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FoodSaver GameSaver Deluxe Vacuum Sealing Kit - FoodSaver
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Seal-a-Meal FSSMSL0160-000 Vacuum Sealer - Seal-a-Meal

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FoodSaver http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VkB7cFVVL._SL160_.jpg
FoodSaver GameSaver Deluxe Vacuum Sealing Kit - FoodSaver
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Seal-a-Meal http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31r34tHcj1L._SL160_.jpg
Seal-a-Meal FSSMSL0160-000 Vacuum Sealer - Seal-a-Meal
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eComparisons Score
eComparisons ScoreThe "Comparison Score" Is calculated based on the average number of times this item was compared with other items in this category by our users
8.8
7.2
User Rating (Amazon)
User Rating (Amazon)

Five Star Reviews:

74%
This is my 3rd Foodsaver and it's the best by far.
December 18, 2015
I've used the Foodsaver vacuum system for about 10 years and this is my third one. The first one I bought (Model V1085) still works fine by the way. So does the second one (Model V3440) although I didn't like some of its "automatic" features and, after using it for a few months, went back to the V1085. About two months ago I decided to try this Gamesaver Deluxe G250. Wow. It sits on my counter and every time I use it, I smile (no joke).I live alone but I like to take advantage of sales on meat and veggies and this Gamesaver makes it so easy to buy larger quantities at sale prices, divide the meat or veggies into smaller portions then vacuum seal and freeze them. Nothing goes bad. Nothing wasted.This Gamesaver model makes vacuum sealing easy. I keep an 11" roll of bag-making plastic in the unit and when I need a bag, I pull out a little, seal the bottom of the bag, pull out more to the size I'll need, then use the built-in cutter to cut it. I then fill the bag with whatever I'm storing and place the open end of the bag back in the Gamesaver, lock the lid and press a button. The Gamesaver automatically draws the air out of the bag, then seals it. The process moves very quickly and takes longer to explain than to actually do.I like chicken breast. When it's on sale I'll buy enough to last for months. When I get home I wrap the individual breasts in plastic wrap (so they won't stick together) then make a large bag that's big enough to hold all the breasts plus a few inches extra. I lay the breasts flat in the bag then vacuum seal the bag and toss it in the freezer. When I need a chicken breast, I cut open the end of the bag, take one out, then vacuum seal the bag again and put it back in the freezer. Opening and resealing the bag makes the bag about an inch shorter.Bacon gets divided and wrapped in individual sized portions with plastic wrap, then vacuum sealed in a large bag. Easy to cut open, take out a serving or two, then reseal.A whole pork loin gets cut into individual servings, brined, then wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed.Turkey leftovers get cut into individual portions, then wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed up in a bag. Open the bag, take out a portion, put it in a covered pan on low heat with a little chicken stock and it's as tender as it was when it came out of the oven on Thanksgiving.Peppers, onions, and many other veggies get cut up, spread out on a pan and frozen, then gathered up and put into a vaccum sealed bag. Yes, they last for months.Accessories let you pull a vacuum on mason jars. Large canisters are available for vacuum sealing and storing bulk foods such as rice, flour and pasta.You get the idea. If you've ever thought of trying vacuum sealing, this is the unit to buy. It's convenient and simple to use and it will pay for itself in no time.
Solid unit that does everything perfectly.
August 3, 2014
Plain Jane features and I bought it just for that. I can position where the bag sits to seal the bottom of a new bag from a roll rather than having the current models that automatically suck in the plastic and cause you to waste almost 2" of bag each time. It has an accessory port that I use for Mason Jar storage and that works perfectly. It doesn't have the flashy stainless steel vertical design but those have retractable accessory hoses that stop retracting after just a little use (I returned 2 of them). This has a port you stick one end in and then the other into your canister ... no retractable problems. I find the manual controls to be far superior to the automatic ones in the newer models. I've had a Food Saver in my kitchen for over 15 years and I searched everywhere to find a basic unit that eliminates all the bells and whistles of the new models. This can seal wet or dry and does everything the flashy models do but feels more solid and well built. I'm 100% pleased.
Great product and one suggested accessory
July 23, 2014
I've had mine almost a year now and wish I'd bought one sooner. This unit is great. I have little to add to the previous reviews, but would suggest purchasing one of the silicon mini loaf pans when you order the vacuum sealer. The reason is that any liquid or semi-liquid is much easier to vacuum seal if it is frozen. Soups, beans, stews, etc. will bleed any moisture into the vacuum channel of the machine if not frozen solid. Messy to clean up and may even damage the machine if too much liquid is sucked out of the bag as the air is evacuated. I use this one and it works very well.http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Easy-Flex-Silicone-Cavity/dp/B000VQ8EF6/ref=sr_1_8?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1406134428&sr=1-8&keywords=silicone+loaf+panThe silicone construction allows you to easily remove the frozen food and no oiling of the silicon mold is necessary. Just pick up and flex the mold until the frozen block pops out. Many sizes of these molds (loaf pans) are available, but I find the one I've mentioned above is the one I use most. It holds about a pint of food in each of the four cavities.For what its worth, I've had very mixed results trying to thaw the frozen bags in boiling water. I know some of the bags advertise that they can be reheated in boiling water, but my experience indicates that this is a somewhat chancy method. On those that fail while boiling, the failure is at the seal. Perhaps some foods release gas when reheated and the resulting pressure inside the bag pushes the hot (212 F) seal open. I now thaw in hot water straight from the kitchen faucet while in the bag, or remove from the bag and thaw in the microwave.
Excellent sealer, and its accesories really "seal" the deal (pun intended)
March 14, 2014
In this review I demonstrate the FoodSaver "GameSaver Deluxe" as well as one of the accessories you can purchase for it, the jar sealer.
