Decent vacuum sealer under $250?

[tikidoc]

Yes, I have done several searches. There are an overwhelming number of threads that mention vacuum sealers, the topics wander tremendously, and a large number of them here concern the chamber vacuums, which are more than I want to spend. I have spent about 3 hours cruising through the threads and still have no idea which one would work. We have a FoodSaver that is a few years old and it has never worked well.

What do I want it for? Right now, mostly for freezing food - meat, chickens (we raise a bunch of our own every year), summer produce, and some leftover meals (like when I make big batches of something). I am not currently doing any sous vide but I want to leave that option open. As soon as we sell a house (we recently moved), I will be remodeling our kitchen and will likely get a smallish "water oven", but not right away. But I want something that I can use to make sous vide meals in the future. I understand that the non-chamber sealers can't do as much, but until I really know that I would get my money's worth, I would rather go with a more moderately priced model.

Potential ones I have found, the Tilia GameSaver (from Pleasant Hill Grain, $200), Sinbo (good reviews on several sites, uses cheap bags), VacMaster Pro 130, SnorkelVac VS-280 (cheap bags too), Best Vac from minipack®-america, and the Sous Vide Supreme brand.

So, input as to the best machine for me? Any others in my price range that I missed? Thanks for any help!

Jess

[Genkinaonna]

I have a vacupak machine. I love it. You can replace the sponge if it accidentally sucks up liquid. Great seal, very easy to use!

Here's the link...

http://vacupack.com/

The one I have isn't listed, I think I paid a little less than $300 for it. I used it today to get my turkey prepped for thanksgiving.

[mgaretz]

I had a low end FoodSaver (which, btw, is made by Tilia) and it worked OK, but not great. I now have a better model and it works great.