Test of the ROMMELSBACHER VAC 155 Smarty Plus vacuum cleaner

Automatic vacuuming when closing the lid, possibility of stopping the pump for delicate products, very strong sealing, patented protection for pump and control unit against liquids, possibility of using containers, included film cutter. Signature pouches with spaces for notes. European assembly.

Manually stopping the pump by pressing the lid and button at the same time takes some skill. Unsupported control panel. No wet food mode. Bags and rolls are more expensive than other brands.

Vacuum packer ROMMELSBACHER VAC 155 Smarty Plus

CHARACTERISTICS

POWER: 170 Watts.

COMPRESSION PRESSURE: – 0.8 bar 90% vacuum rating .

VACUUM PACKING SPEED OF AIR: 9 l/min.

WELDING SEAM: single.

PACKAGING MATERIALS: special bags or structured film up to 30 cm wide. The high strength of the original pouches and film allows freezing, use in microwave ovens, Sous-Vide cooking. The cost of branded packaging: bags 20×30 cm – 1390 Dollars per 50 pieces, 30×40 cm – 2190 Dollars. for 50 pieces 30×600 cm rolls – 1500 for 2 rolls, 20×600 cm rolls – 1300 Dollars. For 2 rolls.

FUNCTIONS: automatic vacuuming and sealing, manual stop of the pump and subsequent sealing.

CONTROL: automatic and manual, control panel in English, light buttons for different modes.

CONSTRUCTION: plastic housing, Teflon-coated heating element wire , cable storage in the housing, non-slip feet, cover release button. Patented liquid-proof pump pump and control unit integrated in the cover .

Supplied with: 5 pouches 22×30 cm, vacuum tube for containers, film cutter.

DIMENSIONS: 390 x 100 x 120 mm. WEIGHT: 1.6 kg.

BRAND: Germany.

COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURER: Italy.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: OPERATION, DESIGN, PACKAGING

I have a double impression of this model. When it works in automatic mode by default, as soon as you put a bag in the chamber and close the lid tightly, begins pumping air – no problem, you can not think of more convenient. But something went wrong with the manual stopping of the pump. According to the instructions, “when the desired amount of air is removed, you must with both hands press firmly from above on the outer edges of the upper case and with the thumb or index finger of the right hand press the man seal button – manual sealing”. While “the upper part of the case must be pressed down during the entire vacuum packaging process to ensure sufficient pressure on the sealing seam”. Some test drive participants were not as good with strength and coordination as the German engineers thought. We had to spend a few bags to adjust, and we’re not sure if this technical solution is the right one. Too much trouble.

Now for the good stuff. The branded packets have special fields where you can write the name of the product and packing date. It’s very handy, just great, professional cooks do it that way! After all, when storing a large number of packages can be confusing: what when sealed and what it is in general – carrots or pumpkin? Beef or turkey? sorrel or spinach? And the inscriptions on the bags are guaranteed to be perfect.

All our test group noticed that the welding seam made by this device is more convex than the others. We decided to ask the manufacturer if this bulge indicates a better sealing quality.

Manufacturer’s comment:

If you use ROMMELSBACHER branded bags, it is because the structure of vacuum bags produced in China and in Italy are different, and the packaging of ROMMELSBACHER is made in Italy. The seam, indeed, turns out different. It’s not worse or better – it’s just different.

One more important thing. You don’t find this out during testing, but you can’t help but notice as a huge plus of the model: the pump and control unit are integrated into the lid and are protected from liquids!

Test #1. Pine nuts peeled

Nuts are so expensive now, it’s much better to buy more by the weight. But we can’t eat too many of them – they’re too fatty. You will have to divide it into portions and store them in vacuum packs. The lack of contact with oxygen is very important in this case: the fats in the air can go rancid and the nuts get an unpleasant taste. We were afraid that the automatic vacuuming would crush the nuts so that some of the oil would squeeze out of them, but that didn’t happen: the nuts were vacuum sealed tightly but delicately. Lied in a dark place for 3 weeks, all fine.

Test #2. Spinach again

That’s what we decided to vacuum it with the manual pump shutdown, because spinach is delicate and because we already vacuumed it with another appliance with a special mode for delicate foods – Profi Cook PC-VK 1080. So we decided to compare who is going to pack more delicately, whose spinach will be “better preserved”. The result: we stopped the pump when we thought there was just a little air left in the bag, just enough so as not to crumple the sheets. The spinach didn’t look wrinkled here and there, but here you can just tell it’s spread out. Both packages were stored for the same amount of time – 4.5 days. Both went into the same dish. When we took out that package, everything was fine, the leaves were not crumpled and were fresh. When we took this one out, a few leaves in the center were wilted and darkened. Conclusion: you stopped the pump too early, you shouldn’t leave any air in there. Apparently, in some cases, the automatic mode is more convenient for delicate foods, that’s how “by eye” you can make a mistake.

Test #3. Instructions

The manual is in the form of a thin booklet, in American only. The font is a bit small, but not critical, the translation into American is very good. On the first page there is a diagram of the device with clear instructions, including the translation of the designation of the button on the control panel man seal – manual sealing. The instruction provides comprehensive information about the way the vacuum cleaner works, about vacuuming in general and about the rules for preserving food and not just the rules, but with justification: why is it good to do it this way and the other way around . Large illustrated section on how to make film bags – very useful.