I need help with vac-sealers

[gmotoman]

I really want to get a vacuum sealer. I have two main reasons for wanting one. I like to bulk shop for meats. And I like to batch cook and freeze.

I looked at Lisa B's site. Also took a gander online at reviews and I am just really confused. My budget is 200 dollars MAX!!!! I would prefer less than that. I need simple easy to use. So would anyone like to tell me about their sealer, and why you like it? And do they go on sale anytime like around hunting season etc.

[SmokinOutBack]

You can get a quality sealer for way less than $200. Try Costco or Bed, Bath, & Beyond (20% coupon) for a decent one and both their return policies are excellent.

[minnbill]

In my opinion if you buy a 200 dollar one from foodsaver you will be doing it every year or two foreverI went through 4 of them..If you spend a little on one from like Lisa B ,It will Last. Ive had mine 3 years now and love it. Regretfully I bought mine from Amozon and not Lisa but I have bought many bags from her they are far superior . Again just my 2 cents.

[Jailer]

In my opinion if you buy a 200 dollar one from foodsaver you will be doing it every year or two foreverI went through 4 of them..If you spend a little on one from like Lisa B ,It will Last. Ive had mine 3 years now and love it. Regretfully I bought mine from Amozon and not Lisa but I have bought many bags from her they are far superior . Again just my 2 cents.

Meh, I've got an $80 Foodsaver from wally world and it works for my needs.

I'm sure Lisa's bags are great but man o man the shipping! Shipping was as much as the order I was going to place. As much as I'd like to support someone who supports this site that's a bit too steep for me so I'll buy locally.

[BBQ Engineer]

I have this one from Lisa's site...and it freakin works! LINK I sent my old food saver to my brother...there is no comparison betweed my old food saver and this one.

It's only 28 bucks above your maximum, and It's worth every penny of what it is listed for...and it is free shipping.

[Ryan]

I've got the vac master pro 110. Works great and is a hell of a lot under your budget.
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-...FUc6gQodI4gN0w

[Richtee]

I have this one from Lisa's site...and it freakin works! LINK I sent my old food saver to my brother...there is no comparison betweed my old food saver and this one.

It's only 28 bucks above your maximum, and It's worth every penny of what it is listed for...and it is free shipping.

I have called Lisa and left a message. I’ll cover the 30 bux. :{)

[Slanted88]

do the gig whatever you decide...gig on...Cheers!

[gmotoman]

Now Lisa B's site sells vac-masters. I see the one BBQ Engineer was talking about. But the one Ryan linked is less than 50 dollars and IS a vac master. Wonder if I could order this one (see link) through Lisa B. Does what i want is simple, and very affordable. I mean that price is hard to beat if i am just breaking down bulk meat purchases.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ary-...FUc6gQodI4gN0w

[Fishawn]

Good Luck Gman, whatever you choose

I have a FS Pro II, had for several years. Never a problem, and I probably vac pack more than the average person. Have had probably 3-4 FS vac packers in the past 25-30 years. Most worked pretty well for me, but I don't think any have been as good as this one. I think Rich also has owned/used one

On edit: I think there are a few guys on here (erain) and others that swear by the Italian made vac machines (FS?, not sure) .... maybe they will chime in.

[SMOKE FREAK]

Get the 350 vac master...It's worth every penny...

[curious aardvark]

I've got two now.

A very basic one from italy that's been my workhorse for about 6 years.

And recently we were given a brand new foodsaver as part of a sainsburys waste less food project that's happening in my locality: https://wastelesssavemore.sainsburys.co.uk/projects

The foodsaver is pretty good, but has a couple minor issues I'm not overly happy with.
The seal of the bags needs to be done twice - or it just doesn't give a solid seal.
And on a vac and seal it actually stops sucking before it seals. So you always get a little bit of air sucked back into the bag before the seal takes.

My italian one seals perfectly in one go and keeps sucking while sealing.

Now that said, things I really like about the foodsaver: I'm using rolls rather than individual bags and it has an inbuilt bag cutter that does a much better job than me and a pair of scissors. Because I'm using rolls (got some cheap in lidl) I can make really big bags, so a lot of the pheasants and rabbits recently have been vacpacked rather than clingfilmed.
Also the rolls are stored inside the machine, which is pretty neat.
I haven't used the 'pot' that came with it yet. But will be veru useful for vacumn marinading and making mousses :-)

Model number: ffs005 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foodsaver-F.../dp/B01HRSEUWQ

Should be under $200
This is the closest I can find to the one we've got: https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Gam...odsaver+sealer

[BYBBQ]

Over the years I've went thru 4 or 5 Food Saver vac sealers. I use a sealer a lot. With the FS the seal is narrow and most times you need to double seal. They will only do 4-5 vac & seal before it needs a rest to cool off or it will quit sealing. Also you can not replace the heat strip yourself, you have to send it in to be serviced.

I now have the Vac Master Pro350 and it is so superior to the FS models. It just keeps working, no overheating & having to stop and let the machine rest, adj sealing and vac times and pressures, extra wide seal(no need to double seal), and you can service the machine yourself. For around $15 you can replace the seals and heat strip if needed.

If your going to do a lot of vac-sealing, you can't go wrong with the Pro350.

JMHO-YMMV

[HawgHeaven]

I also have the Vac Master Pro 350. Excellent machine. Been thru 3 or 4 FS turds, bought the Vac Master and never looked back.

[BBQ Engineer]

G,

I went for years with a basic food saver. I took good care of it and it lasted. I ran a lot of rolls and bags through it. My main complaint with it was that the seal bar was thin and I always felt it necessary to seal each bag twice. So when running through many bags, it would overheat and then go into "wait" mode so I would have to go do something else for a while. It took a lot longer to do a simple break down of bulk meat. Since I have ZERO patience, that was frustrating for me to the point that dropping $230 on a better sealer became a priority. The new one has never made me wait. The seal bar is probably twice as wide as my old Food Saver, and it is a substantial and well made unit with a really good pump system...it really sucks (in a good way)! With that being said, with a little patience the cheaper model worked just fine when I had it and did what it was supposed to do. When I got my new unit I sent the old one to my brother...I would never have done that if I thought it to be a total piece of shit. Just don't get in a hurry with the cheaper models and they will work just fine.

If you do decide on the more expensive vac master, I'll match Rich's generosity and kick in another $30.00 toward your goal.