Customer Reviews

FoodSaver T02-0052-01 3/4-Quart, 1-1/2-Quart and 2-1/2-Quart Round Canister Set, 3-Pack

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(54)

 

 

Unfortunately, I've ordered more than my share of FoodSaver products, having bought into the philosophy of vacuum storage, despite reading ample warnings from discontented consumers.

What many of them claim is very much to the point: plastic containers frequently develop cracks and loss of vacuum. I've had many of their marinators and storage canisters prove defective after less than 10 uses. It seems to be related to the material properties and container size characteristics. The smaller containers seem to last longer. Those with thick walls relative to the specified volume or reinforcing structures seem to last just a bit longer.

In plain language, the plastic containers are unreliable. FoodSaver should develop materials and designs that can handle the stress of the vacuum cycling placed on them, or quit the the business. Since their products have been on the market for many years, I can only assume they are more interested in recruiting new customers than satisfying existing customers. If you like filling out warranty forms every few weeks, more power to you.

Bottle sealers are equally worthless. Every one that I bought lost vacuum in short order. In one case, a defective seal resulted in a spill of cooking oil that damaged a nylon tent and other camping gear.

FoodSaver has done a good job with certain items in their product line. The vacuum unit is well designed and performs reliably, as long as the instuctions are followed. The bagging system is unassailable, even though the cost of the bags and rolls is quite high (read Consumer Reports reviews). And, to be fair, their Universal lids are excellent. Use them to seal small glass jars or stainless steel bowls, and there is no loss of vacuum due to cracked plastic.

Bottom line? Be careful which products you buy. Some are excellent, while others are pure junk.

We bought one for Christmas and love the food sealer. However, all the canisters have cracked. So far, still holding the seal, but they are getting progressively worse, so it's just a matter of time. These aren't exactly cheap, so I think it's safe to say that we should expect bettter.

UPDATE: These reviews go back to March 2005 and I see other reviews as recent as August 2007...so why hasn't this problem been fixed yet? The sealer is an excellent product, but these cannisters are useless. None of my original canisters hold their seal.

These are completely worthless containers, as they do not hold vacuum for more than a day or so. I have purchased other Tilia containers without problems. I was looking for a smaller set and thought these looked like a good option. I have given up using them for food storage;instead, the bottoms now hold plants, and the tops have been thrown away.

I recently bought both the Foodsaver three canister set and the Pyrex 4 cup storage round bowl. To my surprise, the 5 1/2 lid from the Foodsaver fits the Pyrex bowl. Pyrex glass is almost indestructible and can be stored in the refrigerator and be immediately microwaved or put in the oven. This should help those people who have written about their canisters cracking. I would also like to know if the the canisters tops fit other things.

I purchased several of these canisters in February 2005 and since them almost all of them have developed cracks on the bottom and no longer hold a vacuum. None of them were dropped or mis-used in any way.

My containers all cracked as well, all of them just from using them. They all developed spider cracks from the center of the bottom of the container. I use the mason jar sealer attachment instead, you can get a whole case(s) of jars and lids for what these cost. Also, mason jars stack, where these do not. ZERO stars here for a rating. Thin, and poorly designed! Even if they were free they are not worth the trouble, they are not usable for very long as designed.

Whenever I have an opened jar of spaghetti sauce, I would stick the whole jar in one of the taller container and vacuum seal it.
I also use it to "re-seal" smaller jars too. I put the jar with the lid (of the jar), but keeping the lid (of the jar) slightly unscrewed so the air can get out, put the whole thing inside the food saver canister, vacuums it, and release the air of the canister. When I hear a light "ping", I know the jar is vacuum sealed. Then I tighten the lid (of the jar) and stick it in the fridge. I have jars that I re-sealed for over six months, and when I opened it, the lid popped, indicating it was still vacuum sealed. You can do this to mason jars also, if you don't have the mason jar attachment.

This product does not work. Keeping the seal area clean doesn't allow vacuum to hold for more than 1 hour. Discussions w/ Tilia reveal heating (w/ warm water) is a possible solution. Of course, with the small mass, the seal doesn't stay "warm" long enough to work... so their suggestion isn't workable. It's a real PIA when picking up a canister (w/ a bad seal) and drop it, spilling 2 qts. of bread crumbs everywhere. Oddly enough, the large (2.5 qt. and up) sizes work fine.

I had high hopes for these containers. Of course, there are plenty of things you can do with them if they work. I initially noticed a problem whan I would come back to the container and the lid removed too easily - no vacuum. I did the (marshmallow) test and, sure enough, the container would attain the vacuum initially but, after an hour or so, it would lose the vacuum. Even though they were new, I did all of the tips and tricks posted on the Tilia web site (cleaning around the rim, making sure there were no crumbs, etc.) Nothing works. Really disappointed. I love the foodsaver and really wanted to utilize the canisters. They just don't work.

We love our FoodSaver, and use it daily with the plastic bags and especially mason jars for long term storage. But I needed something larger for storing grain and other staples.

So I had high hopes for these things (and paid a good deal more for them than the price given here). Even new, every one of them has failed to keep it's seal over the long term. I filled one with brown sugar -- I might as well have left it out in the open, it's now rock hard.