Vacuum Reviews

I researched this item on multiple internet sites and read users
reviews. My wife is delighted with light weight, ease of use &
the cleaning results. To highlight those features our 3yr old
grandson used it repeatedly on Christmas day to help clean up
our large carpeted family room of gift wrappings and dog hair.
He loved it and did a good job cleaning while being entertained.
It will get more use than our larger Electrolux. Since we have a large long ranch; we may get a second one for the other end of
the home. My wife's addition to the review: IT'S A WONDERFUL TIME
SAVER.

For the weekly quick floor cleaning, this is a great machine. Suction of fine dust and particles is excellent. Snap to use. Filter is superior hepa, made of durable vinyl, made to last. Just wash after every use.

Drawbacks: Very noisy and loud; roller belt is only 1/4" wide and may need replacing in two years (spray with silicon to prolong life). All in all, a great machine for the price. Meant primarily for quick floor clean ups (hard and rugs). For hardcore cleaning, I use my big vaccuum with hose and attachments.

I read all of the reviews for this before buying it and thought I'd give it a try -- not a big risk for [money]! I love it! I did not have very high expectations of the carpet cleaning ability but it does amazingly well. On bare floors it generally does great, thought at times bigger particles don't get picked up. But, this is so lightweight that I just pick it up and put it down on the thing I want to pick up. I have a bad back so lugging my big vacuum around for small everyday jobs like cat litter and hair wasn't happening. This really fit the bill!

I wanted to wait to write my review to see how this machine would perform. I have had it about 3 months now, and I am really pleased with my purchase. My dirt devil deluxe upright, died after 10 years....so needless to say, it was time for a new vacuum, and I was READY.

I did a lot of investigating as to what type I wanted. I couldn't decide if I wanted to try a canister or stick to the upright type.

When I found this "lift off" vacuum, it was so exciting because it did EVERYthing I wanted it to do. I use it on med. pile carpeting, hard wood floors, linoleum, and large to small throw rugs with varied piles. It has many different height levels with which to clean at. It cleans like I haven't been able to clean for a LONG time. The carpet looks new again after every vacuuming. Tt picked up things I didn't even see. It was pretty scary the first time I used it...yikes...what it picked up that the other one was leaving behind, whoa! It was also very easy to assemble, I did it myself without my husbands help, and it was a piece of cake.

It has some powerful suction and rotor brush on it too. I like that you can turn the rotor off and use it on hard floors like wood or linoleum, the other day it stuck to the kitchen floor the suction was so powerful :-). The rotor automatically turns off when you put your vacuum in the upright position and stop vacuuming for a minute. When you turn the rotor back on, it takes off practically on its own, with very little pushing, its a joy to push around. It does not come across as heavy to me, and I am a small person.

I also like the detachable canister. This also comes in handy if your kids have legos laying around and you suck one up like I did. I can rescue it easily. This aspect of the vacuum is SOOO nice. It detaches with a little lever, you dump out the junk, and put it back on with ease. I love not having to change bags anymore. But here is also where I found my complaint.

It may just be that I am not used to this type of system yet. But I thought that the container filled up very fast. I have to learn to pay more attention to it, or the dust bunnies start getting up into the filter area too high, and you have to scoop it out with your fingers, and it tends to get the dusty fuzz all over your floor if you are not careful, and you will have to re-vacuum what fell out. Just an FYI, if you are used to bags in your vacuum, you will have to keep a closer eye on this type of system.

Well after I left the dirt container on too long 1-2x like I mentioned, the filter and filter housing had to be cleaned out. However, this job is actually quite easy. The filters come out very easily for cleaning. The main filter (the one that got backed up) is a foam ring in side a plastic housing...it is washable. I already took it apart and cleaned it with water, and it looked like new after it dried. It returns to its location with ease.

With this purchase I got the little shark vacuum as a bonus, and I used it to vacuum the filter housing with its little pointy attachment. That also worked GREAT.

One other small complaint that I have found is the length of the cord. I don't feel it is quite long enough, or maybe I'm just lazy, but I find myself unplugging it more often than I did my old dirt devil. I do like (and use) the quick release lever for the cord. I just wish there was a quick way to wind up the cord :-/...oh well.

I do feel that the price of this unit is very reasonable for the quality and usefulness of this vacuum. Shipping with Amazon was free, plus I got that little shark hand vac. I would definetely recommend this vacuum to someone. At the middle of the road price range, I think this is a sweet treat to work with. It is a nice sparkly red machine that zooms along!! Plus it does so many extra things with all its attachments and the lift off system can go up the stairs with ease.

