Vacuum Sealers

Kendallsbbq

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  1. Stampede
There are a couple of old vacuum sealer related threads out here, but none specific for what I'm looking for.

I have never used a vacuum sealer before, but see how the RT people here are always referring to it. There is such a huge range in price, size, etc.
Can anyone speak to a smaller, less expensive model that they would recommend?

See below link for one that gets great reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B87SY6JW?tag=track-ect-usa-554612-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1
 
I've just got an old FoodSaver one I picked up at Costco many years ago. It looks like it has seen better days, but still does the job just fine. I have heard bad stories about purchasing the cheaper rolls/bags, so I have stuck with the FoodSaver brand.

I don't have a sous vide contraption (yet), so I don't know if my equipment would be up to the task for longer water bath "cooks."
 
We've got this one...

FoodSaver FM5200 Series 2-in-1


3d64060f-cc46-4fbe-9dda-001b68afad2d.3d4a2a411a17f0a667dbf27339d171ca.jpeg
 
There are a couple of old vacuum sealer related threads out here, but none specific for what I'm looking for.

I have never used a vacuum sealer before, but see how the RT people here are always referring to it. There is such a huge range in price, size, etc.
Can anyone speak to a smaller, less expensive model that they would recommend?

See below link for one that gets great reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B87SY6JW?tag=track-ect-usa-554612-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1
Check Fakespot, which analyzes Amazon reviews for authenticity https://www.fakespot.com/product/va...6-inch-with-15pcs-seal-bags-starter-kit-black
 
FoodSaver from Costco here as well. They still offer them at about $100, including a small stock of bags.

Personally, I wouldn't buy anything else. Yes, there are some cheaper ones (and some way more expensive ones too), but FoodSaver has been around for many years and they make a good product. My 20-year-old one is still working just fine.

I recently bought a new one (again, from Costco) for the new house but will probably hand it off to one of the grandkids after I get the old one moved to the new house.
 
I have used a Costco Food Saver for a couple of years with no problems. My wife finds FS bags at garage sales all the time for <20% of retail.
 
I have had all Foodsaver sealers. That said, I'd look for a sealer that has a double seal capability. The Nesco sealers have double seal and wet content seal modes. I haven't used a Nesco sealer. But they seem to be highly rated. If you do really large and high volume sealing, look into a professional sealer.
 
I have a Foodsaver gamesaver and it's been great. Sealed a lot of food with it. When it's time to upgrade or this one gives out I might look into a chamber sealer so that I can seal liquids and moist stuff. They aren't cheap but the bags are a lot cheaper than the Foodsaver bags.
 
A Foodsaver will do almost all I need, but I'd love to have a double seal machine. I double seal manually with the Foodsaver. It takes extra time, but I have less failures on the seal doing double seals.

I asked a friend about what he uses, since him and his wife are retired and are avid hunters. He said he has a large stainless sealer that we think is a Weston. But he says it is heavy and just takes up too much counter space and hasn't used it much in the past few years. He's using a Foodsaver from Costco mostly. It's small and light and a better use of space and weight, since they spend the hunting season on the road in a 5th wheel trailer.
 
I have an old FS as well that I've found I need to manually double seal. Still works great though.
Get one with that feature already built in.
I would love to have a chamber sealer, but the price tag is holding me back,

edit: the Nesco that @Roaniecowpony mentioned above looks nice, and not too bad of a price
WEBSITE
 
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Got a $80 FoodSaver about 6 years ago and it is still going strong. I just make sure to get the FoodSaver brand rolls. Bought some cheaper bags but they leaked air and split after sitting in the freezer. I have taken meat straight from the freezer to the sous vide with no problems.
 
Wow, how incredible is this form! Appreciate all the valuable and experienced input. I have seen the $99 model at Cosco, so that is what I will get when I go to buy.

I do also want to ask if using sealer for fresh leftovers that go straight to the fridge, what is the additional time it is safe to eat? Right now for example, we do 3 days, for say leftover brisket or pork.
If it is vacuumed sealed, does it SAFELY give you more time/days?
It's just my wife and I now (empty nesters for about a year and a half), so would be great to have a longer period to enjoy.
 
It's not vac seal and fridge, I don't think that buys you anything.
Vac sealed + freezer = eat it next year if you want.
You may want to start a sous vide thread next for reheating your vac sealed food. :)
That is what I thought, but saw this from my original link I pasted, so figured it was worth asking.
 

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