Foodsavers are "entry" level machines. As long as you treat them as such they are fine. I have gone through 3 Foodsavers in probably the last 10-12 years.
VacMasters are definitely better quality but are also more $
Tips:
Never ever ever let the pump suck up any liquid. That is the number one cause of death for Foodsavers. Not really an issue with regular use, the tray catches some amounts of liquid, but if you do a lot of wild caught fish or want to do soups etc. it can be. For soups make your bag, put soup in it, let it par freeze for a bit, then seal the bag. For fish put the on cookie sheet and let them freeze a bit before sealing in a bag, which also keeps the fish from being mushed when sealed.
If I am sealing something like fresh fish and don't prefreeze, I use a papertowel in top of the bag, just below where it will seal, to catch the liquid and keep it out of the seal and the machine.
Don't try to do 20 bags no stop. One of the reasons the VacMaster cost more is that cooling fan that isn't on the Foodsaver. Do 3 or 4 bags, give it a couple of minutes, Do 3 or 4 more. The heating strip gets to warm and causes issues with it sealing properly
Do a double seal. Once you seal the bag, trim about a 1/4 off the lose portion past the seal and then seal again. This gives you a double seal, as it lets the bag slide in a bit further and seals in a different spot. I don't do this for everything. But if I see a lot of liquid pulling into the seal area, which can sometimes cause a compromised seal.
Don't fall for the Sams Club/Costco big bag set. It has rolls and premade bags in it, premade bags save some time since you don't have to seal both ends but generally waste quite a bit. Using just rolls you can control the size of the bags, I buy my rolls via
Amazon prime.
Bottom line, some form of a Vacuum sealer is in most serious backyarders, arsenal. We buy our meat in bulk when we see sales, etc. And vacuum seal it. I did some beef ribs last month that I had in the freezer for 3 months and you would never have known it. But where it really shines is after the cook, I am one of those guys that believes a full smoker is a happy smoker. Once am am done with a smoke, I vacuum seal up "MRE" for the 2 of us, and we generally have 4-6 weeks worth of meal in the freezer. All we do is thaw out a bag, then we use it like a "boiler" bag to heat it, but don't let the water boil, Boiling the water can soften the seals and let them come loose (and you get boiled food), but it also cooks the food more, keeping your water around 140, reheats the meat without overcooking it, and when you open the bag, it smells like it just came off the smoker, even months later.
Bottom line if you can get it for $20, its well worth it, you can play with it and see how having a Vac sealer works for you. I can tell you its one gadget in my kitchen I won't do with out!