I am sure that there are more expensive vacuums out there that may claim to be more powerful, but I didn't want to spend more money...and I am VERY happy with my Bissell purchase. Plus I like to see my carpets looking so new after I clean them, so I clean them more often just to see it do its job...its a good feeling...to WANT to vacuum eh? That may wear off after awhile though ;-)

This is the best vacuum ever! Huge back wheels make it really easy to move around, garage to house and up and down stairs (even pregnant). I cannot believe the amount of hair, lint and general dust I got off my carpet. If my old vacuum had done that well the bag would have filled up twice as fast. The attachment for upholstery let me do my couch for the first time and I got more dirt off my couch than my floor....eeewww!! Plus, I will never have to buy bags again. The color is beautiful, the canister is lite weight and the price is a bargain.

If you are looking for a do it all vacuum cleaner that will not cost you your first born child, this is the one for you. I bought it to replace an aging 20 year old Electrolux and it works GREAT. It will truly do it all. Carpets, hard floors, ceiling fans, everything. It comes in a candy apple red color too that looks very sharp. I don't want to get mine dirty! All in all, this is a very good vacuum and I am pleased immensly. Thank you for posting reviews Amazon, it helped me find and purchase this fine product.

I love this vacuum cleaner. I would like it better, I think, if the attachment hose was a little longer, but that's my only complaint. It cleans like no other vacuum I've ever tried. And the spin duster is a special little added gem that is just the icing on the cake.

I spent a good 2 months analyzing all the vacuums available when my trusty Kenmore canister of 20 years started showing it's age. Basically, I was tired of having to replace the hose -which is now only available through the long process of ordering it as an outdated item. So, from inquiring through friends and reviewing the opinons on-line, I narrowed my choices down to either the Eureka Whirlwind Litespeed models, Hoover models, or Bissel. Eureka eventually won out mainly due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews on this site as well as Epinions.com. Even my dad encouraged me to consider Eureka. With an indoor cat, I really needed a good vacuum! My husand's allergies demanded no less!! So, off to Sears I went to see what they had in Eurekas - which wasn't much as I found out. Costco was just up the street and that's where I went next. Although the one I really wanted was not supplied there, the 5843AZ looked promising. I liked the duster included and thought it pretty neat that the machine even cleaned it after use!! Pulling out my cell phone, I called my husband and asked him to see what the reviews said. Only one reviewer and she gave it a two thumbs up! So, I decided that I was going to have to just bite the bullet and buy it!
As soon as I arrived home, I went to work putting it together. Actually, my husband did the work - which wasn't much. I was impressed with how easy it was to assemble!!! Within minutes, I had it plugged in and vacuuming! WOW!!! And I thought all these years I had been vacuuming!! WRONG! I was totally amazed at the amount of crude picked up by this vacuum! Our rug was new in 1971, so there was quite a bit of build-up!! I went over the same area many times and continued to get stuff sucked up into the canister. Even that nifty tubo brush did a bang up job on my husband's lounge chair. Our cat, Buster, loves to sleep ontop of it just above where my husband's head would be! Obviously, it was a source of frustration all the way around because of the cat hair left behind! But, that little turbo brush got it all!!! Trust me, Eureka does not pay anyone to say these things!! I believe these reveiws, now, because I've experienced the results! I paid $129.99 plus tax for my wonderful vacuum ( I've only had it a day, but I can tell it's going to be a good unit!!). Bad thing, though, about buying it at Costco, there are so many great 'other' things to buy there and I have to say my Eureka was not the only item I left the store with!! But, that's another story!! :) As a side note re: Costco, they have the best customer relations re: items that don't live up to the hype, so I would encourage anyone looking for vacuums to try them first!!
One thing that I was disappointed with is that this model does not have a washable HEPA filter. The one inside the canister is, though, so that's better than having none that are washable. I am going to inquire about the possibility of using the washable filter in place of the one that came with the unit. However, this little glitch has not dampended my enthusiasm for my new 'friend'!! Even my husband commented that he didn't smell any 'after burner' that he usually associates with vacuums! Another words, no dusty smells!!! HEPA really DOES work! :)
I highly recommend this unit! Certainly ran circles around my Kenmore - which is now permanently retired!

Amazon.com was enormously helpful in researching vacuums. We landed on this vacuum which we finally bought from Costco for pricing reasons. This vacuum is a great deal. It's quieter than out last Hoover, it's powerful, and it's easy to clean.

