vacuum sealed foodsavers are they worth having

We have just purchased the Sunbeam vac 550 28cm, have had a couple of
practice runs and are very happy with it, we are going to prepare all our
vegies for our trip to Flinders Ranges and Simpson Desert in August, but will
still get our butcher to pack our meat, saves on double handling!! There has been
quite a few threads on this subject worth having a look.

Well, we think they are worth having Gonebush. Although they might not be as good for meat as getting vac packing done by your butcher, ours does the job for us.
At home we now vac pack all our meat before freezing.
When we travel on longer trips we take it with us and vac pack any fish we catch and want to keep. Also sometimes vac pack vegies. I've even heard of people who vac packing wheel bearings packed with grease.
A great advantage is that you get no leakage and mixture of smells / flavours in the fridge or freezer. When travelling, I can now keep bait, fish, meat, beer and vegies in the same fridge.

I can't comment on the Sunbeam. I bought ours on Ebay. Got the machine and about 1,000 bags in varying sizes for less than I would have paid for a Sunbeam.
Apart from price, I see the main disadvantage of the Sunbeam being that you need 'special' bags that are more expensive. Our machine can use any thick plastic bag, although we only use the purpose made food quality bags.
Difference in price is about a factor or 8 or 10 I believe.
I'm happy to be corrected, but I believe the average bag for the Sunbeam is 40c to 50c. Our average bag (variety of sizes bought in quantity) is around 6 or 8 cents I think.
But I'm not commenting on the machine. Perhaps the Sunbeam is much better than the ones you can get on eBay.
Nothing against Sunbeam. I own shares in the company that makes them (GUD). I just chose a different brand in this case.

Hi,
Dont make the mistake of believing that the Sunbeam or equivalents are the only options for this type of gear. Have a look on ebay, you can get same or better ones for around 1/3 the price that the major stores charge for Sunbeams etc.

The store bought ones require you to buy their special bags, but there are others that can seal just about any plastic bags, including chips peanuts, cheese, even Glad bags, as well as bags you buy for meat, dried foods etc.
Ours cost $95 and performs well .

Site Link

If you watch this site, you will find they sell for between $80 to $112. The seller is to be trusted. He sells at least 1 every day.
Ian

Yep, have that 420model and does the job very well and is more than adequate for 2 persons food.
You only have to make the bag longer to put more in.
Just make sure you wrap your parcels in paper to stop bags or anything rubbing so punctures don't occur, otherwise food will spoil without you knowing.
There's no rocket science on how to, just read instructions.
Ave a good 1

Hi Gonebush
the sunbeam works well, on the subject of bags everyone seems to think u have to buy sunbeams bags this i incorrect, i use endless bag or rolls of bag what ever u like to call it from master butchers, i would buy the wider model without a doubt. When purchasing bags or rolls u have to make sure they have one crinkly side this is for this and similar type vac machines to beable to remove the air, your expensive or industrial units like your butcher use bags that are smooth both sides.

MATTIE

Ditto - been using our sunbeam for bush travel - can even run it on the gennie if required - worth the $ for sure - handy for dried foods too, as well as the obvious wet perishables.

Question for people with the ebay one, I got one a while ago and have only used it a few times and found it worked well but I notice the instructions say the pump will cut out when a certain vacuum is achieved, mine seems to keep running and doesn't cut out even after it looks to have sucked all the air out. How long should it suck for before it cuts out?

ok now I'm getting really confused (I know it's not hard to do). any way from what i can gather the ebay ones seem better because they can use different types of bags. but when looking on ebay there are the ones from the link above but there are also different types which look the same without a name badge and sell for less. does anyone know if they are in fact the same machine, or if they work well.
thanks for all the info so far received it does really help.

I think you've got enough material to sort through by now.
Include this: the other day I had to open a new tube of silicone sealer just to use a little bit. Usually the next time I want it it has all gone hard. So I sealed it in a bag with the (ebay) vac sealer. Can't report on results yet, too soon, but I'm hopeful.
If you buy one get 28cm, you can always use the smaller bags (20cm) if you want. Bags are reuseable though not recommended for meat & fish.
I get my bags from Butcher's Supplies.
Ordinary (non-checked) bags will seal but not vacuum, but still handy for say keeping water out of the cheese in the esky.

I bought the Mezzo from Aldi when they had it for $99.

It does exactly what the larger Sunbeam does. It doesn't have the nozzle so I assume it can only use the textured bags or rolls.

Had a Sunbeam for some time and pack all my fish and bait [ mullet] with it.You can use any bags and found the cheapest and best at butcher supply outlets that have all the bags and about half the price of sunbeam ones.

Cheers Graeme.

We have had one for a couple of years and simply love it . We vac pack all our meat fish etc in meal sized lots. Also when vac packed even snags last at least 5 weeks at NORMAL fridg temps. And there is never any mess in the fridg when you get your meat fish etc out. Plus the fact that you can change your meal selection at will. You will also learn that amny veges can be vac packed as well to ensure freshness etc.
Yep vac pack is the way to go.

I reckon the lack of juice dribbling through the fridge would be worth it alone.
Only thing I would say is NEVER VAC PAC COOKED FOOD - golden rule No1 there is a good reason canned food has the crap cooked out of it AFTER canning - it is to prevent botulism

hi again, and thanks everyone for you help, we just bit the bullet and bought one from ebay. i think all this talk about them though has upped the price they have averaged at around $85-$120 and tonight i saw the highest price of $197. i ended up getting one from a different seller, i wasn't to sure at first but looked closer and they are the same machine and make so i ended up saving $80 and got mine for $117. I'm sure it's going to get a workout not only with food after reading some of the other uses like the silicone (that's got to help).
so thanks once again and happy vaccing. Chris