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Food Saver Alternatives

Charcoal_Addict
Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
in EggHead Forum
I haven't had any luck with any of the new Food Savers. They work for a shirt while before breaking. Amazon reviews for the food savers are generally poor. Have any of you guys tried other vacuum sealer brands? I open to spending money on a quality unit.
2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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Comments

  • Griller
    Griller Posts: 88
    I'll be following this post with interest. Our last foodsaver worked well and lasted several years under moderate use. The replacement FS works...sort of... but does not do the job reliably and doesn't give me confidence it will last as long as it predecessor. Hope there is a magic bullet out there others on the forum know about and can share.
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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    Same here Griller. Bought one 3 months age and not impressed. Seems like I can do 2 or 3 bags then 5 will not seal in a row. Maybe just have to do 2 then come back in 30 mins to do two more.
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

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  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    I went with the Gamesaver model.  It has worked well for me.  It is not pretty and would look like cr*p on the kitchen counter, but I do not leave it out.  So far it has been able to seal at the rate we want to use it at.  Not many bells and whistles but good function.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
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  • BuckeyeBob
    BuckeyeBob Posts: 673
    I wonder if they have made changes to the design. Knock on wood but I have had my Foodsaver for four years and had zero problems. Love mine!
    Clarendon Hills, IL
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    My mid-range Foodsaver died after a few months. I made do w. a manual pump, but couldn't get much of a vacuum. I ended up buying a Weston-Pro 2100 sealer, around $350. The only bad review I could find for it was from a person who had a failure after doing 300 chickens and a half of a steer.  I've been using it off and on for about 20 months w/o any significant problems. Takes some practice laying the plastic flat on the heating elements when sealing large bags.
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  • Dredger
    Dredger Posts: 1,468
    I've had 2 food savers. The first one was white, had it for 20 years and donated it to my brother's hunt camp and it is still working today. Got the V2480 in stainless and black because we replaced the kitchen appliances with stainless steel ones. Have used it for 10 years daily and no hiccups. During the summer, we use it to package tons of blanched vegetables for the freezer. However, it looks like the gamesaver is the same model. Some nut has the V2480 on Amazon for $799.00 - a little pricey IMHO, so I would go with the gamesaver and it's available in white.
    Large BGE
    Greenville, SC
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  • Charcoal_Addict
    Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
    The Gamer Saver Titanium 15 and the Weston Pro 2300 would be the two I'd be comparing. Both of these units seem to have solid reviews.
    2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
    edited November 2013
    [sorry - noticed that the title is for foodsaver alternatives so I'll just start a new thread]. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Damn @Caliking... Get a blog.

    =))
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
    henapple said:
    Damn @Caliking... Get a blog. =))
    grow a pair and get a packer done. Then I'll think about it.  :-@

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Touché... Broski.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • Charcoal_Addict
    Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
    Anyways guys, let's get back on topic. I'm probably going to get a Weston Pro 2300. The reasons why I would choose the Weston over the Game Saver: - Cheap Replacement parts available online - Better customer service - cheap bag options. - You can fix and replace parts that fail on the Weston In the Flip side: - Food Saver customer service is non-existent - Many of the parts cannot be user replaced - Food Saver will not sell replacement parts for the most common part to fail. Simply buy another one of it quits working - Based on the poor quality service track record, I don't trust Food saver to back it's $450 dollar unit With the Weston many people seem to be buying VacMaster bags. The Weston Bags seem to have issues. https://cedarlaneculinary.ca/Products/Detail?code=VM40728&lob=Culinary
    2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
    Could you post back and let us know how it works out for you? I would be interested in knowing how it performs.

    @henapple - you know I love ya... not as much as VI <-> Mickey, but love ya all the same.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Buy a food saver from Costco. If it breaks in 3 years take it back. I pulled the hose on mine out all the way like it says not to and I couldn't get it to go back in so I took it apart and figured it out and got it to go back in but then the suction didn't work. Took it back to Costco after a year and a half with no box or instructions or anything and returned it and got a new one. Costcos warranty is better than the manufacturers.
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  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    The v3880 that Costco sells has 4 star reviews on amazon. The v3860 has 4.5 star reviews. Me personally 4 stars out of 5 is great because we all know we are much more apt to complain when something is bad than comment when something is good. The v3880 has worked well for me and I use it frequently.
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  • Charcoal_Addict
    Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
    Right now the GameSaver Silver is on sale @ Costco.ca for $99.99.
    2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
    edited November 2013

    I've got one of these after going through two foodsavers. My second foodsaver lasted almost 4 years so I think I did good with that one but when I started looking at new ones I read a lot of bad reviews.

    http://www.westonsupply.com/Vacuum-Sealers-Vacuum-Sealer-Bags-s/81.htm

    I believe these are the same as the higher end Cabalas so maybe look around for a coupon or discount from Cabalas and save a few $. I've had mine for almost a year so I can't comment on how long they last but they do work well. One thing I liked about the Weston models is you can buy parts, so if something does go wrong most likely I will be able to fix it.

     

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  • Charcoal_Addict
    Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
    Hungry Joe said:

    I've got one of these after going through two foodsavers. My second foodsaver lasted almost 4 years so I think I did good with that one but when I started looking at new ones I read a lot of bad reviews.

    http://www.westonsupply.com/Vacuum-Sealers-Vacuum-Sealer-Bags-s/81.htm

    I believe these are the same as the higher end Cabalas so maybe look around for a coupon or discount from Cabalas and save a few $. I've had mine for almost a year so I can't comment on how long they last but they do work well. One thing I liked about the Weston models is you can buy parts, so if something does go wrong most likely I will be able to fix it.

     


    This has been my feeling. Costco is starting to crack down on how they handle returns and exchanges. You can buy a 1000 VacMaster bag for 80 -90 dollars. That alone will make the Weston cheaper than your average Food Saver within a year or two of ownership. Food Saver bags are very pricey for bags even with online discounts. The VacMaster bags are 7 - 9 cents a bag. Food Saver is 40 cents per a bag to 25 cents a bag when you find them on sale in bulk online. Cost of ownership on Food Savers are pretty high.
    2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Who said Costco is cracking down? We tried to tie a 10 person floating station to a supercharged seadoo this summer and pull it across the lake. It obviously ripped it apart but Costco let him return it as defective. They accept anything.
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  • Charcoal_Addict
    Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
    I'll have to check Costco Canada's policies...they don't really state they warranty policies as clearly as the US stores.
    2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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  • Charcoal_Addict
    Charcoal_Addict Posts: 227
    The VacMaster Machines look pretty promising too. These guys make professional units for grocery stores and meat packing facilities. They have some affordable models in their line- up including the VacMaster Pro 110, 140, 150, and stainless 160. They also design the best sealer bags on the market.
    2x Kamado Joe Big Joes + Cyber Q Wifi + Themapen - Pizza Steel + BGE Paella Pan + BGE Ash Tools + Woo2 + Open Bar Fire Ring
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