Weston Pro 2300 Review
Pros: Excellent suction power, extra thick heat seals, fast
Cons: Huge, expensive
Manufacturer: Weston
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
Our Analysis and Test Results
Overall, we felt that this model tied with the Geryon E2900-MS in terms of overall performance and outperformed the Gourmia GVS415. The Weston pulls one of the strongest vacuums of the entire group and has one of the heftiest heat seals, but it's by far the most expensive of these three, it isn't all that convenient to use, and doesn't do very well at all with delicate food items. The Gourmia and Geryon don't have the best sealing performance and can't match the suction power of the Weston, but are much easier to use and retail for hundreds of dollars less.
Performance Comparison
To determine which vacuum sealers are really the absolute best you can buy today, we looked at and compared the specs on close to 50 different models, then picked out the most promising ones to buy and test head-to-head. We scored the performance of the Weston and all the other products in four different rating categories, with its results outlined below.
Sealing Performance
First, we timed and scored how long it took for each vacuum sealer to seal four types of food — a cup of dried rice, four sausages, a pound of ground meat, and four slices of standard bread. We also rated each one on the strength of the heat sealed area, the number of times you could use each product in a row, and if it held a vacuum if you had the machine seal the bag early. The Weston did very well in this first test metric, which is responsible for 40% of its overall score.
The Weston is definitely on the speedier side, taking less time than the average to seal the bread, the rice, and the sausages. It did about average with the ground beef.
This product did exceptionally well in our volume test, sealing 15 bags without any break at all and being ready to start all over again with less than a minute respite. This model also makes one of the sturdiest heat seals of the entire group, measuring over twice as wide as some of the other models. However, the Weston won't maintain pressure when you hit seal and will continue to evacuate air until the plastic melts. This caused the pressure in the bag to change by an additional 2.5 inches of mercury after we hit the seal button.
Convenience
Next up, we assessed the overall ease of use and the level of difficulty to operate and maintain each machine. We specifically scored each one on the ease of cleaning, if there is a handy way to store additional vacuum bags, the overall size and weight, the buttons, and if there are any accessory ports or hoses, as well as if the lid locks in place while in use. These tests make up 30% of the total score, with the Weston delivering a somewhat disappointing performance and earning a 3 out of 10.
This appliance doesn't have a storage location or a cutter for rolls of bags and also lacks a tray that you can take out for easy cleaning. Additionally, the lid does not lock down — you have to press and hold it at the start, but can let it go after it starts to seal. There are no accessory ports or pump attachments to seal other sorts of containers and this is one of the largest and heaviest models of the group, weighing in at 22.3 lbs. While most of the other products are in the 2-5 lbs. range.
However, the Weston does have a decent interface with a push-button interface that is quite easy to operate.
Delicate Foods
Accounting for 20% of the final score for each product, our next metric scored each product on how easy they made it so seal crushable foods without crushing them. As you can't do this in the automatic mode, you need to pulse these appliances on and off to get them right to the sweet spot where the vast majority of the air is gone from the bag without obliterating the food items. Unfortunately, the Weston fared quite poorly in this testing category, meriting a 4 out of 10.
This product tends to keep vacuuming past when you cancel, then take a pause and let a non-trivial amount of air in, making it very hard to precisely regulate the amount of vacuum. We usually ended up squishing the bread we tested on a bit, but it still at least resembled what bread should look like, compared to some other products that squished it almost beyond recognition.
Suction Power
For our last testing metric, we measured the suction power of each vacuum sealer. The Weston Pro delivered an excellent performance in this ultimate assessment, receiving a 7 out of 10. This appliance pulled a vacuum that measured at 20 inches of mercury on our gauge.
Value
This product is a pretty terrible value, being one of the most expensive out of the entire group.
Conclusion
Overall, the Weston is far too large and expensive for most people and the vast majority of users don't need the semi-industrial vacuum sealing abilities that this product provides.
— David Wise and Austin Palmer