Seeing the I have a new appreciation for free food, fresh catch I am looking to get a vacuum sealer. So my Quetion is what is the best at a reasonal price, Pro's & Con's?

I've got the old style foodsaver. Really like it. Got the parents the new version. MUCH BETTER! Just put it in, flip the lever and press a button. Totally hands free whereas mine, you have to hold the lid down a couple of seconds.

can get a ton of accessories, jar lids, marinator, jars, bottle stops, bags...it goes on and on

Check the BJ's and Sam's type stores. Good prices there

Target also carries them. If you can't find them in the others.

They really work !

I picked up a $40 Rival model. Works fine.

We use the foodsaver and it works great!

Bob,
I have the older one as well, works great , Bags cost $$
My advice is put them in the ice box for 1hr so as you can put them in the vacume with out takin all the juice out. After a few days recheck them , to see if they are still tight as a ....well u know
VB

the food saver which gives you the option of
vacume sealing and or just sealing...which i like.

the best thing though is the long long bags open
at either end on the roll....so you could put something
in them of any length....and seal as needed on the one end first.

buy extra bags while your there...
plastic is a by-product of the oil industry
and next year they'll cost more than now.

oh, and to vacume seal ...you need the bumpy side down.
also have a skinny sponge handy for the vacume channel
in case the process squeezes out any liquid into it.

For best result with food saver, make sure you strain as much liquid out of your bait as with water or 'ink' before sealing.

I have the old foodsaver and I love it. My parents have the rival and it is not as easy to use. To avoid the juices being sucked out of the bag, wrap your fillets in plastic wrap first. Also, if you put many fillets in the same bag, it is easy to remove one or two when they are individually wrapped. I love the wine bottle stopper.

WATCH the short video tape if you get a Foodsaver!

VB knows his machine well: FREEZE the item for an hr before you seal it and the results are MUCH better! :)

I'ved use my Foodsaver (base model - refurbed for around $100) for a few yrs. Great product. Hate paying for the bags since my wife cuts the tops crooked and got tired of having laying around so she throws them out on me. Original Tilia/FS bags work the best. I tried some others so far it has been a waste of $.

Careful of sharp bones (pork chops) since they can puncture the bags when you bang them around in a chest freezer.

I had some OLD venison (3 yrs + easy) over the summer that got missed before and figured I would try it anyway - still was perfectly fine on the grill.

Many many miles on my foodsaver Pro II model. The best tip I can give you is to freeze super wet and super soft items (like berries) before you vacume them and after doing a load of fish, remove the seal and wash it in warm soapy water and rinse well and let dry. This machine if kept clean will last a long time. Well worth the investment IMO.

These things work great and I use them for all my fresh bait and food. It really does work and extends the life of food well beyond the season.
I gave someone some frozen scup that was 10 months old and they could not believe it was frozen that long and went out and purchased one.

Check Cebelas .

The rolls are not cheap but once a year I buy 18 boxes of twin packs when I see a discount on amazon.

I use mine religiously. I can't imagine life without it anymore! I've eaten fish that had been food saved for over a year and it tasted like the day I froze it. I would highly recommend getting the bag dispenser. It holds the rolls and has a blade on it so you always get a nice straight cut. You just pulll out the length you need, slide the blade across the bag, and voila. I got mine at Walmart (around 15 bucks). Also, I use a black sharpie marker to label the bags after they have been sealed. With the sharpie you can right directly on the bag.

I have the Food Saver V840, not hands-off, but only cost me ~ $100 versus their more expensive models. I can only echo the advice above. I pat down my fillets/tuna steaks first, throw them on a cookie sheet and into the freeze second, and then seal them. Groundfish/tuna from 2 + years ago still as good as the day they were caught.

Does anyone know how to buy the bags by the case/bulk? It would be great to find a few folks to go in on one or two instead of getting raked each time you run out.

I have a Foodsaver and have had mixed results. I need to try a number of the tips here to see if it improves. Some of the troubles I have had are:

1) Seal fails after days/weeks and the bag loses vacuum and freezer burn results.
2) Striper fillets smell bad after thawing, even in bags with a good seal and vacuum.

I think I know how to address #1, but #2 is a mystery as the seal is good, it has stayed frozen (no freezer problems), I have thawed in fridge and on the counter and the smell is there...

Any suggestions?

I have a Foodsaver and have had mixed results. I need to try a number of the tips here to see if it improves. Some of the troubles I have had are:

1) Seal fails after days/weeks and the bag loses vacuum and freezer burn results.
2) Striper fillets smell bad after thawing, even in bags with a good seal and vacuum.

I think I know how to address #1, but #2 is a mystery as the seal is good, it has stayed frozen (no freezer problems), I have thawed in fridge and on the counter and the smell is there...

Any suggestions?

#2, do you trim away the dark blood line? Just a thought.