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Started by Jason_AliceMae Farms, November 14, 2013, 10:39:48 AM

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Jason_AliceMae Farms

I am considering the purchase of a vacuum seal machine and wanted to get some opinions from anyone here that has one or has used one.  What did you like/not like, brand recommendations, etc.

I will be using it to store bulk food purchases, venison and any other bulk meats I may get hunting, and when I finally trap some animals to store the fur in the freezer until I have time to finish cleaning them up.

I see that Cabela's has a few on sale and WalMart and other box stores have the FoodSaver brand.  Any thoughts or opinions in general on vacuum sealers?
Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

buzzegray

We use ours for the same thing. We go to Costco and shoot a tritip., bring it home and freeze one pre bag with seasoning. keeps the freezer burn away. Helps wit thawing too...less mess. We drop them in hot water if we need to speed it up and they dont leak water into the meat.. You can reuse the bags if you wash them. The expandable bags do not seem to work as easily . There is an attachment for sucking the air out of canning jars. We use that for refridge pickles.  All in all, the do the jobs we ask of it . A little pricey.

beenthere

QuoteWe go to Costco and shoot a tritip.

That be interesting.....  ::)
south central Wisconsin
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Radar67

I have a Food Saver and am well pleased with it. I have the canning jar attachment and use it to seal my Mead in quart jars once fermentation is complete. I have found that it is best to use the Food Saver brand bags, they seem to be better quality than any of the others I have tried.
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Jason_AliceMae Farms

How much did you guys pay for your vacuum sealers if you don't mind me asking?
Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

goose63

I have had the food saver for 4 year's don't know what I gave for it but we like it food saver bag's work the best :snowball:
goose
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Radar67

I don't remember the exact price, but it was under $100. I have the V2450 Model. The current price on it is around $140 from Food Saver.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

drobertson

food saver for us, no comment on any others, never seen them, ours have paid for the cost.   david
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Magicman

Here is a LINK to a thread where I searched for a vacuum sealer last year.  I was dissatisfied with the Cabela's brand sealer and finally got a Food Saver from Wally World.  I have been very satisfied with it.  Matter of fact, I used it just about an hour ago.   :)
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coxy

6years for me with food saver no prob   packed a lot of meat and I mean I lot of meat :)

okmulch

Just got food saver last week. Works well, used it on the last of the jalapenos out of the garden. Plan on using it for venison and anything else I can. ;)
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Jason_AliceMae Farms

Thanks for all the replies, looks like I will be looking at the food savers.

Thanks for the link MM, I forget how much info is on this forum....first step for me now before posting a new topic is to use the search capability  :)
Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

Magicman

Oh, I was just providing additional information that may be helpful, and you are welcome.   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

ET

We have had our foodsaver so long I dont remember when it was bought. It keeps my venison fresh for 3 years so when I get skunked we still have our venison. Works super and i only use the foodsaver rolls and bags. Ernie
Lucas 1030, Slabber attachment, Husky 550XP, Ford 555B hoe, Blaze King Ultra, Vermeer chipper, 70 acres with 40 acres Woods.

LeeB

Try the bags from LEM. They are a little more durable than the foodsaver ones at about the same price. I have two foodsaver vac sealers.

Just checked the LEM site. Guess they don't have the Zip Seal brand any more. I can't vouch for their new bags. Haven't tried them.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

SLawyer Dave

My family has been making yearly pilgrimages to the Ocean since before I was born to fish for Salmon and Rock Cod every summer.  Everyone use to can, because freezing salmon only makes it good for a short time due to its propensity for freezer burn.  Then when they started coming out with the vacuum sealers, everyone pretty much switched over.  At the fishing camp we still go to, (there's probably 30 families), I've never seen another brand but for Food Saver.  Pretty much everyone also buys the Food Saver bags at either Costco or Wally World, depending on who has the better price.