Depends on how much food your currently throwing away.
December 1, 2013
We have been using a food saver for years and finally bought this model. I rarely write reviews but wanted to for this product because it is awesome...depending on your food buying habits and how much food your currently throwing away. Stuff like a head of lettuce. Puta couple of paper towels in the bottom of the canister, use it the lettuce as you will (for us mostly for sandwiches and burgers) and replace the paper towels if they get soggy, it will last a month! No kidding, hard to believe but true. Lunch meats we were regularly tossing...especially deli meats like boar's head. We put the amount needed for single sandwiches each sealed in its own pouch and they literally will be perfect for 6 months! We do the same with steaks now too, buy the slab of ribeye's at BJ's, butcher it into individual steaks and freeze them in a sub zero freezer. Over 1 year later, no kidding, thaw it in the fridge, comes out perfect with zero freezer burn. We learned this one accidentally lol, found one that fell behind the drawer in the freezer...oops. Huge fan of this product. The old old one we replaced it with this is still working and we gave it to a friend. The only downside at all, if u consider it one, is we had to replace the spongy foam rubber seals on the old one after 4 years or so, and the seals were fairly pricey, I want to say $40 or so? Sorry not going back to figure that out for u now...it was a couple years ago.
Much happier with the FoodSaver GameSaver!
December 19, 2010
I had the original FoodSaver and used the @$%# out of it. It was great but eventually stopped operating properly; suction was no longer strong enough (always thought it should have worked better) and the seal strip peeled away and became a gluey mess and wouldn't seal properly. It was approximately 5 years old. After reading about all the different models, I chose the FoodSaver Gamesaver as its replacement and couldn't be happier with my decision. This model is almost industrial to our old one. It has a much stronger vacuum and the sealer won't go the same way as the old one by design. The built-in cutter works great too; no more crooked bags and you can use this one without wasting bag material, something the vertical model has a big problem with. One note about the size of the machine: it's much bigger than the old one -wider, which is great for us to reseal some of the reused bags (like from cheese) and heavier, which we like for the big fish filets and large steaks. The old one moved around on the counter when using larger, heavier packages due to its lack of weight. I am very happy with this unit and will recommend this model to others (already have). This model was worth every penny of the extra $20-30.Update: It's been two years and we are buying bags for this thing like crazy from Costco. Again, this unit is SO MUCH BETTER than our original! If you're serious about buying a food saver, this unit is awesome for the home gardener and quantity meat buyer. I highly recommend it!
50%
Glad I checked Amazon as I didn't know Seal-a-Meal could vacuum too!
April 4, 2016
Back in the 70s when I was a new bride, hubby got me a Daisy Seal-a-Meal for Christmas. It didn't vacuum, just sealed, but I loved the way things like leftover turkey stayed fresh and juicy, and I could reheat in boiling water. I don't know what happened it, but for the past several years I've been looking for something small to vacuum and seal food items. The one at costco was way too big, and way too expensive for what I had in mind.
Finally, I got smart and looked to see what Amazon had to offer. I didn't know there was a Seal-a-Meal with a vacuum feature! I don't know it it's still Daisy, but I'm just as happy now as I was when I received my first.
This sealer was delivered a couple of hours ago. It is a no-brainier to use, is fast and does exactly what I want it to do! (I've already re-sealed some things in the freezer that were sealed with junk devices.) I tested bags from another vacuum sealer device: they sealed, but would not vacuum. The bags included with the sealer were gone in no time, but I got the 2-pack rolls in two sizes. I have a small kitchen. The sealer fits nicely in a slim area out of the way above my counter, below cupboard. The cord is rather short, but no biggie
I am totally happy!
Get it. I'm glad I did.
February 15, 2016
I have used this thing like crazy sealing everything in sight. So far after about 3-4 dozen seals, it has worked fantastically. It does need a 'cool down' period between seals as if the sealing bar is hot, it will not allow to bags to fully have the air removed. The sealing bar stays warm and although doesn't seal the bag, it makes the bag soft enough to stop the air suction tricking the unit into thinking the air has been removed and activating the seal mode prematurely. Just let it cool for 20-30 seconds and try again. Just take a little extra time between seals, with the lid up so it can cool quicker, and then seal away. It seals hard like one of those vacuumed coffee packs. Besides the tons of dry goods that I have sealed which are rock hard like a brick, I'm now buying meat in bulk packs, breaking into portions, sealing them and tossing them into the freezer. I use the roll packs I get off of Amazon in 8" and 11" and they work perfectly. You can't beat the price.
Perfect for a Florida Family!
December 15, 2015
My parents stinking LOVE this thing! And I'm so very glad that I got this for them. They are big into scalloping and lobstering, and usually they just put them in sandwich baggies and call it a day, but this helps to preserve them so well. They bring this to any vacation they go on and use it often at home for when they go fishing.
Great Customer service
July 20, 2013
The sealing strip had imperfections This meant every seal had those same imperfections transferred into the seal itself. I got the sealing process working well, but the bags did not hold a seal well, and at least 50% of the time I would find that air had got back into the bags. I returned the item to Amazon, complained to the seal a meal company's customer service and got very fast response and a new seal a meal shipped directly to me free of charge. It has no imperfections, and works flawlessly. Thank you Seal a meal!
Great inexpensive sealer, affordable and works
November 20, 2012
Despite whether you think Rival, Seal a Meal, Sunbeam or FoodSaver are different, they are all made by Jarden Corporation. So after reading the reviews I decided to buy an inexpensive sealer. They all break and fail eventually.

I like this sealer because the "Seal a Meal" bags always let vacuum through because of their design is different from "FoodSaver", there is no tab to put bags in like their old previous models, and most important is the liquid catch retaining removability.

