Nuh uh, YOUR vacuum sealer sucks!

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EvilTOJ

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I wasn't sure if this should go in hop growing or equipment/sanitation, so I'm sticking it here. With the impending hop harvest, people will be wanting something to store their precious hop cones in. Sandwich bags work alright for storage but removing all the air is even better!

I've been looking to get a vacuum sealer like a foodsaver, but most that I've found have been in the range of $200 or more. Back before The Unpleasantness I had a Deni vacuum sealer that cost $20 and it didn't work so well. The suction was poor, baggies didn't seal all the way sometimes and the baggies themselves were hard to deal with. So I ask you, O HBT residents. What kind of sealers do you have, how happy are you with it, and how much did it cost? As I don't actually have a yard for hops yet, I'll be using mine for more general purpose stuff like for bulk meat and other grocery items, and for storing items for my zombpocalypse survival kit.
 
I wasn't sure if this should go in hop growing or equipment/sanitation, so I'm sticking it here. With the impending hop harvest, people will be wanting something to store their precious hop cones in. Sandwich bags work alright for storage but removing all the air is even better!

I've been looking to get a vacuum sealer like a foodsaver, but most that I've found have been in the range of $200 or more. Back before The Unpleasantness I had a Deni vacuum sealer that cost $20 and it didn't work so well. The suction was poor, baggies didn't seal all the way sometimes and the baggies themselves were hard to deal with. So I ask you, O HBT residents. What kind of sealers do you have, how happy are you with it, and how much did it cost? As I don't actually have a yard for hops yet, I'll be using mine for more general purpose stuff like for bulk meat and other grocery items, and for storing items for my zombpocalypse survival kit.

http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

$9.99 plus extra bags.
 
Buy the missus a foodsaver for Christmas! She'll love it! ;)

We got one about a year ago. Around $100. Wifey loves it, won't stop saying so. She reckons it saves a good amount of money over time. Just don't tell her why you really bought her one. :D
 
Food saver. If there are Target's around you, try there. We paid about 99 for ours a few months ago and it really works well. The bags are a bit pricey, but get the vacuum marinator and start taking advantage of it!
 
+1 for homerT!!
+1 menschmaschine

DONT GET HOP PARTICLES / STUFF STUCK IN THE ZIPPER and you will be fine.

I use the Renolds wrap food saver vacuum system. Its cheap and it works well. I still have hops and grain from when I bought it, and its all still good.

-DIG
 
Food saver. If there are Target's around you, try there. We paid about 99 for ours a few months ago and it really works well. The bags are a bit pricey, but get the vacuum marinator and start taking advantage of it!

Yeah, you can use he marinader and marinade in the bag too. They can really give a terrific boost to a nice juicy steak! Our foodsaver recently got promoted from the utility room to the kitchen because it's so useful. :)

The $100 one is the one that stores the bag roll in a compartment with a sliding cutter for the bags. Nice and tidy and more convenient than the cheaper version, which I'm sure works equally well. I guess what you want to pay depends on SWMBO's priorities on price versus convenience. :)
 
I got a seal-a-meal from walmart for $40. Works fine. I'm a *little* disapointed with the bags bc it's kinda picky sometimes.....like if you store 1lb of hops in a qt bag and open it up to get some then reseal it your cut has to be almost perfect. But, the bags are pretty cheap as well. It's got an "accessories port" that I think I'm going to start using. I've seen the little tuperwares for it and I might pick some of those up to keep my hops in, it just seems less wastefull and easier to use. That or I'll look into the canning adapter and use ball jars.

Either way go with a cheap seal-a-meal :D
 
My uncle is "that dude" in the Foodsaver infomercials/QVC spots. He's been hocking them for years, so everyone in our family has one or two. I have two, one in the kitchen that we use for all kinds of stuff...most notably, we keep coffee beans in the canisters. The other is in my brewery, and it gets plenty of use, mainly with hops. I highly recommend it...you don't have to spend $200 either. The base model is all you need for your purposes. This one is less than $90.
 
My uncle is "that dude" in the Foodsaver infomercials/QVC spots. He's been hocking them for years, so everyone in our family has one or two. I have two, one in the kitchen that we use for all kinds of stuff...most notably, we keep coffee beans in the canisters. The other is in my brewery, and it gets plenty of use, mainly with hops. I highly recommend it...you don't have to spend $200 either. The base model is all you need for your purposes. This one is less than $90.

Well, that's it really. If it's just for your brewing stuff, go cheap. If you want to impress the missus with your "thoughtful" gift, spend a bit more. ;)
 
I've got the $99 Tillia Food Saver Version (Wal Mart Special). It's about 6 years old, and still works like a champ! (Knock on wood)...although the seal is getting a bit finicky.

It's packaged 2 cows, 2 deer and 1 antelope every year, plus countless packages of hot dogs, and the occasional pack of socks.
 