I just cleaned ours, we have had it for about a year, and cleaned it about 3 or 4 times. We use it EVERY day and have a 1 year old, who is sleeping on our carpet in the living room right now. She never has had a problem from vacuum dust either. Normally all I have to do is empty the can when it gets a little full. Cleaning can be a little labor intensive, but it's all pretty easy. 1 screw and I can have the hose off, the rest of the filters are easy to get to. This vacuum has never left a real alergy problem with us. We never sneeze using it. It will eventually get a vacuum smell as you use it, but if you keep it clean that is minimized.

After researching different options, this is what I found.
Baglass vs Bag Vaccums: Some people like bagless, some like bag. It's really a personal preference issue. I like being able to see what is in the can.
Drive systems: Beware of the Hoover. It uses a plastic geared brush drive mechanism which the salesman at Sears told me has been a real weak spot. The Eureka has a Belt driven brush, which is reliable.
Hepa filter vs Micron Filtration: Hepa filters can filter out particles below .3 Microns. This means your vacuum will filter out smoke as well as other things. Some vacuums claim to have 'Micron' filtration, which filters between 5 Microns and .3 Microns, but it's not Hepa.
Sealed Hepa Filtration systems: The Eureka has a sealed Hepa system, meaning no air gets out past the filter. This includes motor exhaust. This is the only real way to run a filter system. If it's not sealed, it's not doin' much.
Changing HEPA Filters: Do the 'light test'. Hold the filter up to a light. If you can still see light filtering through your filter, it's still good. But DON'T LET YOUR HEPA FILTER GET CLOGGED. It can fry your motor. The Eureka has a very easy to access Hepa filter, so you don't have to dismantle the vacuum to check it.
The hose is a nice addition. My Vacuum did not come with the duster, and I think that would be a nice addition.

Overall, I am glad I did my research and I'm gald I bought this vaccum. Thanks Amazon for posting customer reviews.

As long as you don't expect this to totally replace your vacuum cleaner I think you will be pleased with this product. It is so handy for those little jobs you really don't want to drag out the vacuum to take care of. I use it daily for the quick pick-ups that seem to pop up. I even find pet hair when I empty it although I have no illusions it pulls up as much as a vacuum. I am totally pleased with it.

Great product. It picks up crumbs like crazy, I use it in my garage to pick up leaves and grass clippings. Also good for dust on my tile floor. Told my neighbors about it and im sure they will get one. makes my life a little easier.

We have a large area in our home of tile and hardwood. This electric broom works wonderfully to just pull out and quickly have the floors clean. With kids it seems there is always something that needs to be cleaned. The best part with this product is that the kids think it is cool and fun to use the electric broom - now they fight over who gets to clean the floors. I like that problem.

We bought our widepath 4 years ago when we purchased our house. Cleaning companies charged more than the cleaner cost to clean the entire house. We were very happy with it, and still are as the hard floor attachment is great on our hardwood. After having a puppy that is now a 3 yr. old dog, it has been a great asset to have. Most of the messes have come up although there have been a few stains that just won't come out.

I'm only giving this four stars, even though it has been a great product. The reason being is that we have noticed that the hose attachment has cracked all the way through on the interior part of the machine. You pretty much have to lay the thing flat to put in the water take-up tank and at the bottom where you see the hose is where it has cracked.

The spin brush attachment was excellent on stairs, as our carpeting is around 12 years old and still in good condition. It brought the nap back up and has helped us put off replacing carpeting.

I will probably invest in a smaller carry around unit, like a Little Green Machine for the stairs as I think this will also be good for the car as well. As long as the hose on it works, I wouldn't buy another cleaner, but since mine failed, I think it might not be worth it to have it repaired as I think it will eventually crack again.

This is probably the best home product purchase I have ever made! I have two dogs and a 7-year-old house, yet my carpets looks great! This rug cleaner has rotating heads that scrub the cleaning solution lightly into your rug, and powerful suction that sucks the solution and dirt right out -- keeping the rugs immaculate and the pile of the carpeting straight. Yes, it does leave a little moisture behind, but if you use hot water with your cleaning solution, the carpet dries fast. My Hoover Steam Vac is a few years old and still going strong. If it ever died, I would gladly purchase a new one and know that I was making a wise purchase. Buy it, you'll love it too!

