Weston Pro-2100

Great unit - built like a tank - works great! Very simple to use - turn it on - insert the bag - press one button - seconds later you're done! It is very big and heavy - make sure you are prepared for that! Made in Taiwan, not China - hopefully that will make a difference in reliability - I'll update this review if that is not the case. It is worth nearly 3X the price of Foodsaver? I think it is, assuming it holds up over time. However, I'm the kind of person that likes commercial or nearly commercial gear. I have a contempt for the cheap, Micky Mouse, consumer products that lack integrity, performance or durability. I'd rather wait, and fork out the dough once, and have a quality item that is a pleasure to use, rather than buy the same crappy appliance two or three times, and suffer with junk that under-performs. Bottom line: If you need the real-deal vacuum sealer, and you have the space to store this kind of unit - get it - you won't regret it!

I’m so happy with this purchase! Quality built machine, easy to use, easy to clean, strong vacuum and wide seal every single time! Pressure strip stops bag from pulling away from hot sealer bar for an even seal, from side to side! I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with this vacuum sealer!

This is quite a step up from the old Food Saver I have. It vacuums much quicker and stronger. The seal band is twice the width of the FS strip too. The Food Saver vacuum hose works with it, so you can use it to seal jars if you purchase the FS jar sealer attachment. You can also seal bags, such as chips, pretzels, etc. without vacuuming and crushing the contents. Just hit start, then manual seal. One thing that really sets the Weston apart from the FS is, when the heat strip kicks in, the vacuum pump continues to pull. This keeps the bags from re-inflating while the sealer strip does it's job. That was always a problem with my FS, the vacuum would leak out slightly before the seal was complete. Edit: July 17, 2018. I've been using it now for over 3 years and it's still going strong. Had to replace the bottom heat tape strip once about 2 years ago, but the replacement has out lasted the original. This thing is a joy to use compared to the old Food Saver.

I purchased the Weston sealer in November, 2013 based on all of the excellent reviews and much research on my part. My husband vacuum packs smoked Steelhead every few weeks, so he was thrilled to get such a heavy duty sealer to take over the job of his FoodSaver model that finally quit working after 5 years. Nine months later and we now have a $389 doorstop, as that is all this unit is good for now. The unit worked fine until a few weeks ago when the sealer simply wouldn't 'engage' to seal the bags ... It refused to start. Customer Service said there might be moisture in the hose line inside the unit which will cause it to turn off until it dries out. Keep in mind that my husband keeps meticulous care of his Weston Sealer, wiping it down after each use and storing it back in it's original box, so we wondered about the likelihood of water being inside the internal hose system, but we followed their instructions and it sealed 6 out of 8 bags after doing this. Then it stopped working. Completely dead. The Customer Service rep offered to send the replacement sensor to us, which was great, but we no longer have any confidence in this product. The rep said that they recommend par freezing to reduce the amount of moisture that may be sucked into the unit during the vacuuming process (for any vacuum sealer). Time to go buy a new FoodSaver, as paying $70 for a vacuum sealer that lasted 4 years longer than the $389 Weston seems much more reasonable.

Quiet, quick, built like a tank. Have used it a lot and lent it to friends. Does a perfect job every time with the Weston bags ([...]), but doesn't work reliably with the "normal" bags from the lower end manufacturers. Not a problem, since the Weston bags don't cost any more than the generics. BTW, it's cheaper to buy the pre-cut and sized Weston bags than it is to buy the rolls (which you have to cut and seal yourself)? If you're going to seal watery items, or items which can become watery when the vacuum is created (fish, tomatoes, grapes, etc.), it's a good idea to put the items in the sealing bag, fold the bag over, and place in the freezer for a bit to harden the items up before sealing (folding over the bag minimizes ice crystals). Great product. No reservations on recommending.

So far loving this machine. We went through several of the small generic sealers over the years and finally decided to spend a little extra and get something nice. This is perfect. Very well built, easy to use and heavy duty. The thing is quite large so you'll need a good size table or lots of counter space if you have a lot of sealing to do. I think these machines are all overpriced for what they do which is why I only gave it 4 stars.

My husband has burned through a few very expensive sealers while sealing his fish. This is so sturdy and effective compared to other sealers that were just $100 less. Quality~

I live in Alaska and I’m tuff on a vacuum sealer, believe me! When a guy is sealing 40-50 sockeye salmon at one time that’s a workout not only for my Weston but for me as well. I haul it to remote rivers and hunting sites , I haul my Westin wherever I go and never fails to perform perfectly.

This machine is costly but quite a step up from the department store vacuum sealers. It's simple and straight forward without gimmicky extras. It does one thing and does it well. The suction is great and this machine should last a lifetime.

We were lucky to get one of the last white, powder-coated models of the Weston Vacuum Sealers – cheaper, and easier to keep finger prints off than the much more expensive stainless steel models. The Weston sealer worked far better than the two Food Saver vacuum sealers we had previously. A real workhorse, the vacuum pump motors, with cooling fan, did not overheat, sucking and sealing without needing a long cooling off period between bags. We tried the sealer with both Weston bags and bags from our old Food Saver. Weston vacuum sealer was able to handle both kinds of bags without missing a beat. From other reviews stating the Food Saver bags didn't seal well, we just did a second, manual seal at each end…and that should solve the problem. We also bought a spare foam sealing gasket kit. One of our Food Savers, a very top-end model, would still be usable if the company hadn't discontinued making their gasket kits for it. We're not taking any chances with our Weston. In conclusion, our Weston vacuum sealer is definitely worth the higher price. It's built like a tank (and weighs almost as much), and should provide us with at least a decade of reliable service.

This is way more expensive than it should be. It is a good machine but should have a seal only function. That said, it is quick and seems solidly built.