The best thing about your tests is the follow-ups, IMHO. You say you're going to check on those steaks in a year, and I believe you'll actually do it. 💛

I used to work in a resturant where we prepared in bulk and vacuum sealed it. Let me just say that you absolutely want a double seal. The thing that happened with the Fresko cereal happens SO MUCH!! And that was with an industrial vacuum sealer! If we sealed 8 bags, we'd usually have to reseal at least 1, sometimes 2. It was so annoying when you're trying to work fast. The double seal on the Power looks amazing!

These both are copies of the original FoodSaver. I bought mine over 30 years ago when they sold them in informatials. Then one day I saw it sold at Sam's. It was not cheap but worked very well. My house was hit by lightning and it burnt. Foodsaver was on my kitchen counter, the ceiling collapsed over the FoodSaver, it was covered by debris and water. I cleaned it and let it dry and it still works. I have later model also, with their vacuum sealable containers that are perfect for storing strawberries etc to extend their fridge life. Also it is possible to chop salad for 3 days and seal in portions in the containers. I cut the bags always a little longer than needed, after I can wash the bags and use a second time to create less plastic trash. The bags can be washed in the dishwasher. The original FoodSaver add instructed to seal any important documents, small valuable items etc. I had sealed, luckily, our documents when the lightning fire happened and everything was free of water damage that actually was worse than the fire. FoodSaver has also small handheld gadget that vacuums the air out of the zip top bags that have the ready small suction opening. That also vacuums air out of vine bottles etc using small vacuum sealable stoppers that come with many vine bottle opener packs. The vacuum systems work perfectly and even if the bags are not cheap, they prevent the spoiling of food that happens in unsealed containers or bags, hence it is worth of the cost of the bags. Any of these vacuum sealers work well, worth spending the money on them. I have bought later models and tried them to compare and after given them to my children.

I remember watching an infomercial decades ago for this huge sealer and when the lady sealed a SWORDFISH I lost it.

Wow, you always do a great job of reviewing the products...a long time ago I was a Demo person in Costco, I ended up being certified to do the Food Saver demos. I had to watch a "training video" which was a great help. One of the best tip for sealing meat was to fold a paper towel (like an accordion) and place it at the top before you seal it...any liquid would be sucked into the paper towel. No juice went any further, thus the seal wasn't compromised. Freezing was also helpful. Another tip was to keep it out on your counter in the kitchen. You'll use it more as it's easier than having to drag it out of your cupboard. When they went on sale in the coupon book, I once sold 25 of them! No commission though. Just fun.

Years ago I had a FoodSaver. What they said to do then, to avoid meat juices to be drawn out, was to pre-freeze the meat (I think maybe an hour length but I can't remember) then vacuum seal it. Always worked. Of course the vacuum sealers may've found a different way to combat this after all this time but I figured I'd share it just in case.

I’ve been looking for your channel for so long! I forgot to sub years ago, and haven’t been able to find you till now, love your content!

I can confirm that meat lasts a LONG time. I have a food saver and had 2 year old meat in the deep freeze and couldn't tell the difference. One thing to mention is that if bags are sealed and in the freezer, rummaging through the freezer can make a bag get a pin hole that goes unoticed until you begin to see freezer burning on the meat. So just be sure to inspect bags every once in a while.

Powerxl seems much better, double seal and the ability to stop the vacuum is fantastic. Great review.

Absolutely fantastic review! Thorough as usual. I half come here for your fun comments about how products fail.

The best thing I like about the Power XL is the automatic double seal. I vacuum pack a lot of stuff, I've learned the single seal can sometimes fail. I double seal anything that I know I'm not going to get to in a reasonable time. The fact this one double seals automatically would save a bunch of time. The issue is how much extra you need to insert for it to vacuum. I try to maximize the bag usage.

I've used my Foodsaver (V3240) at least 3x/week for the past 6 years and it works perfectly like it did on day 1. I doubt if either one of these will continue to work after 6 years of that kind of use. Note: Although it has a single seal, not double, it has a moist and dry setting (you don't have to lift the unit) AND a gentle setting, you can seal mid-vacuuming, can use bags 11" wide, came with the tube and jar attachment and cost me $50 on Groupon.

