FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer GM2050-000 GameSaver Outdoorsman Sealing System

I'm into being prepared and stockpiling food. Long term dehydrated food is great, and canned goods can realistically last about 5 years, but I was shocked to learn that vacuumed and frozen meats and veggies can last 2-3 years with no freezer burn or quality loss, so I picked this up. It works very well.The controls are very simple to use. There are a few issues you can run into if the food you're sealing is moist or wet. I saw some people left negative reviews because it this, but it's not the product's fault. It simply isn't going to be able to get a proper seal with lots of blood, water, or whatever else escaping from the bag. Excessive moisture is also how some people are ruining their unit and claiming it didn't last long. Let it ingest a bunch of blood into a pump designed for air and it's no wonder it stops pulling a good vacuum.Read the instructions and FoodSaver provides useful tips and tricks for getting around these problems. In short you either pre-freeze the food before sealing, so there's no loose moisture, or if the food is only a little moist, like a patted dry steak, you can add a paper towel that grabs the moisture before it gets to the top of the bag.Regarding suction power, I don't think it pulls a perfect vacuum, but even with hard objects that lead to unavoidable voids, it doesn't seem that there's much air in the voids and I think it's at least pulling a good partial vacuum which will limit remaining oxygen. I tried vacuum sealing a 1 pound bag worth of Skittles (weird, I know) and the vacuum pressure was enough that they started shipping, cracking, and impacting into each other. Didn't realize that was going to happen but it makes sense when you figure they were suddenly being pushed together with around 14lbs per square inch of force.The other thing I've found this very handy for is short term storage of things like a partial block of cheese, a half onion left from cooking, half an avacado, etc.. It keeps things fresh longer and actually works out to be cheaper than Ziplock bags (unless you're super frugal and wash Ziplock bags). Here's a little math... I previously sealed this kind of stuff in a Ziplock quart-size freezer bag and in the majority of cases chuck the bag after use because they're thin and don't seem worthy of washing. Those bags sell for about 15 bags per dollar. If you buy the 6-roll pack of 8"x20' FoodSaver GameSaver vacuum tube and cut it to quart sizes it comes out to about 5 bags per dollar, but you can definitely use these 5 or more times each, as they're thick enough to clean and dry easily. You just cut an inch off the top to open and then reseal when finished. Also, there's your math if you're trying to save food as a cost saving measure. The amount of bag you need for 2lbs of meat will be around $0.30-0.50 depending on how accurately you size the bag and which bags/rolls you got. If you're saving money by getting bulk packs that are $0.20/lb cheaper and freezing it for later, you're not saving money.

This is my third FoodSaver in 23 years and by far it is the best. I tried their newest version from Costco and returned it. Who designed that? ugh. This one fits in your drawer great. Has a lock on it to keep the lid from opening while in storage. Allows you to lock the lid for vacuuming so you don't have to do that press on both corners forever until it locks in business I had to do with the first two. The instant seal is silent. The drip tray is removable. It's like they took the old versions and tweaked them to get rid of the annoying parts without adding useless fancy stuff. I haven't tried doing 40 seals in a row to see if it really doesn't overheat but I have done 10 or so and it seems to work great, not requiring a cool down period. The one thing I don't like is you can't instant seal while vacuuming like I could with the first two. If you try that with this one (and the new one) it loses the suction immediately and the bag instantly fills with air before sealing. Not happy about losing that feature when you're sealing something extra juicy. However, can't beat the price, half the cost of that fancy new useless version they have out. Buy it while they still make them, they're sure to get rid of it. Stay away from their new fancy bags too that don't allow you to cut them other than parallel to the roll (came with the new version I returned). If you do the air channels don't work and you won't be able to suck all the air out to vacuum seal. People who try to maximize the use of rolls by minimizing wasted space will know what I'm talking about.

I had purchased a Food Saver V2244 seven years ago for $69.95 from Amazon. The small knob broke. I tried fixing it but finally gave up. I wanted the same unit because I had purchased new rubber seals for it. They came in a two pack and I had only used one of the two sets. The description indicated the remaining seal set would work on this unit but it doesn't appear they will.I purchased this unit from Amazons warehouse. Why from the warehouse you ask. I had purchased another product a couple of years ago from the warehouse (big Ninja blender with a dozen pieces that were with the unit). When I opened that product it was like new. I don't think it had ever been used. Batting 1,000 right.This unit came in a bit of a trashed box but everything inside was fine. It came with the roll and extra pouches so I figured I had hit pay dirt once again and I had. My V2244 was pretty quiet. This unit is LOUD! Very loud. I don't think there is anything wrong with the unit, I think it is just loud. It sucks very well, seals well so I am not complaining. Besides, I am not using it in the bedroom with people sleeping - it is used in the kitchen after all. To try and correlate it to another kitchen appliance, and although the sounds are different, I would say it is on the order of a blender for sound. The lid is "shiny" which I have never liked in a kitchen appliance and was a bit scuffed but a little polishing and it looks like new. I like the color scheme as well. The orange accents look nice, it works well albiet loud, so no complaints.

Hands down I would give it five stars overall, if the suction for wet foods worked better. I use this all the time for game meat, dehydrated foods and regular store bought meat. I try to dry off the meat as much as I can, but game meat is especially harder to control when coming direct from a frozen butcher. Normally I just hit the seal button on my own, before too much liquid gets vacuumed. If I’m not paying attention though, the seal won’t always be complete in certain areas because of it. I am using the right settings when dealing liquid. Otherwise, this product is amazing and I’ll continue to use it. Even it takes a little more effort on my part.

You fish or hunt and need to store meat for over 1 year? You need this machine

Great. Compact and easy to use.

I bought this vacuum sealer because it was compact and it stored away in my limited cupboard space easily enough. Disappointingly, after only six months of light use the vacuum function no longer works. I would have been better off buying a more robust model. Money wasted.