If sealing in a hurry, the catch basin is instantly removable, discard liquid and keep moving. Put it in the dishwasher, this is a very nice feature, no more mold.

The sealer bar is mounted securely and seems to me that it is sturdy, I tested and won't flex which is the enemy.

Cord is pretty short. Just push down very firmly on top front corners, and wait for the light. Also capable of just sealing without vacuum. Just like making your own bags from rolls. Does not have separate functions to seal at partial vacuum.

More lightweight, sturdy and easier to store than the old timer Rival Seal a Meal of years past. Probably the most affordable yet of all the sealers, and tested within minutes of getting it. I really am happy with this thing. Doesn't require that much cool-off time between sealing. If it wasn't that good I would send it back, period.

Four Star Reviews:

15%
Good entry to mid-range sealer
August 15, 2016
This is our first vacuum sealer so don't have previous experience to base the review on. This review is after 7 months of ownership.We buy some of our meat from a local butcher in bulk when they have sales. This gives us better quality at prices competitive to supermarket.We also will BBQ large portions of pork or beef then split into meal size portions.Our other use is freezing certain fruits and vegetables..Pros: Was easy to use right out of box even with no prior experience. So far we have had no failed seals but I do sometimes put a double seal on bags if it is likely to be stored a long period of time. The food saver bags a re great quality but the machine doesn't seem to care if you use aftermarket brands so you can save money on bags and still expect good results.Cons: I have no trouble doing a few bags but once you are sealing 8-10 bags or more, you may have the sealer portion of the machine get too hot and have to let it cool down for several minutes before continuing to seal. You have to be careful of food that isn't dry. Even cuts of meat that are juicy can release enough moisture to cause trouble with the sealer. The moist food setting helps but can still vacuum too much moisture into the area where the bag is sealed. I have found a way around this by starting the vacuum process then hitting the manual seal button just before any moisture can get into the sealing zone.Over all a good machine for the price. Great for everyday use and small to medium quantities of food. If you are going to be doing large number a of bags on a regular basis, I think it would be wise to invest in a machine with a long duty cycle.
Works Well. Vacuums Food. No Problems.
October 20, 2015
I don't know why these companies come up with so many different versions of essentially the same thing. Well I know why, but I think it only confuses consumers. Anyway this model works great. I use it a few times a month and have had zero issues with the machine. The bags are a bit expensive, but with a little research you can find cheaper bags online. I have not used the can/container option, I'm sure it works fine, just seems like a gimmick to me. The built in roll holder inside the machine is not that big so depending on the rolls you buy you may or may not use it. The cutter is very nice however and I do use that all the time. The sealer makes a seal about a 1/8 thickness. I have not had any seals fail, but I prefer to be cautious so I always double seal my bags anyway. It doesn't use any more bag material since there is always a good 2-3 inches of excess bag due to the sealer and vacuum chamber distances. Overall I would recommend this product.
So far I am happy
July 12, 2015
I have had this for several months now and have used it frequently. It is easy to use and very quick. I raised meat birds this spring, and on the day of the butchering, I used it to pack the meat. We really put it to work, 30 birds over 2 days, and almost 100lbs of meat. It was up to the task, but there were a couple times that we needed to slow down to let it cool. The manual warned about this, but once we gave it a 15 minute break, we were right back at it. The only real issue is the size of the bags you need to use or make. It seems that you need to have a larger bag than necessary, to reach the vacuum channel. Leaves a lot of extra material. I just wish there was a way to get the seal closer to the item you are sealing.
It sucks. And that's a good thing.
June 22, 2015
For well over 10 years I used one of the early FoodSaver Professional models until it gradually became less and less effective and eventually gave up the ghost entirely. Frankly, I was hesitant to purchase another, fearing it would not be much of an improvement. So far, I am happy to report that the GameSaver Deluxe is far superior to the early models. The cost is actually lower, too, than my first FoodSaver.The locking lid is a great improvement. The unit is more compact and easier to store, and much quieter during operation. The latch on the lid seems to create more positive, reliable suction, providing a tighter seal with less air remaining in the package. It appears that the proprietary FoodSaver bags have been improved, too, with a different embossed pattern which seems to help in evacuating air from the package. Yes, the bags are still expensive, but there is no way around that. So is the food I want to keep.It is still early in the life cycle of my GameSaver, so perhaps after five or six years it will earn a fifth star. All in all, it seems to be well worth the money and a great improvement over earlier models. There are other less expensive devices on the market that simply don't work, and the FoodSaver is not of the build (or the price) of a professional unit, but so far the GameSaver seems to be a reasonably economical and reliable solution to avoiding freezer burn and keeping frozen food in good condition.
FoodSaver GameSaver Deluxe Vacuum Sealing Kit
December 2, 2014
We are pleased with the product so far. The set up was easy and the instructions for use made vacuum sealing from the first attempt very simple. It is so quick to set up that we keep it on a shelf in the kitchen and use it whenever we have something to vacuum, freeze and store, rather than making a big production out of accumulating things and waiting to do several things at once. I think the GameSaver name is a marketing gimmick because we can find nothing about the product that is specialized for game.
This is very good machine though wish better construction on accesory port
March 3, 2014
This is great product for people who casually need to vacuum pack meat, produce or whatever else they wish to preserve relative freshness.I got this for Sous-vide purpose, but I am also using to store meat, and other produce.It also help me to store tea and coffee better, so I have no complain about these.It is bit tricky to vacuum pack wet or liquid contents, but it is doable.Only thing I do not like is way accessory port is constructed which created pretty leaky air situation.For too often bearing ball that is supposed to close port is not completely shutting port thus creating some leak in suction.If they can completely close accessory port, it should reduce amount of energy it is wasting right now to get air out of package.It works well with both foodsaver and weston roll I am frequently using.For vacuuming moist or wet contents, it will requires some getting used, but it is pretty easy and straight forward.
15%
We bought this to use with our Sous Vide recipies ...
May 23, 2017
We bought this to use with our Sous Vide recipies. One thing I did not think to check, and found was missing was a "stop right there and seal" option. It won't stop vacuuming until ALL the liquid is removed. I just wanted it to remove excess air, not necessarily extract every last micromillimeter of air and liquid from the bag, and compress the thing as much as possible. Still, for what it does, it does really well.
Great Sealer but Does Take Hand Strength
January 17, 2016
I purchased this item, along with the bags it uses (some bags come with the sealer, and I purchased more as a separate item) because I plan to dehydrate fruits and vegetables from my garden and the Farmer's Market this summer. Of course, I tried the sealer as soon as I got it to seal some food and some soaps and candles. The sealer works very well. The only problem is is that it does take ALOT of downward force on the hands to start the vacuum-sealing. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and my hands and wrists are affected. It WAS painful for me to push down so hard. However, after the vacuum-sealing starts, you can take your hands off and let the machine continue its work. It DID seal both the food and the candles/soap very well. I'm glad I purchased this product as it works well and wasn't as expensive as many others.
Worth the price!
December 7, 2015
It's a consumer model, so don't expect it to always knock it out in one shot. But, if you're patient, it does do everything you need it to do. I highly recommend double sealing anything that has liquid being drawn during sealing. Especially, if you see the little bubbles still being drawn out by the time it tells you that you can release pressure on pushing down, then it will definitely need to be sealed again. When it's pulling liquid out, sometime it will funnel into a small channel that the heating element won't be able to overcome to seal. So, you'll just need to do it once or twice more to make sure it does.