One thing I noticed was that in most of the tests, the Fresko bag was significantly larger than the PowerXL bag. I wonder if that accounts for the time difference, especially given that the Fresko actually won the can crushing test, which suggests that the vacuum pump is at least as powerful as the one on the PowerXL. Also, since the can crushing test used PowerXL bags in both machines, it’s possible that the PowerXL bags just have better airflow, and the Fresko machine itself is not the problem at all. The other exclusive features of the PowerXL like the double seal and the “emergency stop” are definitely improvements, but I’m not convinced they justify the price difference.

I'll definitely be back in one year... I like that the PowerXL has a dual seal line as opposed to the Fresco single seal line.

I'm so glad you reviewed this! I've seen the ad for it and basically ignored it but, now I want one. I have a Food Saver unit & it disappoints me at times.

I have been wanting a new sealer and I saw this infomercial and wanted to buybit but I thought no, I'm gonna wait until I see it on Freakin' Reviews! Thank you!

I used to use the food saver all the time, but it was bulky and took up a lot of room. I just bought the Power XL last month, and I am loving it. I even found out how to make an extra bag from an existing cheese bag. I buy shredded cheese in those zip top resealable bags, once I use the cheese past the halfway point, I sealed it on my XL right above the halfway point. Then cause of the double seal, I cut the top portion off and it instantly makes a ziploc bag! I get two bags from one! Love making the popsicles they show on the ad. Recipe is in the book that came with it. I got a good discount on mine by using a code I found online. I too noticed the handle locking issue, but I think that is the hinge is more free floating than other models. Glad you did this review!

I've had the food saver for years and it is probably one of our most used items. I use it practically daily to seal chip bags, meats, bacon and hot dogs and leftovers. Like the cutter and some of the other features of this one but not sure it's worth the extra $$

Thank you for this review. I saw the information for the first time a month ago and besides being able to seal liquids, I really like the compact size when space is a virtue.

BRAVO.IM REALLY GLAD YOU BOUGHT&PUT THE PRODUCTS THROUGH THE RINGER&GIVE IT YOUR HONEST TELLING THE TRUTH.THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDS.

I like how excited you get when the product does what it should do

Thank you. We just received our power xl. Great video comparing. I like the lightweight feature also.

I got my first FoodSaver 30 years ago (have upgraded twice with newer models). Messing around with it I made a long bag and put 24 cans in it (ya know 20 somethings doing stupi stuff). Crushed them all. So yeah, not the only one that can do cans.

I just got mine yesterday. I can't wait to use it. I do agree with you about the latch. It's hard to close... Thanks for the review

The Nessco sealer is $100 and it's America Test Kitchen's top pick. I have it and it's super nice and easy to use. You should put that up against the power xl.

I have been using a FoodSaver (model V2440) vacuum sealer for 30 years. It's a champ! The FS has all of the functions of the XL, but the bag roll is actually stored in the FS. The FS is larger than the XL (to hold the roll) but IMHO not having to fuss with bags rocks. Vacuum sealers (with canisters) are really good at storing food and saving money.

Ty. A vac sealer has def been on my wish list for a long time.

I like the Power XL. I like the Fresko too so I've got to make my mind up, lol. I really enjoy your video's and testing products. It has actually stopped me from buying certain products I was going to buy and so glad I didn't. Thank you for sharing your video's and thoughts.

A new video before 4th of July wooo thanks James definitely will make my 4th better with this new video 👍

I have a Food Saver that i've been using for years. I do like that the XL does a double line of sealing instead of just the one thick line. I have stuff that's been in the freezer in these bags for over a year and once you stick them in boiling water to thaw them out, they taste almost the same as when they went in.

👍 I've been using my Power XL sealer for a month and find it works as advertised after some trial and error. Initially, I felt it was overpriced at $99 but hadn't figured in the included shipping and four bag rolls, plus decent warranty.

I truly enjoy all of your very informative videos, keep on sharing and thank you kindly.

As someone who has used a variety of vacuum sealers for probably 25 years now, I can definitely see the advantages of this one. Built in cutter is nice, but the double sealer is great and would save me so much time when I'm prepping meat for sous vide. It sounds like it has a smaller motor which is why it's louder, but I'm not sure that's a deal breaker for me. And that moist setting which actually works? Well, I think I might be sold on this. The "moist" setting on my current sealer still sucks moisture into the tray and just takes longer to seal.

We have the PowerXL sealer, couldn't get it to work for nothing and I was trying to figure out where I went wrong with it. Your video actually gave me a tutorial on how to get it working properly. I shall be trying again in the near future.

