Reynolds Handi Vac

cathy said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Cathy

I dunno!? It looks rather hokey to me? It also uses battery power (six
AA batteries), so somehow I think its suction power might be rather
questionable?? And, what are those bags??? How well would that
'zippered edge' hold the seal (they look like modified ziplocs to me)?
The entire contraption & bags reminds me of those garmet bags that get
used with a vacuum cleaner, and I've heard rather dismal reviews for
that particular type of product.

I read the FAQs about the product. The bags are supposedly not
recommended as reusable. There is no mention whether the bags are
'boilable' or not.

However, I'll reserve ultimate judgment until I hear more.

Sky, who rather skeptical about this one

P.S. I very much like my Seal-A-Meal; wouldn't do without it.

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

cathy said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Cathy

If they're made out of the same material as their regular bags,
then it's useless. The regular bags are slightly porous and not
air-tight as one may thing. Bags should be made out of Nylon or
other non-porous materiual - like the Tilia Food-Saver bags - to
be able to hold a vacuum.

-sw

Sky said:

I dunno!? It looks rather hokey to me? It also uses battery power (six
AA batteries), so somehow I think its suction power might be rather
questionable?? And, what are those bags??? How well would that
'zippered edge' hold the seal (they look like modified ziplocs to me)?
The entire contraption & bags reminds me of those garmet bags that get
used with a vacuum cleaner, and I've heard rather dismal reviews for
that particular type of product.

I've had one of those garment bags still perfectly sealed for
almost 4 years. And it's been moved twice, over 3000 miles, once
by UPS.

-sw

Sqwertz said:

cathy said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Cathy

If they're made out of the same material as their regular bags,
then it's useless. The regular bags are slightly porous and not
air-tight as one may thing. Bags should be made out of Nylon or
other non-porous materiual - like the Tilia Food-Saver bags - to
be able to hold a vacuum.

-sw

The FAQs said the bags were "polyurethane".

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

Sqwertz said:

Sky said:

I dunno!? It looks rather hokey to me? It also uses battery power (six
AA batteries), so somehow I think its suction power might be rather
questionable?? And, what are those bags??? How well would that
'zippered edge' hold the seal (they look like modified ziplocs to me)?
The entire contraption & bags reminds me of those garmet bags that get
used with a vacuum cleaner, and I've heard rather dismal reviews for
that particular type of product.

I've had one of those garment bags still perfectly sealed for
almost 4 years. And it's been moved twice, over 3000 miles, once
by UPS.

-sw

Kewl! Perhaps I'll try a couple out someday after all.

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

Sky said:

Sqwertz said:

If they're made out of the same material as their regular bags,
then it's useless. The regular bags are slightly porous and not
air-tight as one may thing. Bags should be made out of Nylon or
other non-porous materiual - like the Tilia Food-Saver bags - to
be able to hold a vacuum.

The FAQs said the bags were "polyurethane".

Then it should be OK. You just have to worry about the zipper
part.

-sw

In article <[email hidden]>, cwells21
@NOSPAMhotmail.com says...

Quoted message said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Cathy

I bought some of their quart-size bags recently to try out with my
FoodSaver Handheld. It's pretty easy to make an adapter out of a small
pill bottle so that the FoodSaver will mate with the one-way valve on
the bags.

My results so far have been pretty disappointing. I can draw a good
vacuum with the Foodsaver, but the bags don't seem to hold it for long.
The Reynolds bags are marketed as "freezer bags", and indeed the ones I
put into the freezer held their vacuum the longest, one for about a
week. The ones I tried with stuff to be refrigerated lost their vacuum
within a matter of hours. Same for the stuff I bagged up for pantry
storage.

The Reynolds bags seem to have a bit of clear, viscous liquid along the
zip-lock channel. It looks like glycerine. Whatever it is, I'm
guessing it's there to help seal the zipper closure. In any case, if
you're not very careful while filling the bags with dry stuff like
crushed herbs or powdered spices, bits will stick to this liquid and
gunk up the zipper seal, making it leaky.

I had high hopes for using these bags with the FoodSaver, but based on
my experience so far, I wouldn't recommend them. They may work fine
when used with the Reynolds vacuum tool vs. the FoodSaver, but I doubt
it would make that much difference. The Handi-Vac "system" seems like
on of those NEW! products that is basically flawed, soon disappears from
mainline store shelves, then shows up on Ebay until stocks are depleted.
The FoodSavers beat it hands down in every respect. I'm sure the Seal-
a-Meal units do as well. In the long run, tight wrapping and/or double-
bagging will probably be as good as or better than the Handi-Vac for
preventing freezer burn.

By the way, the vacuum tool closely resembles a rather specialized
female sex toy and/or an appliance I've seen sold for "pore cleansing".
So if you do decide to buy a Handi-Vac, you'll probably want to make
sure the package you grab has not been opened. ;-)

Bob

"yetanotherBob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, cwells21
@NOSPAMhotmail.com says...

Quoted message said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Cathy

I bought some of their quart-size bags recently to try out with my
FoodSaver Handheld. It's pretty easy to make an adapter out of a small
pill bottle so that the FoodSaver will mate with the one-way valve on
the bags.