In short, I used this after a pig hunt to store all of the meat that had been sitting in coolers for a couple days on ice. The meat was cold and wet and I was able to package an entire pig worth of meat in about 2 - 2.5 hours.
Overall good buy
October 12, 2014
It does great with dry or mostly dry foods. Anything that has liquid or marinade is more difficult to seal up. I knew that going in. Got this as an alternative to other more expensive models and it works well/reliably within it's limitations.

So it finally stopped working today (2/22/15) I've had this for about 8 months now. I got it to see how I'd be use the vacuum sealer. I wasn't easy on this, I used, abused, and pushed this to it's limit. I am leaving the review at 4 stars because it is 1) affordable and 2) if used within it's limitations for light use it does quite well.

I've used both Weston and Vacmaster bags with this and they have both worked well. The sample bags that came with it worked well too.
This is a good product for:
1) Light use, cook a meal and seal it up (as long as it's not too "jucy")
2) If you buy a "small" packages of bulk meat .
3) If you want something that's cheap for infrequent or light use.

This is not a good product for:
1) Sealing soups or marinades.
2) Sealing a large volume of food or meats in short order (think big bulk packs or hunters/farmers sealing up fresh game)
3) Weekend cook-ahead marathons

What happened? It would vacuume out the air, but the seal cycle would not start. The last few times I used it was troublesome and I knew it was on it's last leg. I used this frequently for marinading and the marinade would often get drawn into the small drip tray. I suspect that's what did it in more than anything.

Now I'm looking at a Weston Pro, it's 10x the cost of the seal-a-meal, but will fit my needs better.
Customer Service Saves this Item
February 21, 2014
This worked great the first couple of times we used it. We were sealing a single chicken breast in each bag. Then, the heating element stopped working. We were doing a large batch of sealing (20+) and were allotting even more than the recommended cool down time of 20 seconds for the unit due to the amount of use. The reason we gave it 4 stars is the company's customer service is awesome! I called, explained my problem and they shipped me a new one right away. The Customer Service rep was personable and pleasant along with handling my call efficiently. This unit is less than half the price of other brands, but you buy what you can afford. I'm just happy there were no hassles with getting a new unit. We have the new unit and are looking to put it to use today.

Three Star Reviews:

