I'm in the beginning stages of researching vacuum sealers. I could not find any recent threads on them here. I'm looking to seal medical supplies, food and ammo. I don't want to break the bank, but I know I'll have to spend to get quality. Foodsavers seem to get good reviews, as does the Cabelas foodsaver/gamesaver, but that brand was not favorable in years past. What is the consensus on current offering?

I have an inexpensive Food saver v2222 and jar adapters for large and small Mason jars...I've probably done only 3 rolls of bags, so not that much time on the machine... if I had watched the Wendy DeWitt Food Storage vid on youtube first... would have gotten the Deni Jar Vac she recommends for food storage...most of what I put away now is in glass jars, vacuum sealed

her Jar Vac comments are around 1.02:45

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

The Foodsavers requires special channel vacuum bags which are relatively expensive.

I am not sure what the Cabela's unit uses.

Might I suggest research into the Sinbo unit?
http://www.dougcare.com/foodstorage/homeequip.htm#sinbo

It uses standard vacuum bags.

At the same site listed above, an 8x10 bag (bulk purchase) is
standard : 0.05 each
channel : 0.15 each

There are multiple vendors for the Sinbo sealer but as far as I can tell, all are online dealers. I have yet to see a storefront carry it.

Conway Yee

I use the Sinbo for all my kits and 4 mil bags for extra protection.

http://www.dougcare.com/foodstorage/homeequip.htm#sinbo

I've been looking for a vac sealer unit too. The Sinbo looks interesting. Which model do you recommend for packing kit contents? Anyone know if you can seal tap water in it and bring it to a low boil to sterilize it for storage, assuming you leave around two extra inches of unfilled bag below the top seal?

I doubt that this is an option. The vacuum will suck out the air and water to the back of the unit.

Leaving this isssue aside, just sealing without the vacuum is tough because the sealer seals with the bag on its side. Water will have a nasty tendency to spill.

I have had success with freezing stew before sealing so I suppose you could seal non-sterile ice in bags that are suitable for sous-vide.

Conway Yee

I too have been thinking about a vacuum sealer and I certainly like the looks of the Sinbo very much, but have 3 questions.

Can the vacuum level be adjusted? For example, can you adjust the vacuum level for something that could be crushed?

Can you use the sealer without the vacuum, particularly to make a smaller bag than the ones you have available?

Has anyone seen or tried the filter for liquids? There are times where it might be nice (particularly when packing foods) if you could pack a liquid (although I like Yee's idea of freezing the foods first - Thanks Yee).

Thanks,

Jerry

The vacuum level can NOT be adjusted.

The sealer works without the vacuum.

No idea about a filter. Mine doesn't have one. It is the original model.

Conway Yee

Well, on my SINBO you determine when to seal the bag, that is a manual operation, so it is easy enough to adjust the vacuum level by simply sealing it when you want, prior to the maximum vacuum. I do that all the time when a full vacuum would be problematic.

I currently use a Eiffel Freshpack Pro Vacuum Sealer.

http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/eiffel-freshpack-pro-vacuum-sealer

It works and I'm happy with its performance.