Which vacuum packager ??

I'm ready to purchase one, any recommendations? These are my choices thus far: (possibilities)
Tillia Pro ll $275
Magic Vac Prestige $279
Magic Vac Champion $329
Vac-U-Pac $250

Thanks....

UBid.com had some for under $100 bucks. I have a tilla, original version, must be 15 + years old, has seen much use and still works great

Periwinkle,

I don't know the different models you talk about, lots of these machines are made by the same manufacturer, but just have a different name on them. Check out this site, these guys are in Seattle, they could help, you could call them too:
http://www.vacuumpackers.com/

-N.

You might check out costco,they had a Foodsaver Deluxe,does jars and all for $159 they are a pretty good machine.Especially for the price

I have had the VacUpack for a few seasons now and overall have had good success with it.Being able to hold the roll of plastic for bags and having the cutter and sealer in two steps is pretty sweet.The only thing I don't like about it is the part that sucks the air out of the bags is a little to small.Sometimes it can be a hassle.The only perfect vacumm sealers I have seen are the comercial ones that cost a couple grand.Hope this helps.

Doesn't matter. They all suck.

GutZ

Thanks guys - Couldn't find anything on U-Bid, but I'm really more concerned abour quality than price. I've heard the economy (basic) models don't hold up too well. (PMG) is where I got some of those prices. Hey 'Rat', my son has a ProII and says that when he soaks his sharptail breasts in saltwater, drains them, and when he packages them it sucks moisture into the machine --- is that a problem and do all machines do that???????? Does that happen when you pkg fish fillets???
Gutz is a smart arss!!!

All the packers except the commercial ones with a glass lid and a vacuum chamber suck liquid through the pump. Some of the Tillia machines even have a foam filter and a little sump on the bottom that you can empty out. It's not really a big deal, you can give your packer a little warm water douche (drink, actually) after you use it, then suck a little silicone lubricant into it to lube the cylinder. This keeps the machine from having bad breath (stale fish smell the next time you use it)

I pat all my fish fillets down with paper towels before I put them in the vacuum bags, it works well.

By the way, I've got two Tillia Foodsaver machines and one Magic Vac or something liek that, they are all basically the same machine, all of them are old and work well. One I bought at PMG rebuilt for $85, the other two I got at yard sales for $5 each.

-N.

I've found that if you cut the bags a little longer and leave about 4 to 6 inches of empty bag at the vacuum end it wont suck the water up far enough to get into the vacuum nozzle. I go thru bag a little faster but I get a much more consistant seal if no water is in the way of the heating element.