Vacuum sealer

Billy V · September 30, 2009

I'm looking to buy a vacuum sealer to seal up my fish & venison. I figured that this would be about the best place to ask for a recommendation. Anyone have any good or bad experiences with a particular model sealer? Thanks!

Schools Out · September 30, 2009

Billy I am going through the same thing right now, after speaking to lots of fisherman, looking at reviews and talking to my meat cutter who is an avid outdoors man and a butcher of 30years by trade. I was told told:

1) go with a "food saver"

2) make sure it has two pumps

3) make sure it has a cutter on the unit to cut bags off the roll

4) and spend more if you can afford it (my meat cutter spent $400 has been using it for 4 years now with out a problem, and has done probably 200 deer with it)

5) and buy your bags in the bulk roll from Sams

L&M · September 30, 2009

Food Saver all the way here aswell.

ladyblugill · September 30, 2009

couldn't agree more with what s. o. said. buying the bulk plastic at sam's is the way to go. don't know about the 400 tho. bought my foodsaver at kohl's for a little over a hundred 3 yrs ago and still works great after much use.

FISHINMAN · September 30, 2009

Billy I use a Food Saver at work for vacuum sealing both meats and fish for freezing and storage and recommend it :yes:

Not commercial grade but works fine. We use it a lot, a whole lot more than the average outdoors person would and the only thing I have had a problem with is that the foam gaskets needed to be replaced once because it wouldn't seal right, but once it was replaced worked like a champ :clap:

woody 184 · September 30, 2009

Billy I processed quite a few deer last year (135) and we used a foodsaver vacuum packing machine. I would highly recommend spending a couple hundred and getting the higher end model for the commercial design and extra features...... Dale

Billy V · September 30, 2009

Sounds like Food Saver is the way to go. Thanks for the recommendations. Now, where can I find the best deal on one?!?!?

L&M · September 30, 2009

Some great deals on new units on e-bay. I picked up my Pro-II there a few years back for around 130 (new) at the time they were running around 200 in the stores. Only draw back with e-bay is the company wont honor the new warranty if there is a problem, unless its bought from a retailer.

Broadhorizons · September 30, 2009

I got the Foodsaver Deluxe Plus a few years ago as a spontaneous purchase. Best spent money for saving meat I've ever invested in. It's probably sealed close to 300 pounds of venison (mostly 1# packages) and close to 200 pounds of fish. I've also done other foods with it like chicken (why would she ever want to eat chicken when I have game) and pork. I've been amazed at when you pull a package out of the freezer that's 2 years old and it looks like it was frozen yesterday.

This summer however, it doesn't seem to have the vacuum pressure it used to and doesn't pump the bags down as well as it used to. Also the sealer strip doesn't seal as many bags in a batch as it used to so I have to take a break and let it cool down. If it's getting worn out, I believe I got my money worth out of it and I'll definitely buy another one. The rolls are the way to go versus buying pre-cut bags.

Gator · September 30, 2009

I'll add that there's a guy on Ebay who sells pre-cut bags at quite a discount. He goes by "elrodharris" and I don't know him from Adam, but I ordered a couple of the different sizes and they work like a champ. I think it was from between $15-20 for 100 bags, depending on the size.

The problem with the rolls is that when you get near the end, they get hard to seal, and cutting them while sealing can be a chore (think nasty stinky meaty hands). I'm guessing it's probably cheaper than Sam's, too. Just my 2 cents...oh, and Foodsaver, all the way.

Gator

GAMBLER · September 30, 2009

Billy,

I hav ehad my food saver for 6 years now and love it. When freezing fish, make sure you dry the filets off really good before sealing or the seal will not seal all the way.

ray koziatek · September 30, 2009

ditto what gambler said ,,you should lay fillets to partial freeze (1 hour or so ) in freezer then the extra moister isnt a problem,,,i got fish slime in one of my units and had to dissamble and clean..

FISHINMAN · September 30, 2009

You can place a paper towel in the bag after you put in the "wet" product before you seal it and that will catch the moisture too.

Andy order the new foam seals that will fix your vacuum problem. I had the same problem and it works like a champ again :clap:

GAMBLER · September 30, 2009

You can place a paper towel in the bag after you put in the "wet" product before you seal it and that will catch the moisture too.
Andy order the new foam seals that will fix your vacuum problem. I had the same problem and it works like a champ again

I tried that and the filets had a very strange smell when I thawed them.

FISHINMAN · September 30, 2009

Try not using nasty, old fly infested, rotting meat :lol:

spoonfed-1 · September 30, 2009

Food Saver

Game Saver Turbo.

Pretty sure I got it through Cabelas Bill.

Glen

sfarm · September 30, 2009

I pre freeze everything 4 to 6 hrs on a cookie sheet then seal, no mess and nothing gets in the sealer.

Broadhorizons · September 30, 2009

fishinman, I was looking them up last night to try that first. They'll only be $10 or $15 for the set.

Schools Out · September 30, 2009

You can place a paper towel in the bag after you put in the "wet" product before you seal it and that will catch the moisture too.
Andy order the new foam seals that will fix your vacuum problem. I had the same problem and it works like a champ again

I tried that and the filets had a very strange smell when I thawed them.

Brian, I believe that smell is called Lake Trout

GAMBLER · October 1, 2009

You can place a paper towel in the bag after you put in the "wet" product before you seal it and that will catch the moisture too.
Andy order the new foam seals that will fix your vacuum problem. I had the same problem and it works like a champ again

I tried that and the filets had a very strange smell when I thawed them.

Brian, I believe that smell is called Lake Trout

Sorry Nick, I don't eat lakers . I give them to my neighbor. It was walleye filets when I tried it. I thought FISHINMAN would have beat you to that one.

FISHINMAN · October 1, 2009

missed opportunity

Andy they kill ya with the shipping if I remember :no:

rolmops · October 31, 2009

I bought my food saver at BGs for $130. As it turns out,the eBay ones are usually the ones that are no longer made for stores and they are excess supply.

I like mine so much that, combined it with an inverter,we ( the three of us) always take it on extended fishing trips to Cape Cod and after making proper portions,I vacuum pack all my fish before it goes in the cooler,usually while on the boat.That way the fish stays very fresh and after a week we usually come back with a few hundred pounds of cod,haddock ,stripers,bluefish and this last trip one extra cooler with 150 pounds of bluefin tuna steaks.That foodsaver pays for itself every time it goes to the Cape.

muskybob · October 31, 2009

good idea rolmops. Thanks for the tip.

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