I've got the $99 Tillia Food Saver Version (Wal Mart Special). It's about 6 years old, and still works like a champ! (Knock on wood)...although the seal is getting a bit finicky.

It's packaged 2 cows, 2 deer and 1 antelope every year, plus countless packages of hot dogs, and the occasional pack of socks.

Man, you must have some HUGE bags!! Can I see them?:D
 
Buy the missus a foodsaver for Christmas! She'll love it! ;)

We got one about a year ago. Around $100. Wifey loves it, won't stop saying so. She reckons it saves a good amount of money over time. Just don't tell her why you really bought her one. :D

Bah, I bought the wife one probably 2 years ago (we had just had a child) and I do not think it has been used even once. I got one on a great deal, so it's not quite as bad, but I will definitely be using it with the upcoming hop harvest!

For those interested if this deal is still somewhat active:

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/836320?highlight_key=y&keyword1=foodsaver
 
Bah, I bought the wife one probably 2 years ago (we had just had a child) and I do not think it has been used even once. I got one on a great deal, so it's not quite as bad, but I will definitely be using it with the upcoming hop harvest!

For those interested if this deal is still somewhat active:

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/836320?highlight_key=y&keyword1=foodsaver

Good point. If springing the extra cash to please the missus, make sure that it will fit in with her own version of home economics. I offered to buy my daughter one, I had the sense to sound her out about it first. She would never have used it.
 
Good point. If springing the extra cash to please the missus, make sure that it will fit in with her own version of home economics. I offered to buy my daughter one, I had the sense to sound her out about it first. She would never have used it.

She WANTED IT! :mad:

But it's a nice trump card now..."You remember that FoodSaver I bought you". ;)
 
Foodsaver, I went through some cheap POC units, and have been more than happy with the foodsaver.

Checkout Craigslist too, I sold one for a friend for $40 with all the canisters, I had a hard time getting $40 for it and it was opened, but brand new.
 
+a million on the foodsaver. We've got the deluxe (it foldes up out of the way) and use it constantly to keep foods and hops fresh! Worth the money. Amazon is a great place to get one!
 
I use a Rival Seal-a-Meal ($38, Target) and I use FoodSaver-brand pint-size bags (36 bags for 9.99 at Menards) ... I do about 4 oz hops in each bag. Seals perfectly every time. With the pint-size bag, it's much more forgiving if you cut the top, pour out 2 oz, and reseal. Can reseal 2-3 times on each bag, too, before you run out of room.
 
yup get the food saver. Try to pull out as many twigs as possible as they can punture the bags.
 
Buy the missus a foodsaver for Christmas! She'll love it! ;)

We got one about a year ago. Around $100. Wifey loves it, won't stop saying so. She reckons it saves a good amount of money over time. Just don't tell her why you really bought her one. :D
That is the best answer, I have one,its the VAC540, it really does a good job, I just sealed some on my hops, and they are like a brick, well worth every penny, I think it cost about 120.00, good luck:mug:
 
all i can say is foodsaver

50 bucks buy it now. I have owned 2 in the past 15 years. the second one is going on 8 years old and works great. i even use the walmart bulk bags. works great. oh and one more thing. get the larger one. i think they are 12" bags. so if it fits a 12" bag you will be fine. easier to fit larger items in.
 
Whoa, thanks for the responses! OhioBrit, I'd buy one for my old lady, but she wouldn't have any use for such things. Plus, her condo is roughly the size of a gnat's ass, and I'd probably wake up one morning with the thing wedged betwixt buttocks as a 'space saving measure'. This sucker's going to be all mine. Mine!

So it looks like most of the consensus is either foodsaver or Seal-a-Meal. Are there any difference between the bags for various manufacturers? I know they want you to buy their bags, but if some seem better than others and they're about the same price, I say why not? The POS bags from DENI were smooth and seemed to be pre-sealed for my convenience making impossible to open. I've seen bags that are rigid-y, I'm guessing that's to help suck the air out. Are they all like that?

And I'm sorry but the term "vacuum marinator" sounds like a kinky german oktoberfest style beer.
 
I honestly prefer the Seal-a-Meal bags, as they're texturized on both sides, and seem to "grab" better - BUT there is a bigger variety of size in FoodSaver brand bags (for example, S-a-M doesn't offer 1-pint sized!), and they still work fine with the S-a-M. It even says so on the box. :)

Picture is relevant. These are just what I have in S-a-M or FS bags.
n307400052_57824_7333.jpg


Part of why I prefer the S-a-M brand bags, and wish they made a smaller pint or even half-pint size bag, is that they have a very subtle texture on both sides of the bag. This makes, in my opinion, the bag a little hardier, especially for pellets which may have "sharp" bits on the end of them. The FS brand bags are completely smooth on one side, and I find myself having to switch to a new bag after 1 or 2 reseals on pellets.... not every time, but sometimes... I just had it 5 minutes ago trying to reseal some Goldings. Tried and tried, and it never vacuumed "enough" to trip over to the sealing strip.. just kept sucking and sucking and sucking (don't we all wish we had that problem?)