I got one of these for Chistmas 2001 and Have been using it atleast once a month since then. My carpets have never been cleaner to say the least. I am a renter and you never know what the person that lived here before spilt on the floor and all I can say is that whatever it was is gone. You'll never know how truly nasty your carpets and for that matter upholstry are until you use this thing. It sucks everything out so well. I used it in my car too on the upholstery, floor and even the floormats and my 12 yr old car looks brand new. I am now the envy of both sides of my husband and I's families or atleast my carpets are. Every time we call and say we are going to visit they ask me to bring my Steam Vac. This is so much easier to handle then renting a rug doctor and does't hurt your back and much more convienient too so you use it more, OK alot more. Not only that, it works a [heck] of a lot better too and the attachments are great!! It even fluffs up your carpet and once totally flattened old carpet looks so much better. My husband works in the oil field and always gets very dirty with sand and oil ect.. and I only let him sit in his recliner when he gets home because it's gross and his chair , if it was'nt for this Steam vac would be in the [garbage] by now. It gets every filth and grime you can imagine out and makes the upholstery look brand new. I highly highly highly recommend this product !! I honestly could not be happier . Hoover has truly put out a great product in this Baby!

I received my Hoover SteamVac yesterday and couldn't wait to try it out. I put it together using the very easy to understand instructions. I just finished cleaning my daughter's bedroom carpet which is bubble gum pink and it looks GREAT!! I was surprised at the color of the dirty water that it extracted and I thought it was fairly clean. I have a Bissell Big Green Clean Machine that is very cumbersome to use and does not have rotating brushes, only the small brush across the edge of the extractor and only cleans a well as the muscle you put into it so I didn't use it very often and is collecting dust in the basement as I write this. Although the Hoover is a little on the heavy side, it's still much easier to use that the Bissell. I can't wait to try it on my other carpets! I wish I would have purchased the Hoover long before this!!

This is an excellent carpet cleaner! I just purchased one to take care of my new carpeting which is cream colored and in a house with 2 kids and two dogs. I had an extra piece of carpet bound and use it as a mat at the front door so people could take off their shoes. Even with all of the precautions it is amazing at how much dirt builds up! When I took the mat up to clean the carpet, the carpet under the mat was a good two shades lighter than the rest of the room. I used the Hoover, and now the whole room matches the color of the carpet that was covered! I did have a noticeable line in the carpet where the mat ended. Two passes with the clean surge button and the dirt was out. I was a little concerned with the amount I spent on the machine, but considering how much carpeting costs and how well this machine made the cream colored carpet look like it was just installed, I think it is well worth the money!! I would suggest this machine to anyone, the only drawback to the machines I used to rent is the water capacity is about a gallon which means more trips to the sink to empty and refill, but because the tanks are easy to remove and put back this is tolerable because it doesn't take too long to do. As far as cleaning it is superb!

My hubby and I had been seriously considering new carpet a few months ago due to very worn looking, dull (once light colored) carpet, but don't ring up my sale yet carpet man! I finally gave in to spending money on a carpet cleaner to replace my old Kirby shampooer, and now I wish I'd bought this Hoover Steam Vac a long time ago! It is amazing! My carpet, that I was ready to rip up myself, looks like the day we moved in..brand, spankin' new! I am so impressed with this machine! Very easy to use- easy to fill and dump water tanks- even the attachment hose is easy to clean out when you're finished. It looks heavy, but pulls itself along just fine when running and tilts back on the wheels very lightly to move from room to room. I really enjoy cleaning my carpets now, and as another reviewer stated, it is not much more than vacuuming-very easy and not time consuming. I was so impressed the first time I used it that I took all my floor mats out of my van and shampooed those, too! They were beautifully clean in about 10 minutes! I LOVE THIS STEAM VAC!
Great machine! Go buy it now! Mine's going with me to grandma's next trip so I can clean her floors too!

It sucks like crazy. I love that. It's quite loud. I can accept that. But! The on/off switch began acting up the 1st week, and I've been unable to contact aanyone at the company. I wonder how I'm going to get my problem resolved.

This little hand vac is deceptively powerful. It is light weight and easy to use. It has several useful attachments. It is also easy to hide - attachments and all. I have it hung on the wall under a table in my office for quick clean-ups after lunch or for shredder overflows... Also, it is easy to clean because it doesn't have bags to mess with.

I highly recommend this product.

It's not often you come across a "find" like this. After years of mediocre performance from several models of B&D's DustBuster series, I foolishly thought the next model would be better than the last, I finally gave up on them. What a relief to find this vacuum. It's build quality is excellent, it is quieter than most portables, its powerful suction has no equal in this class, and its wet/dry capabilities are more useful than you might think. Especially if you have kids! (The "wet" bowl holds just enough to cleanup a 3 year old's spilled milk!) Even the light has proven handy. I find myself reaching for this vacuum more often than any other portable vac I have ever owned.

