FoodSaver Handheld Cordless Food Vacuum Sealer Machine | with Charging Dock, 1 Vacuum Container and 10 Zipper Vacuum Bags | Black/Silver [VS1199]

I have an old fashioned rolled plastic-type vacuum sealer that because of it size, rarely gets used, so when I saw the cordless FoodSaver I decided to give it a try. The main unit is very small at around 3cm square footprint, including the charging dock. This means it can sit on the worktop without taking up valuable space - and is always there, ready to go. The mains plug for the charging dock is a small integrated into the plug type which is small enough to not block other sockets when used in a power strip. The pack includes a medium-sized clear plastic container and 10 medium-sized vacuum bags. This gives enough to get you hooked in vacuum sealing without having to immediately spend more. The bags are easy to seal - put what you want inside them and push out most of the air by hand before initially sealing the double to seal. Then put the sealer unit over the one-way valve (it is very flat) and press the top of the sealer down until a good vacuum is created. The sealer does not stop when the vacuum is there, so you have to just pull the sealer off. The plastic containers are a crystal clear plastic and fairly thick, with tops that are shaped to allow stacking of other containers. To use this you press down on the top of the container and put the vacuum sealer over the centre green pressure valve. Since there is no change in the shape of the container when the vacuum is pulled, there is a small dome that pulls inwards when the vacuum is there. This also gives an indication of if the vacuum has held. There are a couple of negatives I have found. The first is that the push button of the sealer seems to stick a little when held down, and needs pulling slightly to stop it (or leave it for around 5-10 seconds after removing it and it will stop itself). The second is the plastic containers. In my experience (I have a few now), most are really good but I do have one that will pull a vacuum fine but within 30 minutes will have lost the vacuum. Others have held it for days with no sign of the vacuum failing. Unless you need to stack containers, I would personally recommend using the bags though. They are washable and reusable and I have yet to have an issue with any of them. For those wondering, you can use the sealer on none FoodSaver bags too (I have tried VacBird) as long as they have a similar type of vacuum valve in the bag. I haven't found any that are cheap though - all of them seem to be quite expensive for a bag.

Since my initial purchase, I've only had a couple of occasions where it hadn't worked right straight away, unsure why. Overall, the food saver vacuum is very quick and efficient, takes no time, but saves time later in the week, when I used to have to start preparing lunches. The foods I've had, the food I've prepared, has stayed fresh. At this time I've only used containers, I'd not use the bags the same. 👀. Handheld Cordless - I've recently purchased the foodsaver handheld cordless (reviews go jointly with main machine above?). Nice little machine, quieter, takes much less room. Machine attaches easily to the top, once sealed, re press button and it releases the container. A little slower, but great device which does the job too 👍. Will continue to use both machines. Handheld good value also, as comes with 10 bags and one big container.

Great little gadget. Works really well. I previously bought Foodsaver containers to work with my machine. I didn't realise they only marinade using the tube that attaches to the machine. With this gadget they completely vacuum seal. Works great on the Foodsaver vacuum bags too and comes with a few plus a container.

When I decided that I should vacuum seal a lot of food kept in the fridge and my bread, as I was throwing out a lot because I wasn’t using it all. I initially bought the smaller Fosa vacuum sealer, it was good value for money and you got more containers with it but I quickly found that it would not seal all the containers. So I intended to return it and bought the Fresh Food Vacuum Sealer (mains supply) to replace it. The Fresh Food Vacuum Sealer was very easy to setup, just take the packaging off, plug it in and your good to go. It came with one container and five bags, I tried the bags first, very easy to seal. Just put your food in clip the double seal at the top together put it on the base of the sealer, align the circle on the bag with the nozzle press the button and you can see the air being removed instantly. None of the bags failed either. It was the same with the single container that came with it. Sealed first time and held. I did look at extra containers but they are either very expensive or sold out. So I decided to try the containers that came with the Fosa as I hadn’t returned it yet and the vacuum hole was the same. No one tells you that these much cheaper containers work with this machine, it actually sealed two that I thought had faulty valves because as soon as the vacuuming was finished the air just rushed back in. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an affordable easy to use vacuum sealer, along with the Fosa containers if you want some more that are, cheaper and just as reliable as the Food Saver containers. I added a large container for bread at more than half the price of the original and it works very well.

