Good point, the commercially vacuum-packaged products don't use the textured bags. They must have a machine that works on a different principle than the Tilia. I guess I don't understand how those work, but when you use a Tilia, you can see how it is necessary in that sort of machine. Maybe the commercial method has somethingn to do with packing in liquid.<br><br>I find that a roll of bag stock from WalMart lasts a very, very long time and I haven't found the cost of bags to be a problem. Trying to use Zip lock-style bags with a vacuum-sealer would probably cost more.<br><br>The real hurdle for me was the initial cost of the machine, which I still think is a bit high for my needs, but it's a great gadget.<br><br>Good luck.