Great seal, easy to use, much quieter than other machines, double seal!
Having been a Food Saver user for more than 25 years, I was dismayed when my 12-year old Food Saver machine failed. Looking at the Food Saver choices, I decided to look at other vacuum sealing machines and found this one. It’s great! Here’s why I love this device:1. Sleek with a small counter footprint2. No on/off - just choose the function you want and go; it shuts off itself3. Double seal - each seal (whether it’s sealing the bottom of a new bag you are making or sealing in the food the device puts a double seal on the bag. Nice touch.4. Quiet - this device is MUCH quieter than any of the Food Saver machines I’ve owned. Of course it’s not silent but the difference is noticeable. It’s the first thing my wife noticed when I used it for the first time.5. There is a count-down digital display so you know how many seconds are left before you can open the machine and remove the bag. This is not a critical feature, but it takes the guessing out fo the equation.6. I wanted a device that had room to store the bag roll - this one can store small and large bags7. The bag cutter works well8. Rather than insert an end into a slot to trigger the sealing, you open the device and lay the end of the bag down over the sealing strip. It’s much easier and it’s nice to have that control over where the seal will be on the bag.9. You can use any bag designed for vacuum sealers. I tried the Food Saver bags because I still have quite a few and it worked as well with those bags as the bags made by POWOT. The POWOT bags are somewhat thinner, but it allows them to “hug” the food better.CONS:1. The suggestion is to not lock the handle down when the machine is not being used so that you don’t overly compress the gaskets. It’s not a big deal and the handle in the unlocked position doesn’t look bad. It’s just that you may have to get into the habit of not locking it when not in use (no big deal and preserving the gasket shape is key to this machine working properly)2. Opening the device after sealing requires your other hand on the device because he locking mechanism is tight. That may change over time, but it’s not a big deal, just takes a few seals to get used to it.3. The sealing strip is exposed. This is not a big deal, but if you are sealing more than one bag, just be mindful not to touch it as it will be warm. To be honest, it’s not really an issue but something consumers should be aware of - I think the trade-off for the exposed heating strip is that you can place the open end of the bag far enough over the strip to get a good seal and you can control the open end of the bag to make sure it is in the tray that will catch any liquid that might escape during the sealing process.For those considering a food sealer for the first time, here are some great uses:1. Block of cheese: Rarely will you use an entire block of cheese quickly - cut the block in half and use the food saver for the half you are saving AND the half you will eat, put back in the fridge, and eat some more. The saved block remains fresh and the “working” half stays fresh until it’s gone.2. Pizza: I use the device for leftover pizza. It seals the pizza well and you don’t get any freezer burn. Just defrost in the mircrowave before putting in the overnight.3. Leftovers: I often use it to freeze leftover chicken (to make chicken salad with at a later date), sausages (especially when purchased in larger quantities from Costco), uncooked meats, etc.In conclusion, this is a a great food sealer - and remember, I’ve used Food Saver sealers for over 25 years.