I ordered the small vacuum pump and charger, and some vacuum bags which came with 3 sizes of plastic containers and lids. Separately two other containers. This pair of containers are of a completely different design it seems, do not match or stack with the three black lidded ones. Why do Foodsavers have two completely different designs of containers and way of working. Lucky the small vacuum pump works on both. I bought these having researched others and thought these were British or American or European but it seems they may be Chinese. The instructions make little sense, do not show lids and the markings so initially it is difficult to see how the vacuum system works, and both different designs work differently. Photos in the instructions show a pump lead connected to somewhere then going off somewhere else, with no explanation how this works or what it may be good for. Its a mess. At the moment one of each of the two different design lids are not working and not keeping the vacuum. I have little faith that these items will last long even when and if working. I am hoping Foodsavers will put this right but I am not hopeful, their web site leaves a lot to be desired and shows no way to make contact. They may be able to put things right but I may return everything !! One last issue, I did try and buy a 145ml small container as a smaller one would be welcome, but they seem to not be available anywhere to buy. Wish I hadnt chosen Foodsavers or their products.

The grown-up, top of the range FFS017 vacuum sealer has been a much used and welcome kitchen gadget, primarily for long-term freezer or chilled/ambient storage predominantly utilising the rolls, at suitable lengths and the bags. The integrated hand held sealer is, as stated on the tin, great with the zipper bags and the containers. However, for shorter-term, almost every-day use, such as prepared salad items stored under vac in the fridge in appropriate sized containers, the big boy mains sealer is slightly irritating, as it stored in a cupboard when not in use, has to be bought down, plugged in, used, and put away again — perhaps for one container or zipper bag. The handheld cordless on the other hand, sits happily and discreetly in its charger, is ready for immediate use, and performs well on the containers and zipper bags. Though possibly less powerful than the mains powered FFS017, if the usage instructions/advice are followed does the job it is intended for adequately and with less fuss than its big brother. Would recommend this to anyone that is serious about vaccing for storage and daily use. As a bonus of course, food waste, of which so much seems to generated unnecessarily, is considerably reduced.

Compared with the bigger vacuum units, this one is less noisy. Its suitable for those who already owned a vacuum machine with rolled bags. The containers are presentable, good enough to serve on a dining table. Whilst these containers are compatible with other Foodsaver vacuums by connecting them with an adaptor that comes with the unit, this model, however, is not compatible with the canisters of all the other foodsaver vacuums. The plastic storage bags seal very fast. Though costly, they can be reused. I had my frustrations, having to return and reorder - imagine the process and scenario of keeping boxes and staying in for delivery. This appliance sealed the plastic bags well but the container failed to seal. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the containers, stickers and tapes were removed- unless, the valves were faulty. Its exasperating. Approaching Amazon helpline via live chat, merely, got me through a return and free order in which case, it would have been a free order anyway. I was passed from one customer service to another, as the value of the order as I was told, if more than GBP40, the first person who attended to me, would have to get his superior. That aside, this appliance is user-friendly. Though it cannot vacuum other 'cut and seal' plastic bags, in the long run, it may work out cheaper, reusing the given bags. Food can be placed in a normal food-safe plastic bag, then place this inside the Foodsaver storage bag to be vacuumed. So, for anyone buying this, do check that the containers seal. Thank you

So far very happy, works on my existing FoodSaver containers as well as vacuum bags. Only issue indicator light doesn't go off or change when fully charged and no indicator of charge level when in use, but otherwise works well.