Do I need a chamber vacuum sealer or is an external sealer enough?

For dry foods, jerky, sous vide proteins, and freezer storage, an external sealer like a FoodSaver or Potane is sufficient and far cheaper. Chamber sealers become worth the price jump when you regularly seal liquids, soups, marinades, ground meat, or chunky/wet foods — specialist subreddit threads we read repeatedly cite liquid handling as the single biggest reason people upgrade.