Reviews You Can Rely On

Hamilton Beach NutriFresh 78213 Review

Earning the lowest score we have seen so far, the Hamilton Beach NutriFresh is more of a NutriFlop in our opinion
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Hamilton Beach NutriFresh 78213 Review
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $90 List
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Manufacturer:   Hamilton Beach
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Jan 3, 2019
42
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Sealing Performance - 40% 5.0
  • Convenience - 30% 4.0
  • Delicate Foods - 20% 2.0
  • Suction Power - 10% 6.0

Our Verdict

In December 2019, The Hamilton Beach NutriFresh 78213 was Discontinued
REASONS TO BUY
Decent suction strength
REASONS TO AVOID
Horrible with delicate foods
Not the easiest to use
Finishing at the very back of the entire group, the Hamilton Beach NutriFresh is far from our favorite when it comes to vacuum sealers. This product couples a decently high price tag with plenty of mediocre to poor performances in most of our tests, making it easy to not recommend. There are tons of other products that are vastly better and cost significantly less that you would be much better served by.

Our Analysis and Test Results

This vacuum sealer finished at the back of the entire group, right behind the Nesco VS-02 and the Gourmia. The Gourmia is quite a bit cheaper, is much better with delicate food items, and is a bit more convenient to operate, though it doesn't pull quite as strong of a vacuum as the Hamilton Beach. The Hamilton Beach and the Nesco are both priced quite comparably and both do equally poorly with delicate foods, but the Nesco is a bit easier to use and pulls even more air out of the bag compared to the NutriFresh.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - the nutrifresh is one of our least favorite vacuum sealers.
The NutriFresh is one of our least favorite vacuum sealers.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Performance Comparison


To begin our process of picking out the best vacuum sealer that you can buy, we compared and researched dozens and dozens of different models, then decided which ones had the best shot at winning an award and bought them all. We then tested them out side-by-side until we had some clear winners, which the NutriFresh was not, but its results and the reasons why are elaborated upon below.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - the hamilton beach's sealing performance was average overall.
The Hamilton Beach's sealing performance was average overall.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Sealing Performance


Initially, we looked at how fast each product can seal various types of food, the strength — judged by the thickness — of the heat seal, the number of bags that can be sealed one after, and if the machine maintains constant pressure when you hit the “Seal” key. The NutriFresh gave an overall average performance, meriting a 5 out of 10 in this rating category, which accounts for 40% of the overall score.

The NutriFresh is actually decently fast, doing average or faster in each of our four speed tests — bread, rice, ground beef, and sausages. The NutriFresh sealed the bread and the rice in an average amount of time and finished faster than average at vacuum sealing the ground beef and sausages.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - there was a noticeable difference in speeds when it came to the...
There was a noticeable difference in speeds when it came to the ground beef.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

However, it does have a heat seal that is a little on the thin side for our liking and can't seal a ton of bags in a row before it needs a break.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - the nutrifresh needs a break after only sealing a few bags.
The NutriFresh needs a break after only sealing a few bags.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

It also lets in a small amount of air if you go to seal it before it finished its automatic cycle.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - we found we preferred physical buttons to touchpads when it came to...
We found we preferred physical buttons to touchpads when it came to the user interface.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Convenience


Following the sealing performance series of tests, we moved on to ranking and scoring the NutriFresh on how much of a pain it is to operate. This metric accounts for 30% of the final score for each vacuum sealer, with the NutriFresh giving a lackluster set of results that earned it a 4 out of 10.

This vacuum sealer does not offer any place to store extra vacuum bags or have a cutter, but it is relatively compact and lightweight. We also liked the easy to use push button interface, but weren't fans of the fact that you have to press and hold the lid in place while sealing something, unlike almost every other product that locks into place.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - we didn't like that you had to hold the lid down while sealing...
We didn't like that you had to hold the lid down while sealing something.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

There are no included accessory attachments, but there is a port if you want to purchase something separately. We also were a bit disappointed that this product lacks a cleaning tray that can be taken out for easier cleanup if accidentally suck in any liquids.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - this vacuum sealer didn't do the best with most types of easily...
This vacuum sealer didn't do the best with most types of easily crushed foods.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Delicate Foods


The NutriFresh continued its downward trend in performance into our delicate foods metric, earning a 2 out of 10 for its poor showing. This metric assessed how easily you could regulate the amount of vacuum by pulsing and how well each machine handled sealing foods that would be crushed under full power, accounting for 20% of the final score for each product.

This product is a bit of a pain to pulse, as you have to wait a while and it lets in a ton of air with each pulse, meaning that there was so much air in the bag every time we tried to seal the bread without crushing it that it was effectively the same as using a zip top bag.

hamilton beach nutrifresh 78213 - the hamilton beach pulled the typical vacuum.
The Hamilton Beach pulled the typical vacuum.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Suction Power


The Hamilton Beach NutriFresh did finish out our review with a decently solid showing in our last test, suction power. This accounts for the remaining portion of the overall score and is based on the strength of the vacuum pulled by each machine, as measured by a vacuum gauge that we equipped a standard quilted bag with. The NutriFresh earned a 6 out of 10 for pulling a vacuum that measured 16.5 in. Hg.

Value


This product is pricey and scored poorly, making it a terrible value option.

Conclusion


There are so many other better and cheaper vacuum sealers available today, it's hard to see why it would be worth it to consider buying the NutriFresh.

David Wise and Austin Palmer