My results so far have been pretty disappointing. I can draw a good
vacuum with the Foodsaver, but the bags don't seem to hold it for long.
The Reynolds bags are marketed as "freezer bags", and indeed the ones I
put into the freezer held their vacuum the longest, one for about a
week. The ones I tried with stuff to be refrigerated lost their vacuum
within a matter of hours. Same for the stuff I bagged up for pantry
storage.

The Reynolds bags seem to have a bit of clear, viscous liquid along the
zip-lock channel. It looks like glycerine. Whatever it is, I'm
guessing it's there to help seal the zipper closure. In any case, if
you're not very careful while filling the bags with dry stuff like
crushed herbs or powdered spices, bits will stick to this liquid and
gunk up the zipper seal, making it leaky.

I had high hopes for using these bags with the FoodSaver, but based on
my experience so far, I wouldn't recommend them. They may work fine
when used with the Reynolds vacuum tool vs. the FoodSaver, but I doubt
it would make that much difference. The Handi-Vac "system" seems like
on of those NEW! products that is basically flawed, soon disappears from
mainline store shelves, then shows up on Ebay until stocks are depleted.
The FoodSavers beat it hands down in every respect. I'm sure the Seal-
a-Meal units do as well. In the long run, tight wrapping and/or double-
bagging will probably be as good as or better than the Handi-Vac for
preventing freezer burn.

By the way, the vacuum tool closely resembles a rather specialized
female sex toy and/or an appliance I've seen sold for "pore cleansing".
So if you do decide to buy a Handi-Vac, you'll probably want to make
sure the package you grab has not been opened. ;-)

Bob

Thanks for the info, Bob. I keep seeing this on TV and I'm a sucker for
stuff like this, unless I've been warned off.

Linda G

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

cathy said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Cathy

I have one and it is great. I have a big food saver but find this hand
held one is much more convenient. the food really does stay fresh and
the seal holds.

Sky said:

cathy said:

http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Quoted message said:

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Quoted message said:

Cathy

I dunno!? It looks rather hokey to me? It also uses battery power (six
AA batteries), so somehow I think its suction power might be rather
questionable?? And, what are those bags??? How well would that
'zippered edge' hold the seal (they look like modified ziplocs to me)?
The entire contraption & bags reminds me of those garmet bags that get
used with a vacuum cleaner, and I've heard rather dismal reviews for
that particular type of product.

I read the FAQs about the product. The bags are supposedly not
recommended as reusable. There is no mention whether the bags are
'boilable' or not.

However, I'll reserve ultimate judgment until I hear more.

Sky, who rather skeptical about this one

P.S. I very much like my Seal-A-Meal; wouldn't do without it.

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice

I have reused the bags and they do fine

Sqwertz said:

Sky said:

Sqwertz wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If they're made out of the same material as their regular bags,
then it's useless. The regular bags are slightly porous and not
air-tight as one may thing. Bags should be made out of Nylon or
other non-porous materiual - like the Tilia Food-Saver bags - to
be able to hold a vacuum.

Quoted message said:

The FAQs said the bags were "polyurethane".

Then it should be OK. You just have to worry about the zipper
part.

-sw

the bags are heavier and the seal better

yetanotherBob said:

In article <[email hidden]>, cwells21
@NOSPAMhotmail.com says...>http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/handi_vac/en/home.asp

Quoted message said:

Anyone have this? tried it? Is it any good? It's sure cheaper than a
Daizy.

Quoted message said:

Cathy

I bought some of their quart-size bags recently to try out with my
FoodSaver Handheld. It's pretty easy to make an adapter out of a small
pill bottle so that the FoodSaver will mate with the one-way valve on
the bags.

My results so far have been pretty disappointing. I can draw a good
vacuum with the Foodsaver, but the bags don't seem to hold it for long.
The Reynolds bags are marketed as "freezer bags", and indeed the ones I
put into the freezer held their vacuum the longest, one for about a
week. The ones I tried with stuff to be refrigerated lost their vacuum
within a matter of hours. Same for the stuff I bagged up for pantry
storage.

The Reynolds bags seem to have a bit of clear, viscous liquid along the
zip-lock channel. It looks like glycerine. Whatever it is, I'm
guessing it's there to help seal the zipper closure. In any case, if
you're not very careful while filling the bags with dry stuff like
crushed herbs or powdered spices, bits will stick to this liquid and
gunk up the zipper seal, making it leaky.

I had high hopes for using these bags with the FoodSaver, but based on
my experience so far, I wouldn't recommend them. They may work fine
when used with the Reynolds vacuum tool vs. the FoodSaver, but I doubt
it would make that much difference. The Handi-Vac "system" seems like
on of those NEW! products that is basically flawed, soon disappears from
mainline store shelves, then shows up on Ebay until stocks are depleted.
The FoodSavers beat it hands down in every respect. I'm sure the Seal-
a-Meal units do as well. In the long run, tight wrapping and/or double-
bagging will probably be as good as or better than the Handi-Vac for
preventing freezer burn.

By the way, the vacuum tool closely resembles a rather specialized
female sex toy and/or an appliance I've seen sold for "pore cleansing".
So if you do decide to buy a Handi-Vac, you'll probably want to make
sure the package you grab has not been opened. ;-)

Bob

these bags are not made to be used with the food saver. I have a food
saver and it is designed differently. used the correct reynolds
machine with the correct bags and they work