My first review. Hopefully it will help someone.

Great vacuum for the price. Has all the requirements I wanted when purchasing for my 1 bedroom apartment. It has a 12 amp motor, it's quite, light, has filtration and is designed well.

I researched vacuums and came up with the two best that I would have bought if price were not a consideration: the Hoover Self-Propelled with power attachment or the Eureka Ultra Smart Vac Boss Model 4870. I actually bought the Eureka over the Internet, but the vendor took too long in shipping it because of backorder. This gave me a chance to think over the purchase and I realized for my one bedroom apartment, I really didn't need a top of the line, costly vacuum. So I researched with price and AMP in mind.

The most important thing in the Bissell Powerglide Plus is that the bottom piece is constructed much like Hoover's Windtunnel models. The whole concept behind the Windtunnel is the shape of the plastic piece surrounding the roller brush. Take a look at some of the bottoms of a few vacuums. You'll notice the end of a "hose" on some models just pointing towards the ground. That "hose" area allows only a small section of suction. Dirt is being lifted, but the suction area is small because there's nothing to send dirt its way. You simply have to go over that area of carpet again. The molded plastic shape (Windtunnel design) allows the roller brush to funnel dirt towards the "hose" end. It's designed much like a canister type vacuum where the "head" creates a funnel to allow a greater suction area.

The filtration system is decent. No sealed True HEPA filtration here but adequate to prevent dust from going back into the room. You can feel the air that is being pushed back out from the suction. It comes out this post 3M filter attached on the side.

It's quite. I really doubted this one, but it is quite compared to my older Hoover that was in the same class. No jet plane taking off. Even my cat didn't even run away like it usually does when I break out my old vacuum.

The only issue is that it does not glide easily when pushed.

If money is an issue, and you still want the best, this one is it. The Bissell gives probably the best bang for your buck. You'll be hard pressed to find another vacuum for the price with these features.

I bought this vacumn to replace my Hoover and Dirt Devil which just wouldn't do the job I needed> Once I plugged in the Bissell I could hear it picking up dirt on carpets I thought were clean! It picked up pet hair with no problem, in just one pass! My other vacumns wouldn't pick this up! This vacumn is definitely worth it's price. It is a little loud, but aren't they all? As long as it's cleaning I can handle the noise!

This vac does a great job and is well worth the price. Great features too.

In the beginning, I was as happy as Harry Potter when he got his new Nimbus 2000. Like others I was impressed by the strong 12 amp motor that sucked up canister after canister of ancient dust as well as cat hair from my animal that died in 2001.

However: 1) the cord is on the wrong side for right-handed people. It is on the right and easily gets fouled up in the machine, your feet, rugs, etc. 2) The cord wrap is at least 12" lower than most machines. This forces deep knee bends and requires 13 revolutions to wrap the monster up. 3) HEPA non reusable filters! The literature said that these were on some models with washable filters on others. Irritatingly, I now have to buy potentially obsolete HEPA filters just to keep this cleaner running properly.

It's the little things that add up to dissatisfaction.

In January 2004, my husband, my eight-year-old daughter, and our four cats bought a house that has maybe 1500 square feet of carpet. My old vacuum actually worked okay, but it was nearly impossible to find replacement bags for. Wanting to avoid the same problem in the future, I did a LOT of research and reading about bagless vacuums, including some very expensive ones, and decided on this one.

It's slightly quieter than my old machine, and it's way lighter and easier to maneuver. It has great edge-cleaning ablity, and the attachments are easy to get to and replace. And the thing can really pick up dirt! Even with my relatively small house, I have to stop at least once and empty the canister---usually twice. And the extra filter (HEPA) really does cut down on the amount of dust vacuuming stirs up.

But best of all for me is that the entire canister section can be removed and washed in warm, soapy water. I read one reviewer who said she didn't like having to clean her cleaner, but it really isn't a foreign concept: You wouldn't mop with a dirty mop or dust with a dirty rag. I easily disassemble the thing and wash it after about every third house cleaning. It only takes a few minutes, and it's like a new vacuum every time. I kind of get the willies when I think that all that same stuff was probably somewhere in my old vacuum cleaner, too, or maybe still in my carpet!