4%
Call Foodsaver and they recommended the gamesaver model
August 29, 2016
I had a foodsaver for about 10 years and thought it was time to buy a new one. Bought one model at Walmart and it would not seal the bags with fish in it. Call Foodsaver and they recommended the gamesaver model. So I return first one to Walmart and purchased this model. Food saver said that if I was having problems with seal to put a paper towel in the bag. Who wants to do this? They also said to put bag in freezer for 15 minutes before sealing? This model works okay but not great. Still have issues sealing fish and meat at times. I do not know what has change from the older models. Either the bags have been change or the heat in the sealing strip is not as hot but I have seals literally hundreds of bags of fish and meat in my old foodsaver before I threw it out with no problems. Do not know what has changed. The Gamesaver did work better than the cheaper Foodsaver that I bought from Walmart. Foodsaver should be able to make a better product and fixed this problem since it use to be great.
Really wanted to like this but, only 6 to 8 cycles before a long rest period.
March 22, 2016
I purchased this with hopes of better preserving my food, buying in bulk and repackaging. As far as doing that task, works great and if you're paying attention to how you load your bag into the machine, it does it every time. Unfortunately, I can only get 6 to 8 cycles from this machine before having to give it a long break to cool down. This doesn't work very well when separating bulk packaging. I also found that the cutter on this unit would hang on the edge of the bag and try to curl the bag up. It wasn't an easy press down and slide the cutter. I guess if you are using only bags and don't have to use the seal function separately to make bags or use it even more to make custom size bags, then this unit may serve you well, you'll probably have plenty of cool down time between preparing each bag and processing it. If on the other hand you're going to use the roll bags and are going to make a lot of your own custom size bags and that's what makes this so cool so, why wouldn't you, you should probably look at one of the models that have an actual rated repeated use cycle.Two weeks after buying this one, I purchased the Gamesaver Outdoorsman with 40 repeat cycles and haven't ran into any of the problems I had with this one. Unfortunately, the Outdoorsman is a compact size unit so, it doesn't have roll storage or a cutter so, On to my next purchase. I'll pass these on to someone in the family who will probably be very happy with either one.My thought on this, before buying, consider how often you are going to use it, if you have a small family or a large family. If you buy in bulk or in small quantities and just want to preserve your food for as long as possible and then, buy the next step up from what you think you might need.And then there's the whole Manual/Automatic machine thing.As a guy, I like the manual machine which gives me more control over making custom bags and material waste. The Automatic machines take a lot of the guess work out but are set to do things a certain way and do waste a little more material when making bags.Bottom line is, Buy One and Play with it. Your gonna love it.I fully believe that those 1" thick porter house, t-bone and rib-eye steaks are gonna look and taste just as good a year, two years from now as they would today and that's really what this vacuum sealing thing is all about.Just to add a few of the custom bags I've done, I've taken the 11" bags and sectioned off into three double sealed compartments (to cut apart) for single sausage links and it works perfectly. (that's where you run into all of the extra cycles) and made 3" by 6" bags for sealing all of my favorite Nut mixes and they will never go stale before I get them eaten. Perfect size for throwing in the lunch box. I've even taken frozen TV dinners and re-packaged them so that they could be at least mostly vacuumed (be careful or your'll crush them) just cut the description label and cooking instruction out and put them in the bag with the TV dinner and vac to the point that you feel safe then push the seal button.They take up so much less space this way. If your're like me, you'll be looking for things to vacuum.
Unit overheats and stops working after repeated use.
February 8, 2016
The unit worked well enough for items done intermittently, but my friend and I were making and packaging venison sausage, the unit's heating strip would overheat and the unit would stop working until it cooled. This unit literature stated it could run 25 operations in a row, I found that not to be the case. And if you had to make your own bags off the roll, it really slowed you down, you would make a 6 or so, then it would have to cool for a minute or so. During the cooling period, nothing works. My older unit that is not so automated, (its the type that you press and hold till operation is complete) did a much better job. So for the odd job here and there, I'm sure this unit will be fine, but if you plan on making bags and storing a lot of product, its not up to the task without delays.
Doesn't stand up to much use
December 1, 2015
It works OK but has some issues. It pulls a strong vacuum and makes a good seal. However it doesn't stand up to use. I can only seal 4 or 5 bags in a row before it keeps shutting down due to over heating. Not a bad unit but if you process more than a few bags at a time, you might want to look for something else.
Par For the Course - Home Vacuum Sealers Are Hit and Miss
April 29, 2015
I was somewhat excited to get my new vacuum sealer after 4 previous units of various models. Let's face it, these home units simply don't hold up and eventually crap out. But from the beginning, this one's vacuum and air removal is marginal...I didn't get that squeezing effect I got on previous units but it still gets "most" of the air out. I even tested it on bread and that should have CRUSHED the life out of it....not! But it did get the air out. I'm real iffy with this purchase and Foodsaver in general. I'm just so tired of having to follow up on purchases like this one. I'll just keep using it til it dies and figure out what other unit out there might be better for reasonable cost.
but just like the standard model it needs a cool down period ...
November 4, 2014
Nothing more than the standard FoodSaver with a different logo. The vacuum sealer works well, but just like the standard model it needs a cool down period after 4-5 seals. This is very frustrating when you have an entire deer worth of meat to seal. I guess I figured the "Game Saver" name meant the designers made a few improvements to cater to hunters. Not the case. Basically, if you need a food sealer, this is a good product, but don't expect to seal more than have a dozen in succession without waiting for the sealer to cool down.
7%
Seal-a-meal, a love-hate relationship
August 14, 2016
I have a love-hate relationship with this thing. It is my first vacuum sealer so the novelty of the new tool in itself is great as someone with a dehydrator and sous vide immersion circulator. It took me a day to realize that the harder you press on the thing, the quicker it will have the "hands free" button come on and you learn how much pressure will pretty much make it come on in less than a second which is nice. You can also decide how far to put the bag opening to either only seal the bag or also vacuum seal it. However, to get the machine to seal, both sides of the bag opening need to be flat and flush together. Additionally for vacuum sealing, you need to have the tips of the opening bent down into the drip tray. The issue, is that there is no way to maintain a good bag opening orientation because the white part needs to slide down to press on the bag, so your hands are securing the bag opening and you need to put the white top on your hands. I'm often having to shimmy my hands further away from the bag opening as the white part is being lowered, slip them out quickly and press down praying the opening wasn't jostled but it often is. To make matters more irritating, that white part is very hot so if you're having a sealing session, you might be welcomed by the hot part touching the tops of your hands during this whole charade. I don't know if more expensive models have this whole process as well or if I'm trying to make my sealed bags smaller than need be, but I will continue to use this while simultaneously cursing at it.
disposable short term use only
July 19, 2015
Worked very well, while it worked. I bought it in April 2014 and it stopped sealing in June 2015.
If you want something to last, this is not the product for you. If you want something that you will use for a short period of time and then send it to the landfill, this is your item. Having this item really helped me eat healthier for the past year because I could make my own frozen meals with real food and not one full of chemicals. Just wish it was build to last.... Such a disappointment that so much of what we make it disposable crap. Not sure which one to try next... Maybe I'll get a vintage sealer from eBay when companies too pride in their work and made things to last, not just to break a few months past warranty.
Didn't work but I fixed it.
January 10, 2015
I don't want to say I hated this or didn't like it, because it "works." With that being said the rubber seals need to be tighter to get a good seal, I've taken it apart to fix it and seems to be working good now. I didn't expect it to be perfect at its price point but I did expect it to work for a little while. Luckily I was able to fix it. I'm giving this 3 stars but had I not been able to fix it I would of given it 1 star. It was not worth the price in shipping to return it. My mother also has one of these and hers works perfectly, so I think its a quality control problem. Is it worth the risk? I'd say yes, if you have any kind of hands on abilities. If not then no.
Spending more won't help.
December 31, 2014
I saw problems with this, but my wife wanted it. As suspected, it sucks liquid into the seal area, making it not seal. Called the company, and the answer is to freeze food in a block then put it in seal bag and suck/seal it. Kind of a hassle, but doable. Be warned.
Didn't work but CS was good
October 15, 2014
Opened it as soon as it arrived. Plugged it in - read the instructions even though I just retired a very similar Food Processor model that i'd been using for about 15 years. Bought Seal a Meal because the price was so reasonable. Immediately noticed the Hands Free light and then the Sealing light were not working. It wouldn't seal the bag. Thought maybe because the food I was trying to seal was wet that might be the problem. Dried everything and tried a dry food, then tried an empty bag, then tried just the seal but nothing worked. I would've given this product a 1 star but I called the mfg # that is on the instruction booklet and spoke to a live person that said they would immediately ship me a new one and a return fedex label for the broken one. I'll be interested to see if the new one they send me works correctly. Thinking maybe I should've spent the money on the other brand.

