Great idea, but horrible execution

I bought this product from Target around 3-4 years ago. At first I thought it was an operator error issue, but I’m still having the same issue…it’s totally inconsistency in the vacuum and sealing of a bag. I’ve tried making longer bags, shorter bags, you name it I tried it. No matter what I do, vacuuming and sealing works one time and not the next. I’ve read all the instructions, even stopped using it one day even though it didn’t indicate it was overheated, tried the next day and still wouldn’t work. It starts to suction, but then stops way early and seals the bag when there is still a bunch of air. It don’t know if it’s a design issue or if the suction and seal area are to high on the machine or if it needs a clip to hold a portion of the bag in place or if it’s just a horrible machine. I don’t use it much as I’d like because I get so frustrated with the inconsistent results and the waste of my time and money. I would never buy this particular machine again. I love the concept, since buying in bulk saves money…if you can split the product and keep it fresh by removing the air and keeping it from freezer burn. But the pre portioned bags aren’t cheap, neither are the make your own bags…so if your having to wast bags because the machine isn’t functioning the way it’s supposed to, then you might as well save your money, not buy the machine and buy the smaller more expensive packages as you need them.

Great Device, Great Service!

I replaced the very same device with this new one. I used the other one so much that it just quit one day. Fortunately, there was one in stock at my local Walmart and it was delivered to me that same late afternoon! Great service! Great device!

Don’t Believe All the Reviews You Read

We bought this based on the reviews saying how good it was. Shouldn’t have believed them. The vacuim tray was too elevated requiring longer bag length than should be needed. We used it to bag less than 10 items and it stopped working. FoodSaver was good about replacing the unit but we just couldn’t accept how poor the design was and asked for a refund.

Extra poor quality.

I bought one about a year ago! One star is way too many. Machine is Junk! Never worked well. Go buy a Nesco. I paid $100 less for a fine working machine. Food saver is a poor made product that they do not stand behind. Do not bother with offering a refund or replacement. I threw it away. I had fun beating the thing into a million pieces.

Very poor

This was the worst sealer machine we ever had in 40+ years. The bag slides out before it starts to suck, you have to put something under the bag to hold it up more level. I vacuumed 2 family packs of chicken quarters and by the last 2 pieces, the sealer started growling, vibrating and blowing the GFI. It blew 6 times for 2 pkgs. Sounded like a train. SO disappointed in this and we've had this brand always. I'm disgusted . This machine was BRAND NEW, only used for the 2 family packs.

Good, but has some drawbacks.

The good: the idea of pre-sealing the next bag on the roll is good, however it’s difficult to work with the smaller 8” bags in the bag storage area. The storage slot is hard to access to start feeding the roll, for all sizes.

Great functionality but poor implementation.

I purchased this about a year ago. a plastic piece broke that prevented the door from closing completely and creating a seal. I orders a replacement under warranty about 4 months ago. About a month after receiving the replacement the heat strip starting developing defects in the surface protective layer. This caused the bags to melt completely through in those spots. the heat strips can wear over time. It would therefore make sense to make this a replicable, consumable. Unfortunately, Foodsaver does not offer any products with a replicable heat strip. I love what the product does but its simply not worth it if i have to replace the whole unit every year.

Don’t buy it

Bought the 5200 worked for a while and then quit sealing Every other package. Would shut it off for a while and try it again and still didn’t work spent hours trying to process my deer this season. This sealer is a piece of junk. I am throwing it away and looking for a different brand and model to purchase. If you are potentially looking at buying this product don’t. I paid $229 for what I thought was a quality food processor in sealer and all I got was something to fill my garbage can.

No Parts Available

Love the machine FM5200, but the company is no good at standing behind their products. I need to replace the cutting blade, but they don't have this style blade available. I just purchased this a couple of years ago from Sam's Club. They show only two types of replacement blades on their site, but not the one I need. I could have bought a cheaper model if I knew I'd end up using scissors. Also, The number they give you to call for help just circles the block and then automatically hangs up. No help!

I traded my old food saver for a new one...

I traded my old food saver for a new one. The old one was about 10 years old and got used quite a bit. It was getting noisy and would sometimes take numerous times to seal. It's like night and day with the new one. I really love it. Works like mine did 10 years ago.

[Rewarded Review] Piece of steaming dog pile

This is the biggest flop for them. I had a little one and it never missed a beat. This one ( the second one ) works beautifully one day then the next 3 it doesn’t then kind of works then doesn’t. It’s is the most freaking frustrating piece of equipment I own. If it wasn’t a Christmas gift from my wife it would be driven over

Seals Well

I shopped around before buying a Vacuum Sealing System. I am happy I chose this one. It seals very good and it is easy to use. My local Wal Mart has the bags in stock, which make it a plus. My first use was sealing a bushel of corn on the cob; three ears per bag. It worked great!

Works great tad tricky

This worls great, easy to find bags and containers, just a bit tricky to use without referring to directions. So far, I've only used twice abd its my very 1st.

Only worked a couple summers sealing vegetables

I've owned 2 food saver vacuum sealers. One smaller one that has worked for over 12 years and this one. I opted for the most expensive one for the multi use and the fact the other had lasted for over a decade. We only use the vacuum sealer for garden veggies in the summer. This worked for a couple summers. Just tried to use it and it will not seal any longer. Definitely disappointed in this vacuum sealer.

Garbage products

My family bought this for me for father's day last year and it worked fine the first couple times. After 3 or 4 uses it wouldnt suck the air out of the bags and became very difficult to even get to turn on. This is my second foodsaver product and will most definitely be my last. The first one was a cheaper model but the 5200 was expensive. Neither one lasted more than 10 uses. I didn't have to buy new bags. They quit before I needed them.

Must have!

We purchased this on a whim hoping it would hold up for our meat chicken processing. It exceeded our expectations! We processed 40 birds using this Foodsaver and it held up nicely. I love the moist setting, ability to cut your own bags and the durability. Very easy to clean as well.

Great Company - Bad design

You almost need two people to operate this thing. They make 4 different models of the vacuum sealers that I saw in Walmart. I made the mistake of buying this one.

[Rewarded Review] Bad design

got this for christmas a couple years back and i hated it the first time i used it. i thought “no problem its just a weird design and you have to learn to use it.” I STILL HATE IT. worst design ever. if the bag is too short, you have to hold it while it vacuum/seals it. didnt seal properly? that sucks. you have to do the whole vacuum again instead of just the sealing part. i hate this design so much and want a different one so badly. DONT GET THIS ONE.

Terrible and difficult to use.

Got this machine last week. Have used it twice. This machine is very difficult to use. You have to hold the bag and push the vacuum and seal bar. It does a great job vacuuming and the seal is terrific if you can hold the bag and push the bar with both hands. Most awkward machine to use. Replaced my V4980 which was a superior machine. Could not replace the gasket. It was old and would not vacuum sometimes and I had to seal at least twice. If I had to do it over again I would go with the 4440 or 4800. The only reason I got this one is the representative recommended this machine. Bad recommendation.

Great Machine, but Read the Instructions First!!

Excellent machine, but it takes a bit of practice to use it properly (hence the four rather than 5 stars). Read the directions thoroughly and perhaps a couple of times with a dry run before attempting to use it for real. Once I got the hang of how to use it, it's easy and very effective ... but getting the hang of it is not intuitive.