All these bargains are killing me. I couldn’t pass up the Excalibur Dehydrator Home Depot deal in a recent thread. At least I have resisted the ProPack deal, so far anyway. So, now I’ve got to get cracking when the summer produce comes in. This means I need a good plastic food sealing up system. I am sure you enablers are collectively up to: 1) Giving me good advice on a value; and 2) Finding some screaming, killer bargain I can’t resist even though I have all these other priorities for my meager budget to handle. Thanks.

I have a foodsaver mod V3820 got it at Sams don't remember what I paid but when I wear it out I will get another food saver. I not only vacuum seal food for trips but also socks and long underwear for cool weather trips so I'm guaranteed dry clothes no matter what happens.

I went through 2 of the $80 food savers in 2 years. I decided I was going to spend some $$$ and get a higher grade without going to the $1000 commercial types. I bought the $500 model Cabelas sells and it turned out to be nothing more than a cheap plastic unit wrapped in stainless steel so I returned it. I am now a proud owner of a LEM, they have a couple models but they are built to work. Just my .02.

I also have the Foodsaver brand and I like it. It works great for marinating steaks at home with seasoning and then in the freezer. In camp I just take out the meat and it is ready for the fire grate.

I got a Foodsaver at Costco and can't remember what model it is. We use it both for food and TP (which makes it much smaller and keeps it dry no matter what). Seems to work fine. Whatever unit you get make sure it can be told to stop vacuuming and seal when you want that to happen. That prevents you from crushing your carefully dehydrated food. I'm guessing most or all units do that. Buy the bags on rolls because that makes them much cheaper.

some photos of how you make this work would help.i have a yard sale one that i have not really tried out yet.it's a cheap one but i would be happy with getting 6 bags done.

quote andym: "I got a Foodsaver at Costco and can't remember what model it is. We use it both for food and TP (which makes it much smaller and keeps it dry no matter what). Seems to work fine. Whatever unit you get make sure it can be told to stop vacuuming and seal when you want that to happen. That prevents you from crushing your carefully dehydrated food. I'm guessing most or all units do that. Buy the bags on rolls because that makes them much cheaper."

My Foodsaver does NOT have that feature (ending the vac). However, it was free, so I live with it.

Another Foodsaver buyer here. I've had it for 3 yrs and had no problems with it. Purchased it at Farm And Fleet.

We also use a Foodsaver and haven't had any problems. I think we spent about $100 at one of the big box stores a few years ago. I don't have the model number handy, but it looks a lot like this one.

quote ECpizza: "

quote andym: "I got a Foodsaver at Costco and can't remember what model it is. We use it both for food and TP (which makes it much smaller and keeps it dry no matter what). Seems to work fine. Whatever unit you get make sure it can be told to stop vacuuming and seal when you want that to happen. That prevents you from crushing your carefully dehydrated food. I'm guessing most or all units do that. Buy the bags on rolls because that makes them much cheaper."

My Foodsaver does NOT have that feature (ending the vac). However, it was free, so I live with it."

Same here, mine doesn't either. If you're vac packing pokey things like noodles, you can line the bag with a paper towel to dull sharp edges.

quote mutz: "I have a foodsaver mod V3820 got it at Sams don't remember what I paid but when I wear it out I will get another food saver. I not only vacuum seal food for trips but also socks and long underwear for cool weather trips so I'm guaranteed dry clothes no matter what happens."

I have the same model same purchase point I want to say it was 149 when I got it nearly 2 years ago. The left side is getting a bit tichy, meaning if you arnt careful putting the 9" roll bag in it once the sealer gets all the way hot it can catch on a part that isnt moving perfectly right and miss the seal. I loaned it to a friend and he was using 6" bags and didnt even notice the catchy point. Otherwise it still works fine. The controls including the stop button are nice.

Does anyone still just use zip locks?

Thanks for all the info. All I know is what I researched online.

DeanL, I think you are correct about the Cabela’s. I had looked at Cabela's Commercial-Grade 15" Vacuum Sealer, sale price this weekend $329.99. It is not so great even at that price, which is above my budget right now anyway.

The recommendation for the LEM put me on to the LEM Maxvac 1088b, which is the price point where you get the most value and it will be a lifetime investment. The Weston 2300 is comparable. As to sealing dehydrated items, the manual function on the better LEM/Weston models keeps from crushing them too much. I found The Weston 2300 on sale from $500 to $390. Also, above my budget. If 50% off is the new normal, and I could find one for $250, I’d probably stretch for it.

Foodsaver is the obvious play that I could find easily, use, learn , regret, and then sell/upgrade to the LEM/Weston level.

As to the ziplock method, my understanding is that that will keep meat fresh for months not years in the freezer, and also I am hoping to dehydrate enough food to make the zip lock method much less practical/advisable. For infrequent sealing needs I assume it would be a fine way to go. As a bonus, there are other uses for vacuum sealers besides food preservation, like sealing up licenses, maps, and matches.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

quote 1964James: "Does anyone still just use zip locks?"

Sure. Always seems to be a need for one soon after emptying it from a previous purpose.

I use Ziploc freezer bags a lot for freezer bag cooking all the time.

quote ECpizza: "

quote andym: "I got a Foodsaver at Costco and can't remember what model it is. We use it both for food and TP (which makes it much smaller and keeps it dry no matter what). Seems to work fine. Whatever unit you get make sure it can be told to stop vacuuming and seal when you want that to happen. That prevents you from crushing your carefully dehydrated food. I'm guessing most or all units do that. Buy the bags on rolls because that makes them much cheaper."

My Foodsaver does NOT have that feature (ending the vac). However, it was free, so I live with it."

What happens if you push the "SEAL" button while it is vacuuming?

Mine sits on the counter 24/7/365. We use it to reseal chip bags as well as cereal in the original bags. They always crunch like the first pour. (FoodSaver)

quote 1964James: "Does anyone still just use zip locks?"

I only use my sealer for a few things. What I don't like about it for extended camping is that it makes these rounded hard bricks of food that have poor packing density.

For trips, I'll pack any dried meat or dairy with the sealer. Less perishable things that get opened frequently I'll just use a ziploc (drink mix, etc.). For most other nonperishable stuff I'll use those flimsy plastic bags from the produce section of the grocery store; and then I don't tie them, so when you pack them the air can escape and you can cram more food into a smaller space. The bags are flimsy so all the food will morph together with no wasted space when you pack it.

For long term storage, if I am lazy I will just store dehydrated stuff in the freezer in ziplocs. If I am not lazy I will use the sealer which is much better for freezer storage. Mine does not have separate vacuum and seal buttons, so my bag seal fail rate is high. I think some people here have suggested various double liners inside the seal a meal to stop that from happening. Except for meat/dairy, I will take the food out of the sealer bag and repack it when I take it on a trip. Except if just a short trip I keep everything in sealed packages because I'm not so worried about packing density.

I have been using my foodsaver since 1998. my buddy got the exact one that i did 6 months later. the way he used it and the way i use mine were different. his broke. mine still sucking! he burnt his sealer strip out from trying to work it to fast. if i am sealing mushy food like lasagna , i freeze it first. this will not crush the food as bad. I got a new one for Christmas 2 years ago and it has a wider seal strip. I use that one for making bags mostly.

I have used most all the bags and the foodsaver bags seal the best (smooth side down) I have seen the other vacuum sealers and i am not impressed with them at all and most that were purchased by friends have already replaced theirs. good luck with it!