FoodSaver V2840 Advanced Design Vacuum Food Sealer

This is a great Food Saver. It is easy to use, and has a great stand-up feature to store on the kitchen counter. It is so useful, comes in very handy. This particular version of FoodSaver vacuum sealer is great, very good quality and operates very well. Well worth it! (And a great gift for any man who does a lot of hunting and fishing).

I bought the FoodSaver Advanced in 2006 and have been using it successfully ever since. I'm a single woman who does a lot of cooking from scratch for myself so I value being able to extend the amount of time I am able to store my food. What has impressed me most is that even after two years of extensive use it has not lost its appeal or its suction.
Typically I use it in conjunction with the bags to freeze leftovers. I am always amazed how long things can last and still maintain a fresh taste. For example, last October I made froze a 1/2 batch-sized roll of sugar cookie dough and when I unthawed it this November it tasted as good as fresh. I have also used it to freeze individual sized portions of soup, extra fillets of fish, etc. When I'm saving liquids or soft items I often find it most helpful to freeze them first in a Tupperware container and then transfer them to a FoodSaver bag after they are solid. I find this helps to prevent leaking or squishing and also ensures a tight seal. I have not found that this method negatively effects flavor, which is also key. I have also found that manually starting and stopping the suction works quite well when saving soft items such as breads.
Even though I love this machine and easily think it is fantastic there are still some downsides, which is why I cannot give it a perfect 5 star rating. The biggest one for me is that some of the accessories work inconsistently. While I have had great experience with the bags and rolls I haven not had an equally good experience with the containers. I find that they lose their suction overtime with the seal often releasing completely. At first I thought I was using them improperly, but have checked the directions several times and have also read through Amazon reviews that other customers have experienced the same issues.
The other downside is that the FoodSaver accessories and especially the bags are a little bit pricy. I've been able to get around this by purchasing generic bags on eBay. They still work quite well and at a fraction of the price, I don't feel guilty about using them constantly. It's also easier to buy them in bulk and I'm still working off an order from over a year ago. You can also find okay deals on the bags at wholesale clubs, but I've still found the generic bags on eBay are the best deal by far and since they work just as well I don't feel guilty about choosing them over the FoodSaver branded bags.
Overall, I think this is a great appliance and have been pleased with how well it has held up over time. I will say, however, that if you're planning on using this with some of the accessories like the canisters I highly recommend you read the reviews for them specifically first as the results can be mixed.

I couldn't ask for any better. At keeping food fresh also great for frozen foods and the food saver canisters are priceless too.

This vacuum sealer works great for me. I can buy in bulk to save money and then freeze it without worrying if it's been in the freezer too long.

This food saver is a great product so we purchased two for our children for christmas........a few days after delivery the price went down $80 for the two items and amazon would not even give an amazon credit..the items had to be returned and re-purchased....HOW'S THAT FOR GREEN!" I will not be purchasing any items from amazon in the future. Thanks amazon for being green! UPDATE.....after speaking with a third person in customer service I am happy to say amazon did honor the new price and the balance was refunded.........no extra shipping no wasted fuel! Thanks amazon!