Customer Reviews

FoodSaver T000-08004 V3460 SmartSeal Vacuum-Sealing Appliance

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Ok, so I just got this model Foodsaver for Christmas after asking my mother-in-law for one. I told her the brand, but she chose the model. I was excited after receiving it, until I hopped on Amazon and checked the reviews. After seeing all of the negative comments on how people couldn't get this to work correctly and it wasted bags, I was more than a little disappointed to her choice, and wished she would have bought me the older, flat model that seems to be more user friendly from what the reviews seem to state.

Well, after actually opening the box and using this model, I'm telling you now, "Don't believe the whiners and the bad reviews!" This thing works great! It does exactly what it advertises and I've had absolutely no problems! If you actually READ the directions and follow them, the machine will work perfectly!

I had no problems sealing, vacuuming, creating bags, etc. I have noticed you do have to hold the bag tight while pushing it into the machine to engage the automatic vacuuming process. Which, of course, is stated in the directions. I believe that the people who can't get it to work properly haven't read or followed them.

Sure, you do have 3-4 inches of excess bag that needs to be used, but I doubt this will be much of a financial burden. By my calculations, it costs an extra 3 cents a bag this way (based on full suggested retail of the rolls). I guess it could be a big deal if you are freezing a cow a week and going through thousands of bags, but I doubt that it makes any difference for the standard user. Not to mention, the old models still needed some space, as well. Not as much, I grant you, but, taking that into consideration and the price extra per bag drops even further because you are probably actually only using an inch or so extra of bag versus the older machines.

I do think that there can be some improvements made to this model, but it certainly is not the evil machine that some people have made it out to be on here. My recommendation is that if you are afraid of the reviews, make sure you purchase it from a retailer you can return it to if you aren't satisfied. But, if you have an IQ high enough to be left unsupervised in public, I think you'll be able to get this model to work properly!

(In all fairness, I haven't used the canisters at all, so I can't comment on the reviews based on that feature. Also, I probably should have rated this as a 4 star, since there is some room for improvement on this product, but nothing that should inhibit someone from buying it. In reality, I don't think there are too many products in existence that can't be improved somehow, anyways! Bottom line is, this is a MUCH better product than some of the negative reviews on here have made it out to be!)

First of all, I hesitated to buy this from some of the reviews so let me tell you what my experience is with it. The marinade and the canister procedure works exactly the same way. There is a button called Accessories (I think- I am too lazy to go see what they call it) and this is for the canisters and then there is one for marinade. They are separate not like the other one so do not plug in the canister into the marinade, it will not work. Look at the manual to make sure what button goes with what item. The other thing is there are several lights on the right and they tell you the progress.

The difference is the bags. First, they have a storage for the bags built in and a cutter for it and it is so easy and the best feature of it. No more measuring the bags- the cutter creates a perfect cut. So that is wonderful. There are two things you need to know. It requires more bag than the other, at least right now until I perfect it. You can buy bags on Ebay for pretty cheap. The other thing is that unlike the older models where you just stuff it into the suction ditch, this requires you to thread it into the machine. This was tricky at first but we finally realized that once you have cut the bag and you are ready to seal, take the bag and bend the top of it to make a nice crease- not too hard but enough to help you thread it into the machine because it helps thread it in. You need to put the side in that is folding downwards. The machine has to sense the thread. Once it senses the bag, it seals it. Then you put the food in and then thread it in there again and it will vacuum. That part just requites getting used to it. Also make sure to never to use an older hose-use the brand new one. Don't keep an older one around- I find that is a big part of suction problems.

In my opinion, it is kind of like threading a needle at first- it just takes practice. Also READ THE MANUAL. It has directions all over the place but read that. It tells you how to put the bag in the holder. It also has a bag that has been sealed cutter. I found that hard to use actually and almost harder than the vaccum part. The machine also takes up way less space and I would recommend it. But remember that you have to work with it and be patient. It took us about 5 minutes or more and messing with every way we could before we could get it to work. You will swear that you can't get it to work and you will think that maybe people are right but it will work. That folding the crease at the top seem to help.

It's not like the other one where you just put in the bag but I am the worse when it comes to drawing a straight line and this requires no cutting- it does it. People need to remember that these changes are consumer driven. People give the company feedback and lots of people like me who hated that other design. Companies do not make products so you will be frustrated and not use it, they make them because people ask for them and I am certain tons of people use this with no problem. It works fine now but I wanted to take the time to write this so it might helps someone who is concerned with it.

Last part try to have someone who is great at these kind of technical things help you. I have a friend who is an engineer and he can figure out anything and I am the type that looks at something and say, "what's that for," and then I push it and it does something and I figure out that way. He kept looking into the machine to see how it actually worked so get to know some engineer type. We work well together because he is real technical and I am really creative and he misses sometimes the creative stuff and I usually miss the technical stuff. Hope this helps.

