I've never used a FoodSaver so I can't compare the two. I came across a Seal A Meal at Hudson's (a local salvage store) it was really cheap so I picked it up and have really enjoyed using it. I've been using the Walmart brand bags that you cut to size as they are a lot cheaper than the Rival or Foodsaver brands. Mine doesn't have a lot of bells or whistles - I just use it to freeze precooked dinners, vegetables (lettuce stays fresh for a loooong time!) and the like. I love it!
We have the Food Saver and we love it. It is also sold at Costco too. Ours came with the canisters that vacuum seal, although they all cracked for some reason. We also got the food marinator, which is awesome!
Thanks! I was not aware they had a food marinator or vacuum canisters! And perhaps I should check at Costco before I buy the one at WalMart. I can't buy it yet anyway as it is going to be my "reward" when I lose 50 pounds.
I mostly want it for the freezing precooked meals too; no matter how carefully I pack mine they tend to get freezer burn.
YVW! We absoutely love ours and we bought ours for the same reason, it is great! Yes And at Costco it includes the vaccuum containers w/ it too and they sell the bags there too I beleive!
I am so glad I asked questions here rather than just going out and buying one! Just one more way I have been so blessed here at 3FC! What would I do without all of you?
Hey I wanted to add another great feature of having a food saver. Not sure if the Seal a Meal you can do this, but I know you can in the Food Saver cuz we just did it this morning.
We froze some ham and potatoes we had for breakfast one day in a foodsaver bag. So today when we got up I took it out, put it in boiling water, VOLA! Instant meal, just cut the bag open and put it on a plate! Wonderful!
As I said I don't know if you can do that with the Seal a Meal, I have never used one and know nothing about them. Maybe you can. I just know you can with the food saver and it saves a lot of time!
Thanks Shel! That sounds wonderful! I was realizing after looking around a bit that there are several "levels" of Food Savers... everywhere from $50 to $180. I need to research what the differences are. I think it will be a wonderful investment though!
Are they hard to use? I looked at the one on the shelf open but it didn't make sense how to do it.
I had a Seal a Meal back in the 80s and it was horrible. I could have done a better job if I stuck a straw in a baggie and sucked on it. Hopefully they have improved since then. I have a Food Saver now, which I bought in the 90s, and it's still going strong. I've been curious about the newer models. I guess mine would be a pretty basic model in comparison, but I'm very happy with it. It seriously sucks all of the air out. The bags are good quality, too. They can be expensive, but you can reuse them. They suggest starting with a bag a little larger than you need, so that once you cut it open, it will still be large enough to use again. I bought a few boxes at Sams several years ago, and still have a case yet to open. The bargains are out there.
Amazon usually has good deals on Food Savers. You can also check the Food Saver website, they have an "outlet" with good bargains.
It's very easy to use, though you may have to learn a few tricks first. Before you know it, you'll be bagging everything I made a few mistakes. I used it for frozen shrimp with tails, and it packed them so tightly that the tails punctured the bag. The silliest thing I ever tried was croissants. Flat as pancakes.
I only cook for myself, so I find it very handy to make individual size portions of foods and freeze them, without worry of freezer burn. Foods take up less space this way, too, so I don't have a bazillion plastic containers in the freezer.
I think they usually come with a video to show you how to use it.
I've been using one for years. I can't remember the brand but it does work well. The only problem I had was that it sucked soup into itself! Now I keep an eye on it when I use it.
Oh I love my food saver. But I want the newer one. The one where you can suck the air out and then hit another button and it will seal it. That way it does not suck the crap out of your food or fruit.
I think mine is the in-between model, it is an V840. It has the Seal Only, Vacuum and Seal, and The Extended Vacuum and Seal for meats and stuff like that. It also the instant seal on it that you can hit for things you don't want "flat as a pancake" It came with the tube you can use for the canisters and the marinator, which we have those.
Ours came with an instructional DVD too where he explains EVERYTHING, but it is informative so you know what the features are and ideas, etc.
It has been one of the best things we have purchased and we use it every single day! IT's great! Really nice because you do not have to worry about things leaking! He made a good suggestion in the DVD that you can fill a few bags with ice for a picnic and nothing will leak or "merge" with other flavors.
Well it sounds as if the Food Saver is the way to go! Except also sounds like I need to get one that is a bit more expensive so I may have to save a bit longer.
Food Saver or Seal-A-Meal??
I just know you can with the food saver and it saves a lot of time! 
That's too funny.
