I’m looking to get a vacuum sealer to save fish and lobsters for future use. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which ones are good/bad, etc. I’d like to stay under $100 if possible and a quality used machine would be fine.
-Capt. Chris Rapchick
yella bote
no motor
it might be pretty tough to find a really good one under $100. check with your local kohl’s. they usually have some good deals. also have senior discounts and coupons all the time. i paid around $150 for my last one and it came with a good many bags and rolls. it is a food saver brand. good luck.
Ditto what coolbreeze said.
I got a foodsaver as well. Try going to “Google Product Search” then do a search for “Vacuum Sealers”. Works well for finding a deal.
Good luck.
06 200 Bay Scout 150 Yam
Check this out http://zip-vac-qa.whitehorse.com/survey.aspx enter SURVEY in the promotional code and get 20% off…I ordered 2 of the large complete kits a while back…
The Morris Island Lighthouse www.savethelight.org
Goodwill or thrift stores…usually aout fifteen dollars tops…and you can try them out before you buy…
miss’n fish’n
212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16
My friend who owns a local restaurant (and sponsors my boat for some tournaments) has a machine that seals stuff up like it was in an IV bag. Penny you know how tough they are. Will ask him the name brand and relay it on. I’m pretty sure it’s not the cheapest thing in the world, but cheaper than a new Penn reel.
i like penny’s idea. i also have a buddy that has several meat markets and he has this sealer about the size of the xerox machines that stand about three foot tall. he puts 8- 10 items in. closes the large clear top and it is cool to see those puppies shrink up and seal.
We have a Food Saver brand and I love it!!It was about $140, worth every penny.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
It turns out the boss man has a Food Saver Game Saver or something that I’ll be able to use while I’m down here. I might as well buy some bags because I plan on stocking up for this fall when I move back to Charleston!
-Capt. Chris Rapchick
yella bote
no motor
Bought a Food Saver at the VA Hospital exchange. $75 bucks. The thing is awesome! Spent the other evening vacuum sealing all my high speed trolling lures so they won’t get tangled in storage . You gotta watch those hooks though. Haven’t tried it on food yet.
I’ve had a Food Saver that I bought in 2002! It still works like new. When you buy bags get them at WallyWorld. They sell the Food Saver vacuum sealers also.
Donnie says if he ever goes missing…look in the freezer. ;). Lol. I vacuum seal everything…
miss’n fish’n
212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16
Poor Roo!LOL My wife said that when my dog dies, she is having her stuffed and putting wheels on her feet. Then I can pull her around with me. Never thought about vacuum sealing her! The wife, not the dog.
Haha…and I warned him I’m not going to use the exspensive bags as it won’t matter if he gets a little freezer burnt!
miss’n fish’n
212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16
got a used one off of ebay for 10 bucks 5 years ago. still running strong and I use it all the time! I have a food saver. I think the foodsaver brand bags are much better than the large roll I bought off ebay.
had a foodsaver (around $175) for about four months. it quit sucking so i went back to kohl’s and before i could even ask the lady about replacing it she offered to go get me another just like it with no problem at all. 10 minutes and a pleasant experience. it is always like that at kohl’s. i do like that store.
Maybe you guys are more experienced than I am with vacuum sealing, but I can’t seam to get them to work properly when there’s the slightest bit of liquid in the pack. Ie., a wet fish or a marinated fillet. I can’t get the bag to seal. Is this a problem with my machine or me? I’ve given up using and have gone back to ziplocks.
Thoughts appreciated.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
I bought a Rival at WalMart and it works good. Under $30.
I’d rather fish than eat.
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
In God We Trust
quote:
Originally posted by yellabirdMaybe you guys are more experienced than I am with vacuum sealing, but I can’t seam to get them to work properly when there’s the slightest bit of liquid in the pack. Ie., a wet fish or a marinated fillet. I can’t get the bag to seal. Is this a problem with my machine or me? I’ve given up using and have gone back to ziplocks.
Thoughts appreciated.
Stephen Goldfinch
“Sleep When You’re Dead!”
I came across this thread looking up recipes…
I have a food saver brand that I bought for $50 when they were having a sale.
For moisture control you can just freeze the fish before you vacuum it. Even if you just freeze it enough to get all the accessible moisture solidified. Alternately, if there’s not too much moisture, you can put a paper towel along the top of the bag before sealing so it catches all the liquid that the vacuum is sucking out.
On headed shrimp there’s still enough sharp points to puncture the bag so the seal might fail and it’s not obvious at first all the time.