Customer Reviews

Reynolds 00590 Handi-Vac Vacuum-Sealing Starter Kit

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(55)

 

 

I have used a FoodSaver for years and was very pleased with it until Reynolds came out with this Handi-Vac. It is easier to use than the FoodSaver, takes no room on the counter, and is significantly less expensive to buy and to use. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for $9.48 - the FoodSavers shown on the page at Amazon list for $119.99 and $139.50.

I could not be easier to use. Use a sharpie to label with bag with contents and date packed, put the food in the bag, zip the bag closed and then vacuum. You are done. No rolls, cutting, making sure that the seal area is clean or getting a bulky sealer out using it and then putting it away again.

It is less expensive to use. You can buy a carton of 17 one quart bags or 9 one gallon bags at Wal-Mart for $2.84. This works out to 17 cents per bag for the quart size and 32 cents per bag for the gallon bags. The quart FoodSaver bags list on Amazon for $19,99 for 48 or 42 cents a bag and the gallon bags list for $19.99 for 32 bags or 62 cents per bag. In other words, the FoodSaver bags cost 100% to 150% more.

The bonus for me was finding that the Reynolds Handi-Vac worked perfectly with the FoodSaver wine corks. I no longer have any reason to hold onto my old FoodSaver and will value the newly found counter space.

I had been putting off buying a Food Saver for years because of the high cost and also the counter space it requires. I also knew that if it was something we'd have to put away and pull out every time we wanted to use it, it would stay in the cabinet. I almost bought a Frisper because it's smaller and cheaper, then I saw the Handi-Vac in the Sunday coupon section. First, it's way cheaper at the grocery store or Target.

It's tricky to figure out the best placement for the nozzle at first, but you get the hang of it and the wand sucks air out pretty well. I love that you can seal something for the fridge, open it to pull part out, then reseal the bag like it was new. Usually green onions start to go brown after a week in the veggie drawer. I sealed some up a month ago and they still look like new, and I've even opened the bag twice to pull onions out.

It's not recommended that you seal soupy or liquidy items (I guess something you could do with a Food Saver). Also, if you're sealing meats, you have to be careful that any juices don't get near the sealing spot or it won't seal properly. If it happens, just wipe the inside of the bag dry and start over.

We've had ours for a month and every day I'm thinking of new ways to use the bags. For such a cheap price (in store price), you really can't go wrong.

I cannot imagine how anyone could have found this frustrating to use. (perhaps the person who wrote that review got a defective one? ) Mine works like a dream and couldn't be easier to use. I never got one of the large foodsavers because a.) I didn't need one that big and b.) I didn't want it taking up my counter space. This is the perfect solution - It's small, efficient and affordable. I love it.

Initially I thought this product didn't work well; I conducted a test by sealing fresh roasted coffee beans in several bags, all of which lost their seal within several minutes after vacu-sealing them. (I thought the bags were all defective.) Later I decided to take some Starbucks coffee (which wasn't roasted the same day) and sealed two bags worth. After several days they didn't lose their vacuum seal. Here's what I realized...very freshly roasted coffee emits a fair amount of carbon dioxide along with other gasses, so no matter how well they are vacuum-sealed, the bag is going to fill up with air and various gasses. The same might be true, depending on what you are vacuum-sealing. You can run a test by vacuum-sealing some innate objects (I chose to seal already sealed samples of Altoid mints)...the bag didn't lose it's seal at all. If you are sealing anything that might produce any type of gass or emit any air, you might wrongly assume that the bags are defective and not air-tight. I'm very happy with the product overall and will use it for sealing a variety of foods.

I purchased this item in November. I have tried several times to use the product. I even went onto the company website to see if I was not using it correctly. Like many other reviewers here, I was unable to get the bags to seal a majority of the time. Trying to get a bag to seal should not be as hard as it is with this device. It is to be used with only dry items, meant for freezer use. I have positioned the bag, experimented with the pressure, and location of the nozzle to see if that would help.
I decided to give it another chance last night. It failed. It is a great concept...it just needs to be more user friendly. With the cost of the bags, I cannot accept hit or miss when I need to use the sealer. Sorry I cannot recommend this product.
I have an update. I called Reynolds last week and complained. They quickly sent me a coupon for a replacement unit. I just used the unit for the first time today. So far working as it should.

It works fine for me. I don't understand why so many are having trouble with the bags leaking.

If you're one of them, try this: first make sure that the top seal is really closed before you run the Handi-Vac. Run your fingers over it a couple of times. A tiny gap can ruin the seal. If you hear a crackling sound, then the bag wasn't really sealed.

Second, do as Reynolds suggests on their web site and press your finger in the center of the blue seal after you have evacuated air from the bag. It seals with a sticky seal, and you might pull it a little loose when you lift up the Handi-Vac, so press it down with your finger and it will work fine---at least it does for me, and I've used about 40 of them so far. Only one has lost its seal, and that's because I inadvertently poked a hole in that one.

I'm using the bags not only in the freezer, but in the fridge for cheese, and in the cabinet to keep cookies, flour, and so on fresh and moisture free.

I don't think there is the least danger of the bags not being produced in the future. It's pretty obvious that Reynolds designed the Handi-Vac so it could sell more bags.

I love this Reynolds Handi Vac. I had a Food Saver, but rarely used it. Too big and a pain to use. This vac works perfectly and painlessly. The air comes out in seconds. It looks like a professional vacume pack job. I will "definetly" use it! Good by mold and freezer burn!

I just found this little machine last week. I haven't used it a lot yet, but I have used it for some items to take with on the truck. So far I really like what I have. The one draw back is that it is battery operated, but doesn't come with a rechargeable pack. It takes 6 double A's so if it's used a lot that could get a little costly. Otherwise I really like this unit, and look foreword to much less freezer burns..

I was impressed enough with this to give one to my mother, who also loves it. The resealable bags, small size of the vacuum, and low price give this the edge over other food vacuum sealers. I've had one bag that wouldn't hold the vacuum (even after verifying cleanliness in the zipper, re-zipping and re-vacuuming), so it's possible some of the reviewers are dealing with defective bags. I'm still giving it five stars because one bag that is "just" a ziplock bag instead of a sealed bag doesn't outweigh the overall value I get from the product. I'll join others in saying that prices at the local store (in my case, the supermarket), are much lower than what Amazon is offering on this.

I think the Handi-Vac is a very useful tool for keeping food fresh longer. It is limited in comparison to the larger vacuum sealers, but for the price, size and ease of use I believe it is well worth the money spent. It removes the air quickly and helps prevent freezer burn. I even use it to keep fresh veggies, fruits and meats fresher longer. I would definitely recommend this product to any homemaker.