The secret is to process the meat as soon as possible.  We normally have 2 to 4 fisherman per boat, and pull up to the fish cleaning station to start.  Then as soon as we have the fished filleted and washed down, we spread the fillets on paper towels, with more paper towels between each layer, (you want to remove all of the excess moisture you can).  Then one person starts making bags, while the other starts labeling them and putting fillets in.  You only want a single layer of fillets in a bag.  Then you start sealing the bags.  Divide up the fish, and then take them to your freezer and get them frozen ASAP.  Then you go back and clean up the boat.  =)

With no air in the bag to allow freezer burn, the fish will come out in great shape even up to a year later.  Just had bbq'd Salmon on Saturday up at my mom's that I caught in July.  Man was it good.  Vacuum sealing and freezing, also allows you to spread the work load.  I really didn't have time when I was fishing to make my favorite, Smoked Salmon.  So I have about 20 lbs of large fillets vacuum sealed and frozen that I specifically set aside for that.  Now that the garden is done, the firewood all brought in, and I have a little time on my hands, I can pull it out and start that process.  After its brined and smoked, then I will can it and give some of those away for Christmas, (the rest I will horde for my own enjoyment). 

I know some people who use their vacuum sealer to marinade meats and on almost everything they freeze, and swear by it.  The one thing you can't do with a vacuum sealer is seal "wet" foods in a bag.  You can use the canning attachment, but that's about it.  I like to marinade a lot of my meat when I freeze it, because the marinade both soaks into the meat better, and also protects it from freezer burn just as well as vacuum sealing, (so long as you squeeze out all the air and leave just fluid in the zip lock bag).  So a vacuum sealer is a great tool, but you will need to experiment to see how it will work best for you.

LeeB

You can seal wet foods. You just have to be quick to shut off the vacuum.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

SLawyer Dave

Quote from: LeeB on November 15, 2013, 07:26:50 PM
You can seal wet foods. You just have to be quick to shut off the vacuum.

Not with a Food Saver vac/seal.  The heating element to seal the bag will not be triggered until the vacuum pressure is established.  So if you are trying to seal "wet" foods, you end up sucking out the fluid into the sealer, (a big mess).  If there is enough liquids, the vacuum won't get to pressure, and then the machine shuts down.  You also have the problem that even if there is only limited liquid, if that liquid is in the sealing line, (where the heat element melts/seals the bag), then often times you don't get a tight seal. 

I didn't mention it above, but when we go to seal the bags with fillets in them, the last thing we do is to use a fresh paper towel to wipe the inside of the bag down where we will be sealing it.  This is just to make sure that we don't have a bad seal form because of some fluid or particulate matter compromising the seal. 

Not all vac/sealers may have these issues.  I went fishing out of the Kodiak Coast Guard base several years ago, and they have a "Morale" center on base that is incredible.  At one end, they have an entire commercial kitchen and food processing center where you can clean your fish, vacuum seal them in large commercial tubs that will literally do 100 lbs at a time, and then toss the bags in flash freezers where the fish will be hard frozen in 20 minutes.  Now I suspect those vac/sealers could pretty much vacuum seal anything you put in them.       

Chuck White

Quote from: SLawyer Dave on November 15, 2013, 08:20:22 PM
Quote from: LeeB on November 15, 2013, 07:26:50 PM
You can seal wet foods. You just have to be quick to shut off the vacuum.

Not with a Food Saver vac/seal.  The heating element to seal the bag will not be triggered until the vacuum pressure is established.  So if you are trying to seal "wet" foods, you end up sucking out the fluid into the sealer, (a big mess).  If there is enough liquids, the vacuum won't get to pressure, and then the machine shuts down.   You also have the problem that even if there is only limited liquid, if that liquid is in the sealing line, (where the heat element melts/seals the bag), then often times you don't get a tight seal. 

I didn't mention it above, but when we go to seal the bags with fillets in them, the last thing we do is to use a fresh paper towel to wipe the inside of the bag down where we will be sealing it.  This is just to make sure that we don't have a bad seal form because of some fluid or particulate matter compromising the seal. 

Not all vac/sealers may have these issues.  I went fishing out of the Kodiak Coast Guard base several years ago, and they have a "Morale" center on base that is incredible.  At one end, they have an entire commercial kitchen and food processing center where you can clean your fish, vacuum seal them in large commercial tubs that will literally do 100 lbs at a time, and then toss the bags in flash freezers where the fish will be hard frozen in 20 minutes.  Now I suspect those vac/sealers could pretty much vacuum seal anything you put in them. 


My FoodSaver will seal bags with liquid in them.

When the vacuum begins to draw the liquid, I just hit the Vacuum/Seal button and the vacuum stops and the bag get sealed immediately.

