Mylar Thickness

[Inspired Idler]

So my favorite US-based mylar manufacturer is out of stock at the moment. I ordered some 9mil bags off of Amazon that seemed too good to be true...and I was right. The "9mil" bag is significantly thinner than my existing 7mil bags...probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 3mil maybe 5mil.

My question is, how important is the thickness? My assumption is that the bags are still airtight but more vulnerable to puncture with rough handling. Would you trust a 3mil bag?

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

3 ml does seem thin.
My understanding though is that the foil used is just as important.
Some manufacturers use a printed on aluminium foil that is porous, others use a solid film, which should be impervious.

 

[Inspired Idler]

Ah, good point there. My 7mil bags have a shiny, almost plastic-like coating over the foil...or so it seems. The imposter bags have a matte finish more akin to foil.

 

[shanez]

I don't see a problem without the rough handling.

I typically use 4 & 5 mil bags and then place the bags in plastic totes for long term storage and protection. No problems so far.

I source from Discount Mylar Bags.

 

[Inspired Idler]

I don't see a problem without the rough handling.

I typically use 4 & 5 mil bags and then place the bags in plastic totes for long term storage and protection. No problems so far.

I source from Discount Mylar Bags.

Thanks for the tip. I'll check them out next order.

 

[woodsroad]

Whatever thickness you decide on using, it's most important to go with a vendor that is trustworthy. I like Sorbent Systems. They've been around for many years, are a major supplier to industry, they provide good information on their products, they answer their phone, and they are US based.

 

[sfduke]

7mil is what I use and happy with the storage experience. I get my bags from TopMylar. Anything thinner than 7mil is not ideal for me.

 

[sablebrush52]

The metallized mylar bags are a laminate. 1 layer per mil. So with the 7mil bags you get 7 metallized layers, each one increasing the level of impermeability as it's the metal coating that makes the bags impermeable. Do a bit of research and make up your own mind about what you need. I use both 5 and 7 mil bags, the 7 for large amounts.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Is there a particular spec in vacuum sealing machines that would make it best at sealing these 7 mil bags?

 

[woodsroad]

What is Mylar?​

What is Mylar? - https://www.impakcorporation.com/what-is-mylar

 

[woodsroad]

Is there a particular spec in vacuum sealing machines that would make it best at sealing these 7 mil bags?

Most consumer-grade vacuum sealers are made to work with FoodSaver or similar bags. Those bags are not Mylar laminate, are not high-barrier, and melt at a lower temperature. I am not aware of an affordable Mylar vacuum sealer, but I'll bet that someone here knows about it. I've heard of people modifying the FoodSaver machines to work with Mylar, but I'm not sure how that would work.

Sorbent Systems has several non-vaccum sealers that are affordable, and some big-assed vacuum units, too.

 

[shanez]

Most consumer-grade vacuum sealers are made to work with FoodSaver or similar bags. Those bags are not Mylar laminate, are not high-barrier, and melt at a lower temperature. I am not aware of an affordable Mylar vacuum sealer, but I'll bet that someone here knows about it. I've heard of people modifying the FoodSaver machines to work with Mylar, but I'm not sure how that would work.

Sorbent Systems has several non-vaccum sealers that are affordable, and some big-assed vacuum units, too.

The SteelPak 4mil bags from Discount are textured and work (both seal and vacuum) in a regular Foodsaver machine. They're the only ones I've found that do.

I don't vacuum seal my tobacco. A good quality bag and storage in a tote/box of some sort seems to work well. It's my "set it and forget it" approach.

 

[woodsroad]

Shanez, you make a good poing about heat sealing bags for long-term storage. I've been storing in Mylar laminate bags for several years now, and find that the weak link is the ZipLoc closures, especially after a few open/close cycles. I did an A-B test, the same tobacco stored in the same bag, but one heat sealed, the other closed with the ZipLoc. After two years, the the ZipLoc bagged tobacco was dried out. The heat sealed bagged tobacco was the same as the day it was packaged. Now, I've also opened ZipLoc'd bags after four years and the contents were just fine, but I'm finding more and more of the tins that I stored in bags to be dry after a couple of years. So... to be safe, just use the ZipLoc closure for the short-term.

 

[hawky454]

Most consumer-grade vacuum sealers are made to work with FoodSaver or similar bags. Those bags are not Mylar laminate, are not high-barrier, and melt at a lower temperature. I am not aware of an affordable Mylar vacuum sealer, but I'll bet that someone here knows about it. I've heard of people modifying the FoodSaver machines to work with Mylar, but I'm not sure how that would work.

Sorbent Systems has several non-vaccum sealers that are affordable, and some big-assed vacuum units, too.

Yeah, I used to use my FoodSaver to seal my 3m mylar bags but once I stepped it up to 7m that device doesn’t heat up enough to seal through the 7m bags, I had to buy my very first hair straightener.

7m is great but I personally think 3m will do the trick. I have 50 bags of 3m full of tobacco and I’m not about to switch them over to the 7m bags.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

ok, I understand. Jars.

Ha ha, no, I’m glad I asked before buying a cheapy. I really want this for my homemade twists. They just don’t fit in jars well. And, I’m about to have quite a few.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I use 7 mil only,they just seem so much more robust. I have zero evidence thinner bags would be less than adequate. Given how cheap the 7 mil were, I saw no reason to get less. Kind of important stuff bring stored potentially for quite some time.

 

[hawky454]

ok, I understand. Jars.

Ha ha, no, I’m glad I asked before buying a cheapy. I really want this for my homemade twists. They just don’t fit in jars well. And, I’m about to have quite a few.

Yes! The mylar bags are great for those twists!

 

[Ahi Ka]

@cosmicfolklore I use multichannel bags for my homegrown. It is not a Mylar product, but is also permanently vapor proof. I wanted something that I could vacuum seal plugs in at a higher case for ageing. I also use these for ropes, though not vacuum sealing, I use a manual setting to remove say 80-90% of the air from the bag. This saves the ropes turning into a brick of turds. They are also made to be used for sous vis cooking, so I even stove my ropes/plugs in them after sealing

 

[cosmicfolklore]

@cosmicfolklore I use multichannel bags for my homegrown. It is not a Mylar product, but is also permanently vapor proof. I wanted something that I could vacuum seal plugs in at a higher case for ageing. I also use these for ropes, though not vacuum sealing, I use a manual setting to remove say 80-90% of the air from the bag. This saves the ropes turning into a brick of turds. They are also made to be used for sous vis cooking, so I even stove my ropes/plugs in them after sealing

Thanks. That seems like a great idea.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I use 5 mil bags with a special sealer that crimps the bags. It does a good job and the finished seal looks nice but I've used an iron as well and that worked fine.