Vacuums Reviews

In a nutshell - bought this item in late Oct. for an Xmass gift. (I like to get my shopping done early.)

Christmas day my mother went to try it out. Product was defective - sealer would not seal, which made the unit useless.

Due to Amazon's return policy - item was ordered more than 30 days ago, I was only able to get a partial refund - not even a replacement for the defective item. Needless to say, I will no longer buy Xmass gifts from Amazon - at least those that are of the electronic nature. BUYER BEWARE!!!

I have been looking for a vacuum sealer for some time. I have compared them in the stores and online. The products are similar, but the Rival seems more robust and the clamping device much more secure. When Amazon offered the VS110-BCD at a special price with free shipping, I made my decision. The quantity of bags that come with the unit is impressive. The bags deserve mention. They are reusable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. This is just the device for preventing freezer burn. I have read the mixed reviews of the canisters. Mine came with one sample unit - a round one. So far, so good, but they seem pricey. I note that Rival's rival Tilia makes a vacuum lid for wide mouthed Ball jars. I may give this a try. All of the vacuum hoses appear the same, only some of the connectors are different, so it seems that competing brand's units can be used. I also found that the vacuum bags take up less space in my freezer, in addition to stopping freezer burn.

I received this as a gift after discussions with the gift giver about how we both thought something like this would be a great product. I am thrilled with it! I have been using it on a fairly regular basis for over a year now. The closing mechanism is a bit tough, and I wouldn't recommend it for someone with poor dexterity or arthritis, however, for the average person, a few tries whoul be all it takes to get the hang of the locking mechanism.

I buy all my meat in bulk and seal them in meal size portions. I have even boiled my meat right in the bag!! I also have made large meals with lots of leftovers and have sealed those away for easy re-heating (you can really put a whole meal on a plate and seal it all in).

A few tips:

1-Liquids should be frozen first. I usually cut the bag longer than I need, seal it without vacuuming out the air, and freeze the liquid solid (works great for soups or broths!!). Then once frozen, I sliver off the sealed end of the bag, and then use the vacuum/sealing mechanism. Soups are then frozen, and can be re-heated right in the sealed bag!!

2-Make sure you use big enough bags. The only time I have ever had real problems with getting the bag on the sealing mechanism correctly is when I tried to use a too small bag for the job.

3-Buy the big bags and disposable foil food pans. Make casseroles and lasagna ahead of time, freeze right in the pan, write the cooking/re-heating instructions right on the bag. It's great for when someone is home alone and needs to throw something in the oven or when you feel the need to drop off something at a friend or neighbor's house!

I highly recommend for the price. Of all my kitchen appliances that are not used daily, this one is certainly the most useful!!

These are high quality and far better than the band type.These are clean looking and fit over the ridges on the pipe instead of crushing them. They tighten up with a screwdriver or wrench and really sinch down tight.Because the dust collection hose is made with a continuous ridge and not seperate sections. You will have to cross over some ridges on the collection hose but, it still comes out clean.Forget the old rubber hose type clamps and go with these you wont be sorry. Now get out there and clamp some hose.

These work great on the "ribbed" hose that most shops use for dust collection. The solid strap clamps tend to slip and skew when tightened and allow tiny leaks where these wire clamps seat on the hose solidly. You can also use a nut driver or socket wrench to get them REALLY tight, tighter than just using a screwdriver. If you are using Woodstock International hose, use these clamps.

picked up 10 of these clamps and I like them a lot better than the other type . If you would use the other ones on the flex tube you are going to crush it. with these you wont harm the flex tube cause it sits in the groves. I also like the way they look. To me it looks like a pro put it together

I maintain 4400 sq ft of wood floors and I own 1 of these. I am buying 3 more to place inconspicuously around my living areas. I like to sweep to touch up high traffic areas like the entry and kitchen. It makes things more convienent.

A very good vacuum cleaner. Great for the office. Solid design ans simple operation. I will buy another.

We have been using it since our dirt devil quit. It has no problems with dog hairs (we have short hairs to deal with) and the bags are very very easy to find. Heavy duty and includes a spare belt.

It is no frills and has no attachments but a great performer on carpets..

