REASONS TO BUY
Tender with delicate foods
Solid value
REASONS TO AVOID
Can't seal a ton of bags successively
Slow vacuuming/sealing action
NutriChef PKVS18BK Review
If you are looking for a decent vacuum sealer that has a deft touch with soft foods, this is a good choice
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
RELATED: Best Vacuum Sealers
Our Verdict
Earning decent scores overall and having one of the more manageable price points, the NutriChef PKVS18 established itself as a top contender in our lineup of top-ranked vacuum sealers. This product affords plenty of pump control, allowing it to gently remove air from a bag without compressing the contents. It's also fairly easy to operate and has solid sealing times while pulling an above-average vacuum. All in all, this sealer is definitely worth a look if you value appliancesthat show decent performance with a below-average cost.
Editor's Note: This product review was updated on February 15th, 2022, with more information on which sealers we would buy and help to better compare individual products.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product NutriChef PKVS18BK | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Vacuum Sealer |  Best for Delicate Foods | |||
| Price | $70 List $52.99 at Amazon | $50 List | $70 List | $70 List $35.69 at Amazon | $90 List $76.26 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This sealer offers above-average performance particularly in delicate foods assessment | This affordable and convenient unit can seal up to 30 bags in a row while remaining gentle on tender food | This relatively inexpensive unit is packed with convenience features, is easy to operate, and has a soft touch for delicate foods | While not a leader in any of our evaluations, this model is nonetheless functional and quite inexpensive | Finishing with a very low score, it's hard for us to get excited about this sealer |
| Rating Categories | NutriChef PKVS18BK | Amazon Basics Vacuu... | Mueller Vacuum Sealer | Geryon E2900-MS | Nesco VS-02 |
| Sealing Performance (40%) | |||||
| Convenience (30%) | |||||
| Delicate Foods (20%) | |||||
| Suction Power (10%) | |||||
| Specs | NutriChef PKVS18BK | Amazon Basics Vacuu... | Mueller Vacuum Sealer | Geryon E2900-MS | Nesco VS-02 |
| Measured Vacuum Strength @ 6200' | 18 -inHg | 14.5 -inHg | 19 -inHg | 16.5 -inHg | 18.8 -inHg |
| Measured Weight | 2.9 lbs | 3.1 lbs | 2.7 lbs | 2.2 lbs | 4.8 lbs |
| Air Suction Hose Included? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Removable Tray? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Built-in Roll Storage? | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Built-in Bag Cutter? | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Measured Seal Thickness | 2.5 mm | 3 mm | 2 mm | 2 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Measured Average Seal Time | 7 seconds | 9 seconds | 6 seconds | 6 seconds | 6 seconds |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
To figure out which vacuum sealer is the absolute best, we looked at and compared dozens of different models before buying all the ones that showed the most potential to test out in-house. We rated and scored the sealing and suction performance of each machine and how they handled delicate foodstuffs, and how easy each one is to operate. This NutriChef ended up about in the middle of our lineup, with a particularly notable performance regarding delicate foods.
Performance Comparison
The NutriChef has below-average sealing times but it provides TLC to impressionable foods.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Sealing Performance
Our series of sealing performance evaluations were the most highly weighted set of assessments for each product. We graded each on how fast it could pack different types of food, the number of bags it could seal in a row, the width of the seal, and if the bag changed pressure when we sealed manually. The NutriChef was actually on the faster side, with above-average times in three out of four-speed sealing challenges and an average time in the fourth. It made quick work sealing a ground beef patty, sausage links, and a cup of dry rice. However, the machine took a bit longer to seal four slices of white bread.
The NutriChef delivered middling results in our sealing performance tests.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Unfortunately, the NutriChef didn't do very well in our sealing volume test and had a limit of just five bags sealed in a row before requiring a break. However, it recovered somewhat by producing an average width heat seal (2.5mm) and maintaining the same vacuum level while doing so. It performed on par with the Mueller in this metric.
The NutriChef's heat element is about average for the class and it produces a bag seal of 2.5 mm.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Convenience
After our sealing performance metric, we rated and ranked the products for ease of use and convenience features. We compared the ease of cleaning, storing, and cutting bags and then evaluated the user interface and measured the unit's size and weight. We awarded some bonus points for sealers that offer a secondary vacuum pump attachment or accessory port for sealing food or drink in rigid containers. The NutriChef sadly doesn't have a place to store a roll of bags within the unit. Nor does it have an onboard tool to cut them. Moreover, it lacks a removable drip tray for easy cleanup. However, its design is fairly compact, and it is one of the lightest models in the group at 2.9 pounds. We also like that this vacuum sealer has a locking lid and a pump attachment for particular containers such as a wine bottle.
Unfortunately, the NutriChef doesn't have an integrated bag storage solution.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Delicate Foods
Our third rating metric focused on sealing easily smashed food, like standard white bread. We rated each product on how much effort it took to control the amount of air evacuated by pulsing the control manually rather than using the automatic functions. The NutriChef PKVS18BK delivered a top-notch performance, earning a score beat only by the Amazon Basics and the Mueller. It's super easy to finely control the vacuum pressure with this sealer. You can alternate pressing the “Vac/Seal” and “Cancel” buttons to pull small amounts of air out, which allowed us to remove as much air as possible from the bag without smashing our squishy white bread.
You can seal delicate food like crackers if you are careful.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Suction Power
We used a vacuum gauge to determine just how much suction power each sealer could produce for our last test. The NutriChef did reasonably well, with a measured 18 inches of mercury (in. Hg) — a good bit more than the average.
The NutriChef pulled just above average suction in our tests.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Should You Buy the NutriChef PKVS18BK?
If you are looking for a solid vacuum sealer that won't suck away all your spare cash, then you should definitely check out the NutriChef PKVS18BK, especially if you will mainly be sealing soft or delicate foods. We feel that this machine will round out any kitchen set up very nicely.
What Other Vacuum Sealers Should You Consider?
Overall, this NutriChef is a good value. It holds its own with models at the top of the class while keeping the costs competitive. However, a few others narrowly beat out this model when it came time to pass out awards. The Mueller Vacuum Sealer has similar scores but is excellent with delicate foods, making it a better option for this purpose. The Amazon Basics Vacuum Sealer is our overall highest scoring machine. Both products cost less than the NutriChef, and we can't think of a reason not to consider them first.
—
David Wise and Austin Palmer
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