Vacuum sealer - what to look for?

[GA Home Cook]

Hi guys - I am thinking about buying a vacuum sealer on Black Friday. There is such a wide range of models and $$. Wanted to ask current users what is the really important features to look for? Brands to steer clear of or brands you like?

Thanks Hal

 

[Andy M.]

Food Saver brand seems to be the king of the mountain right now. They offer a ton of different packages that make it almost impossible to do a store to store comparison. Different combinations and quantities of accessories muddy the pricing waters.

Really all you need is the machine itself and a supply of bag material. Many discount outlets sell vacuum sealer bags at a discount vs. the FS brand bags.

Depending on your planned uses, you may or may not need vacuum sealable jars/containers.

 

[Addie]

Food Saver brand seems to be the king of the mountain right now. They offer a ton of different packages that make it almost impossible to do a store to store comparison. Different combinations and quantities of accessories muddy the pricing waters.

Really all you need is the machine itself and a supply of bag material. Many discount outlets sell vacuum sealer bags at a discount vs. the FS brand bags.

Depending on your planned uses, you may or may not need vacuum sealable jars/containers.

I don't know of anyone who ever used all the extras. I know I never had any use for all the extras. After a year of two of moving them out of the way of needed storage space, I tossed them into the trash.

 

[Just Cooking]

I use the canisters, Mason jar attachments and bottle stoppers..
These items came with our original FS in the 90's..
I replaced the original FS, maybe 10 years ago, and use the old attachments with the newer FS.
I tried different brands of bags and decided to stay with FS brand. Costco has reasonable deals on bags as does Target and other big stores..

Just as an aside, I have not experienced freezer burn in 20 years.. I have thawed steaks and fish after nearly a year frozen and have not been disappointed with anything I vacuumed..

The newest offerings are pretty cool but, at my age, I doubt I'll need to purchase a new one..

Ross

 

[Addie]

I had one of the FS when they first came out. I found it difficult to use and wasted a lot of bags. I ended up giving it to my son Spike and he uses it all the time. Now I just wrap my food tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a zippy bag.

 

[caseydog]

I have only had Foodsaver machines. I have used generic bags and rolls, and they work.

The thing to do is keep an eye on the Foodsaver website, or sign up for emails from them. They ALWAYS seem to have one unit or another on sale for a significant discount.

CD

 

[tenspeed]

You need a subscription to get the full review, but here's ATK's favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPFeDQShtCU

 

[Stock Pot]

One thing I like about mine is it has two suction settings. The low setting takes longer but it doesn't suck liquid up into the unit. They call it wet (low) and dry (high). I think that is a good feature.