Reynolds® Handi-Vac? Vacuum Sealer - Vacuum Sealing System Starter Kit with Handy Vac Freezer Bags and Batteries
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Reynolds Handi Vac starter kit is hand-held Vacuum Sealer that removes air from the patent pending vacuum freezer bags. Product details and pricing info |
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127 Reviews for Reynolds® Handi-Vac? Vacuum Sealer - Vacuum Sealing System Starter Kit with Handy Vac Freezer Bags and Batteries
- Bags available on HSN (Home Shopping Network)
- I've owned and used the Reynold's Handi-Vac for three years, so like many other users I was very upset when the bags became unavailable at local stores. Then I discovered that when Reynold's stopped making the Handi-Vac they allowed HSN (Home Shopping Network) to manufacture the bags. I've been ordering them from the HSN website for several months now and they are the same or better quality than the original bags. Just go to the HSN website and search for "Debbie Meyer GeniusVac Bags" ($14.90 for 30 gallon-size bags.)
- 2010-07-26, 2 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- appliance ok....but bags?
- I bought this sealer about a year ago, but when I ran out of the bags, I could find none locally. So, I contacted Reynolds and was told they must be bought online (shipping, etc.) Unless you want to buy online & pay shipping, better pass on this one.
- 2010-07-14, 0 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Do Not Buy!
- This WAS a great little device. It appears that the company no longer manufactures the replacement bags, so they are impossible to find except on sites like Amazon, unless you are willing to pay $45 for 9 gallon-sized freezer bags. No thanks!
- 2010-05-30, 0 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Why did they ever stop production of this product?
- When my sister came to visit me she spotted this product and said that she loved it. I had used it a few times prior to her visit and quickly forgot about it. Since I didn't have enough bags to use, I tried finding bags at various super markets including places such Walmart (my sister said she had gotten them at Walmart in Florida) and Target. They didn't have them.. And then I found out that Reynolds was no longer manufacturing them and that's when I spotted them for sale at Amazon... I have since been able to get this wonderful product on Amazon and I am thrilled to death. I seem to be able to expect delivery rather quickly through Amazon, at least that has been the case the last two times I have ordered this product. Hopefully, they will never run out.
Thank you Amazon for providing such a wonderful venue. - 2010-04-22, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Can be done more cheaply - I think - and don't throw away the foodsaver...
- I've never reviewed a product that I haven't tried; I'm doing it now because I think have seen and read enough about it to say that it's over-engineered and will cause and cost you more trouble, and do no more for you, than the Ziploc hand-pump vacuum gizmo. Why? (foodsaver comments to follow...)
I just tried out the Ziploc hand-pump (equivalent function to this product). It works without problem (you just have to be sure that you can get the vacuum 'portal' part of the bag completely flat on a hard surface in order to get an airtight seal for pumping), and is very easy to use. It's just a manual pump. Given that (according to the product description) the Reynolds product doesn't do anything more than the Ziploc hand-pump, why bother with all the batteries and noise and uncertain reliability of an electronic gizmo when you can do it with a hand pump. It's not as if you are sealing huge bags or containers that will take dozens of pumps to fully vacuum out. I don't see how the gallon size would ever require more than 5 or 10. I can see if there are people with disabilities or some other issue that makes if very difficult for them to use a hand pump - then this might be perfect for them. But for most people, there's no need to cut a carrot with an electric carving knife.
Getting to the foodsaver thing - yes, when it comes to things that fit into QUART and GALLON zip bags, it's probably easier and cheaper than the foodsaver. HOWEVER, if you frequently find that there are things you might want to vacuum seal that won't fit into a quart or a gallon zipper bag, then neither this reynolds gizmo or the Ziploc hand pump will do you much good. You can make virtually any reasonably-sized bag you need with the foodsaver. Also, the foodsaver gives you the option of using canisters of a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and considering the amount of food you'll save from spoilage, even with the canisters not being all that inexpensive (and I can say from my own experience - I've been saving about $40-50, sometimes more, a month in food that I no longer have to throw away, and I save money on top of that because I can buy value-paks and the sort, so the food itself is less expensive in the first place), the foodsaver can save you a lot more than the ziploc or reynolds gizmos can save you. - 2010-04-11, 0 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