I wish I owned one. My sons all have one (don't know which kind) now is the time to get it. Thanks for the review. Have a Happy 4th, James. 🤗🤗🥳🥳

Fantastic video and I like the follow-ups. I have researched and purchased three different Power XL. First one, the vacuum seal option never turned off. Plus, it just didn't vacuum. I've had other sealers so it's not new to me. Finally looking online closely to this sealer, the first one I purchased didn't have that bar/tab in the center. I returned it and bought another one. Same issues, plus this one wouldn't stay locked down. Returned it and instead of instore pickup, I had it shipped to me hoping it came directly from the manufacturer. Guess not because again, same issues. Oh forgot, with the first one that tab tray area pop out, so I contacted the manufacturer for a replacement. After going back and forth providing all the proof of purchase, they told me to return it to the store. Therefore, I have returned three of these sealers because none of them worked. Think I've given up on this sealer. Plus, so many reviews said it stopped working after less than 6mos.

Wow, another great as seen on TV product review! This would work wonders for my weed! Keep up the great work FreakinReviews! You are among my favorite KZfaq Channels

Another grrrrreat review. Happy 4th of July Holiday to you, Bailey & the kids.

this was extremely helpful. My mother gave me one of these, it's the deluxe version so it has a bunch of attachments and even a tupperwear type container that can be vacuum sealed over and over again. I really didnt want to read the instructions. I watched a few of the videos that the manufacturer provides which were useful but yours was REALLY useful like I fully understood how to use the thing after this plus it wasn't boring. nice work!! I am very happy with mine, I am the only one in the house who eats meat so when I buy meat I usually have to freeze some of it for another time, it gets freezer burn quick. I think this thing will really put an end to that.

A friend of mine made a little small vacuum sealed pouch for his phone kind of like how you did for the snack packs. He did that when he went to the beach. That man can be dumb but he has his sparks of genius.

I dont know if I would ever need or buy sealer devices, but it is really nice to know and great unbiased review of a couple of the products. I see them on TV all the time. Take care. Note: Amazon product reviews are not very good.

It's nice that the power XL double seals. I also like that the cutting and sealing of the 'bottom' of a new bag while keeping the bag clamped down. The old foodsaver I have, the cutting and sealing are two very distinct actions. It was neat to see the power xl just be cut and hit the seal button. Also, why is the Fresco so loud when it's just sealing the cereal bag at 12:42? The noise should only be when it's vacuuming.

I have always loved these machines, there are great for everything.

I have the XL and use it alot but it wasn't vac/seal correct but after watching your review I was doing it incorrectly. Love your reviews, Thanks I also have the food saver hand held which I have sitting right on my counter because I use it all the time .

I’ve had the Foodsaver brand for several years. One thing I see the PowerXL does better is the double row of seal lines that provide an extra line of defense.

I Was testing my new PowerXL It was harder to close but it made no sound whatsoever. Except for the difficult closing it's great!! When you tried the tomato sauce with the PowerXL you held it up and you didn't with the other. The other one had liquid go almost to the top. While the P.XL stayed at the bottom. That must be why it's held up. Enjoyed the video. It helped me tremendously! Thank you.

We got pantry moths which eat through ziplock or sealing bags but not mylar. I use a plain cheap hair straightner wad. i have sealed over 100 bags and it works great. Yes I am prepping too which I am new to. Freezers are full so have to do dry storage. I am looking at the power xl thanks for the demo.

We have a Food Saver brand sealer that basically does the same things except they make containers for it and we love the containers more than the bags! We also have a wine bottle and mason jar attachment for it plus many of the containers! It works great for keeping leftovers fresh longer! I got mine off Groupon many years ago for a good price!

That sealed bag would be really nice for pools and water parks to make sure your phone doesn't get water damaged. Plus on the powerxl you can stop it partway through to make sure the buttons don't get pressed.

I have been using the FoodSaver brand for many years and love it. I think the FoodSaver is easier to use but also takes up more space at least the two different models I have had.

Is the power XL better yes. Is the fresko Half the price and 90% as good? Also yes i’m getting a fresko

I have a food saver. I love being able the seal my food. I buy fresh corn in July, freeze it & it will still be fresh when I eat it in 6mos. I've been wanting to buy the power XL. Bcuz of this review I'm going to buy one. Thank you!!

When I was a kid my mom made huge batches of tomato sauce and used a vacuum sealer to store it in the freezer. They lasted for a long time.

I’ve had a “seal-a-meal” style machine for about 15 years now - the ability to “stop and seal” anytime you like is VERY useful - I use it probably 1 time out of 4, for various reasons.

