Product Review: Vacu-Seal
February 7, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Reusing and Recycling
Gather ’round, thrifty friends. I have a new product to tell you about and this one is a good one. I’m truly digging my vacu-seal.
You might notice I don’t offer too many product reviews here. That’s because many of the items people send or pitch for review, don’t actually do much to save money. I’m not going to do a product review just to get swag, it has to be something appropriate to Simply Thrifty.
I originally intended to review the Vacu-Seal on my food blog, but I thought you fine folks would appreciate it more. Especially those of you who store your food in zipper lock bags. Here’s why I like it:
You know those infomercials for the seal bags with the big countertop sealer and that roll of bags? Who has that kind of space? The Vacu-Seal is cordless and small enough to store in a kitchen drawer, probably about the same size as a full pastry bag – but not as squooshy. The bags are zipper locks with a valve on the side to suck the air out. You put the Vacu-Seal tip to the bag, and soon you have an airtight seal and you can store you food away with no problem. No fuss, no muss. And the best part? The bags can be reused. Oh yes and they come with six double -a batteries. Always a plus.
Here are some of the things you can do:
- Marinade food in minutes.
- Keep leftovers longer
- Buy food in bulk, divide seal and store
- Extend the life of many of your refrigerator staples.
A starter Vacu-seal kit costs about $30 but it’ll pay for itself by the time a year is out. Since you can reuse bag, you’ll save on the cost of ziplocks, foil and containers. Plus you won’t waste as much food. You can find it at Bed Bath & Beyond, Linens ‘N Things, Meijer and online at VacuSeal.com.
What do you use to store food? Let us know in the comments.
WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE A PAGE THAT YOUR VACU-SEAL CAN BE ORDERED? THANKS FRANCES
Frances, I listed the shops selling Vacu Seal and also a link to the Vacu Seal website where you can order online. Hope those help!
I hate the pitches that want me to accept cash to endorse a product. Had one today, it is annoying because if you do that once, then no one will value your input.
So, what I am trying to say is…I appreciate that you do not do a lot of reviews. You are definately letting your integrity shine through!
I rarely get offers to review products. I usually just get emails from people wanting me to promote their site for free. I did get some samples in the mail recently of a very well-known product. I tried it out and told them I couldn’t do the review because I would not buy it and I couldn’t recommend it to others.
I’ve seen that big machine in Sam’s and was interested, but it is so huge and expensive. This product looks great though. I’ll have to take a look at it in the store. Plus, I’m sure I have a 20% off coupon!
Hi Deb,
How do you think the Vacu-Seal compares to those large Food Saver type sealers? Obviously it’s a lot smaller like you said but does it work as well?
@Anthony – I’ve never used the larger food savers but if I had one I don’t know where I would store it. I don’t have any counter space and hardly any cabinet storage. Plus a big roll of bags?
I can’t give an honest comparison, maybe someone else here can?
It must be popular, their website has exceeded it’s bandwidth. The TV commercial ran today and they were offering extra bags…
I am intrigued by the vacu seal system, but I have reservations. 1. I store alot of meat. How are the bags cleaned to use again? Can they go through a dishwasher cycle? 2. I have never seen these bags offered at my local Bed, Bath & Beyond, only the tool. How do the internet prices compare with store prices? I need alot all at once.
I love my foodsaver because I can package meat in whatever size I choose and I use only as much as I need right then. I use it at least twice a week, and up to 7 times a week. The bags and containers are available through many stores including Bi-mart where I live. I can throw away the bags I use for meat and if I don’t use what I’ve packaged all at once, I just put it back under the sealer and seal up the rest of it. The containers are tough. The machines aren’t as big as they used to be but yes, they do require storage space. I believe finding space is worth it. I’ve saved at least $520 dollars on storage bags in one year.
I am intrigued by the vacu seal because I do like to package up leftovers when I go to family dinners and holidays. The foodsaver is pretty heavy to lug from place to place.
we just purchased a vacu-seal from bed, bath and beyond. the hand-pump works great, but, we are very dissappointed with the bags. the so called one way valve doesn’t work well. within 24 hours the new bags (never used) refilled with air. i am trying to find some kind of cap to put over the valve as you would for a tire. if i can’t make that work, the system will be useless and a waste of money.
I have had the vacu-seal for about 3 months. I was able to store and freeze meatballs & the bag is still sealed. Everything else I have tried to seal (fruits and veggies) hasn’t been successful. The bags gain air within 24 hrs (as stated by Duane Halvorson). I would love to know how others have made the seal stick (ie. air stays out longer than a few hours).
The vacu-seal seems to work well for me. However, the only place I know that carries the bags is Bed, Bath and Beyond…and they haven’t had any in stock in several weeks. It’s not much use without the bags.
Thank you for the simple, honest and very straightforward review of the Vacu-Seal system. My wife and I have been thinking of alternate sealing systems recently, and I’ve already tried the one offered by Glad. It does not work as advertised. Thank goodness I was able to return it and get a refund.
I’ve also looked into the sealer offered by Zip Loc. On paper the theory is sound: seal your meals for less $$$. But then again the low price of $9.99 (lower in some places) has me thinking of the old adage: “You get what you pay for”. And besides, the hand operated pump is not “gadgetized” enough for a gadgeteer like myself. But that’s just my opinion. Perhaps the product will work as advertised, or maybe not at all.
And then, while shopping with my wife at the local Bed, bath and beyond, we came upon the Vacu-Seal. It looks as though it will seal, and more importantly, hold that seal via the one-way vacuum valve. The Glad Sealer only had a “vacuum hole” that did not really do a great job of holding that seal.
And the price? Only $14.99, as compared to $30+ at the Vacu-Seal website and other retailers.
Your informative review has us really thinking: is our present old, clunky and noisy Food Saver vacuum sealer really worth the money? And let’s not forget the fact that additional bags are prohibitively expensive.
A vacuum sealer that can seal as well, or better than, a unit costing hundreds of dollars more? Imagine that!
I’ll have to make a trip down to Bed, bath and beyond and purchase one and see for myself. Your great review just made my decision easier.
Unfortunately, MY review is not a good one!! First off I purchased the “Vacu-seal” unit and also bought the large bags and small ones. I would say that every other one DID NOT hold air!!
Sooo, I decided to buy some MORE bags (both sizes) assuming they might seal better, however, I went to “bed, bath and beyond”, who supposedly carries this product and they had NONE in stock; then I checked at Wal-mart, and they also didn’t have any!!
Is this product still being made and have HOPEFULLY been improved??
A prompt response to the above request would be greatly appreciated . . AND also where would I be able to obtain more bags??
Ditto on the comment that many of the bags don’t hold a seal. And, I’ve had many that won’t even let the air draw out. The unit definitely has suction…I just don’t get it. I’m nut buying any more bags for sure.
I was thinking of getting the foodsaver Mason Jar sealer and Canister set. Does anyone know if this vacu-seal unit draws enough vacuum to be used effectively with these items?
Loved the idea and it took the air out. However it also let the air back in. Please tell me what the secret is to keeping the air out. It would be a great idea if it just worked.
I bought a VacuSeal unit a few months back and liked it very much. However, when I went to purchase more bags, no one carried them, even the place where I bought the unit which was Bed, Bath and Beyond. I tried the Web Site for VacuSeal in February, but by June they still kept saying they were on backorder. I had to assume by then that I was not going to get them. I cancelled the order since 5 months is a little excessive to wait for some simple bags. I would really like to know where I can purchase some.