Two Star Reviews:

3%
Not very good for sealing multiple packages.
May 16, 2017
The limiting factor with this machine is the low number of consecutive seals that can be made. If you are sealing more than a couple of items, then you spend a lot of time waiting for the machine to reset (presumably, to cool off).I use the machine to wrap meat that I purchase in bulk. While it works for that, it is very time consuming. I wish I had purchased a more robust machine.
Disappointed !
January 31, 2017
I find that food that I've sealed has leaked when I go to use it a few weeks later. Very disappointed. Had same problem with my old one and thought it was because it was old so I donated it. Should've kept it and saved my money.
I've since bought the FoodSaver V4440 2 in 1 automatic and it's awesome. Have not had any problems with the seal ...
April 18, 2016
I would seal the items then put them in the freezer, the next day the air was right back. I've since bought the FoodSaver V4440 2 in 1 automatic and it's awesome. Have not had any problems with the seal leaking air.
and after using it for the first time I was totally disappointed in its performance
December 26, 2015
I bought this after all the positive reviews posted and because it supposedly had a 10 year warranty. Warranty is only 1 year, and after using it for the first time I was totally disappointed in its performance. If there was the least bit of moisture it didn't seal properly, leaving gaps in several places. The directions say to freeze food before packaging and sealing, making this unit unacceptable for most uses. Perhaps I just got a lemon, but with the warranty being reduced to 1 year I think not. I sent it back.
They were easy to deal with and did not hesitate to agree ...
January 14, 2015
I have had a food savor for 15 yrs. Sealed 20 bags at a time without a problem. Purchased this machine a few months ago. Had a problem because I could only seal a few bags and the unit would over heat. I called Their Consumer Solutions. They were easy to deal with and did not hesitate to agree to send a replacement unit. I also emailed Their Consumer Solutions and received an email stating"Your vacuum sealer is rated for 6-10 consecutive seals. If making bags from rolls, that would be 3-5 bags (top and bottom count as 2 seals). We recommend waiting at least 20-30 seconds between seals AND letting the unit rest for 15-20 minutes after 6-10 consecutive seals. "If I would have known this I would have never purchased this unit.
This unit also FORCES you to wait for it to cool down after about 5 bags (10 sealing cycles)
November 18, 2014
I bought this unit as a replacement for my "V" series that looks exactly the same as this one. I gave the "V" series to my brother to use. This GameSaver unit doesn't come on until you latch down the lever, and all settings go to default. If you are sealing "wet" you have to push the "wet" button every time you rotate the on/off latch. This unit also FORCES you to wait for it to cool down after about 5 bags (10 sealing cycles). My "V" series NEVER did that and it worked flawlessly.I have also had some FoodSaver bags that were difficult to seal. The texture of the lower bag seems to be rougher than I remember on my previously purchased bags.All said, vacuum sealing items headed for the freezer is the only way to go. I have meat in the freezer that is 4 years old and not a sign of freezer burn showing.If I could swap back to the older "V" series, I would not hesitate to do so.
8%
Short shelf life
September 15, 2015
I have used this about a dozen times since I purchased it in March. Yesterday when I when to use it it simply would not seal the new roll of bags. It made noise, but the red "sealing" light never turned on. All in all, it is a very disappointing purchase.
Seals aren't consistent
March 18, 2015
I've always wanted a vacuum sealer and this one seemed reasonably priced and well reviewed.
The first unit I received left a small 2-3mm section of the bag unsealed so I had to return it.

The replacement was better and would seal completely. However, the seals are not always consistent. Sometimes the unit seals the bag and it will hold the vacuum but I've had several instances where bags with the same contents would leak. I would say 1 out of 4 bags will leak within a week or so and lose the vacuum. You can't tell visually that the seal isn't good and the leakage is pretty slow so you won't know until a few days have gone by.

