FoodSaver Handheld Vacuum Sealing System $10.49 Shipped (Regularly $29.95)

Comments 6

1. 

   pazong November 16, 2015 at 10:27 am MST

   I did not get the $84.99 price when added to cart. Is there a code somewhere?

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  Collin (Mrs. Hip) November 16, 2015 at 10:34 am MST

  Darn, I am seeing that now as well. It appears that the price has gone up a bit. I just updated the post.

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2. 

   shelaghc November 16, 2015 at 12:14 pm MST

   I bought one of those hand-held ones on a sale several years ago, They’re sort of meh. You have to buy their bags in order to use them – plus the bags aren’t meant for the freezer. (The rep on the phone told me they were, but I didn’t realize it until I’d had the unit for several months.)

   And the bag seal isn’t great. Most times after a week or so, air would get into the bags.
   IMHO, they’re a bit of a waste.

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  Collin (Mrs. Hip) November 16, 2015 at 12:42 pm MST

  Thanks for your review on these.

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3. 

   Beverly November 16, 2015 at 2:37 pm MST

   I like the handheld unit a lot. Unfortunately the battery doesn’t last long so you will only get a year or two out of it before you have to replace it. When my current one goes I will experiment with replacing the batteries instead of replacing the handheld. You can open the unit by prying off the round tabs to get to the screws that hold it together. (I broke my previous one discovering that after it’s battery died.) New batteries will probably have to be soldered in place.

   I’ve bought Ziploc brand bags because they are cheaper and only some in each box will hold the vacuum. I suspect the Foodsaver ziploc-type bags are better because the samples that came with the handheld unit are good.

   Mostly I use the handheld with jars. Here is what I do: Take a clean glass food jar and poke a thumbtack in the center of the jar’s cover to create a hole. Now take 3M electrical tape and place a small piece across the hole. (You can try lower quality electrical tape if you already have it to see if it works before buying the 3M brand.) Screw on the cover tightly. Seal with the handheld Foodsaver. You can tell it is sealed because the center “button” on the jar’s cover will be down and you won’t be able to press it in any further. Usually 10 seconds is plenty to seal something. If it doesn’t seal, try loosening the jar’s cover and tightening again in a different position. If it still doesn’t seal, take a hairdryer and heat the cover, then seal (this works great!). To open sealed jars, lift up tape before trying to unscrew cover. To reseal, replace tape with new.

   Using a vacuum sealed jar is the best way to store brown sugar to keep it from hardening. Anything that will fit in a jar will last longer if vacuum sealed. It is also the only way to seal something breakable such as potato chips without smashing the chips.

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  Collin (Mrs. Hip) November 16, 2015 at 6:18 pm MST

  Thanks for the awesome tips Beverly! Good to know 🙂

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