Next week (Nov. 7) Aldis is going to be selling a vacuum sealer for $35.  I have no idea about any of the specs on it, but for $35 it might be worth try.

Don't set your hope's too high if you intend to use it frequently.

Don't set your hope's too high if you intend to use it frequently.

For me, it would be maybe once a week, which isn't very much.  I've generally been happy with the quality of things I've purchased from Aldis.  Of course for $35, I'm not expecting an industrial piece of equipment. Just something to use during my weekend cooks.

At $35, I would be satisfied if it lasted 6 months and I got a chance to see if I used it and how often...enabling me to make an informed decision on long term, quality unit!

Thanks for the post and where it was placed on the site!

I bought a Food Saver FM-2000 from Woot for $36 a few years ago. I probably use it an average of 3 times a day and it's still vacs and seals like new.

My advice on the low end Vac sealers is to avoid any liquid ingested with using bulk rolls, cheap on ebay. Cutting the bags a little longer will prevent that. When doing a big job, let it rest a bit for cooldown between seals.

A pretty cheap brand of kitchen equipment in the UK is Andrew James. Their devices often have the appearance of "pro" equipment, while the build and price of normal domestic kit.

I've bought a vacuum sealer, electric slicer and ice-cream maker from this brand. All have been acceptable, and still work with no problems.

The AJ vacuum sealer is more fiddly than perhaps a better brand (it needs fairly precise placement of the bag edge and a very firm press down to lock), but I've been using it for a few years now with no problems.