I haven't even used up all the bags that came with the unit since it hasn't been good enough to pull me away from zip top bags.
Doesn't work with liquids!!!
January 23, 2015
This seals okay for "simple" things... relatively dry, not very bulky items. Steaks for example. But I bought this for sous-vide cooking and am definitely limited in what it works for. It doesn't make a seal if you are working with liquids. It just sucks the liquid into the drip tray which results in you losing your ingredients, and then the plastic gets wet and won't seal. I've tried doing sauces in the bags that came with it and rolls of vacuum seal bag materials and it just doesn't work. I end up with a big mess too.
Even with the easier stuff it was still hit or miss. Just the natural juices released by fish or if you put a tiny bit of marinade in a bag, sometimes the vacuum will suck it through the opening while it's trying to seal and not work. And you have to press on the bar really hard sometimes. I would not recommend this product.
Basic Inexpensive Sealer
October 8, 2014
PRO : Seals well. Pulls a good vaccum. Good results. Very good price ($30)

Con: Sealing end of bag leaves 2" Of wasted material. Takes a bit of pressure on cover to activate. IB says to leave 3" more length than item needs. I can see where the excess goes now.

Update 1 year later- had this for 13 months. The heating element has developed a bubble that was not there when I first opened the box. Probably a bit of metal or plastic that got under the heating strip in manufacture and over time formed a bubble. This bubble is impressed into every bag I seal and has resulted in leaks. I left a nice ribeye sealed in the refrig to defrost. A few days later, several jars next to the ribeye were glued to the frig glass shelf. The sealed pouch leaked blood/fluid sticking the bottles to the glass refrig shelf. Appears the fluids pulled under vacuum got around the bubble leaving a channel for a future leak when I let the pouch slowly defrost in the refrig. It was good while it lasted. Down rating this to 2 stars.
Vacuum "Maybe" Sealer
October 14, 2013
Sealing performance was not what was expected, somtimes it sealed perfectly, ( when items were realtively dry), other times moisture within the product appeared to affect sealing performance. The vacuuming process drew moisture from the product across the sealing surface resulting in a hit or miss seal. A second or third effort sometimes appeared to do the job but the simple fact that the machine was able to draw vacuum on the subsequent attempts verified the initial failure to perform as touted. The extra efforts do not garantee results.
No question this model was low in price but that should be no barrier to getting the job done.
My experience leads me to a No Buy Recommendation. The lack of a Users Manual didn't help either; perhaps it might have pointed out under what conditions it would perform best.
No Buy, Try something else.

One Star Reviews:

