This has been used occasionally in our 2 person household, mostly for sealing pecans and walnuts for freezer storage between harvests. Also for long term storage of coffee beans; much cheaper in 5 lb bags, but roasted beans HATE oxygen, so into the FoodSaver they go.

Included is a short length of the original roll of storage bag material: about only 3 feet by my measure.

I tested the machine and the vacuum pump works well. However, to get a good vacuum to suck the air out of the bag, I needed to press down on the lid just a bit. Previously, just latching the lid down, with the knob on the front right hand side of the lid was sufficient closure force.

Reading online about these machines, they have a replaceable sealing gasket. I’m thinking this machine might need to have the gasket replaced in the future, as it ages and becomes less pliable. 

So officially this is “as is”, but it works great with just a bit of pressure on the lid. Previously the lever latch on the right edge was all that was needed to get the vacuum to develop. But the vacuum and sealing of the test butter knives was perfect.

Also included in the box is a hose and adapter to apply suction to “zipper” sealing bags. These are reusable, and we have moved to them a lot of the time. Advantage of the zipper bags is much more cost effective, especially if you are opening and closing the same bag repeatedly. The fully heat sealed bags need you to cut one edge off to open it. You can then re-seal it with the vacuum sealer, although each cut makes the bag smaller. 

If you buy a container of fresh berries at the grocery store, they will keep much longer if the air is evacuated. Same for cheeses, cold cuts, etc. Since each usage is only a portion of the stock, resealing with the zipper bags is more economical and ecological. 

But the zipper bags are not recommended for freezer use. Perhaps their seal is less robust, and may not hold up to the long term and deeper cold of the freezer over the refrigerator.

So we use the heated sealer when we buy a six pack of chickens at Costco, and put them into 6 bags and freeze them. Ditto for a quantity of steaks, etc. The heat sealed bags prevent freezer burn and desiccation that would occur if you just froze meats in the butcher paper from the grocery store, worse if for any length of time. We stock up when on sale or buying in bulk, and vacuum seal and freeze.

Food prices have risen and will continue to do so, so this vacuum sealer will pay for itself promptly!

I am happy to ship via which ever carrier you wish to pay for. Depending on your locale, UPS might be a bit cheaper than USPS.