VACUUM SEALER

[Gordie]

I wanted to make sausage this weekend and I also wanted to buy a vacuum sealer so I picked up this one..it it a

Food Saver

on the box it read easy as 1.2.3 so I went about to see if it were true

It came out of the box and worked really good and the instructions were easy to follow and I would say it was easy as 1.2.3

The pros

simple operation

easy to make bags

small profile

quite operation

price under $100.00

makes a nice finished product

The cons

takes a bit longer to make the seam for the bag

heres a video of start to finish on one seal

You have to push the button twice to make a seal or a vac /seal

video was cut off sorry but you get the idea

All in all a good product and I give it 4 stars

[mainbutter]

Be careful with that product, they're great for small amounts, 2 or 3 bags at a time.

If you use it heavily, try to do two weeks worth of meals for a superior hiking trip in a single day for example, or packaging fillets from 6 late season alaskan silver salmon, it WILL overheat and perform a forced cooldown where it will not allow you to use it until internal temps cool. This is a nice safety feature, but if you consistently run it to where the overheat protection turns on, you will burn your unit out!

It's a great product but care must be taken to not put too much strain on it, it's not a commercial vacuum packer!

[Gordie]

just read in the instuctions to let it sit 20 seconds between each seal

I sealed 100 pounds of venison sausage and it never acted up once

thanks for the notice as I will keep an eye on it when in heavy use

[harvey lee]

Be careful with that product, they're great for small amounts, 2 or 3 bags at a time.

If you use it heavily, try to do two weeks worth of meals for a superior hiking trip in a single day for example, or packaging fillets from 6 late season alaskan silver salmon, it WILL overheat and perform a forced cooldown where it will not allow you to use it until internal temps cool. This is a nice safety feature, but if you consistently run it to where the overheat protection turns on, you will burn your unit out!

It's a great product but care must be taken to not put too much strain on it, it's not a commercial vacuum packer!

I burned one of mine out after approx 40 straight packages. I purchased a new one and a better one at that so those type issues should not happen again.

[Bigrack]

I have used these before, bought a new one quit after a couple uses, returned as under warranty, sent me another did the same thing. Higher price model worked ok. I found that they tend to get freezer burnt much faster than wrapping in freezer plastic wrap and freezer paper. I have had many pkgs not seal properly and get all frosty inside, and freezer burnt. I quit using it.

[h8go4s]

My Food-Saver is 2-3 years old, and the tape over the heating element became wrinkled, causing poor seals. I emailed the manufacturer asking for new tape, but they say it's not a user-repairable item. Hogwash. I still use it, but have to double-seal each seam, sliding it over 1/4" or so when I do the second seal. Doubles the time it takes. When it overheats I run an ice cube over the heating element a few times to cool it off. If I weren't such a tightwad, I'd replace it with a good one.

Ron.

[Finns]

If they don't seal properly it may be that the contents are still wet/damp. If the unit is sucking moisture out of the package it will not seal. I have not had any freezer burn problem.

[Nutty Fisherman]

When I'm doing fish I put a paper towel in the bag before sealing, that soaks up the moisture so it can seal

[Nutty Fisherman]

I put a paper towel all the way across the top of the fish I am sealing and it soaks up the moisture so it can seal. I have not had any problems with freezer burn from not sealing after do that.

[lakeshoremunster]

Yes

the seam will not seal if it is wet, also make sure the gaskets are dry because if there is moisture on the gasket it may not suck out all the air or takes the machine longer to finish.

[lakeshoremunster]

If you dont want to shell out money for the food saver bags I have just started using some knock off food sealer bags that I found at menards and they seam to be of the same quality.

Also the locker system to store and cut your roll of bags is awsome, it makes cutting a straight edge so much nicer

[NEUT6899]

The only problem i have had with my Food Saver is when I am sealing fresh meat or anything with blood or moisture it doesnt seal properly because of that moisture. A quick fix for this problem is to take the product that your sealing and put it on a tray in the freezer until it freezes up a bit then seal it...

[NEUT6899]

If you are sealing fresh meats or anything moist i have found that if you put product on a tray in freezer for a little bit before you seal it it will keep blood and juices from flowing while you vacuum seal..

[Jim Almquist]

If you are sealing fresh meats or anything moist i have found that if you put product on a tray in freezer for a little bit before you seal it it will keep blood and juices from flowing while you vacuum seal..

That is what I like to do as well. Stick it in the freezer till it firms up real good and then quickly seal it up. I also have the large mouth canning jar lid suction deal and that really works great used in conjunction with canning jars and liquids. I make big batch's of spaghetti sauce and vacuum them in the jars and freeze. The flavor is very fresh months later.

[MidwestArcher]

Like most people said, these can be itchy on longer jobs, we packed 220 lbs of homemade brats,hotdogs,sticks,and bacon and we borrowed 3 different food savers and then a friend bought a brand new one and that one even acted up, they caused many headaches but maybe we just got the bad group that came out of the factory..Bags are a big part of the overall seal. cheep after market bags can be a problem.

[Tom Buckles]

I have the same exact product and have been having similar issues with the seals not forming properly. After I do about 10 packages, I have to go back and check them all. Usually, about 1 third of them have to be redone. I will try putting the meat in the freezer for a little bit prior to packaging next time. I hope this helps.

[Dusty]

My food saver has a moist setting that allows the heat element to stay on a little longer. Another trick is to wrap your meat or fish in plastic wrap prior to sealing.