Vacuum rolls get searched for more than almost anything else in this category, and we don't sell them. The reason is worth a page, because it's the same reason chamber machine owners stop buying rolls once they've done the sums.
What a roll is
A vacuum roll is a continuous tube of embossed film, usually 200mm to 300mm wide, on a reel. You cut a length, seal one end, fill it, then vacuum and seal the other end. It exists because edge sealers need embossed film and because a roll lets a household make any length of bag from one reel.
Chamber machines don't need embossed film, and a business doesn't need infinite lengths; it needs the same twelve sizes every day. So the format that suits a chamber machine is the pre-made pouch: smooth film, three sides sealed at the factory, one cycle on the machine.
What a roll actually costs per bag
A roll looks cheap because the price is per reel, not per bag. Work it back:
|
Embossed roll |
Pre-made smooth pouch |
| Typical price |
£12 to £20 for a 280mm × 10m roll |
£27.00 for 1,000 × 200×300mm |
| Bags per unit |
About 30 at 300mm each, fewer with waste |
1,000 |
| Cost per bag |
40p to 65p |
2.7p |
| Cycles per bag |
Two (seal, then vacuum and seal) |
One |
| Cutting and measuring |
Every bag |
None |
| Seals per bag that can fail |
Two |
One |
Even a good trade price on rolls lands at 15p to 25p a bag. Against 2.7p for a pre-made pouch, a business packing 50 items a day is spending £1,500 to £3,000 a year more on rolls than it needs to, plus the time. And the first seal, the one you made yourself on the roll, is where most leaks start.
The "any length" argument
The one thing a roll does that a box of pouches can't is make a 900mm bag on the spot. In practice almost nothing needs that. Our range goes to 350×750mm and 530×650mm, which cover whole sides of salmon and full beef primals. For long, narrow product there's the 240×650mm. The size index lists all 37 clear sizes, and a genuinely odd size in volume is a bespoke order.
A long pouch that won't fit the chamber is sealed in two passes, which is still fewer seals than a roll.
When a roll is still the right buy
If you have an edge sealer and no plans to change it, a roll is the correct product, from the machine's maker or a general supplier. Our pouches won't seal in an edge sealer at all; the FoodSaver guide explains why. The chamber vs edge sealer guide sets out when the machine is worth upgrading.
Switching from rolls to pouches
If you've been running rolls through a chamber machine, the switch is two boxes. Measure the bags you cut most often, round the width up to the next size in the index, and order those. Most people find they were cutting roughly 200×300mm and 300×400mm bags all along. The embossed vs smooth guide covers the film difference if your team is used to the textured feel.
Chamber machine, currently on rolls? Send us the lengths you cut and we'll put a free sample pack together in the matching pouch sizes.
