Machine Compatibility Guide
Our pouches are smooth PA/PE film for chamber vacuum machines. That's the one thing to check before you order. If your machine has a lid you close over the whole bag, you're in the right place. If it grips the open end of the bag and sucks, it's an edge sealer and our pouches won't seal in it.
The 10-second test. Look at the bag your machine came with. Smooth on both sides: chamber machine, use our pouches. One side textured with a diamond or channel pattern: edge sealer, you need embossed bags, which we don't make.
Chamber machines our pouches are used on
Any chamber machine that takes standard smooth PA/PE film. These are the brands we see most on UK butchers' counters and production lines, each with its own guide on seal bar widths and which of our sizes fit.
Also fine: Sammic, Buffalo, Webomatic, Besser Vacuum, Lavezzini, Vevor chamber models, Caso's VacuChef chamber units and anything else sold as a "chamber vacuum packer". If your brand isn't listed, the film type is what matters, not the badge.
Machines our pouches will not work in
These are edge sealers, sometimes called suction or external sealers. They pull air out through the bag opening and need embossed bags with channels for the air to travel along. Smooth film blocks the nozzle and the seal fails.
- FoodSaver, every model
- Andrew James, Swan, Salter, Russell Hobbs and other kitchen sealers
- Anova's vacuum sealer (the sous vide circulator itself is fine, the pouches go in the water bath, not the sealer)
- Caso VC series edge sealers, NutriChef, Lakeland's own sealers
If that's your machine, read why our pouches won't work in a FoodSaver before you buy anything. It covers what a small chamber machine costs and when the switch pays for itself.
Which gauge for your product
We stock three online. Each has a guide, and the full gauge comparison covers the edge cases.
| Gauge | Use it for | Range |
|---|---|---|
| 65 micron clear | Boneless meat, fish fillets, cheese, cooked and prepared food, sous vide. The everyday pouch. | 37 sizes, 140×170mm to 530×650mm |
| 80 micron gold, clear front | Retail display. Gold back, clear front, euro hanging hole. | 5 sizes |
| 130 micron clear | Bone-in joints, shellfish, anything sharp or heavy. | 210×650mm |
Blue and parchment pouches are 65 micron with the same film, for colour coding and artisan presentation. We don't stock 90 or 150 micron online; if a spec sheet asks for either, talk to us and we'll advise whether 65 or 130 covers it or quote a bespoke gauge.
Seal bar length and pouch width
The pouch has to fit inside the chamber with the open end lying flat on the seal bar. Pouch width should be at least 20mm under your seal bar length. A 420mm seal bar takes our 400mm-wide pouches comfortably and a 300mm bar takes anything up to 280mm. Length is only limited by the chamber depth, and you can seal a long pouch in stages if you need to.
Try before you buy a box
Send us your machine make and model and we'll put a free sample pack together in the sizes you're considering. Run it on your own product and order once you've seen the seal.