My wife got me this vacuum sealer for Christmas to replace my old one that laid flat on the counter. While these vertical units look good and take up less space, they are not user friendly. The first issue is trying to get the unit to engage. You have to push, slip and slide the end of the bag into the unit to get it to engage (some hanging levers/switches need to be engaged) and if you are lucky enough to get the unit to begin the sealing sequence, don't move! If the bag slips or slides in the slot it will disengage the levers and not seal. The second issue it that my unit often switches from dry to moist on it's own. Additionally, there is no manual operation option and sometimes you do not get a good vacuum so air pockets will remain. Trying to get satisfaction out of Tila through contact is a joke as well. I would have given this a 1/2 star if that was an option!

Iffy is the best word for this product. I've been using the FoodSaver 1 Quart Size Bag, Package of 48 with it and have be having the hardest time getting it to work correctly.

Sometimes it's perfect and vacuums out every last bit of air. Sometimes it's almost perfect and you can see that there is a little air left in the bag. Most of the time it doesn't seem to get any air out and seals the bag with it looking like a big bubble. I still don't know why for the exact same thing (lasagna, in this case) it has such inconsistent results.

The "Fully Automatic Operation" is incredibly annoying and I blame it for the flawed sealing. You have to insert the bag into a thin slot and wait for the machine to clamp down and grab the bag. Then it starts the vacuum cycle, which if it doesn't work right, it will start sealing before you are ready.

I long for the old Foodsavers where I was the brain and decided if the bag should be sealed. I think I'm going to return this one.

When it works, it works well but your skill in placing and holding the bag in place is critical.

That said, for the price, you would think that it would be a bit more automatic and not rely so much on the steady hands and exact pressure supplied by the user.

A hint... it likes a little extra bag length. If you try and save on the bag size and don't leave four or five inches extra, it will either not vacuum or will not do it consistently.

Once I got the hang of it, sealed about 20 items and all were perfect.

I ordered the V3460 to replace an older model that had finally worn out. I love the FoodSaver vacuum sealing concept and recommend it to everyone. It's just my husband and I in the house but we still buy food like the kids live with us and it saves money in the long run to buy in bulk. My old FoodSaver was not vacuuming as well after 6 years so we decided to purchase the V3460, there is a huge difference in the vacuum sealing process with the V3460. The storage compartment is also a great feature, I can store both in the same area as oppose to finding additional space. The sleek up-right design is great for limited counter space. Recommend it for all family sizes.

The V3460 "Upright" is great for use with the roll inside when your sealing many packages in a row. I have used it enough now that I've gone through 3ea. 8" rolls and 1ea. 12" roll. Note: prefer the 8" roll for the type of packing I'm doing. The only thing I would have to say on a negative note is; 1.) Its a little too smart!, you must be very careful in inserting the package to be vacuum sealed when the top edges are not perfectly aligned or curling up a bit. You also must follow the directions as it states "allow apx 4" of space at the top to allow for proper sealing. I have gotten away with 3". 2)You cannot run too many sealing jobs back to back. You must at times allow 30 seconds or more for the heating element to cool before sealing the next package. All in all I'm very happy so far.

After reading the bad reviews I came to this conclusion: They aren't using it correctly. This seems to be an issue on many reviews for vacuum sealers, not just this one. This machine is really not that complicated. It took me a few tries (and I messed up a few bags), but I finally got the hang of it. You just have to keep a few things in mind. #1 You absolutely have to make the bag bigger than what's inside -even the directions tell you this. Making the bag too small will not vacuum it. #2 If you vacuum coffee, rice, or other small items you have to make sure not even the smallest particle gets near the sealer. #3 If you push the stop/seal button on the top right corner it won't vacuum. It only seals. ---oh ya, forget trying to use regular ziplocs. The bags that come with the machine are thicker and specially made with little grooves on the backside. It might seem expensive, but one roll will last you quite a while. With all that said, if you use the machine properly it is absolutely amazing! It's a smart simple and powerful little machine if used correctly.

This new FoodSaver works great. I was skeptical after reading some of the reviews by other customers but found this product to be excellent. I have no idea how some folks had trouble with the operation as mine worked perfectly from the first try. The roll storage and cutter are great features along with the hands free sealing. It is a huge upgrade over my older FoodSaver model and I'm very happy with my purchase. I processed 3 deer and vacuum sealed them all with ease, so I gave this thing a workout. I normally don't write reviews, but I thought this product got a bad rap from some previous people and I wanted to add my 2 cents.

Bought this product just a few days ago and used it for the first time yesterday. While it seems you have to get the "knack" of inserting the bags for vaccuuming and sealing, once I got the hang of it, it was quite easy. Seems to be just a matter of getting used to using it. The fully automatic feature is nice as you can be doing other things while the machine is running (like getting the next bag or portion ready. Anyway, so far so good. I will say this is my first food saver so I do not have a point of comparison.