Vacuum Sealer Review – The Foodsaver V4400

I think everyone reading this article agrees that food storage is absolutely critical in any preparedness plan – particularly with both the WUFlu crisis and low level Leftist insurgency that we see going on right now. Everyone’s pantry should have a healthy mix of long term staples (rice, beans, etc), canned goods, and long term freeze-dried goods. Two of the first purchases I made when I moved into my own place was a chest freezer and a vacuum sealer. I chose the Foodsaver V4400 when I made my purchase, and I could not be happier.

For starters, this thing gets used at least once a week to keep food fresh. We have used it to marinate chicken, freeze steaks for later in the month after a sale, and even to seal items destined for underground caches. After the WuFlu hit, these things were flying off Amazon as people rushed to get long term food storage devices. As you see below, we meal prepped for several days and used the vacuum sealer to keep the delicious Lemon Pepper Chicken fresh while we ate through other food. This product is incredibly intuitive to use, and pretty much does everything automatically: just choose the setting, pick your bag type, and go to town!

It has the ability to use both bags with a valve as illustrated above (they have a variety of sizes like 1-Quart and 1-Gallon) as well as create bags from a roll, which is a life saver when you have particularly large items (like the steak you see below). However, you need to pay attention when using the bag roll and follow the instructions listed. If you do not insert the open end fully and in the correct position, it may not automatically seal it.

As mentioned above, we managed to get a great deal on a bunch of steaks, but we wanted to spread them out over the next couple of months. The solution? Vacuum sealing! We used the roll bags since the steaks were quite large. We vacuum sealed one with marinade already on it, and the rest we did plain. The bags are open on either end, so you cut the bag to the length you need (leaving at least 4 inches at the top). You seal one end, put your item into the bag, pick your moist/dry setting, and seal the other end.

From there, they were dropped into the chest freezer and marked on our log book (which inventories what goes in, when it went in, and the listed expiration date) and they are now ready for when we want to have some steak and a nice Cabernet Sauvignon on a Saturday night while listening to some Outlaw country on SiriusXM. If you buy the Foodsaver V4400, I highly recommend stocking a lot of bags. One of the things I noticed during the WuFlu was that things like Ziplocks, Mason Jars and Food-Grade Buckets (and, surprisingly, Gamma Lids) were nowhere to be found as people sucked them up to store food long term. Don’t be left wishing you had them on hand – they are relatively inexpensive and will be standing ready the next time there is a run on food.

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About the Author: Patriotman

Patriotman currently ekes out a survivalist lifestyle in a suburban northeastern state as best as he can. He has varied experience in political science, public policy, biological sciences, and higher education. Proudly Catholic and an Eagle Scout, he has no military experience and thus offers a relatable perspective for the average suburban prepper who is preparing for troubled times on the horizon with less than ideal teams and in less than ideal locations. Brushbeater Store Page: http://bit.ly/BrushbeaterStore

11 Comments

  1. m rapp July 30, 2020 at 16:33

    Great subject to discuss…….my model is at least 12 years old and while you do not mention it , it may be on yours, but mine has a PORT to attach an air tube and cap for canning jars and I use that equally as much . Using 1/2 gallon jars to store certain fresh spices from the garden as well as specialty grains and dry soup mixes.( I could list everything but will not bore you, everything you can imagine) I have jars , again 10/12 years old that have never lost the seal, and soon as you withdraw the product you can re-seal……using a standard canning lid .Hope that’s ok to add in to the discussion.

    • Patriotman July 30, 2020 at 20:23

      It certainly is! Thanks for sharing that – I will have to look into it

  2. ethrane July 30, 2020 at 16:56

    You can also use this to seal mylar bags. I bought a mylar bag roll 12 inches wide and 25 feet long. With an O2 absorber and silica gel bag sealed several firearms / magazines / ammo. The foodsaver does not pump out as much atmosphere as it does with the freezer bags but makes a nice solid seal with the mylar none the less. Mylar also seems to be available and cheaper.

  3. Anonymous July 30, 2020 at 18:31

    5

  4. James July 30, 2020 at 18:43

    Nice review and something to consider beyond the basic storage means.

    I was though waiting to see at end of article,”But wait,there is still more!Order today and you will get…..”

    Any point in doing ones own freeze drying or is that a bit much and asking for trouble?

  5. […] by Patriotman | Jul 30, 2020 | Patriotman, Preparedness & Homesteading, Product Review | 2 […]

  6. Centurion_Cornelius July 30, 2020 at 19:32

    m rapp–ya took the words right out of my mouth! Use that vacuum female port on the machine and pop-in the male hose end attachment onto your Food Saver Mason Jar Sealer. Sucks most of the air/moisture right out of the jar. I usually vacuum seal a jar and then wait a day or to later–and then do it again to get that audible “ping” the lid makes when it REALLY sealed.

    Yeah–rice, oatmeal, beans–the usual suspects get dry-canned this way. But, take you some pasta like spaghetti, and just break it in half, and dry can it as well. Dried fruits and cereals do well for me as well. Store the lot of them in a cool, dark place.

  7. Coldsteel1983 July 30, 2020 at 22:47

    Ours has the jar seal and tube… and we’ve never used it, although we use the heck out of the sealer for meats mostly. I recently got some mylar bags with the textured back which are supposed to work “just like” the foodsaver bags. I’ll try one out on something and post the result up here.

    • Patriotman July 30, 2020 at 22:59

      That would be awesome!

  8. Anonymous July 31, 2020 at 11:21

    4.5

  9. Coldsteel1983 July 31, 2020 at 20:24

    OK… report on the 8*12 “Steelpak textured bags I bought from Amazon. They are supposed to have Mylar and look like it.

    I took a bag of brown sugar that had been vac sealed in a standard bag and lost its vacuum. I transferred the brown sugar and sealed the Steelpak as it were a regular seller bag.

    It worked great and formed a very hard bag, like coffee is when sealed. The seal is very good and was done on a regular food saver.

    These bags are available in other sizes and quantities but I only bought 25 to try them out. I’ll be getting more and using them for putting up staples.

    Jeff B.

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