Lawrence Brewers Guild

Hey All,

Now that I have entirely too many hops on the way, what do people have to say about their various vacuum sealers? Is it better to get bags or a continuous-roll type of machine? Whatever input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much,
--Steve

Steve Brown wrote:Hey All,

Now that I have entirely too many hops on the way, what do people have to say about their various vacuum sealers? Is it better to get bags or a continuous-roll type of machine? Whatever input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much,
--Steve

I used to have whatever the 'cheapest' FoodSaver sealer was and I wasn't very happy with it at all. The heat strip just wouldn't seal the bags very well and I ended up having to double seal each end of the bag, and even that only had about a 75% success rate.

Now I've got the FoodSaver V2830. I've been very happy with it since the day I got it.

• ●It stores the bags under the lid for your continuous-roll factor.
  ●Mine came with two vacuum canisters, which I use for marinades. You'd be surprised how much marinade you can force into some meat w/ a vacuum.
  ●It has a built in cutter so you can seal, cut, fill and seal. No scissors needed and your cuts are always straight.
  ●There is also a place to store a Sharpie on the bottom side of the lid, cuz lord knows my Sharpies never stay where they belong.

I'm not even sure if the V2830 is still for sale, but my suggestion is to stay away from the cheap ones and be prepared to drop $85 ~ $100 on a sealer that will perform the way you want. Also check on the prices of the bags as well. They aren't very cheap IMO, so I actually reuse mine after a good cleaning.

my V2830

You will have better luck w/this over at Blues-Bros. Lots of guys seal over there.

I have the same one as Bill. Works great, and I rarely have a bad seal on a bag. It's something I've done wrong, not the sealer.

Costco sells the kit.

Haven't brewed since last Nov.
Hops are still sealed tight in the freezer.
Cheap and effective (though you have to work more to vacuum out the air yourself).

Bill wrote: ●It has a built in cutter so you can seal, cut, fill and seal. No scissors needed and your cuts are always straight.
●There is also a place to store a Sharpie on the bottom side of the lid, cuz lord knows my Sharpies never stay where they belong.[/list]


my V2830

A Sharpie storer? Now that is a feature that is an absolute must, no really it is! Also make sure to write on the bottom of the bag all your hop info so as you reseal you don't have to rewrite the info each time.

I have an older Kenmore Ultra Seal n Save. The face of the unit is too large so bulky item like saving hamburger uses to much bag.

The one thing that I do like on the unit is the vacuum canister. It is not the vacuum canister that is neat but the attachment for pulling a vacuum on the canister. The attachment will fit over the top of a wide mouth canning jar.

I have stored vacuum packed dried vegetables for months with this method.

Costco has a sealer that is a continuous roll and sits upright to save on space. It also has a "gentle" setting which is great for hops. runs about $150. This is what I use for grain and hops. cut a nice long bag and you can reseal it many times.


http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... opnav=&s=1

Jason

Ok, how do you get images into these posts...help...anyone?

J

First you need to find the link directly to the image, for this one it's http://content.costco.com/Images/Conten ... 522516.jpg

Then you need to put around it, there is an img button when you post. Paste the link, highlight it, then click the image button. You should see this;

Just got my Costco catalog and the FoodSaver is $20 off July 13 - 26. Also $5 off bags. Gives me just enough time to convince my wife that we "need this in the kitchen"!

"Then you need to put around it, there is an img button when you post. Paste the link, highlight it, then click the image button. You should see this;"

Does this make any sense to anyone? I have been trying to figure out how to post pictures too, but this doesn't help much. Splain yourself, Sean!
Joe

If your posting pics from a website, you need to right click on the pic and go to properties. Open properties. Find the link location and high light it. Right click on the high light and click copy.

Then in a open post hit img. Your cursor will blink in between two img tags. Right click and hit paste. The image location should then appear in between the two img icons. You then can hit preview post and if the website w/the pic allows, you will see the pic.

Posting a pic from pic host site is the same thing.

OK, after thinking about the Ziploc and Reynolds vacuum pumps, I bought one of the FoodSaver V2830 models. It was a tough call; besides my typical pre-purchase anxiety, Consumer Reports reviewed the $10 Reynolds pump and inexpensive bags favorably.

FYI - I think I got a good deal, though. Kohls.com has them on sale for $58.99 down from $139.99; includes two rolls of bags, two canisters, etc. Today and tomorrow, there is a 20% online coupon code "twenty4u" and if you use a Kohl's credit card you can enter "MVC6687" to get free shipping. Add $3.70 for the govna, total = $50.89 shipped to my door. Costco is $78.99 shipped, Amazon is $119.99+. And if I bought a hand pump, where would my Sharpie be?

Thanks very much for everyone's input,
--Steve

Here you go.. it's a good place to start. (Picture posting info)

Gee, I hate to sound like a broken record, but maybe we need to have a forum seminar! Way too many people do not know how to use our forum, and many do not know how to use it to it full potential. People are alway asking how do you do the quote thing, how do you sort the old from the new... Asking how many people use forums does not equate to our membership knowing how to effectively use our Forum-- they may say they do, but they don't plan and simple.