In addition to routine vacuum packing for people food, I feed raw meat to two large dogs so I'm constantly buying large quantities and re-packaging for the freezer. I wanted an affordable, professional quality machine that would hold up to regular use. The Avid Armor A100 is exactly what i needed and it hasn't disappointed in any way.

My Tip for New Users: The first time using the machine I had trouble aligning the open bag ends in the machine to form a proper seal for the vacuuming process. I buy pre-made bags online and they often arrive curled around the edges which makes them not want to lay perfectly flat in the machine. After several packages required multiple tries to get a proper seal I realized that because the bags were sitting on the countertop a couple inches below the opening in the machine, the already curled bags wanted to wrinkle no matter how much I tried to smooth them out before closing the lid. My simple solution is to place a 1½ inch cutting board abutting the front of the machine and using it as a level platform for bags of any size. I get a good seal every time now.

I highly recommend this product.

So I started with a FoodSaver thinking it would be a great idea to have during this pandemic. Never had a vacuum sealer before and honestly that was a great place to start BUT, I quickly learned I had a vacuum sealing obsession. Its SO fun and satisfying to vacuum seal meats and snacks. The FoodSaver got the job done but it was built with plastic and was obvious that it wasn't high quality and not built to last very long. So I decided to begin research on something way more powerful and reliable. I was ready to step up my vacuum sealing game!

Lots of research lead me to this Avid Armor A100. It was always at the top of the list of written articles and youtube videos and now that I have it I have to agree its definitely a high quality product. I really wanted a product from a company that would be around for a while so when it eventually needs servicing the company would be around to provide replacement parts. So here are my observations on the pros and cons:

PROS:
- Robust Quality: It's built with high quality materials and built to last. If treated right I'm sure you could get 10+ years of use out of this. It's heavy and there are no loose or shaky parts. Everything about the device is solid including how it sounds when its vacuum sealing.

- Kitchen Footprint/Size: Its extremely small compared to other vacuum sealers of this quality and power.

- Cost/Value: At its full retail price I paid $299 which is inline with other competitors but, what separates Avid Armor is that it comes with a service kit which includes everything you need if the seal bar or gaskets require replacing, so thats awesome. It also comes with a ton of vacuum sealing bags to use which is another added price. So really you're only paying $250ish for this device brand new minus all the extras.

Functions: It has an accessory port and removable drip tray that many other vac sealers don't have. What I love most is that operation wise, there is a simple On/Off power switch and everything is labeled VERY clearly. If it's too hard to use my wife won't use it. Other vac sealers I tested were simply not intuitive, requiring flicking side switches for fans then, pressing "start/stop" buttons before you can use any of the functions. This device is straight forward. Lastly, I like the accessory port location (on the side of the unit), if you use the accessory port A LOT like I do you won't want to be constantly plugging in and removing the accessory host (for fear of it breaking). I just leave the FoodSaver accessory hose permanently plugged in (see photos).

- Warranty: It comes with a 1 year warranty out of the box. If you write a review and email a screenshot to avid armor they extend it to 2 years!

- Customer Service: I tested their customer service and received a reply email within hours. I wanted to remove the "Quick Tips" sticker from the Plexiglas and they said it could be done without harming the device (shown in the photos).

Additional Pros:
- Online Presence: They have a nice looking, great easy to use website and offer replacement parts for the A100. They also have a nice instagram going which really shows that they take pride in their products and that their customers appreciate their products as well.

CONS:
- White Color: Just my preference I'm not a fan of the white area where the drip tray is. It gets dirty and is really visible. I'd prefer if it was black I think it would look a lot more slick but thats really just my preference.

- No Roll Storage & Builtin Cutter: Upgrading from a FoodSaver one thing I really liked was that it had roll storage and cutter built-in. It would be great if Avid Armor offered an optional stainless-steel roll storage add-on that could be clipped onto the back of the device, weston pro has a nice sleek-one. However, this is not a deal breaker I actually found vacuum rolls in boxes that have the cutters on the boxes so thats what I'm using now. A slight inconvenience but no biggie.

