Mueller Vacuum Sealer Review

In a competitive class of vacuum sealers, the Mueller establishes itself as a leader for having a steady but gentle action. This machine makes quick work sealing up foods as it has a fast-acting pump that won't leave you hanging. Additionally, it has a responsive control interface that makes it easy to pulse the pump to treat delicate items gently. As if these achievements were not enough, the machine's manageable size is matched by a very budget-friendly price tag.

Performance Comparison

Sealing Performance

Our sealing performance metric looks at all aspects of quality sealing except suction (which is addressed separately). We ran the machines in our lineup through several tests for suction speed with various foods. We also looked at the number of continuous bags that the units could seal before the accumulated heat from the sealing element required a cool-off period. Finally, we looked at the width of the heat seal, as wider seals are more effective at maintaining a vacuum. All told, the Mueller received a slightly above-average score for its sealing performance. This score is on par with the NutriChef PKVS18BK and the FoodSaver FM5200.

We broke up our sealing analysis into four sections covering speed, continuous sealing volume, seal strength, and the ability to maintain suction gains between pump pulses. We used four foods of varying consistency (ground beef, bread, dry rice, and sausage links) to test speed and timed the complete vacuuming/sealing cycle. The Mueller was a leader in this series of tests, with times well below a minute and lower than the class average. As for maintaining suction pressure during the sealing process, the Mueller delivered a perfect performance.

Conversely, the Mueller did not fare so well in the other sealing performance tests. Specifically, the unit has a relatively narrow heat seal, just 2mm, and we prefer the thicker 3mm found on the Amazon Basics Vacuum Sealer. The unit also overheated after sealing just nine bags. These unimpressive stats offset the steller sealing time and vacuum holding results resulting in an average score.

Convenience

When you get down to it, vacuum sealers are all about convenience. These simple machines make buying in bulk and keeping food fresh more attainable. Fewer trips to the store mean saving in time and cash. When you buy a convenience machine, you don't want the device to come with a new set of inconveniences. This metric identifies all the nuisances common to these machines and rates them based on how well they avoid them. Specifically, we look at the size, weight, and whether the bags and cutting tools are integrated. We also assessed the user interface, the ease of clean-up, and the presence of an auxiliary suction pump. Considering all these aspects, we can say that the Mueller provides an average level of convenience to users.

There are a lot of factors at play here, so let's be clear. The Mueller has many helpful features. However, its lack of onboard bag storage and bag cutter dragged it into a middling position in this evaluation. Other than that, the unit is lightweight (just 2.7 pounds), has an auxiliary pump, has effective and easy to operate controls, and the sealing process is largely automated. So, if you don't mind getting out a roll of bags and a pair of scissors when you're working, this machine has everything else that one could want to ease them through the sealing process.

Delicate Foods

While many foods that are good candidates for vacuum sealing are not what we'd describe as delicate, we wanted to know which machines could be gentle on food for when the occasion to seal up tender items arises. This analysis focused on the units' ability to control suction rate through pulsing the suction pump on and off and how the overall sealing process affected the test food (two slices of white bread). Make no mistake; the Mueller is a total boss. There are very few better-performing products in our opinion.

The Mueller received top marks for its treatment of delicate food because, above all, the unit pulled the air from the package very evenly. Air trapped in the bag had time to work its way out without compressing the food. Also, the on/off button is responsive, instantly turning off the pump when pushed while maintaining suction. This feature allows the user to work in increments that, in the end, preserve the integrity of soft, airy, and delicate items like bread or smoothie berries.

Suction Power

Unlike other portions of this review, the suction power test is an entirely objective analysis of the amount of negative pressure the sealers can exert on a vacuum bag as measured in inches of mercury (in. Hg). The Mueller is a leader in the class due to its ability to pull an impressive 19 in. Hg of pressure. We made this analysis with our custom-built suction gauge that mounts to the vacuum bag for consistent and accurate readings.

Should You Buy the Mueller Vacuum Sealer?

This thorough review of the Mueller vacuum sealer addresses every practical aspect of this machine's functionality. More than just a basic test drive, we conducted structured, reproducible evaluations of the suction power, the time to seal, and the ease of use. Bottom line, this sealer is one of our favorite vacuum sealers we tested, and is clearly the top dog for anyone needing to seal delicate items. We recommend it to anyone looking to complete their collection of home appliences.

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