4%
BUYER BEWARE
July 27, 2017
I purchased this item ( FoodSaver GameSaver Deluxe Vacuum Sealing Kit ) almost exactly one year ago and given the ten year warranty, expected to use it for many years. Last week, while processing garden vegetables for the freezer, the sealer began to slow down and would only make less than 10 seals before the unit had to rest for quite awhile. Then it quit working altogether and would no longer suck air from the bag.Seller, Kinsey's Outdoors, basically said tough ... they offered a replacement to start with, which I didn't want after the poor performance of the first unit. I requested a refund and they said no. I tried to get assistance through Amazon's A-Z claim process and again, no luck, not even listed as an option when I reviewed the other. So as usual, it's BUYER BEWARE.
Worked great.......Twice. Then died.
May 2, 2017
Junk. Design flaw allows liquid to be sucked up right into the electronics portion of the device. I used mine twice to package fish fillets and it died. Opened it up to find the inside had rust from moisture being sucked inside during the vacuum sealing process.
Won't work if any moisture is involved!
November 30, 2015
This will not work with any "Wet" items, I tried 2 units and they just don't work if ANY moisture is involved.
Worked 2 times- Horrible Customer Service
July 25, 2015
I hate this. I've had it for a while and it stopped working after the second time I tried to put food up. I know all the tricks and tips on how to work it as this isn't my first vacuum sealer. I tried them all and nothing helped - it refused to suck. So I sent foodsaver an email and explained everything. They sent me a generic email back stating their tips and tricks despite me explaining I tried everything on the list.I'd go with an entirely different brand and will never buy a Foodsaver again not because of faulty product but total lack of customer service by the company and their inability to even back their own products.
This stupid machine will only seal 3 or 4 bags then ...
February 3, 2015
DO NOT BUY THIS if you want to seal more than 4 pieces at a time! I seal sometimes 40 lbs at a time, about 1/4 lb a bag. This stupid machine will only seal 3 or 4 bags then needs to cool down for three or four minutes! Takes all day! You just get a rhythm going then it over heats! What a waste of time. I figured a "game saver" "deluxe version" would be good for an elk or at least a deer. This thing won't do a small chicken before it needs break. I would never buy it again!
Purchased this product went to use for the first when ...
November 14, 2014
Purchased this product went to use for the first when processing a deer got through 8 butterfly loins and it stopped working.Would not vaccum or seal.Fought with food saver on the phone for about 1 hour before they finally replaced the item with a higher quality item.
20%
I WISH I COULD RETURN IT
August 27, 2017
I received it Friday from my shippers. Saturday evening I vacuum sealed 2 items using the bags supplied and put in the refrigerator. Today, Sunday morning the items I "sealed" looks like I just put them in a bread bag - there is absolutely no seal around BOTH items.If the bags inferior - they came with the productThe "seal-a-meal" is less than effective. The vacuum it creates is not impressive - as compared to advertised movie clips. The heat seal line is about .0625" (1/16" or 1mm) wide and clearly is not able to seal anything.If I had an address to send it to, I would return itThink well before you purchase this item.Seal - seal what?
This does not vacuum takes 4ever to seal It's loud too
September 17, 2016
This was purchased in July 2015 as a gift for me When thry gave it to me the 30days had already passed (yes they shop for things way to long before giving thevgifts sweetcas they are ) I forgot to write tbe reviews But I get so angry everytime I use this I haven't wanted to write review because I get so MAD Its NEVER EVER SUCKED TBE AIR OUT I HAVE TO PUSH DOWN HARD WITH BOTH HANDS TO GET IT TO SEAL AND IT TAKES FOREVER I'm talking 8 to 10 minutes before lights come on I keep wondering is it me Its very loud too Has anyone else had this problem I wanted one to vaccum Was main reason I'd been wanting Oh it seals fine but does not suck the air out I live on fixed income so I shop get good buys divide meats & things up for serving of one But this is so time consuming don't vacuum loud I just get angry I want a good one Any suggestions would be appreciated I also got a roll and was given snother roll Both purchased at Amazon for these machines So now have 2 big rolls that just seals Might as well keep using baggies This wasn't even a good gift so I sure would not tell anyone to buy this product
This will be my first return to Amazon! Horrible Sealer!
January 4, 2016
I have used vacuum sealers before so I know how they work. I say that because I know it wasn't me when the sealer just didn't seal. I ordered this brand instead of FoodSaver because stupid me assumed they were all the same. Well you get what you pay for. Although the bags are a little bit thicker than the FoodSaver bags, that was about the only good thing about this brand. Other than it just not working well, I didn't like how much pressure you have to put on each side of the cover in order for it to activate. If you release pressure even a little bit the machine stops. (The sound level of the motor is about as loud as the other brand so no difference there.) Well I had to try over and over again to get the first bag to even begin suctioning the air out. In the quart bag it came with I had half a cucumber and half an avocado, so there was plenty of room at the top. I tried every which way, the bag closer down, higher, in the center, in the tray, above the tray, on the left...well you get the idea... and I held and held the lid each time and nothing happened except the noise. Finally after a few minutes of this nonsense the air began to be sucked out and the machine sealed. That was yesterday. Today I figured it would be easier but not only did I not succeed in sealing a different bag at all, but the first one had air in it and the avocado was browning. I immediately put in for a return. Stick with FoodSaver.
Don't buy this!
September 14, 2015
I had a Seal a Meal years ago. I bought this to make and freeze meals for my mom. I couldn't even get it to seal. there was no vacuum action what so ever. The machine was VERY loud. I would have been happy if it just sealed the bag.It didn't even do that! I put the bag in the place indicated, pressed with my fingers where it said and waited. Just a lot of noise and no hands free or sealing light went on. I put up with the noise for about 30 seconds and NOTHING! I bought because of the high reviews but I am VERY disappointed.
Doesn't keep a seal on veggies
September 9, 2015
I am completely baffled as to how anyone got this product to work. I can and freeze a lot of veggies in the summer so I purchased this item thinking that it might do a better job of keeping my produce fresh. I got the item today, attempted to freeze 1.5 cups of corn kernels and after 6 attempts finally gave up. It appears to suck the air from the bag but in the process it also sucks the juice from the item which won't let a seal stay on the bag. If any liquid is on the seal the bag won't seal. This might be fine for meat, but it doesn't work for a bag of veggies. This was a completely waste of money so I'm returning it. Very disappointed as I wanted to be able to better store my produce. :-(
Just "wet your finger and moisten the rubber seals." LOL
April 6, 2015
Don't waste your money. Worked fine a few times then indicator light failed, vacuum failed and would not heat seal (within warranty period). No settings for wet/dry foods. Made a lot of noise. I gave up calling customer service because my call was never picked up. I emailed them twice with issues, but they were never resolved - "wet your finger and moisten the rubber seals". Really? Using this appliance was frustrating and time-consuming. I would carefully insert edge of bag, close the appliance, and hold down as instructed for as long as 180 seconds (I timed it) as the motor roared away. No vacuum, no seal, no indicator light - just lots of noise and wasted time. Apparently this did not impress Jarden Consumer Solutions enough to think that perhaps there was a problem beyond me not wetting the seals! I gave up and threw it away.
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Pricing info
Old Price
Old Price
Price
Price
$249.95updated: Mar 19, 2020
$49.99updated: Mar 19, 2020
Features
Answered Questions
Answered Questions
Article Number
Article Number
0053891100847
5971459056533
Binding
Binding
Sports
Kitchen
Brand
Brand
FoodSaver
Seal-a-Meal
Color
Color
White
Grey
Currency
Currency
USD
USD
Formatted Price
Formatted Price
$139.99
$49.99
Height
Height
614.2 in
242.1 in
Legal Disclaimer
Legal Disclaimer
FoodSaver® GameSaver Deluxe Virtually eliminates freezer burn to all items Perfect for freezing, camping and long-term food storage Marinates meat in a fraction of the time it normally takes Hands-free, Easy Lock Latch Sys
-
Length
Length
748.0 in
673.2 in
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
Foodsaver
Jarden Consumer Solutions
Model
Model
T000-33270
FSSMSL0160-000
MPN
MPN
100847
FSSMSL0160-000
Number of Items
Number of Items
1
1
Number of Parts
Number of Parts
100847
FSSMSL0160-000
Product Group
Product Group
Sports
Kitchen
Product Type
Product Type
SPORTING_GOODS
KITCHEN
Publisher
Publisher
Foodsaver
Jarden Consumer Solutions
Quantity
Quantity
1
1
Reviews
Reviews
Score
Score
9.2
7.6
Size
Size
-
1
SKU
SKU
150443-585155
-
Studio
Studio
Foodsaver
Jarden Consumer Solutions
Warranty
Warranty
-
1-Year Limited Warranty
Weight
Weight
34.9 oz
0.2 oz
Width
Width
283.5 in
366.1 in
Feature
Feature

quality product

great gift

Patented removable drip tray

Fits 8-inch, 11-inch, quart and gallon heat-seal bags and rolls

Hands-free and seal indicator lights

Press/Hold Release System

Patented removable drip tray

Fits 8-inch, 11-inch, quart and gallon heat-seal bags and rolls

Hands-free and seal indicator lights

Compact Design

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