Thanks for video. Informative and precise. I'm still out to lunch on it, due to the problems and the customer service reviews. With Wal-Mart, if it doesn't work, take it back...no questions!

🐞What a thorough review. I really liked this item. Both of them really. Thanks. 🐞

We just recently purchased a PowerXL. It took a few took a couple of bags to test and find the right way to use it. Sometimes if the bag is not long enough, there will be creases and it won't -seal properly. Still learning after about two-weeks. I really like it so far. BTW, we purchased BOGO with a neighbor and it was not as expensive as the Freso by doing so. The neighbors are really happy with their XL too..

A built in perforation action would be handy when making snack bags, so you can just tear of individual sections

About time that an infomercial product really works !! 😂

Looks like a great and fair review. The only requests I'd have for a follow-up, version 2.0 is how tight or how hard is it to pull apart the seal or how well it works on existing bags of chips, etc. (I'm waiting for one to be delivered... already ordered or I'd have used your affiliate link-sorry.)

Just purchased one myself awesome review .

Another good test and review. I like the double seal but it is kind of awkward since the bags are sold as 8" or 11" in width as a standard. This sort of confines your choices for additional bag rolls. I also have my doubts about the latch and you don't say if the seal material (a normal wear item) can be replaced since this is the weak spot in any sealer and parts support is important. I have been able to easily replace the upper and lower seal in my FoodSaver several times (and cheaply) over the 25+ years I have had it.

Very interesting. Can't wait for the 1 year update :D Somehow would it be nice to have it easier to make a few bags without having to reinsert the roll each time, but other than that it looks interesting.

Thank You for reviewing/testing this sealer. I was wondering if it really worked. Looks like it does. I have a food saver and it does not work with liquids like soup or stew. I will try putting it on top of a box next time to see if that helps. What I do now is freeze soup or stew in plastic containers take out of container when frozen then vacuum seal frozen contents. Sort of a pain but it works. Single so especially these types of meals go a long way and need to be frozen. Also I have had steaks in my freezer, vacuumed sealed for well over a year, works great !! Again thanks for reviewing this product. Lots of times things look much better on the infomercial than they really are. This looks pretty true to what they say.

Very helpful video-- thank you, & Merry ¡Christmas!/Happy Haunaka/Happy New Year 2023!🙂

We are really at a point in this world where we are arguing that 64 seconds is too long compared to 25. Imagine what the first time traveler from the past will think when they see this.

Thanks so much for that review. I see that commercial all the time and I never believe infomercials. I've been on the fence about buying one because of the price. You might have made up my mind.

On my Foodsaver, I can press the seal button anytime during the vacuum process to seal the bag

Great demo! I want one! The power xl one.

Great review thsnk you !! I got this for my bday so i will check it out !!

I still have my little handheld Food saver cordless vacuum sealer that I got after I watched your review and it still works for everything I need. There is only a quart and gallon size that I know of, but it's always been enough for me. I love too it's so small, and doesn't take up any room. Thanks for this thought if I ever decide to move up I will be rechecking this video 😁👍

Love this, great review 👍

I have one. Having issues with getting the bag under the sealer section. I'm trying to justify the high cost of the bags compared to the cost of the content. I'll keep practicing. Thanks for your demo.

I happen to have a Food Saver which I bought a Costco. I’m very happy with it and it does a decent job, comparable to the two machines you have. It is much easier to use than the ones you have and it looks great on my counter. I like that it is large enough that I don’t have to worry about one side rising when pushed. I also like the 5 year warranty on the vacuum pump, which I had to replace after 4.5 years. Costco just redeemed my money and I bought another one. Since they did it that ways I have an all new warranty period. I suggest you put a small nick on the edge of your snack packs. I make my own power bars when I hike and don’t always have easy access to a pair of scissors so the small nick makes opening very easy. I have had different sealers in the bast, but after a while I had stopped using them. There are a number of reasons for that. Some only used proprietary bags that were either very expensive or substandard quality. Others have had their vacuum pumps suck less and less over time, and unlike other products you want these products to really suck. I recommend getting a mid-model FoodSaver. It costs a little more than your product but not by much. As for the bags, you can get less expensive bags easily on Amazon, and they will work well with the FoodSaver. The five year warranty is also a good reason to go with the FoodSaver, that and buying it from Costco.

Thank you! I just bought two!😊

gonna buy this one. impressive review.