If your budget is tight, or if you, like me, just don't see how a $600 vacuum can be THAT much better, this is a terrific value and an excellent product.

My old vacuum recently died (a slow painful death), so I was forced to get a new one. I was afraid if I didn't hurry up and get one it might become my Mother Day present. After many hours spent online researching all the models that are out there, I decided to give this bagless Powertrak a try. It seemed to have a lot of features that much higher priced units have (HEPA filter, 15 in. cleaning path, deluxe stretch hose, headlight, etc.) When it arrived I couldn't wait to get it out and use it, as my house went about 10 days without being vacuumed. It was very easy to put together and I was vacuuming within minutes. It performed as I hoped it would. Powerful, lighteight, and fairly quiet. The hose is really nice and stretches a long way, which worked great for cleaning the stairs. The dirt cup is very easy to empty, and I was shocked at how much dirt and dust it picked up. This vac is definitely deserving of a 5 star rating.

As wine stoppers (the gray rubber cork element), these things are rather clever and seem to do their job rather well. (THe $10 wine-cap package Amazon sells is worth the price!)

But for long term food storage? I'm not so sure on the efficacy of this device. I had tested the vacuum ability by using marshmallows (okay, I actually used those gaudily colored Peeps). They would expand to twice their normal size. But upon leaving the marshmallowey Peep in a vacuum state for 2 hours, the Peep would slowly return to normal size. :-( Of course, when removing the seal, there was a great hiss of air (any air that might have escaped was minimal at best) the Peep shrunk in on itself - it's a cool effect that proves the seals on those canisters do work. But for how long?

I suppose the only way to tell if these canisters work long term is to vacuum up some vittles and let them sit for 3 months and do a taste test. Unfortunately, impatience is a virtue of mine so I'll just find another use for these canisters. :-)

I did one other test that's actually related to real food for once: Meat marinating. It is true that, in a vacuum, the pores of the animal tissues expand, allowing liquids to enter. The same can be said of Peeps, if you care for marinated peeps... Surprisingly, many people don't care for marinated peeps... They're kinda squishy though it's amusing how they retain their shape... Anyway, this thing does a doozy for marinating meet. I threw in some chicken breasts and yummy lemon pepper marinade sauce, pumped the air out, and let them sit for an hour. You can definitely tell the product works for marinating meats.

It's a keeper (marinating means more to me than food storage anyway) and I'm going to say 4 stars. Whether or not the product is of high enough quality to last for years is something only time will tell. :-)

This is great for what you get. I have an electric vacuum sealer that I use all the time, but it cost me over a hundred dollars. Here' you get a good vacuum seal for a fraction of that. The vacue-vin is a very versatile and useful device. You can use it to marinate your dinner in half the time, store perishables in the refrigerator for extended periods, and extend the shelf life of most of your dry goods. Admittedly, most dry goods aren't terribly perishable, but you can save things like crackers, nuts, bread crumbs and cereal flakes for a lot longer with these jars. Buying bulk spices and storing them in a vacuum is definately a good idea- see my tip below about using mason jars. I'd also say that the vacu-vin is great for wine drinkers- if simply corked and refrigerated or left on the shelf a bottle of wine will get stale overnight- the vacu-vin will preserve that half bottle of wine for a few days. (I've heard a lot of people say that the system is pretty much useless with wine, but it's always worked for me).

The company probably wouldn't want you to know this, but using the rubber stoppers in a regular old mason jar that has had a whole drilled into it works well and extends the value of this system immeasureably. My $100+ electric device seals mason jars too, but not at this price.

I'm not saying that this system is superior to my eletric unit, I'm just saying that it does some of the same things for a better price, so for SOME consumers it might be a better option. But I have both and use them quite a bit. My guess is that most people will find this a pretty useful gadget.

The vacu-vin food saver storage system is great! The container forms an airtight seal for leftovers or dry foods, allowing for a long storage time. Buy the larger, cheaping bulk packaged items at a savings, then repackage into smaller more usable portion using the vacu-vin containers. Put that extra few pieces of meat on the bar-b-que, cook and then put into the vacu-vin container for use later in the week, great bar-b-que later on.

The containers fit very nicely in the fridge, easy to clean up and are easy to use. Simply fit the vacuum into the seal and pump the handle until it "feels" firm, and the fresh food is well protected, because all the air has been removed. (Remember the old info-mercial for a product like this? But it costs about 3 times as much to do the same thing).

These items, the containers, marinater, wine stopper (bottle stopper), are a staple in my kitchen and cooking. A great product and a great price!