"Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
...
> Vox Humana wrote:
> > "Gary S." <Idontwantspam@net> wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >>On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 18:37:57 GMT, "Vox Humana" >
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>I have the Seal-A-Meal. It works fine. The bag material for the SAM
is
> >>>very thick and tough. My only complaint about this unit is that you
have
> >
> > to
> >
> >>One question:
> >>
> >>A difference between the old Daisy Seal-a-Meal, which my mother had,
> >>and the new Tilia Foodsavers, is that the older one melted a stripe
> >>part of the bag, and the Tilia seems to melt a line only.
> >>
> >>What does the new SAM do?
> >
> >
> > The Rival SAM only seals a thin line. I think that a wide band would be
> > better.
> >
> >
> I've never had the Rival so I can't compare either but if my Foodsaver
> ever breaks (had it 4 years and many many sides of beef, venison, and
> everything else) I'll order a new one the next minute. I've lost
> absolutely nothing due to freezer burn since I got it. The bag material
> is a tad expensive, but you can find it on sale and it's reusable after
> being turned inside-out and washed in the dishwasher.

Costco has a good deal on the bag material. Even if you aren't a member,
you can order from their website:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...av=&cat=&s= 1

I got some bags from Davidson's Butcher Supply. The company said the
shipping charge was going to be one amount, but actually charged almost four
times what they indicated on the order confirmation. That brought what
looked like a good price up to more than the bags would have been at Costco.
Also, their bags were thin and had a piece of mesh attached to one side.
They evacuated very well, but don't want to stay sealed. I think it is
because they are thin and over-melt during the seal cycle. Also, since
there is loose mesh in the bag, there is no way to clean them adequately, so
they are one-use items. That make the reusable material from Costco look
even better. In addition, the mesh freezes into anything liquid in the bag,
so if you have sauce or stock, you have to completely defrost the contents
in order to remove them from them bag. If you don't completely defrost, you
get chunks of mesh torn off and incorporated in your food. It's not pretty.