Thanks for the video... Just got one of these at Ollie's (discount/clearance type store) for 49.99 but got an additional 15% off with a coupon. 42.49. I already have an impulse sealer that I bought at Goodwill for like five bucks and that alone has turned out to be insanely useful... now I'll have the added capability of vacuuming things too

Just purchased the power xl deluxe it came with the jar sealer attachments haven't tried those yet and 2 containers one big one small several reusable gallon and quart size bags along with the make your own bags i been wanting to get a food saver especially with food prices sky rocketing can't afford for food to go bad video very helpful on how to use so far so good I'm impressed for this to be my first food saver the only thing I don't like is how loud it is 🤯

there is a trick for liquids, is to pre-freeze them first, in the bag or a bowl and then bag vacuum and seal it. that way the liquid does come out. you used very little amount in a very large bag on that test.

I was hoping your guest sealer would be 90’s singer Seal 😂

Great review. However, it makes me appreciate my FoodSaver. I have no need to add the Power XL to my collection of products.

Yes!!! My Food Saver keeps things frozen for several years and when thawed properly the food is still perfect. With raw meat, it’s a good idea to put a folded paper towel in at the top of the raw meat so the juice doesn’t wick out and possibly make a mess if the machine or the seal.

I love my power xl. I do alot of snack packs for my grandkids when they visit. I use it for separating meats for small meals. It saves me money buying in bulk and separating it myself. Best money I ever spent.

I don't have this vacuum sealer myself, I have another brand, however I highly recommend getting one. Saved so much money of things not going bad.

Just got my power xl I agree the latch is sometimes hard to close and it is noisy. Funny because in the infomercial he says he has to walk away from the competitor because it was to loud. I got the deluxe package so I’m looking forward to using the bags and the containers and wine stopper.

I have the power xl sealer and agree that the latch takes a few times of pressing for it to hold. Hopefully it doesn’t break over time. It does seal and vacuum very nicely. I’ve been especially happy vacuum sealing salmon in marinade.

Looks like the Power XL latch system is it's Achilles' heel. It looks like it would break from normal use as soon as it gets a little age on the new supple plastic.

Can you reuse the same bag or do you have to use a brand new one. Love your channel. Keep up the great work.

ps I have not had one single issue with it not latching. I hold it on the button end with one hand then push down on it with the other hand rather than trying to squeeze the end like you were doing.you only have the power of your thumb rather than your whole hand .it Lockes down solid every time when you push it down with your hand. I like that it is hard to close that is why it does so well with liquids and seals so well, it crimps it very tight

I’m marking my calendar. I want to see those steaks a year from now lol

I just bought on Power XL sealer I’m guessing I did the sealing wrong cause I couldn’t get to vacuum sealing but it doesn’t mean I won’t try again to get it right thanks for your video certainly made me think twice before I return it.

I just got the powerxl about a month ago. This is my 4th sealer in about 10 years. First was a foodsaver brand. With this one I have a love hate relationship. Love the double sealer but I don’t like that the bags have to be so much bigger than the product needing to be sealed.

The cutting part and double seal part is great! I end up doing those two things manually with my vacuum sealer and it takes up time and sometimes I cut the bag / roll crooked and it ends up looking bad.

So far it's working very well. The bags that use the tubing took a bit of a learning curve but found it worked better if I placed the valve on the bag on the underside and then pressed the device up against it.Also love the containers. I bought the larger package for myself and my brother. He said he likes his as well.. Time will tell how long they will last. Not to be treated roughly. And if you should get fluid in the chamber the parts lift out easily to clean....ask me how I know,,,,Also it does say to wait 10 minutes between sealing, But that's not long if you're getting another bag ready by deciding on size and cutting. Not sure I've really waited that long.

One thing you failed to mention was if you are using one for snacks away from home you really need something to cut the bags with. The plastic is very tough and hard to tear open without spilling contents. Great review of the products themselves though as always

This seems like a nice product for Etsy sellers and other "out of your home" businesses. I'm thinking things like slime (notorious for leaking even when well-packaged - with a hard container INSIDE the sealed bag of course) or other products that may be susceptible to water/air damage or otherwise leaking. Easy to get a professional-looking bag. In that context, the price point seems right too.

Excellent review!

Got my power xl yesterday works great I was testing it out & the latch is having the same issue..

I would love to see an update video on the PowerXL. It looked really good in this video, but it gets terrible reviews on amazon.

If you sail or power boat, isolating your phone is a real good idea. Zip locks work...maybe, but sealed is better.