In fact, I discovered how much better quality other vac rolls were compared to the FoodSaver Bags. "OutOfAir" rolls seal 10 times better than others I've tried: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XG9QYHX/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_0uclFb5PM395F

Overall, I give this device 4 stars. I'm very happy with this super high quality vacuum sealer and would recommend it to anyone. I'm glad I stepped up my vacuum sealing game!

Bought from Amazon June 22,2022. It has surpassed expectations for operation and performance. Today 06/01/2023 went to seal some bulk foods and it would not pull a vacuum. It runs and doesn't give any error codes, it just doesn't pull vacuum. So went to Avid and requested support of which I got "We will respond within 2-3 business days."

Seeing it's still under warranty, and it's now in their arena, I will wait for response and solutions. Stars will increase or decrease depending on how they do.

UPDATE: Their response was immediate. They focused on the chamber gaskets. Although a quick inspection didn't reveal anything, they had me troubleshoot it with a step by step procedure which revealed a minor gasket imperfection that was created by the electrical cord getting caught in the edge during storage. My fault. They had me replace the gasket as I had one still from the original shipment, they actually include when you buy the machine. VOILA! Back to original performance!

I should add that during the troubleshooting they had me remove a cover to inspect an area which was fine. During this time I observed the engineering of the unit. IMPRESSIVE to say the least. Quality components, commercial grade, twin piston pump, (not those vibrating buzz pumps used in all the other brands) silicone hoses, the works!

I am a customer for life!

After my last Food Saver's vacuum sealer went bad I decided to look at a better quality machine. I vacuum pack all the time and it saves me a lot of money. Each Food Saver last about 1.5 to 2 years. I decided to go with the Avid Armour for multiple reasons. Much better suction, made in the USA, replacement parts available and serviced here in the US as well. My only concern was that you had to push down on the handle at the start. This however turned out not to be concern because the vacuum was so much quicker and you only need to hold it for a second or two before the lid holds itself down. It also has an accessory port that works with the Food Saver mason jar sealers that I already had. I think the hoses these machines use are pretty standard. Good quality machine and worth the extra money you pay over the Food Saver. I would say this is professional grade with the size of a throw away brand.

The media could not be loaded. I take an annual trip to Alaska to fish for Coho salmon along the Prince William Sound and have used local canneries, Food Saver vacuum sealers and others "kitchen" vacuum sealers to safely vac seal my salmon prior to freezing and have always been unhappy with the cost of sealing with the canneries, the result of sealing by myself with a kitchen sealer and most importantly the time it takes to seal my catch myself (two fish filleted into 6 steaks would take ~15-20 minutes). The other kitchen vacuum sealers are cheap feeling, time out easily after running continuously (and you'd have to wait 2-3 minutes between seals), would not recognize when a bag was inserted to be sealed, or would just stop working at all which led me to find a better solution.

The Avid Armor A100 is the solution. While I'll caveat I have not put it through the TRUE paces yet, I've successfully vacuum sealed 5 bags back to back (with 20s breaks between per instructions) without the seal heating element overheating which is more than I can say for the cheaper alternatives. Rest assured during my time in Alaska this upcoming summer I will be using this sealer to its practical limits. I am also very excited about the external hose attachment and vacuum seal canisters that Avid Armor also sells as it allows me to vacuum seal 4oz speciality mason jars which I fully intend to use to bring back cured salmon roe (caviar) this year. I intend to make gifts of the caviar and it was important to me that the mason jars be small serving sizes (who wants to eat a regular size mason jar worth of caviar in 2-3 days after opening? That can't be healthy). The combination of the A100, a strong and portable vacuum seal, and the Avid Armor vac seal canisters will make bringing back the caviar possible. I am particularly excited that Avid Armor included extra foam seals and an extra heating element for the A100 as it will allow me to service the sealer should anything bad happen when I am in Alaska instead of being stuck there without the replacement parts I am most likely to need should anything go wrong. While it may be a bit early to say this sealer is the ticket, I feel very good about my odds as compared to the alternatives I have tried.

Will also note that Avid Armor offers a 2-year extended warranty for leaving an honest review, which is not the sole motivation of my review but a welcomed bonus nonetheless. I also appreciate that the company welcomes an honest review as quite frankly many Amazon businesses only offer perks for positive reviews. I am a proud patron of Avid Armor and hope to return after my trip to Alaska this summer with some end result pictures of the salmon and caviar!