Foodsaver SUCKS.

[flamin lib]

Not as a product but as a company. I had this uber smart sealer with smart food technology and all the bells & whistles. About a year and a half old. The heating element went bad, burning holes in both sides of the bag and not sealing the middle.

Google search for factory repair. No results.

Google search for any repair. No results.

Google search for replacement parts. No results,

Call customer service.

Me: I've got a model XXXXXXX and I need a heating element.

Customer service: Uh, we don't service that unit or sell parts for it.

Me: You mean my $200 sealer that's less than two years old goes into the landfill because a $15 heating element failed?

Customer service: You must use it a lot. Ever have to wait for it to cool down after sealing a lot of bags?

Me: Well, yeah. I buy in bulk which is why I got the Foodsaver.

Customer service: Oh. That unit is only good for sealing two or three bags at a time. We have this model CXVVDDX that is designed for heavy duty use. It's discounted now to only $170. Can I take your order?

Me: No, I won't be buying another Foodsaver product. Ever.

Planned obsolescence. Build junk, sell junk, junk fails, sell replacement junk.

[noamnety]

1. I have their handheld device

For a few weeks, I could charge it, then leave it unplugged. Then crazy quickly, it stopped holding a charge - I have to leave it plugged in if I want to use it. I can't complain too much because I got it free in a coupon deal, but still, that was annoying.

I also bought a "vac-it" on clearance for $5. It's mechanical, no power - with a 4 pack of reusable thingies that attach to regular ziploc bags. You manually pump out the air. It's slow, I wouldn't want to do a huge amount at once. I know you don't want to hear that it's good for "two or three bags at a time." But really for that, for 5 bucks, it was a decent deal. I'm sure it cost them 30 cents to manufacture, but there isn't much in it to break.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

4. There may be a faster way

to get air out of Ziploc bags. Use water pressure.

1. Put whatever you want in a Ziploc bag.
2. Cut 2" from a straw and place it into one corner of the Ziploc corner while you seal the rest.
3. Submerge the bag in a pot of water while allowing the air to escape through the straw.

[noamnety]

8. I've done the straw thing before.

This does a way better seal. I cut into an avocado a week ago, realized it wasn't fully ripe yet, and sealed it with the $5 gadget - and it hasn't gone brown yet.

I can see how the pot of water thing would work fairly well, but also I can see it might be tricky getting the bag submerged enough to get all the air out, without letting any water leak in. (That might be a level of coordination that I lack.)

[Major Nikon]

2. That's pretty much par for the course for all consumer grade appliances

Sometimes the manufacturer plans to stock replacement parts and sometimes they don't. It's the same thing for all sorts of appliances. Kitchenaid used to be really good about stocking replacement parts for their appliances, but I'm not even sure if this is true anymore. That's why I like commercial grade products. They are designed and made to be repaired and parts are generally always available.

I have my eyes on one of these:
http://aryvacmaster.com/cgi/ary.wsc/product.htm?p-item-num=VP210C

If my foodsaver ever breaks I'll probably get one. It takes up more space than I'd like and it's expensive, but for my use I'm sure it will last forever and it gives me the option of vacuum sealing bags that have liquid in them which you can't do with a foodsaver (you can seal them, but you can vacuum pack and seal if there's liquid).

[flamin lib]

3. $1000 is a bit above my paygrade.

I bought a Sous Vide Supreme vac sealer for $125 at my local restaurant supply store. Not made by them but private labeled. The AceMart supply store only carries restaurant level stuff so I feel pretty secure in the purchase. Bare bones basic but you can finese it to do various pressures and even seal liquids if you're careful.

[Major Nikon]

5. I've had pretty good luck with restaurant supply store stuff

I have a decent foodsaver which has been working well for a few years and does most of what I need it to do. It's the 2nd one I've owned. I think if it were to break and I decided to just replace, rather than upgrade, I'd do what you did and just buy the restaurant supply model. The foodsaver I have has an extra button which allows you to seal the bag immediately which does give you some capability to seal bags with liquid in them, but it's not like a true chamber vacuum machine. It's not really that big of a deal because the only time it really becomes an issue is if you are doing sous vide at higher temperatures where any air in the bag becomes problematic.

I think regardless of which consumer grade model you buy, the likelihood of wearing one out after 2-3 years is quite high if you use one a lot (and I do). I've had my current foodsaver for about that long and I don't really expect it to last much longer although it still works just fine right now.

[Lugnut]

6. Mine is about five years old.

So far, so good. I'm really not a heavy duty user though. The local butcher shop has some good specials on ten pounds of one thing or another so that's when I use it most.

[The empressof all]

7. I'm putting money aside for a VacuVita...

http://vacuvita.com/shop/contribution/

I think they will be out early next year and I love the fact you can use reusable containers plus it's just darn attractive on the counter.

[Warpy]

9. Post at the BBB in their headquarters city

and put in a formal consumer complaint at both the state and Federal level.

They're supposed to stock replacement parts for the shit they sell for 5 years after they stop making it.

This sounds like a bunch of fly-by-night assholes who get the stuff made as cheaply as possible and if it breaks, too bad, because they never stock anything but the whole unit.

They will keep doing business that way unless people complain.

[flamin lib]

10. Good thought. Better to get even than mad. nt

[Warpy]

11. Actually, I think it might cause them to

"find" a replacement heating element plus thermostat "under" current stock in their warehouse.

Complaints with the BBB in their home city gets better action than complaints in yours.

Yes, I am a pain in the ass when I think I've been cheated out of over a hundred bucks. Anything under I just write off as a painful life lesson.

[japple]

12. "Like" (I wish we had a "like" button.) Thanks, Warpy, for your

usual sound advice. I really do enjoy your posts.

[LaydeeBug]

13. They DO! and they used to be *awesome*. nt