DIY -- vacuum packer?

You probably noticed I never talked about this before.
I don't think you need one.
You can get canned food that will keep as long as two years.
If you are freezing food, when you have filled the Ziploc bag, fold it over and press lightly.
That will push the air out.
Now seal it.
When you pick it up by the seal, you will see that the bag tucks around the food and lies flat.
That's enough for non-industrial purposes.

If you absolutely have to spend the money, make sure and find an independent detailed review that covers:
warranty
how long it actually worked (some conk out while under warranty)
repairability (probably not)
year the most recent review was posted (models reviewed may be out of production)
how to clean it (might be too big for your dishwasher)
vacuum strength of 28 hg or higher
whether it rips the bags when you try to remove them

Read all the unfavorable reviews first and take warning, especially if they say it was hard to get to the maker or the maker stonewalled them about problems.
Also ignore short positive reviews or, on Amazon, reviews from "A Customer" who could be a click farm.

I suggest not buying something with a reduced price because it might be at the end of model life.
Companies have been known to make changes so that old consumables don't work.
Translation: the bags that work with this model might be out of production and bags for newer models might not work with this old model. Once you run out of starter bags, you might have a useless paperweight on your hands.

Other than that, good luck.
© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights  Reserved