Any alternatives to FoodSaver?
I'm on my third FoodSaver, and it's about to go kaput again. I've had this one for about a year and a half. My last one I've had for about two years, and my first one I've had for about a month. I've been reading reports about it lasting anywhere from a few months to seven to eight years. I don't think I'm mistreating my machine -- all of my other appliances last for quite some time. But I just don't seem to have good karma with my damn Tilia FoodSaver.
I'm not willing to shell out the big bucks for a super duper commercial one. But I'm willing to pay a bit more (up to $400) if it will last me about 10 years. Any recs? And as I use mason jars more than I use the bags. So it must have an attachment for the wide mouthed mason jars.
By Miss Needle
on Jul 7, 2009 12:45 PM
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Hey I've had the problems with the food saver as well. I happened to have purchased mine from BB&B and save all of my receipts and they have an unlimited return policy so I would just change out my broken ones for new ones. eventual I got tired or returning them and for paying top dollar for the bags. I ended up going with a "Sinbo" http://www.sorbentsystems.com/sinbose... it seems to be branded as the snorkelvac on that site. It's a snorkel type vacuum sealer that has a tube that goes into your bag and pulls out all the air at the products. you can use significantly cheaper bags that aren't the channel type vacuum bags. it also has a better sealing strip which is what failed on most of my foodsavers causeing air to come back into the bag. Most vacuum packing in food industry use either a snorkle type or a vacuum chamber type packer because they're reliable and cost effective. and the sinbo only runs for 100 bucks
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Loki,
The 6 month warranty is not reassuring. How long have you had your Sinbo/Snorkelvac?
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I looked into foodsaver and the research found that there are reliability problems with the product. So you are not an isolated instance. I use plain old zip lock freezer bags, fill them up and submerge them in water to get as much air out as possible then seal.
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No kidding!
I've had mine for 3 years or so. Use it all the time and I can't say I've ever had a problem with it.
Do you put it away with the latch securing the lid? That's supposed to be a no-no. Don't know what else could go wrong because it's a simple machine.
Hope you have an alternative like taking it back to BB&B.
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I am VERY Disappointed in the FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo vacuum sealer. I spent close to $300 on it and being that I paid a lot of money for it, I really took great care when I used it. I only had it for 18 months, probably only sealed less than 12 bags (Blueberries/Strawberries), when I went to use it again a couple of days ago, it died! I almost cried! My warranty has expired so it will not be replaced. I never would have paid what I did for this piece of made in china Crap! I only buy the best that I can afford..I could have purchased a cheaper version ($75), but I figured that if I spent a little more...I would have it for the 16 to 20 years that the people on this thread have said they've had theirs! I will NEVER buy another FoodSaver/Tilia product again. Using it around a dozen times does NOT warrant the cost. I sent the company an e-mail (with photo's attached). This thing doesn't even have a Scratch on it, and was taken Excellent care of. I purchased a "L'Equip" food dehydrator that was made in Pennsylvania USA last year (about the same time I bought the FoodSaver/MoneyWaster) and a "12 YEAR" WARRANTY! When you pay this much for a product and used it little as I did (not even enough to warrant it being USED), this is just consumer rip-off at the maximum.
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I have a Pro 2300 ( http://www.provacuumsealers.com ) Excellent machine, last sealer that I will ever have to buy. All metal construction, this really is a commercial machine, but it falls right at the top of your price range.
The 2300 is just over your price point ($419) but for $20 dollars less you can get the 2100 which isn't stainless steel but enamelled white.
We use it here in the studio to package leftovers for the crew to take home, and I use it at home to package sausages etc that we make for our family.
G.
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True, I never invested in a Food Saver because I thought it was overpriced and way too bulky, but I did use a Seal-A-Meal for several years until I got tired of buying all those bags which never fit exactly and spending all that time sucking the air out, only to have it sneak back in while lounging in my freezer. Then I had an epiphany that requires the same effort at a fraction of the cost. I place portions on freezer wrap, fold securely, label with sharpie, and stick in large freezer bag. It works just as well as any other method. For more liquid items, I store and freeze in pyrex containers.
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I am able to store vacuum-sealed frozen food much longer than carefully-wrapped-then-bagged items. There is never freezer burn or deterioration of product in the vacuumed bags - not so for other storage methods.
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I'll second that. Even just storing vac sealed stuff in the fridge, you get a much longer shelf life.
G.
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I've been researching these a lot (both here and elsewhere) and just pulled the trigger on a Pro 2300. I found it for less at a different website: http://www.qualitymatters.com/Vacuum-... $335 for the 2100 and $350 for the 2300 with free shipping if you buy bags or the maintenance kit at the same time. The bags are about the same price as at BCU, and you need them anyway. $50 less than BCU plus free shipping works out to a pretty significant savings...
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I picked mine up at Tuesday Morning. It was about $65, IIRC. Have had it for 2 years now without any issues. The only time I have problems sealing is when I try to scrimp on bag size and get folds in the seal.
At one point, they also had a box of bag rolls that was $16 or so. Same box is $40 at Costco. Keep hoping to see more of those at TM.
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Just wanted to report back that I purchased another FoodSaver at Bed Bath and Beyond. A few months later (maybe 5-6?) it stopped working -- way before the 1 year warranty.Thanks to Loki, I returned it. I was thinking about getting something else except that I've got a ton of bags left (purchased from Ebay) and have four moulard duck legs in the fridge waiting to be turned into duck confit.
WHEN (by this point, it's not a matter of IF) this one breaks down and I've used up my bags, I will be looking for another brand.
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Have you started to consider the chambar vacuum units? Better seal, stronger vacuum, (supposedly) better duty cycles.
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Are you talking about those machines that cost about $4,000? If so, I'm afraid not. That is way too expensive for my budget.
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This site sells several machines under $400 that use the same type bags as Foodsaver (they call them channel vacuum pouches). I think one will let you use a mason jar attachment, but you should contact them to see if you could use the FoodSaver gismo as is or would need to get some sort of adapter.
http://www.vacnbags.com/page/374902387
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Thanks for the link! Do you have any experience with this brand?
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Cabela's had in their ad yesterday a stainless steel model that is made for them that is usually listed at $450 for $350 in an ad that was in the local paper. Looks like it has VERY positive reviews from a lot of people who also got fed up with buying cheaper units.
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Here's the link to the actual unit on sale...not sure when the sale ends, and it's a 4.7 star rating out of 5 over 171 reviews at the site:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/tem...
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This is what I don't get. I sat down and did a rough calculation. FoodSaver does not save money -- in my case anyway.
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I've had my FoodSaver for over 6 years and haven't had any issues. It works great to portion pack meats, vegetables and other items I want to break down into serving sizes.
As for the bags -- you can reuse them. I wash them with soap and hot water and air dry them. Saves money on buying new bags. I've heard some people put them in the dishwasher to wash too.
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Weston makes a nice unit for $429.00
http://www.westonsupply.com/Weston-Va...
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