Does anyone have any experience with the KeepFresh/Sinbo vacuum sealer? I am considering one of these, and if anyone has any pros or cons, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

-- Marv (mcheim@lewiston.com), October 22, 2001

Answers

I have been useing a Food Saver/Compact II. Purchased at Sams. It has two sizes of bags that come with it and they can be washed and re- used.

I also used it to bag some turkeys. It has an attachment for sealing jars. I used the hose and bought large bags from McMurry to vacuum the air out. Worked very well.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), October 22, 2001.

I have the bigger Food Saver. Highly recommend it. It vacuum seals canning jars, too.

Rose

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.

I guess I'll be the con. My mother-in-law gave us one as a gift and we returned it, primarily for 2 reasons; 1) the bags are $50 a box at Costco and 2) I don't like throwing them way (I don't use ziplock for the same reaso

-- jennifer schwabauer (schwabauer@aol.com), October 22, 2001.

Jennifer, Ive had one for 3 years,, it came with 2 boxes of bags,, Ive only had to throw out 1 box because I ripped it,, otherwise, I rinse it out, and reuse it,, I keep meat ones for meat, and veggies for veggies. I havnt open the other box yet, havnt needed to. My foodsave will reseal other bags, wont vascuum them. I could get by without it, but I like it,, was money well spent.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 22, 2001.

The cost of bags was one reason that I am considering this brand over the FoodSaver/Tilia, etc. This one uses regular vacuum bags that are used extensively in the food industry, not the specialized ones that the other brands need.

-- Marv (mcheim@lewiston.com), October 22, 2001.

We also have the FoodSaver. Bought it for Y2K preps. I vaccume packed all our flour and sugar. It worked great. We have since used the sugar but have several 10# bags of flour. It has kept well. I keep the bags in a rubbermaid tub in the cloths closet. No bugs, no mice, no problem. We put a lot of garden stuff in the freezer using the vaccume bags. I also repackage the big bags of chicken, cheese, and other stuff from Sams into smaller bags. We reuse the bags after washing too.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), October 22, 2001.

I love my vacuum packer and like others reuse the bags. Yes they are spendy but in the long run worth the $ I think. It sure saves a lot of space in the freezer and when you are packing away several months worth of garden produce and meat to use for the rest of the year, the cost seems worth not having to run an extra freezer to me.

-- Darlene (tomdarsavy@cs.com), October 22, 2001.

I would highly recommend the Food Saver 550. Yes, the bags could get pricey but I haven't used many of them. With this model you can use canning jars or containers made by the company which are very nice. I love the way crackers still crisp on the shelf for long periods of time in the summer humidity. Target stores have some of the containers, but not the real large ones. I like to use the wide mouth half gallon canning jars for a variety of foods.

-- Anita Nielsen (atnielsen@egl.net), October 22, 2001.

We have a Food Saver, and yes, the bags are expensive, but DH found them at Walmart for about $9 a box. We ordered ours over the TV commercial, but DH also found it at Walmart for MUCH less than what we paid, almost half the price. We reuse them so much, they actually wear out. They are dishwasher safe, although, be careful about placing them in if you have an older model like ours. The bags get washed toward the bottom and get on the heating element and really causes a stink.

-- Bear (BarelyKnow@aol.com), October 22, 2001.

I have had a Food Saver for several years and love it! Yes, the bags are a little pricey, but I use them over and over until they are so small all I can seal in one is one or two polish sausages or spring rolls. Please don't try to seal meat or veggies that haven't been frozen or are wet. I did some corn and sucked water into the sealer and had to return it for repair which cost $50 for whatever. Needless to say, berries and everything that is not dry, is frozen on cookie sheets first. I also vacuum seal my dehydrated foods in canning jars.

-- Duffy (hazelm@tenforward.com), October 23, 2001.

For those of you who have vacuum sealers, I have heard that you can reseal potato chip bags, ect. with them. Has anyone tried this? Does it actually work? Thanks, Mary

-- Mary (mlogan298@yahoo.com), October 26, 2001.