-6.000 euros), there is a difference in the price of the consumable vacuum packing bags. The number of packing operations that you expect to do is the single biggest consideration when deciding which type of vacuum packer to buy. The external bag machine is usually the best choice for the home user or the smaller restaurant.

Some external bag machines (including Lava) also have an external vacuum port which allows you to use acrylic vacuum containers or stainless steel bowls with removable lids. These have the advantage of being reusable and are ideal for vacuum packing salads, soft fruit or anything which would be crushed if packed in a vacuum pouch.

Vacuum Chamber Machines
These machines resemble a stainless steel box into which the vacuum pouch and contents are placed and the lid closed over them. The entire chamber is then vacuumed and the pouch is heat sealed. This type of machine does not need ribbed bags and consequently the vacuum pouches are cheaper than those which work best in the external bag machine. This type of machine costs from 2.000 euros upwards depending on the physical size and speed of operation.

Because the vacuum bag and contents need to fit inside the machine, vacuum chamber machines are limited in the size of items that can be packed. They are ideal where large volumes of similar sized items are being vacuum packed and are widely used by in the food packaging industry. We don’t sell vacuum chamber machines.