This guide was written to give you the consumer some background on the Home Style Vacuum Packers. Where they originated and some vital information you should take into consideration before buying a home style Vacuum Packer.  It will break down into categories, so you can read what interests you and what your focus on a particular area of question might be.

Home Style Vacuum Packers:

How and when they began:

In 1984 a gentleman named Hans Christian, developed the first home-style vacuum packer. He called it the Foodsaver.  The corporation was the Tilia Corporation.

Professional Marketing Group was at that time heavily involved with sales of Oster Commercial Blenders and Dehydrators.  Hans Christian and his partner Bob Warden approached PMG and enlisted them to be the first to sell his new product.  Within a few short years of selling at Fairs and Expos's the product was a huge success. It was then picked up by retail outlets such as Costco and spread to retail connection world wide.  The original machine was a nozzle style.  New comers to the industry have adapted the name "snorkel" to this type of vacuum packer.  The nozzle style machine was bullet proof. It was literally designed to compete with the commercial chamber style machines that had been out since the 1940's but for a home user.  Hans and his engineers put extensive thought into the development of this vacuum packer. Still today 22 years later this machine can be found in excellent working condition in many homes.  This same nozzle style machine is still sold today and has proven the engineering is still superior to any of the new models produced and sold.  The drawbacks Professional Marketing Group found for store shelf retail with this machine is people do not clean their machines.  They leave food and debris in the pump and nozzle. This is a simple problem to fix but surprisingly difficult to get people to do?

The Second Generation of Home Style Vacuum Packers:

In 1990 the original Tilia Corporation had a "designer" developed a new machine this machine was not developed by the original "engineers".  This new stylish machine was called a channel style machine.  This channel style machine was quickly put into retail locations.  The machine was easier to clean, and simpler to lay the bag into the channel.  This style of machine is still today the most popular style of machine, on the retail market.  Manufactured in many versions under different names.  But they are all still the same "style" with the same inherit problems.  This style requires very little explanation to operate, easy to see food and debris, thus lending it's self visually in need of cleaning.  The draw back of this style of machine is it over heats very fast. As a result of the over heating it is not as consistent with the amount of air drawn from the bag.  This problem still exists in all manufactures of this style of machine.  To put it simply this design style of machine is not a high production machine able to rival, the smaller chamber style machines as the original nozzle style machine did and still does.  What followed was a mass production and sales.  With the simplicity problem solved the Tilia Corporation was able to secure a wide range of retail outlets. This was also very easy as there was absolutely no competition at that time.

The Corporation's First Sell Out:

In 1993 the Tilia Foodsaver Corporation original founders sold. The Tilia Corporation has been sold multiple times since then.  The original machines both nozzle and channels were built in Italy.  These machines in good working order still have a decent resale value.  They are quite highly sot after and are a gem to find.  There is an independent web site not run by Tilia to repair these old machines.  The new owners of Tilia quit supplying parts for them in 1993 when they moved all production of machines from Italy to the Orient. 

Manufacturing and Repair Parts:

In today's market there are many players manufacturing and marketing vacuum packing machines.  Most home style machines now a day are produced in the Orient.  Production in the Orient offers less expensive labor but also for reasons of less costly regulations in productions.  Be this good or bad this is a huge controversy that I care not to get into with this information page.  Nonetheless there are differences in current quality.  A product can be made anywhere in the world with quality parts or cheap disposable parts.  It is not the origin of the product but the intent of the manufacturing company the quality they order to be manufactured.  I have products from the Orient that are superb high quality items that last years.  I have also purchased products from the same region that break and are in the garbage in just a few uses.  This same goes for USA, Italian, German, and all other countries that manufacture products.  Getting parts for these machines is not hard it is just up to the repair companies to stock them.  Working with a company that repairs the products they sell will enable you to get parts easily no matter where they are manufactured.  Purchasing from Internet sites that only drop ship and do not service what they sell directly, can leave you stranded when you need servicing.  These types of Internet sites selling products cheap sets you up for paying inflated repair rates from the factory repair center. My thoughts when I purchase: "No parts, No in-house repairs, No sale" Most people would not buy a new car that could not be fixed at the location it was purchased from! Why buy any mechanical item that cannot be fixed where it was originally bought.

