I am in my tenth year of canning and just wrapped up my fourth year canning with Weck jars. I think I now have enough experience with both Weck jars and Ball jars to write a comparison. If you preserve food via canning, or are thinking about it (and I hope you are), I hope you will find the following information helpful. 

To begin, Ball jars are the typical mason jars we commonly use in the United States. Mason jars were invented in New Jersey in 1858 and are known for both their usefulness and aesthetic. These are the jars with silver bands and lids and the ones most of us are familiar with, as they are, in normal years, readily available in grocery stores, discount stores, hardware stores, and more. I say “in normal years” because there was a shortage during the pandemic. The lids have a rim of thin rubber, which is used to seal the jar when you engage the seal through your canning process—either via water bath or pressure canner. 

Weck jars originate in Germany. Its simplistic design was created in 1895. Also known for their aesthetic, Weck jars are glass with glass lids, and you use thick rubber rings and clips during the canning process. These jars are not often seen in stores in the United States and generally must be ordered online. These jars can be straight or tulip shaped. Both the glass and the rings on Weck jars are quite thick and sturdy, and I read that the Weck company has not changed the way these jars are made over the years. They do feel quite “old school,” and I am fond of that.

The Pros and Cons of Ball Jars

Ball jars are the original to most of us who can in the United States. I remember my great grandmother canning with Ball jars, and they are iconic to me. I like that they are so readily available. One key perk of Ball jars is that they are less expensive than Weck. They have certainly grown more expensive in recent years; still, they are a bit cheaper than Weck jars, which have also gotten more expensive because Germany struggles with inflation too. I can usually purchase jars, lids, and bands for Ball jars without having to order online. 

A con of Ball jars is that there can be shortages when everyone gets the urge to can. I don’t know if we will ever see this happen again, but I argue that one never knows. I feel that one such period may be upon us.

There were also a couple of years that there were rumors the seals were not working as well on the Ball jar lids. During that year, I did have one full batch of strawberry jam go bad because of bad seals. I realized later that every one that had gone bad was from the same little box of lids I had bought new that year. Though I continue to use some Ball jars in my canning and have never had this happen again, the experience is always in the back of my mind, especially since I can now see the powerful seal of Weck jars, which I feel more secure in. One other con of Ball jars is that I have broken a couple during the process of canning. Because Weck jars are so thick, I have yet to break one, though I knock on wood as I write these words. 

One other con of Ball jars is that you won’t find as much variety in jar designs and shapes as you used to. Apparently, the Ball jar factory in New Jersey was purchased in 2016, and the new company decided to streamline production. The idea was to improve production, but a drawback of this is that we get fewer designs. Still, just this year, Ball jar released an anniversary edition that was quite lovely, so I don’t know how much of a con this item really is. 

The Pros and Cons of Weck Jars

One of the biggest perks of Weck jars is that seal. It is a thick rubber ring, and the seal, when done correctly, is so sturdy, which leads me to another perk of Weck jars—general sturdiness. The glass jars and lids on Weck jars are so thick that I have never broken one, and I am pretty clumsy in the kitchen.

I also love the beautiful design of the Weck jars. The tulip shapes are my favorites, and they all have a little strawberry stamped into the glass. I love strawberries so much this makes me love Weck jars more—and don’t get me started on how much joy it brings me to put strawberry jam into Weck jars with that little strawberry on them. 

I think my favorite thing about Weck jars though is that I only have to replace the rubber rings. The rings are inexpensive and so easy to store in a drawer. It’s very easy to stock up on the rubber rings, and they will not rust in the long term like Ball jar rings. I have also read that you can reuse the rubber rings, though Weck does not recommend this. I did try it with a batch a couple of years ago. I made a batch of jams and reused the rubber rings. I think I put up seven or eight jars, and one of them didn’t seal. Since that had never happened to me before, I decided for a time that it wasn’t worth the risk to reuse the rubber rings. 

However, after hearing about more people reusing the rubber rings, I tried again and reused the rings for a whole season of canning. All of them sealed, so I feel like my advice is that you can probably reuse the rubber rings, which is awesome. Just keep a close eye on them to make sure they seal.

There are some cons to Weck jars too. First, they are heavy. The heavy glass plus glass lids add some weight when you are canning. I have had some struggles at times lifting the big jars out of the hot water. Related to this, I had some smaller canning tools that did not work with the Weck jars. The larger Weck jars have really wide mouths, so you have to have canning tools that will work with the larger sizes. 

Another drawback is that you do have to order Weck jars online, at least for the most part. I have never seen them in stores, outside of decorative stores where the jars are marked up quite a bit. The good news is that you can purchase them directly from the Weck website, and at the online store, the jars are quite a bit cheaper than you might find elsewhere. I recommend staying away from Amazon because, well, it’s Amazon, but also because I have read a lot of stories in canning groups about people buying knock-off Weck jars or rings that aren’t exactly right. 

My Conclusions

I have been on the fence with my Ball jars and Weck jars for some years, but last year, after how well the jams and fruits I canned in the Weck jars held up compared to my Ball jars, I decided to make the shift to Weck jars. Because they are expensive, I have just been buying them when I can. I get Weck jars for my birthday and Weck jars for Christmas. Finally, after four years, I almost have enough Weck jars to meet all of my canning needs. 

Because the jars are so sturdy and it’s so easy to stock up on the rubber rings, I feel like Weck jars are going to be my go-to. But, even if you are more of a Ball jar fan, it might be worth checking out some Weck jars just to see what you think. 

Either way, canning food is the way to go, and here are some resources on canning that I hope you will find helpful. 

Canning Safety: The Science of Safe “Putting By”

How to Can: A Beginners Guide to Canning Food

Penn State Extension, Let’s Preserve: Basics of Home Canning