Question about vacuum sealers

[nickelless]

I'm planning on buying a vacuum sealer this week but don't know much about them. First of all, after they suck the air out of a storage bag, how do they actually seal the bag? (I'm using triple-layer Mylar bags from sorbentsystems.com.) Second, what keeps the bags from re-inflating with air? Third, what brands or models of vacuum sealers can work with large (6-gallon) Mylar bags?

[CrufflerJJ]

Originally Posted by nickelless

I'm planning on buying a vacuum sealer this week but don't know much about them. First of all, after they suck the air out of a storage bag, how do they actually seal the bag? (I'm using triple-layer Mylar bags from sorbentsystems.com.) Second, what keeps the bags from re-inflating with air? Third, what brands or models of vacuum sealers can work with large (6-gallon) Mylar bags?

They seal the bags with heat strips (electrical heating elements), which apply heat for a set amount of time. The bags won't reinflate assuming:
- you have a good heat seal
- the contents of the bag haven't poked a hole through the bag (spaghetti will do this)

Sorbent System's VS-280 ($100) snorkel vacuum sealer will work on 4-7 mil thick mylar bags. Since this sealer only has a sealing strip ~12" wide, you could use an iron (or maybe the sealer itself) to seal the top corners of the bag, then trim away the excess material, leaving a blunt inverted "V" (hard to describe without a picture) at the top of the bag. This "V" is narrow enough to fit into the sealer & be sealed.

Some folks will just use an electric iron to seal the big mylar bags, and don't bother with vacuuming - just use enough oxygen absorbers to remove the oxygen.

FoodSaver vacuums will not work with smooth-wall bags (clear plastic or mylar). They need the super-duper foodsaver bags with the ridges molded inside the bags to allow air to be drawn out without collapsing the bags.

[nickelless]

So do vacuum sealers just suck the air out of storage bags and that's it? Should I add O2 absorbers as well?

[graspAU]

Get the wide mouth mason jar accessory and buy a case or two of wide mouth jars. You can use them over and over again and they pull a super tight vacuum with the foodsaver.

[samwheat]

I have a weston vacuum sealer .... go to sealerbags.com for bags and a video on its capabilities

[CrufflerJJ]

Originally Posted by nickelless

So do vacuum sealers just suck the air out of storage bags and that's it? Should I add O2 absorbers as well?

Vac sealers pull almost all the air out of a bag, then heat seal it. Oxygen absorbers would be useful if you're looking to seal stuff for a very long time (probably, given that you're talking about mylar bags), if you want to prevent growth of bugs/weevils/critters in grain, or are storing high oil materials (brown rice, or nuts).

[Minimus]

Originally Posted by graspAU

Get the wide mouth mason jar accessory and buy a case or two of wide mouth jars. You can use them over and over again and they pull a super tight vacuum with the foodsaver.

Agreed, I'm using an old refrigerator compressor converted for the vacuum job.

Works pretty slick, pulling below 25" Hg.

[Darkside]

CrufflerJJ has good advice. I too have experience with a FoodSaver unit and that Snorkel unit. The FoodSaver, while it works wonderfully, is a money sink. You have to buy their propriety bags which cost ALOT. But with the Snorkel unit I can buy any ordinary plastic bags. I can buy 1000s of them for the same price as a package of 25 FoodSaver bags. Its ridiculous.

There is one slight drawback I notice with the Snorkel model is that it is sometimes flakey with drawing a vacuum because it sometimes causes the plastic right by the snorkel tube to collapse and prevent more air from being sucked out. You have to kind of nudge the food or contents close to the snorkel to force it to open so it can continue making a good vacuum. The foodsaver one did not have this problem ever while using their bags. But it's really not big of a deal especially as you learn how to deal with it.

[CrufflerJJ]

Originally Posted by Darkside

The FoodSaver, while it works wonderfully, is a money sink. You have to buy their propriety bags which cost ALOT. But with the Snorkel unit I can buy any ordinary plastic bags. I can buy 1000s of them for the same price as a package of 25 FoodSaver bags. Its ridiculous.

There is one slight drawback I notice with the Snorkel model is that it is sometimes flakey with drawing a vacuum because it sometimes causes the plastic right by the snorkel tube to collapse and prevent more air from being sucked out. You have to kind of nudge the food or contents close to the snorkel to force it to open so it can continue making a good vacuum.

In the 2 years I owned my FoodSaver, I used 1 roll of their bag material, due to the high cost.

After I got my cheapie VS-280-style vacuum sealer (Sinbo or Simbo I think is the maker), I've used loads of bags. Bag cost is no longer a problem at all. I think the patent has run out on the FoodSaver bag design, but their price is still very high compared to regular bags.

Yes, I also have to be careful about the bag collapsing right in front of the snorkel. It's just part of the learning curve when using this sealer.

[ImaCannin]

So wouldnt it be cheaper to just do every thing you possibly can in canning jars? That way you can re use them? What is the snorkel unit?

[Avalon]

my foodsaver will not seal mylar. Its not hot enough. I use a iron.
Check Big lots if you have one near. I bought a foodsaver for 30 dollars there. It works almost as well as my fancy 250 dollar model..

I use the food saver to suck the air out mylar bags. The hose attachment works fine for that. Then I throw in some oxy absorbers and seal with an iron.

[CrufflerJJ]

Originally Posted by ImaCannin

So wouldnt it be cheaper to just do every thing you possibly can in canning jars? That way you can re use them? What is the snorkel unit?

It might be cheaper, especially if you're able to reuse the jar lids multiple times. I use my vacuum sealer, though, for lots of stuff. When I buy large packages of frozen chicken breasts, I vacuum seal them into portion size packages, and avoid freezer burn. If I make a bunch of stir fry or blanch red/green bell peppers, I freeze & vacuum pack the stuff.

Jars might be OK with dry materials, but you need to fill the jars up to avoid a lot of wasted space. Vacuum sealed bags shrink to fit the contents, which is great if you don't have a lot of storage space.

A "snorkel" vacuum sealer is one in which a hollow, very thin "snorkel" extends an inch or two into the bag prior to sealing. The snorkel is hollow, and air is drawn out of the bag through the snorkel. On my unit, when I press down on the sealing bar, it automatically retracts the snorkel. See the picture - the top one is with the snorkel extended. The top area in a red box is the nylon latches that lock the snorkel in the extended position. They're unlatched by the sealing bar, allowing the snorkel to retract (bottom section of the picture).

So why hassle with a snorkel sealer? The FoodSaver bags have built-in ridges which serve as air channels, preventing the bag from collapsing as air is removed. It's a neat idea, but the bags are crazily expensive. FoodSavers are difficult (??impossible??) to use with non-ridged bags. Snorkel sealers can be used to reseal potato chip bags, and can easily handle smooth (non-ridged) nylon/polyethylene laminate bags or mylar bags.

[hypervel]

When you figure price: 2 is 1, 1 is none. I have 2 extras on the shelf.