Also if you look at the ones on the left, those are half-pint bags I made myself. I cut a normal bag in half lengthwise, seal the newly-opened end on the top half, and get 2 bags out of 1. This helps when only putting 2 oz in a bag. the ones at the far left, the horrible-looking Pac Gem and Simcoe, are full pint bags, uncut. And finally, the Cluster leaf at the bottom is either a quart or a half-gal bag.
 
I use a Food Saver but store all my Hops in Ball Jars using he attachment that came with Food Saver. I recover small quantities of Hops without wasting a bag.

Paul
 
Chriso,

How did you get the hops to sit in the bottom of the bags in that picture. I just used the Foodsaver today on ~2oz of hops in 2 separate bags. In both cases the hops spread out like a pancake (instead of at the bottom in a tight pouch) and it makes for a lot of wasted space in the freezer. I cut the bags to just slightly larger than needed for the hops so that the lip could go in the foodsaver to vacuum out the air so it's not like I had wasted space in the bag?!?

It is pretty incredible how little these buggers weigh. I used a large colander to weigh and my 2 racks of dried cascade hops weighed in at a whopping 1 3/4oz. Fortunately that was only the first 2 pickings, there are a TON left on the vine, and I still have another rack drying in my bedroom! I'm hoping (but doubtful) I'll get 1oz of Nugget this year after seeing just how many hops it takes.
 
I use a Food Saver but store all my Hops in Ball Jars using he attachment that came with Food Saver. I recover small quantities of Hops without wasting a bag.

Paul

I'd be concerned about losing the freshness when using those jars. They are great for short term storage of foods and liquids to prevent oxidation, but they do not create a perfect vacuum. The bags, however, do easily remove all the air inside and are probably a better choice for something like hops that you may have in storage for many months.
 
I'd be concerned about losing the freshness when using those jars. They are great for short term storage of foods and liquids to prevent oxidation, but they do not create a perfect vacuum. The bags, however, do easily remove all the air inside and are probably a better choice for something like hops that you may have in storage for many months.

I have the better part of a pound of Cascades in a Jar for over 5 years. I used some a couple of weeks ago and the beer tastes great.

I have never checked the vacuum level in the jar but have to think the oxygen transmission rate of the plastic bags in greater than the glass jar. I do try to keep the jar sized to the amount of hops in the jar.

Paul
 
to get a tight packon the bottom you just need to flatten the bottom, fold over , pull a vacuum, hold but dont seal, lay over and pull second vacuum and seal.

for me though i like to flatten and level as possible. allows for more air extrication and allows for easier packing.
 
I work in a grocery store and I had the idea of asking the meat guys if I could put my hops (from the thread "I got lucky as well") in their vacuum sealer. It worked great, I bet if you go to a small independent grocery store and ask they might help you out. Probably best to ask later in the evening when the managers are gone and promise them a few beers.
-ander
 
I just bough a Food Saver V1040 with expnasion kit at "Tuesday Morning" for $50.00. It's an older model to be sure but tit does have the bells. It also came with a bag cutter, some canisters, and a bottle stopper.
 
Another option is to use foil covered mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and a hot jaw heat sealer, all available from Sorbent Systems. They have many sizes and thicknesses of bags. A 50cc oxygen absorber in a quart size bag or smaller, or a 100cc oxygen absorber in a gallon sized bag would do the trick. I think this might be a worthwhile method of preserving large quantities of hops in your freezer. For long term storage get at least a 4.5 mil bag.

But I really like the canning jar idea for smaller amounts. Coupled with a 50cc oxygen absorber, it would really keep your hops in an oxygen free environment.
 
But I really like the canning jar idea for smaller amounts. Coupled with a 50cc oxygen absorber, it would really keep your hops in an oxygen free environment.

Good tip. I'll check to see if the ship to Canada.

P
 
Another option is to use foil covered mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and a hot jaw heat sealer, all available from Sorbent Systems. They have many sizes and thicknesses of bags. A 50cc oxygen absorber in a quart size bag or smaller, or a 100cc oxygen absorber in a gallon sized bag would do the trick. I think this might be a worthwhile method of preserving large quantities of hops in your freezer. For long term storage get at least a 4.5 mil bag.

But I really like the canning jar idea for smaller amounts. Coupled with a 50cc oxygen absorber, it would really keep your hops in an oxygen free environment.

Can't be sure, but I think I've actually used the hop bags from the LHBS in the seal-a-meal without any problems. I'll be one could save their old bags and reuse them, or maybe even purchase them in bulk new.
 
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