Reviews You Can Rely On

KOIOS VS2233 Review

This kitchen appliance did fairly well in our tests, but not quite well enough to win an award
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KOIOS VS2233 Review
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $55 List
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Manufacturer:   KOIOS
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Feb 15, 2022
55
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Sealing Performance - 40% 5.0
  • Convenience - 30% 5.0
  • Delicate Foods - 20% 7.0
  • Suction Power - 10% 6.0

Our Verdict

While we didn't find any major issues with the Koios VS2233, it didn't do quite well enough to win an award compared with others we tested. This kitchen appliance does quite an excellent job at sealing delicate food items without smashing them. It has a slightly more robust than average suction performance, but it only did a mediocre job in our sealing performance tests, and some other models are far easier to use. Overall, this makes it hard to recommend this appliance, as it costs about the same as some of our award-winners but can't come close to matching their performance.
REASONS TO BUY
Good with delicate foods
Fairly good value
REASONS TO AVOID
Not the most convenient
Average sealing performance
Editor's Note: The Koios VS223 review was updated on February 15th, 2022, with added information on the products we would buy for ourselves and offer help comparing different models.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Koios VS2233 is good at sealing delicate items and has a decently strong vacuum, but it doesn't seal as well and isn't as convenient to use as other models that scored higher in our tests.

Performance Comparison


koios vs2233 - the koios did fairly well, but couldn't quite snag an award.
The Koios did fairly well, but couldn't quite snag an award.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Sealing Performance


For this metric, we compared how quickly each product could seal different types of food, the number of bags it could seal in a row, the thickness of the heat-sealed area, and if there was an increase in pressure when sealing manually. The Koios got off to a bit of a rough start in our speed test, being one of the slowest vacuum sealers to seal. We tasked each product to seal four slices of bread, a pound of ground beef, four pre-cooked sausages, and one cup of dried rice. This sealer was among the slowest in each of these tests, taking 9-11 seconds longer than average.

koios vs2233 - the koios failed to evacuate all of the air in our sausage sealing...
The Koios failed to evacuate all of the air in our sausage sealing assessment.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

However, the Koios did reasonably well in our next evaluation. This model was able to seal 14 bags in a row before there was a noticeable loss in suction, but we wouldn't necessarily do this in everyday practice if we were packing food for sous vide or long-term storage. The heat-sealed section is slightly thinner than average, only measuring about 2mm across, compared to the average 2.5mm.

Finally, the Koios did decently well in our manual sealing test. While it didn't wholly maintain pressure when we manually initiated a seal, the vacuum only lost about one inch of mercury before the heat seal was completed.

Convenience


Following our sealing performance set of tests, our round of convenience assessments came next in terms of importance. We awarded points to sealers that had a convenient place to store a roll of bags and an easy way to cut them, if there was a tray that you can take out to make cleanup easier, the overall form factor of each vacuum sealer, as well as the interface and if there were any included accessories.

koios vs2233 - the koios is about average in terms of convenience.
The Koios is about average in terms of convenience.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This product got off to a bit of a rocky start, lacking both a cleaning tray and a place to store a roll of bags. It also does not have any integrated bag cutter.

koios vs2233 - we wished this product had a removable tray to make cleanup easier.
We wished this product had a removable tray to make cleanup easier.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

However, the Koios did earn a few extra points by taking up only an average amount of counter space and being lighter than average. We also liked that the lid locks down, so you don't have to hold it while sealing and that it includes a pump attachment for sealing rigid containers with small holes. Unfortunately, we weren't totally thrilled with the interface, finding that the buttons weren't always the most responsive to anything besides a really hard press.

koios vs2233 - the buttons on the koios take quite a bit of force.
The buttons on the Koios take quite a bit of force.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Delicate Foods


For our delicate foods metric, we scored each sealer on how much control you have when manually sealing an easily squashed item — like white bread, crackers, or smoothie berries. We looked at both the ease of pulsing the vacuum on and off and how finely we could control the amount of food squished when comparing performance between products. The Koios did very well here.

koios vs2233 - you can seal crackers without cracking them if you are careful enough.
You can seal crackers without cracking them if you are careful enough.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The controls on the Koios are straightforward to pulse for delicate items, with the vacuum starting and stopping with the “Vac/Seal” button. The responsiveness also makes it easy to precisely control the amount of vacuum and not squash your food. However, the Koios can occasionally fail to respond to your button presses, squishing your food considerably.

koios vs2233 - croissants take a bit of finesse to vacuum seal, as they are easily...
Croissants take a bit of finesse to vacuum seal, as they are easily crushed.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Suction Power


For our final metric, we measured the actual strength of the vacuum using a dial gauge built into one of the usual bags. The Koios finished with an average performance, managing to pull a vacuum that registered as 17 inches of mercury on the gauge — right in line with our average of 17.3.

koios vs2233 - the koios pulls one of the stronger vacuums.
The Koios pulls one of the stronger vacuums.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Should You Buy the Koios VS2233?


Overall, we didn't dislike the Koios VS2233, though it is slow. We were simply uninspired by its results, and it failed to distinguish itself from the rest of the group noticeably. If you are in the market for a great vacuum sealer, we recommend checking out other options before pulling the trigger.

What Other Vacuum Sealers Should You Consider?


This vacuum sealer retails at a solid price, but some less expensive models outperform it, and for such a niche kitchen appliance, you deserve to be picky. Another model in this price range is the NutriChef PKVS18BK, which scored better overall and has the same impressive performance with delicate foods. The Amazon Basics Vacuum Sealer scored significantly higher and cost much less.

David Wise and Austin Palmer