Geryon E2900-MS Review
Pros: Cheap
Cons: Subpar sealing performance
Manufacturer: Geryon
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
Our Analysis and Test Results
This product finished right in the middle of the group, just ahead of the semi-professional Weston model and behind the FoodSaver FM5200. The Geryon is significantly less expensive than both of these models and does quite a bit better with delicate foods, but it did score worse than both in our sealing performance test. The FoodSaver is the easiest to use out of this trio, while the Weston has the most suction power, with the Geryon finishing in the middle in both of those metrics.
Performance Comparison
In our quest to find out which of these products is really the sealer supreme, we bought all the most promising and well-reviewed models, then tested them side-by-side until we had a clear winner, scoring each product on four different attributes. However, the Geryon definitely was not the clear winner, but its mediocre results are described below.
Sealing Performance
Delivering a somewhat subpar performance, the Geryon earned a 4 out of 10 in our first testing metric, which is responsible for 40% of its overall score. We ranked and graded each vacuum sealer on how fast they can seal some different types of foods, the number of bags it can seal in a row, how thick the melted area of each bag is when it gets sealed, and if it can maintain the pressure inside the bag when you manual seal, rather than using the automatic function.
The Geryon did about average when it came to the volume of bags sealed, able to fully seal 10 bags without any loss in vacuum, which was the average of the group. However, this product lets a ton of air into the bag when you start a manual seal when the bag already has a decent vacuum in it.
The heat seal area is also slightly thinner than average by about 0.5 mm, but you could always do a double or triple seal if you want to ensure that the bag is airtight. The Geryon is average or slightly slower when it comes to sealing food compared to the other products in the group. It took an average amount of time to seal the four slices of bread and the cup of rice, but a little longer with the four sausages. It put up an average time for sealing the pound of ground beef as well, though it left a little more air in the bag than we would have liked.
Convenience
Next, we ranked each of these kitchen appliances on how much of a hassle they are to actually use. We compared the difficulty in cleaning each sealer, if there is an easy way to store a roll of bags or cut them to size, if the buttons and overall interface are easy to operate, and if the lid locks down while sealing, as well as if there are any attachments for sealing other types of containers. These different assessments are responsible for 30% of the final score for each sealer, with the Geryon doing fairly well, receiving a 6 out of 10 for its results.
While the product doesn't have any built-in storage or a bag cutter, it does earn a few points by being particularly light and for not taking up a ton of counter space. The lid also locks down while in use and there is an included pump attachment that lets you seal certain types of containers and can vacuum seal a bottle of wine as well.
Unfortunately, this product does lack a cleaning tray, so cleanup can be a bit of a pain if you accidentally try and seal food that has too much liquid in it and some gets sucked into the machine. We also found the touchscreen buttons to be really sensitive and easy to press accidentally.
Delicate Foods
Next, we tested out how finely you can control the amount of vacuum on each machine to seal foods that would be crushed beyond recognition under full vacuum power. This accounts for 20% of the final score, with the Geryon performing slightly above average and earning a 6 out of 10.
You can pulse the operation of the Geryon by hitting the "Vac/Seal" pad to start the pump and the "Cancel" pad to stop, letting you sneak up on the perfect amount of vacuum for delicate foods without smashing them. The Geryon does let in a little bit of air on each pulse, so it isn't the easiest to use with delicate foods, but it isn't too much work with a little practice. We used bread as our sample delicate food and we usually could seal it with it only getting slightly squashed.
Suction Power
For the last tenth of the total score, we measured the maximum vacuum that each of these products can pull using a vacuum gauge. The Geryon finished out our testing process with a solid performance and earned a 6 out of 10, pulling a vacuum that measured 16.5 inches of mercury — right about the average of the group.
Value
While there are better options out there, the Geryon is one of the least expensive models we tested, so it's an alright value if you are shopping on the tightest of budgets.
Conclusion
Overall, the Geryon isn't an amazing vacuum sealer, but it isn't a terrible one. It's nice that it has a vacuum wine cork attachment and has one of the lowest prices of the group, so it's an alright choice if you are looking for the absolute least expensive options around that scores alright, but there are some other products that don't cost that much more and far outperformed the Geryon.
— David Wise and Austin Palmer