Vacuum Sealer Review

My first vacuum sealer was a hand-held Reynolds® Handi-Vac™ that I purchased for a few bucks at the grocery store. The only problem was the seals failed most of the time. They are useful for storing raw meat in the freezer to prevent freezer burn, but not for holding a seal at room temperature. With that discovery, I purchased a FoodSaver®.

I use the FoodSaver® Model #V2440. It has two speed settings - Moist or Dry. With the Dry setting, the food scrunches up tight – saving space when packing several days of rations. The Moist setting is useful for marinating and/or freezing steaks and vegetables. Model #V2440 has automatic and manual vacuuming and sealing functions, plus a port and tube for use with the optional canisters. The sliding cutter cuts the rolls into any length bags needed.

Operation is simple. First I seal one end of the roll using the seal function and then cut the bag to the desired length using the sliding cutter. Cutting an eleven inch wide roll twelve inches long works for one day of my rations. Then I fill the bag with the smaller bags of food and position the open end over the sealing strip. The lid closes and locks the bag into position. Next I press the automatic vacuum & seal button and the bag deflates and seals in a few seconds.

Results are not perfect. In my experience, the seals fail about 25% of the time. If a seal fails, you will usually know it within 24 hours and you can see that the contents of the bag are no longer scrunched up. Because of this, I leave an extra inch of free space when I cut bags. If a seal fails, I cut the bag open and seal it again.

Continue reading…

• Is vacuum sealing necessary for home storage?
• Packing Daily Rations
• Get a 2nd use out of vacuum seal bags by turning them into camp water bags.
• Top of Page - Vacuum Sealer