I am in the market for a new vacuum sealer. What's the best heavy duty option for under $200?

I was in your shoes awhile back. Had a foodsaver that l had used a lot for 8 or 9 years, and it kicked the bucket on me. I decided l was going to get the best vacuum sealer made regardless of price...I seal everything from garden vegetables, fish, shrimp, meat. Figured it would be worth it to get a Cadillac.

I googled and found a lot of people were going with the basic foodsaver and using it until it quit. I bought the base model for $30 or $40 (just checked - was on sale when I bought it. Model fm 2000. $69 on Amazon now.) Ordered bulk rolls of Amazon. It doesn't have any options other than vacuum and seal, but it's still going strong. I use it a couple of times a month, and it's worked like a champ ever since.

Pro tip - freeze what you're planning to seal ahead of time and it's not as messy.

I switched to a chamber sealer and have never looked back. You can seal a bag of soup. The one con is the size of whatever you are sealing has to fit in the chamber. This is the model I got, if you look around you can find them on sale.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-vacmaster-vp112s-chamber-vacuum-sealer/120VMASVP112.html

I bought this a few years ago and it has been flawless. It get used 2-3 times a week and for all our sausage and wild game.

Thanks Guys!

I bought a refurbished Foodsaver FM2000 for about $30 off of Woot.com. I have been using it for about 4 years. When it dies, I will go buy another refurb.

Thx