So the question comes how do I know if a product is top quality or not? Ask yourself, are you purchasing a product and you can return it for a new one, or a full refund after a year of use?  This is a great clue: You are buying a lot of hype and very little quality!  Remember it is not the store that gives you a refund or exchange it is ultimately the manufacture that stands behind their products.  In order to offer you this type of supposed value the cost of that exchange is factored into the manufacturing of your product.  A company that can offer this has very low cost of goods.  There is a thought in manufacturing to put a lot of cheap product on the market and hope a percentage will stick.  Lots of time and energy goes into color, advertising, presentation of the product but very little into the actual product it's self.  All in hopes you will not use it much and it will last just long enough to pass their exchange refund warranty.  With most people that is just what happens, or with our busy lives it is to much hassle to send it back to get an RA number.  So you are now prime to buy their new version, as they do not fix your old machine of just last year, past it's warranty. 

The Core Issues You Really Need To Know:

Vacuum packers unlike other small kitchen appliances are simple in nature.  Vacuum Packers or as the new comers say Vacuum Sealers have a pump that pulls or moves air, a transformer that runs a heat-sealing bar.  This varies widely with each machine.  A large pump and transformer to run a heavy-duty heat bar is the expensive part of the machine.  But you don't see that!  What you see is pretty packaging.  That is what mass production is hoping for.  They hope you are swoon by their wonderful advertising and don't look at their actual products abilities or durability.  Since the original two versions came onto the market in the 80's and early 90's there have been no other improvements on performance.  Remember the "design" has not changed only the cosmetic appearances, and extra bells and whistles and automation.  Hans Christian started out with a very heavy-duty pump, transformer and steel hear bar. In the move for mass production and cheaper prices these features were removed.  They can only be found today in the original nozzle style machine the VacUpack and the original Italian factory machines still being produced under different names.  All others on the market today produce lightweight operation parts.  They do however come out every year or so with "New Styles" "New Looks" New Packaging" Same old light weight operating parts. 

As Americans insist on cheaper prices the quality is becoming cheaper also.  Telling you that paying more is going to get you a better machine would not be accurate.  Instead be armed with the information of mass marketing, and the three quality parts of a home-style vacuum packer that you must have. 1) A large pump that pulls at least 23 hg prefer 26 hg   2) Large transformers to allow enough electrical current to operate the heat bar to seal a wet bag each and every bag.  3) A solid heat bar of steel or aluminum for wet sealing.  If a machine you are thinking of buying does not seal a bag when it is wet.  And all kinds of excuses are made as to why but "buy it anyway".  Run the other way! Do not buy a machine that cannot seal a wet bag at least 30 to 60 times in a row.  It takes a bigger pump, heat bar and transformer to seal wet items.  This gives you better sealing and much better vacuuming with the large pump.  The cheapened models no matter the manufacture have taken this feature out of the machines. They are thus disposable machines not worth your money, and remember the design issues. Channel-style vacuum packers are slow production machines, they require cooling off periods, however easy to clean and load the bag.  This style of machine is found in most retail outlets, by several manufactures.

 Quality nozzle-style machines require someone to clean them! The benefits are nozzle-style vacuum packers run three to five times longer before over heating, pull 26 hg vacuum consistently and will seal a wet bag each and every time. Nozzle-style vacuum packers are still the most durable home-style vacuum packer built. Nozzle-style machine are usually found in commercial outlets, Internet or at some Expo shows. These machines are harder to find but worth the effort.

Our Sales and Repair Experience:

We never sell a product we cannot stand behind with follow up repair and service for at least 10 years.

With our majority sales being one on one in the Expo Market such as Fairs, Home Shows, and Sportsmen Shows since 1979.  We have found there are two types of people no matter what the product.  Our society has the ever-growing disposable generation of instant gratification.  They want things cheap and for the product to work like the expensive items.  I hear all the time at shows "there's no difference" This type person is not in touch with the true cost of manufacturing products.  The fact is there are extreme differences.  The second types of buyers are those who realize buying quality is actually cheaper in the long run.  "If you can't afford to do it right the first time, you surely can't afford to do it twice".  The question is which type of person are you? Decide this question before buying.

Author

Holly Tomlinson

Written for Professional Marketing Group

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Did this guide help? Say yes!  Was it the worst thing you ever read? Say so! I am not a writer just trying to give information to those who want it, and besides no one else around here would write it!  With experience, time, patients, and hard knocks of life there is very little about vacuum packing you cannot find out from Professional Marketing Group.  Hope you give us a chance to serve you and your vacuum packing needs.   Please rate this guide at the bottom.  Thank you 

Holly