As mentioned, it's sometimes beneficial to freeze the product, then vacuum pack!
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LeeB

I do the same. hit the seal button. With foods containing liquids, soups and such, I find it's enough to remove the air and not actually pull a vacuum. Moist items and stuff like a greasy grilled sausage can be done too, just have to be quick on the button. Some machines don't have that option. The first ones I bought didn't. With fresh meats, I will often put a rolled up paper towel at the top of the bag to catch the moisture. You are totally correct in that you cannot get a good seal if the seal area is too wet. A small amount seams to be ok sometimes.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Magicman

You can seal at any time with mine that is pictured in the link.
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It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

YellowHammer

I seal a lot of wet foods and use the Vacupak Elite Food Sealer.  It's a restaurant grade machine and is designed with a very heavy duty crimper/heat strip that will seal through water. It also has a water filter to protect its high speed vacuum pump and an extremely high duty cycle.  The strip won't cool down during continued wet use. 
I've had it for years and never had a problem. 
YH
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cinnabar

We have a Kenmore Save and Select Seal, it has a wet and dry vac setting so you can do it all.  Uses the food saver bags as well.  Don't know the cost, as it was a gift. Works well for couple three of years now.

ibseeker

Here's a different opinion:
You pay for what you get.
I am on my second Food Saver and am no longer a fan of them. While the cost of the Food Saver is reasonable, the limited abilities of the machine make it too much of a hassle. Sealing a lot of fish becomes labor intensive when you have to either pre-freeze the fillets or dry them off as much as possible before sealing. The bags don't hold up as long either. Most do but some lose their seal over time. I burned out the first one sealing fish from multi-day trips and probably over-used the Food Saver. The one I have now won't last too much longer, it's having trouble pulling a vacuum. Too much sealing in too short a time, at least that's my guess.
If, and it's a big IF, I do decide to buy another sealer it will be a chamber sealer. A couple of friends have them and they're impressive but pricey.
One of the benefits in buying a chamber sealer is the ability to use a retort bag. As far as I know, Food Saver doesn't have the capability to seal the retort bags.
Chamber sealers are not cheap but if you plan on doing a lot of vacuum sealing, it would be worth it. The bags are much less expensive, you can seal multiple bags without regard to content. Soups, stew, meat, fish, dry goods it doesn't matter. The vacuum is pulled in the chamber and not in the bag. 

Once again, you pay for what you get.

check out vacuumsealersunlimited.com   not a recommendation, just for research.

The one that I keep reading about in the fishing forum is the ARY VP215, it's ~$1100.00

Chuck
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Windy_Acres

We have been through 3 food savers, now have a VacMaster VP112 Portable Chamber Vacuum Sealer. Its the bomb, compared to the "food savers". Cost about 3 times as much, one of them, "you get what you pay for".

It has 2 sealing bars, and does liquids well. Works completely different from the food savers. You almost never get a "fail to seal", unless you screw up putting the bag in the machine.

We grow and raise near all our food, do an extensive amount of canning and freezing.

http://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-Portable-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B003YE8FG0

Gunny 1992

I have a food saver brand and have had no problems.  I have owned the same unit since 2004.  I know because it was a wedding present and it outlasted the marriage.  It WILL seal bags with liquid with out a problem if you use the method others have said or what I do for large fish (salmon from Lake Huron) is fold up a small piece of paper towel and place inside the bag while you vacuum the bag.  The liquid gets absorbed by the towel and the seal is fine.  When you thaw and open, throw away the paper towel.  I have used it for the canning option, fish, venison, costco trips, the thing has not failed me yet.  Bag rolls a little pricey but NEVER had food go bad, freezer burn, yet!
   
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sbishop

I run a foodsaver now for 3 years....got it on clearance at cabelas for $50...Its used weekly...i'd have to say they hold up pretty good. I get my bags from vacuum sealers unlimited, I always buy the premium bags...price is great too, service is excellent. I am a member of a smoking meat forum I get 10% discount...covers the cost of shipping most of the time.

Sbishop

m wood

 

  hey there Jason.  we're well into hunting season, did you find a sealer yet?  I also have found my foodsaver to be pretty handy.  I use it heavily for just one reason...

