Originally posted by BradP "p-nut":
I have three of them and they all work great.
If people are having problems with them sealing then they aren't using the good "food saver" brand bags and they aren't making sure to not get any fat or liquid at the top of the bag before sealing.
If I'm going to be sealing something with liquid in it I will set it in the bag and put in the freezer for a while before sealing.
We just butchered 6 hogs (1500lbs of pork) 2 weeks ago and used 4 food savers after cutting it all up and didn't have any bags that didn't seal.
If we want to keep the discussion around FS products this is true. You need to understand proper use and the little "nits" about it. Not a big deal. Pre-freezing is important for soft/liquid items for sure.
That said there are higher quality solutions if you are looking for that which make frequent use, higher volume simple and easy - even with all the proper use and user error issues considered. That's always important to know and that info is out there in terms of proper and creative use for vac sealers.
The heavier duty (even FS models) will certainly be bigger and therefor less counter top home design friendly
So if you want something to set on the top of the counter and leave it there you are definitely better with a consumer model FS. They are more stylish and look better. Some even come with rollers built in to take the FS bag rolls - very convenient.
Sorry, IMHO FS brand bags are not the best. They are the best if you are using a FS lower end product. If the band heater is heavier duty it will have no problem with the heavier mesh bags. My father uses mesh bags on his FS and they work fine.
The mesh bags are better and you can reuse them with better success. Even so you can by FS brand bags in bulk a lot cheaper if you stay way from the department stores. The bulk bag supplier I use also sells the FS bags and roll material cheaper than the typical retail outlets.
I bought my parents a high end FS that they love. Gamesaver Turbo, something like that. It's nice. But - you know I just opened up a bag of meat sticks my Dad left for me just yesterday. The width of the seal is anemic by comparison to the vac sealer I have. And his FS is a nice one, not knocking it. But the wider the seal, the wider the vacuum chamber seal.
Meaning on mine since the sealing band is 1/4 inch I don't have to even think about holding the door down, sometimes might have to lightly touch it but never have to hold down on it or anything like that.
The wider the seal the better you are, in that it is less susceptible to water or air intrusion during sealing. You have to fiddle more and be more concerned the smaller that seal band gets and the smaller that vac pump gets (dual pumps are best) And the heavier the vac pumps and the better cooled they are the easier the sealer will be to use.
You will be more likely to pull it out without even thinking and not be considering or thinking about all the nits and proper use and holding the seal bar down, and waiting for cooling, etc. Not knocking FS at all its just a fact to consider.
Do you have a KA mixer? Then you know what I mean. There are sealers out there that are that level of quality for consumer use. Not for everyone, but worthy of mention. That's probably the best analogy I can put on it.
If you are a hunter/fisherman for example and are doing a lot of packing look around.
Just for background info. HTH