This vacuum is great. Easy to clean the cannister. Good suction
and it is for comercial use. Looks like this vacuum would last
than any other vacuum I had (usually looses suction after only 3 months)

I bought this vacuum based on the many positive reviews I had read, and the suction was good. However, it was so cumbersome to use that the great suction didn't really matter to me. Because so many parts (like the handle, the dust attachment) are attached after you get the vacuum, they are constantly falling off, which makes it very difficult to use. Added to that, because the vacuum is heavy and there is so much suction it's difficult to use around tables and the edges of the room. And the attachments are basically useless.

So if you want a vacuum that will do a fabulous job for the center of your room, or for a room that doesn't have any furniture in it, this is the perfect vacuum. If not, then it isn't.

I returned the Dyson and bought this since the interchangeability of the attachments are easier on this one.

Cons:
Expensive to change HEPA filter every 6 months.
Difficult to manure.
Spiral tube is not long enough.

Pros:
Easy access to attachments and quick interchangeability ( unlike Dyson DC_07).
Cleans well, good all round Vac.
Cheep.

I just bought this vacuum from my local Wal-Mart. I could not believe how powerful it is. It is a little heavy, but I am a small person and have not really found it all that hard to use. There is a review about the vacuum not staying together, and I have to say that if you buy it in a box you have to tighten 3 screws. Maybe that person missed that part. I thought it was easy to put together, and it seems to be very sturdy. When I vacuum along walls and furniture it sucks up dirt to the side and in front of it. It is awesome! I would definately recommend!

This model is a big improvement over the older Foodsaver models. The moist and crush free features, and the installed bag cutter are what I have been waiting for. The moist feature allows you to vacuum seal meat without having to prefreeze it, though prefreezing is still recommended in the use and care guide.

The directions guide you to place a paper towel above the meat to absorb excess moisture from juicy meat to prevent the juice from going into the vaccum channel. So far, I haven't done this for meats like chicken or porkchops. Wiping away excess moisture has been sufficient. Fish and ground meat will require the paper towel or prefreezing. I vacuum seal packaged meats like steak in the package.

The moist feature is a benefit for me because I would previously put the meat in the freezer and forget about it for a few days which defeats the purpose. Now I can bag the meat and seal it in one step and be done with it.

The crush free feature allows you to vacuum seal delicate items without ruining them. You can stop the process before it crushes the item. This feature is great if you like to mail your homemade baked goods like cookies and brownies to friends and loved ones. Just let them cool completely before vacuum sealing. Otherwise they may mold.

This design allows you to fold the console in so the unit can be stored upright on your counter. This will come in handy if you want to leave the Foodsaver on the counter but don't have a lot of space. Not having to drag the unit out each time you want to seal up your frequently used items is an added bonus.

I have been using the Foodsaver for a number of years and decided to replace my older version, with this one to take advantage of the advanced features. I recommend this one because it's a timesaver, has better features than previous models, and is obviously designed based on customer recommendations and feedback.

Although this seems like an accessory that I could have done without, I am very, very please how useful this tool is. It does a better job of picking up debris where the wall and the carpet meeting. I also used it with Absorb carpet cleaner. In the past I was not able to get all of the carpet cleaner up, but I can when I use this tool.

I guess you get what you pay for. There is a reason the others cost $400 and up. This unit came with all of the parts in one box with all of them rubbing, slamming and scraping up against one another. Needless to say the unit already looks like it has about 10 years under its belt. Additionally, the dust hoods up/down motion is about as smooth as 80 grit. With about an hour of adjusting it still will not self drop back down on the table. I have not hooked up the air to it yet, lets hope that goes better :-( !!!!

This supplements a dust collector through the bottom of my cabinet saw -- and cuts way down on fine sawdust put into the air from above. I use it with a Fein vac (my main dust collector is only a Jet 1.5hp unit piped some distance away) and find the combination works well.

I also use this with a Biesemeyer splitter in the back and find the combination to be safe and unobtrusive. The construction on this is adequate -- in my case I added some bracing from the ceiling. Bottom line -- with a little work this does the job at about half the price compared to some alternatives.

You can't beat the engineering for the price. Excellent performance, quiet and cool looking too!