I did seal a big bag of turkey noodle soup for the in-laws the othr day.  I had my son hold it over the counter so I could keep the bag upright.  not real user friendly, but doable. 

It could be my imagination but i think it's not as strong as last year, vaccuum wise.  I was thinking of olive oil on the foam/rubber vaccuum seals in the off season. 
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LeeB

The valves in the vacuum lines on these things are just simple flapper valves. They're just really small. It doesn't take much to keep them from sealing all the way. You can open them up and clean them out if you are careful and can still see well enough. Little bitty parts. Do it carefully to avoid drooping and losing something.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Wudman

I have a Rival "Seal a Meal".  Good machine and it has paid for itself many times over.  It came from WalMart I think.  No complaints.

Wudman
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
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Jason_AliceMae Farms

Mark - I lost track of this post and missed your reply, sorry.  I have not picked one up yet but I do have my eye on a few of the food saver machines.  New truck batteries and tires got in the way so I am waiting to see if there are any good after Christmas sales.  Looks like you have done fairly well this hunting season.

I can't wait for the day I am living at my property full time so I can hunt out it my woods and enjoy it all the time!
Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

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Yoopersaw

Food Savers are okay for the occasional use.  They overheat way too much.  I've gone through at least 1 a year for many years.  A friend recommended this:   http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search.cmd?form_state=searchForm&N=0&fsch=true&Ntk=AllProducts&Ntt=54-0710&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products&x=22&y=8 and I bought it.  I will be using it tomorrow and be posting about it.

Yoopersaw

I spent the afternoon doing apples and bananas that were dehydrated, Salsa components that were dehydrated, and the Cabela's out performed the Food Saver beyond belief.  After doing the dry stuff, I packed ten 1 pound packages of homemade breakfast sausage.  So far, I'd give it a solid 10.  With every Foodsaver that I had, I dreaded the packaging since this would have taken several day instead of hours due to over heating problem. 8)

Chuck White

Quote from: m wood on December 04, 2013, 08:44:33 PM


  hey there Jason.  we're well into hunting season, did you find a sealer yet?  I also have found my foodsaver to be pretty handy.  I use it heavily for just one reason...

I did seal a big bag of turkey noodle soup for the in-laws the othr day.  I had my son hold it over the counter so I could keep the bag upright.  not real user friendly, but doable. 

It could be my imagination but i think it's not as strong as last year, vaccuum wise.  I was thinking of olive oil on the foam/rubber vaccuum seals in the off season.


Mark, it makes the job much easier if you just stand the vacuum bag of liquid up in freezer and once they are frozen, you can easily vacuum seal them without all the hastle.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Windy_Acres

Quote from: ibseeker on November 17, 2013, 12:42:29 PM
Here's a different opinion:
You pay for what you get.
I am on my second Food Saver and am no longer a fan of them. While the cost of the Food Saver is reasonable, the limited abilities of the machine make it too much of a hassle. Sealing a lot of fish becomes labor intensive when you have to either pre-freeze the fillets or dry them off as much as possible before sealing. The bags don't hold up as long either. Most do but some lose their seal over time. I burned out the first one sealing fish from multi-day trips and probably over-used the Food Saver. The one I have now won't last too much longer, it's having trouble pulling a vacuum. Too much sealing in too short a time, at least that's my guess.
If, and it's a big IF, I do decide to buy another sealer it will be a chamber sealer. A couple of friends have them and they're impressive but pricey.
One of the benefits in buying a chamber sealer is the ability to use a retort bag. As far as I know, Food Saver doesn't have the capability to seal the retort bags.
Chamber sealers are not cheap but if you plan on doing a lot of vacuum sealing, it would be worth it. The bags are much less expensive, you can seal multiple bags without regard to content. Soups, stew, meat, fish, dry goods it doesn't matter. The vacuum is pulled in the chamber and not in the bag. 

Once again, you pay for what you get.

check out vacuumsealersunlimited.com   not a recommendation, just for research.

The one that I keep reading about in the fishing forum is the ARY VP215, it's ~$1100.00

I get the impression from this thread that either you guys dont bag much, or you have never seen, heard of, understand a chamber vac.

But allow me to put an analogy out there for the inquisitive, that has had no exposure, much like myself at one point.

