For marinading meat, no vac-sealer will do well because they do not handle liquids well unless you have a provision for using a vac-container (hose connection).
I did some beef jerky tonight, I placed a piece of saran wrap across the front of the meat, it worked ok. It pulled it down without seepage, just takes for ever with el cheapo.
And it's getting slower with everything, I'm sure it's on it's last leg.
I understand your frustration... I burned through two food savers in less than a year, the first was covered under warranty, second one wasn't covered as they went by the date of the original purchase.
I switched to a Weston 2300 and have never looked back, the best investment for sealing and freezing.
I would highly recommend the Weston Pro 2100/2300, but the Vac-Master Pro 350 is also a good choice.
......The bottom line is:
We will give you all kinds of recommendations and it may even confuse you in making your final choice....
You need to figure out what you want from your sealer and just how often you will use it before making an educated choice.
I started out with a FoodSaver which made poor seals and within a few months it bit the dust. After a second FoodSaver which lasted a little over 6 months. However, I used it a lot, much more than the average kitchen. For occasional use it probably would be a great unit.
After the second FoodSaver went bad, I realized that I would have to keep buying these units for who knows how long... They are not repairable, parts are not available for them, and they are considered disposable units.
For someone who does not seal items on a regular basis, it is probably a great unit for the price and will work very well with low frequency. It is light and it stores easily between uses in a cabinet or on a shelf taking up very little space.
After my second failure, I figured I had already spent enough to buy a heavy duty unit, so now I actually figured it was time to purchased one and be done. I chose the Weston because it has dual piston pumps rather than a singe pump. Although a perfect vacuum is 0 psi, the food saver draw is -7 psi whereas the Weston is -14 psi. We all realize that neither will ever exceed the 0 psi of a vacuum, the Weston unit does get you to the vacuum state with more consistency over a shorter period of time with a stronger seal. It has both manual and automatic seal functions, so one can manually seal wet foods with "manual" operations or let it automatically seal with dry operations.
The Weston also has user serviceable parts readily available so you can repair the unit if need be, or you can send it back for repair. I have had mine for 3 years now and only recently I replaced foam seals and heater bar for less than 30 dollars. It took less than 10 minutes with minimal effort. Although the unit was still working properly, I felt preventative maintenance is also part of caring for the unit.
I choose the Weston Pro-2300 model because it had a stainless steel shell, the 2100 is identical but has an enamel finish for about fifty dollars less. Weston now has the Pro-3000 model which is the Po-2300 with a visible vacuum gauge and an adjustable seal timer.
I have had the Weston for over 3+ years now without incident, sealing 10 to 20 bags a week depending upon activities for that week. The downside of the Weston is that it has a very large footprint and weighs about 40 (or more) pounds so it does not store easily unless you have a second kitchen or private prep area where you can leave it out all the time.
The Weston unit seals appears to be twice as wide as FoodSaver, and it seals flawlessly with liquids or food residue present. I have never had a weak or faulty seal with the Weston Pro-2300. The Weston bags are rated food safe for use in boiling water and they are also dishwasher safe. I have never reused bags, but many others have said they have washed and reused bags.
The marketing for some sealers is geared toward recurring sales of sealing bags. they make much more from sales of the bags than from the machine. They lead you to believe that you save money by purchasing their bags on sale, but they won't tell you that other bags of the same size are compatible with their sealer. FoodSaver regularly has sales on their bags and rolls which give you up to 50% off if you buy in volume. The sale price even at 50% off is still higher than the normal prices of Vac-Master and Weston brand bags and rolls. When you compare the prices of other micro-channel bags to FoodSaver, you will save a great deal of money.
I pay $9.99 for 100 pint bags 15.95 for 100 quart bags. Weston Pro Series will also seal the large 15" X 18" bags which will easily seal 2 - 3 pulled pork butts. Weston will use any brand of micro-channel vac-seal bags including Foodsaver and vac-master. Vac-master and Weston bags are so cheap they make the use of rolls to save money an antiquated choice. However the use of rolls is still a great choice for sealing whole racks of ribs, loins, and other long items.
But don't be misled here, no vacuum sealer likes liquids, and liquids can damage the unit if it gets into the vacuum chamber. This is even true with both FoodSaver the Weston Pro. Chilling soups, stews, and chili for a few hours makes sealing these items easy without incident.
You also have the manual seal button which you can press if liquids start to flow into the collection tray before they can be sucked into the the vacuum port. You can also freeze the liquid in a shallow dish and then put the frozen item into the bag and Vac-Seal.
As stated previously; the only unit that does well with liquid content is the vacuum chamber sealer which draws the air our of the chamber rather than the bag. But the price of a chamber sealer is usually cost prohibitive, even for the seasoned vac-seal user.
The best advice I can give you, is to do your homework before you buy, Compare, compare, and compare again!!! The final decision is yours and only you will have to live with your choice, whether it be good or bad. In today's market a higher price does not always mean higher quality, but sometimes it is just an opportunity to make a greater profit from an uneducated customer. Again... a higher price does not always mean a better unit, that's why it is important to do your research.
Yes, sometimes you get what you pay for, but without research on the different units you could also wind up a lot less that what you paid for.
Good luck and keep us posted.
