FoodSaver and other vacuum sealers

I personally do not recommend the food saver one, I have it and it works but the Quality just isn’t good compared to some of friends and family members vacuum sealers

I have a food saver and would not buy another. It has too many limitations. Too many times the bag wrinkled while shoving it in blind and it caught. Get one that lets you place the bag and then close the lid to seal. As soon as it dies or I get mad about another ruined bag and chuck it. I'm getting a Geryon for a cheap bag sealer. $57.?? on Amazon.
 
I have a food saver and would not buy another. It has too many limitations. Too many times the bag wrinkled while shoving it in blind and it caught. Get one that lets you place the bag and then close the lid to seal. As soon as it dies or I get mad about another ruined bag and chuck it. I'm getting a Geryon for a cheap bag sealer. $57.?? on Amazon.
My cheap Ziploc unit has that open door type operation, I agree, this allows you to perfectly place the bag and then clamp shut, never fails.

I didn't even think that they would not make all sealers like this!
 
I've had Cabelas and Food Savers brands of sealers. The Cabelas one had stronger suction but always seemed to have issues sealing the bags. The Food Saver brand that I had, I bought for $7 at Savers or Good Will, someplace like that. It worked fine. The problem with all of them is the price of the bags. It's almost $1 per bag. And serious issues sealing anything a little wet.

I finally gave up and bought a real machine. I now own a VacMaster VP321 and a VP230 (the VP230 is small enough to go with me to Canada fishing...) Yes they are expensive. But... The bags end up being around $.07 each. You can seal liquids. All parts are replaceable. Many different bag materials to choose from.

I understand not wanting to spend a lot of money, but when you look at how much gets spent on everything else... (Boats, licenses, trucks, rifles, grills, smokers, etc...) It seems silly to then not want to spend any money preserving the food that you've already spent plenty on.

Short of spending (real) money on a VacMaster Chamber vac. My vote would be to pick up a Food Saver style one for almost nothing at Savers, Good Will, etc. and when it dies, go get another one for under $10. I did that for years until I decided I wanted something better.

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If worried about thickness, would it be possible to double bag?
I have mixed fortune with the bags and it is always the cheaper ones from you know where that fail. "buy cheap buy twice"
But I use them a lot and I always slice what is left over and put into the bag and freezer. And they come out like new when you want them.
 
Im considering purchasing a vacuum sealer. Not looking to spend a bunch of bucks on one. Looking for a basic one that will get the job done. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
We have used our vacuum sealer, which we got on QVC a number of years ago, for a wide variety of things which include infusing marinades and other seasonings into meats. When we got our Traeger last year found us using it more and more. We now buy aftermarket bags which you can get in various sizes. We feel it really helps add to the overall flavor and, if you use a piercing tool, the juiciness stays in the meat rather well. If you buy a large number of steaks for example at Costco or Sam's Club, you can rub them down or add a little marinade to the bag, put in the meat, seal and freeze.
 
You're right; the brand name bags are insanely costly. I have a chamber sealer and a bar sealer. Fortunately, there are generic roll options. I've been using these quite successfully since March 2016 (sometimes, they show as the Commercial Bargains name):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K07MZBO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks for this link, my sealer has an 8 1/2" wide seal, I snapped up a few rolls of bulk 8" material. Much cheaper option than the brand name stuff!
 
Scored a Foodsaver fm2100 from the wife for Christmas!
😀
 
Scored a Foodsaver fm2100 from the wife for Christmas!
😀
That is going to get a workout with the amount of cooking you do.
Mine gets a lot of use storing smoked foods for winter months.
 
I just received a FoodSaver V4840 2 into 1 vacuum sealer machine for Christmas. I plan to try it out this coming week after I smoke some Pepper Bacon.
 
Well, my first try at vacuum sealing, packaged smoked turkey, wet not frozen. Worked pretty slick. Its gonna get a workout it the future!!
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Lucky all of us! i just got a FoodSaver FM5200 2 in 1 for Christmas from my in-laws! used it once for smoked cheese thus far, used both the regular vacuum and the removable cord. Both worked really well! Next up will be testing the marinade option for jerky I think!
 

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