The difference between a food saver (pick youre model, we went through 3), and comparing to a chamber vac, is akin to comparing a 14" Remington ELECTRIC chain saw, and a Husqvarna 372 w/ 24" bar, or lets say a .22LR rimfire, and a .44mag, both handguns, both come in revolvers, both shoot bullets, but one will do things the other can even consider.

Honestly, the two should not even be compared. We "burned up" 3 food savers, and given the price of the bags, compared to the chamber vac, the thing almost pays for it self, if you really bag allot of food.

We kinda homestead and buy next to nothing at the grocery store, garden is over an acre, orchard, and 5 sources of protein on hoof. 3 chest freezers, the biggest ones they sell for residential use, all so full, you can barely close the lids. Suffice it to say, we bag some food.

If it was not mentioned, the chamber vac we bought, has 2 sealing bars, that is to say, it seals the bag TWICE, It also does liquids without having to perform circus tricks. That, and better half absolutely loves the thing, due to the time it saves, by doing it right the first time, she is ecstatic with the thing (she does not get excited about much). It was $500, was not purchased from Amazon, but here a link showing the model.

http://www.amazon.com/VacMaster-Portable-Chamber-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B003YE8FG0

If you use yours once a year for lets say 20 bags, the food savers are fine (garbage in comparison, but priced accordingly), if you do it regularly, your cheating yourself.

beenthere

QuoteI get the impression from this thread that either you guys dont bag much, or you have never seen, heard of, understand a chamber vac.

And Windy_acres, I thought with that intro, you would explain a chamber vac so that we would understand it.
How about it, would you do that for us?   8)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Jason_AliceMae Farms

Windy - I too would like to hear more about your chamber vac.  I have come across them while I have been looking around but I would quickly stop looking at them due to the price tag.  I do not seal nearly as much as you right now but that is my goal over the next few years.   I don't know anyone that has/had a chamber vac so first hand information on them is limited.

Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

Windy_Acres

You bag your food or liquid, you open the chamber, lay the product in horziontally. The open end of the bag, goes into two "pins" that pierce the bag north of the up coming seal. Via gravity, this keeps your liquid in the bag, because the height of the pins is higher than your food, even though its horizontal.

You close the lid, set the timer for how long you want the pump to run (how tight you want the seal), and the pump pulls all the air out of the chamber, that would include the bag as well.

When the time runs out, the sealing bar heats up, and seals the bag. A couple seconds go by, and a valve then relieves the vacuum, allow atmospheric pressure back in the chamber. At that point, your bag shrivels up to the contour of the contents. You open the chamber lid, removed the bag, and start over with the next bag.

I can take some pics of the process if you guys would like to see it. I could do a video, but Im guessing there is already one on youtube.

Ok, I just went and looked, here is the exact model we have..

Ok, I guess I cant post links. So go to youtube and search for "vacmaster vp112" and watch the first return, its an 8 minute video, pretty much covers everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5WMRM4aSQ

Windy_Acres

Quote from: Jason_AliceMaeFarms on January 08, 2014, 12:56:52 PM
Windy - I too would like to hear more about your chamber vac.  I have come across them while I have been looking around but I would quickly stop looking at them due to the price tag.  I do not seal nearly as much as you right now but that is my goal over the next few years.   I don't know anyone that has/had a chamber vac so first hand information on them is limited.

After our 3rd food saver, bought the farm, I said to the girl friend, "time to find something a little more substantial". Prior to that point, I had not heard the term "chamber vac".

After researching it (mostly via forums), and factoring in bag costs, in hind sight we realized the first 3 food savers where a real bad idea. But the key is, you have to be using the thing, to pay for itself, for the casual user, its probably not worth it, but it is built a brick poop house comparatively and works much better. Weve only had our since this summer, so we dont have a real track record with it, although she pulled a bunch of meat out of the freezer and resealed it, because the food saver bags where failing on certain items.

That is probably where this thing really shines, the bags not breaking their seals and allowing freezer burn you dont know about until its too late.

Weve got enough carnivores running around that nothing goes to waste, but its a shame to loose good meat to freezer burn.

beenthere

Thanks for filling us in and including the video.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Windy_Acres

no problem, it was short sighted of me not to share more, being that they are not common, that an intro to them would have been a good idea.

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