Weston Pro 2300 Review (Updated for 2020)

About 30% of all fresh food that is bought is wasted due to it going off before it is eaten. Food can be frozen to increase the life of it but not all food is suitable for freezing. Also when food is frozen or kept in the refrigerator it is usually stored in bulky plastic containers which use up a lot of storage space. An ideal way in which to solve the problem with prolonging the freshness of food, including foods not suitable for home freezing, is to vacuum seal and then store in either the refrigerator or freezer.

Vacuum sealing can extend the life of food by up to 5 times what can normally be expected. Not only will it extend the life of food stored in the freezer or refrigerator it will also extend the freshness of food stored in the larder as well. As an added plus, with vacuum sealing there is no need for additional bulky plastic containers to waste storage space.

Not only can vacuum sealing extend food freshness, for those who like to prepare large quantities of food for later consumption vacuum sealing is an ideal option. Many foods can be cooked in the vacuum bags themselves.

A vacuum sealer that is well worth considering when looking at options for buying a vacuum bag sealer is the Weston Pro 2300. It is a little more expensive than many models available but it makes up for that with its durability and ability to seal bags up to 15” wide. For those who like the sous vide (literally ‘under vacuum’) cooking the Weston Pro 2300 makes an ideal choice as, due to its fan cooled 2 piston motor, it has the ability to seal many bags in one session without the need to allow constant cooling down periods.

Our Weston Pro 2300 Review

The first thing that strikes you about this vacuum bag sealer when taken from the box is that it looks like a serious well-constructed, solid piece of equipment that is designed and built to last. Rather than the usual plastic body, the Weston Pro 2300 is stainless steel. Note: – the Weston Pro 2300 is shipped with a protective film over the stainless steel. This needs to be removed prior to first using the sealer.

This vacuum bag sealer weighs just under 14.5 lbs. and measures 15” x 23” x 9” high and is therefore reasonably easy to move in and out of cupboards if your kitchen work surfaces are a little full.

Unfortunately the Weston Pro 2300 does not come with a supply of bags so it is necessary to order a quantity when you order your sealer. With regard to bags, Weston recommend that only their bags are used. Some users have successfully used other brands while others have not had much success.

If you have used vacuum sealer before when you first use the Weston Pro 2300 you will notice that vacuum pump on this sealer is much quieter than on many comparable models. Additionally the 2 cylinder vacuum pump is fan cooled allowing it to operate for longer periods without having to cool down. The noise and the cooling down time may not be too much of a problem if the machine is used only occasionally but for sealing batches of food it can make all the difference. It is also capable of attaining higher vacuum levels (28” for the Pro 2300 as compared with 24” to 25” on similarly priced models).

This vacuum sealer has the option of a one touch operation which will automatically create the vacuum and seal the bag but there is also a manual option if needed. The manual mode allow you to reduce the amount of vacuum for use when sealing soft food or delicate objects.

The 15” width sealing capability is yet another big plus for this vacuum sealer. With a 15”wide bag the size of the food that can be sealed is much greater than on standard machines. This is especially useful for sealing large cuts of meat or whole chickens.

One element that places the Weston Pro 2300 above many of its direct competitors is that there is a ready supply of consumable parts such as the Teflon tape that covers the heating element and seals that wear with time and use. There is even a complete service kit with all the necessary replacement parts included.

As with all other non-chamber vacuum bag sealers the Weston Pro 2300 will not seal liquids and can have problems with liquid rich foods. Some users have found that by partially freezing such foods before trying to vacuum seal them that this thickens the liquid sufficiently to allow it to be successfully vacuum sealed.

The Weston pro 2300 is a semi-commercial grade vacuum sealer that is built to cope with moderately high usage. Its manufacture from stainless steel rather than plastic means that it can take some harsher treatment than many similarly priced machines.