Review on 🔒 FoodSaver V4400: 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealer Machine with Starter Kit – Safety Certified, Black/Silver by Chelsey Smith

First of all. I've used various vacuum sealers for decades - the clamshell type and this is my first automatic type. I mainly use sealing for freezing meat and sealing cheese. When I buy meat, I get large cryopacks. I first used this FoodSaver when I bought a nearly 20 pound piece of boneless ribeye and cut my own steaks for less than $6 a pound (the local grocery store had $22 a pound and thin steaks ) and I got 5 pounds. a brick of sharp cheddar cheese that I cut into 1-pound blocks. I always buy meat and cheese in this quantity. ADVANTAGES: -- This is a vacuum sealer -- Works well with other manufacturers' bags. (bought two 50ft rolls) - Had no trouble sealing properly and only had trouble vacuuming a couple of times (could stop it - hit the on/off button - before it was sealed) - Has a portable vacuum port. My favorite feature. Works great with ziplock bags. (had to rummage through a drawer before to find a battery powered vacuum pump - half the time the batteries died). I eat a lot of cheddar cheese and use ziplock bags, put the piece of cheese back in and vacuum seal it before putting it back in the fridge. No more "hard spots" on cheese - cheddar cheese hates air - automatically. Just place the bag in the slot and wait for it to grab. My old clamshell had to make sure the vacuum port was in the bag, then close the lid and hope the port was still in the bag. CONS: - Lots of waste in the bag. Especially if the item in the bag is thick, you need to have a lot of "tail" so that it fits evenly in the slot - there is no way to seal the bag twice - slowly. Air is extracted for a long time, sealing also takes a long time. Suitable for intermittent use, but quickly becomes a nuisance with large batches (much slower than the clamshell it replaces) - the sealing element appears to overheat and shuts the unit down (flashes of light) after only 3 seals. I used to make a bunch of bags with my sealer, then fill the bags, then vacuum. Workaround: Make two pouches, fill one, seal, make a third pouch, fill a second pouch and continue. This way you only use the sealer twice in a row and it cools down while you fill and vacuum the bag. (You can see the white bulb through the transparent part). When you suck something, this valve closes and most of the time you don't notice it. So for me. I suck on the bag, waiting for it to suck out more air, but the valve closed without me noticing. So I'm standing there like an idiot wondering when this will end. The only way to open this valve again is to turn the machine off, and sometimes you have to tap the nozzle to bring the piston back down. Conclusion: I am satisfied with this model. Having used the crib for decades I love its automatic feature and now the sealant sits on my counter instead of in my closet so it gets used more often. My biggest concerns are that it's a lot slower than my old clamshell and overheats a lot quicker than the one it replaced, but for occasional use that's fine - only for large batches if that's an issue. Also, so many 'bags' go to waste - I bought two 50ft rolls for a very reasonable price and they worked great without the expense of the FoodSaver rolls. The only downside is that they don't fit in the pocket roll holder/cutter but given the price difference, that's a downside I'm happy to live with. I love the hand nozzle (used almost every day) but the valve in it is annoying. So if you're using the handpiece and wondering why it's not working, just check to see if the plunger valve is open. I bought this a few days before going to the meat store. I even kept the box it came in (which I never do, but I know I always should) so I can return it if it turns out to be wrong. In the end I kept it. Although a lot slower than my much cheaper clamshell sealer and wastes a lot of pockets, the portable part is an advantage for me. Perfect/Excellent/Exceptional. Not very good/get a lot more out of it. YES SIR