Packmate 95000 Vacu-Seal Starter Kit with Handheld Vacuum Sealer and Bags
by Packmate
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List Price: Our Price: $7.79 You Save: $32.21 (81%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Packmate 95000 Vacu-Seal Starter Kit with Handheld Vacuum Sealer and Bags
Customer Review: Very Pleasantly Surprised!
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this after my disastrous experience with the Frisper which I purchased from Sharper Image (and which they graciously accepted as a return).
I wasn't expecting anything for this unit for the price. But I was wrong. Wow! It worked really well and produced a really good vacuum to get all the air out. It is inexpensive, effective, and easy to use - you can see everything that's going on so there are no mysteries. Another plus is that you can stand it up as you seal, so if you have any liquids in there, they won't spill out all over the place.
I had a couple of bags that didn't seal. I think one of them was defective or I wasn't able to get a complete seal on the bag. Another one contained cubes of demera sugar and didn't hold the vacuum. I think maybe that's because, between the strong vacuum and the thinness of the bag, the sugar crystals actually punctured the bag.
Which brings me to the one criticism I have (thus 4 stars instead of 5). The bags are designed to be reusable because they are kind of expensive after all. (But that's good for the environment too.) I wish they could be made a little thicker so as to be more durable. I'm always worried about breaking them. The one good thing I can say about the Frisper is that its bags are really thick industrial strength things. In fact., when I returned it, I kept the extra bags I purchased.
All in all this unit is a great value and I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: The things rock, can the bag hold up ??
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this from local bed bath & beyond. Was pleasantly surprised by the price - it was under 8$. The pump as it is, is a good product, powerful suction for the price, the performance is many times better than Reynolds handi vac & is less noiser too. Bags seal air tight within seconds. The hand held vacuum takes less space & very easy to use
BUT the problem is their bags. 1. weak bag - the valve is weak & lets the air back in no time & the material is flimsy 2. the bags are expensive - 5 bags for $5 & mostly available on net, so add $ for shipping as well. They say the bags are reusable. Clause is not to reuse when raw meat is used. 3. the bags are hard to find - recently vacuseal went out of business, so there is no place to get customer service or find the bags in stores. 4. cant use other brand bags which are easily available in the market
I improvised the model by taking the valve from one of my old bags. I use the valve with ziploc bags. when the suction is done, I pull away the valve & seal the zip loc. works for me.
Customer Review: Nice but I'm not doing cartwheels
Summary: 3 Stars
I previously used the Reynolds® Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer - Vacuum Sealing System Starter Kit with Handy Vac Freezer Bags and Batteriesand was so disappointed that I threw it in the garbage and gave it a one star review.
I have since purchased this product and I'm somewhat more pleased. The product itself is great but the bags do not live up to their promise.
The problem with the Handi-Vac was that it was too hard to line up the suction head with the hole in the bag. It was a struggle to get them lined up and working properly meanwhile wasting battery power. Their bags were advertised as re-usable but I could never get them to vaccum the 2nd time around.
The Packmate suction system is easy to line up and use and works perfectly. The unit is powerful enough to get the air out quickly thus saving battery power and it really pulls all the air out.
I can't give this product 5 stars because I found that first, the bags are really expensive and even though they are re-usable, they are a pain to wash and dry. I'm also concerned about food safety so I'm going to try and wash them in the dishwasher to sanitize them better. Secondly, I only gave 3 stars because I found that some of the bags are not holding the vacuum. I get into my freezer every few days and re-vacuum the air out of all the bags. I'm not sure if they just weren't sealed properly to begin with, if the cold air somehow changes the properties of the bag so that it pops open or if there are tiny punctures that have a slow leak. Whatever the case, they all start out properly vacuumed, the bag sucked in and tightly wrapped around the food, the entire bag as solid as a brick, then slowly re-inflate when stored.
I've only seen this in the freezer. I haven't tested it outside yet. I will update the review when I do.
Customer Review: You can't judge a book by it's cover
Summary: 2 Stars
I also started out with the Reynolds unit & found it very unsatisfactory.
Found the PackMate Vacu-Seal & was pleasantly surprised by the ease of use & the fantastic vacuum seal. Alas--2 days later the seal had been broken somehow & the air was back in the bag. Not only that but I can no longer find replacement bags. BB&B said they thought the product had been recalled or...
At any rate they quit carrying the unit & bags due to too many complaints & product returns. BooHoo. Packmate 95000 Vacu-Seal Starter Kit with Handheld Vacuum Sealer and Bags
Customer Review: More bags???
Summary: 2 Stars
I like the product, but what good is it if there are no more bags available?
I find one site that has the large bags (at $3.00 apiece!) and no one with the medium bags which are the ones I need if I am to use the sealer. Would certainly appreciate a lead as to where I can get replacement bags.