Ok everyone that wants to preserve hops just spotted this one coming on New Years eve [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]
http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-8EA90108-F6D43327/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_27238.htm
It may not do the 400 grammes we packed but could be good for repacking into 1 or 200's?
Well spotted. Couldn't see the vac pack bags though? I presume you can just re-seal ones you open?
QuoteWell spotted. Couldn't see the vac pack bags though? I presume you can just re-seal ones you open?
Colin they come with 3 metres on a roll, so they will be the same as they ones we bought for the hop pack so you cut, heat seal one end, fill, vac and heat seal the other end.
Expensive little sods to replace but that should be loads for hops if its hidden in the garage ;)
Very handy to have one of these if you get hops in bulk, I just reseal the bag after a brew and pop them back in the cupboard.
QuoteVery handy to have one of these if you get hops in bulk, I just reseal the bag after a brew and pop them back in the cupboard.
Pop back in the freezer surely Rukus ;)
Should be yea, i dont have room though so they just get vac packed and put in the cupboard with my grain. They seem to keep ok.
QuoteShould be yea, i dont have room though so they just get vac packed and put in the cupboard with my grain. They seem to keep ok.
It can be significant with hops like Cascade
http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.1/garetz.html
But if you don't have the space :(
QuoteQuoteWell spotted. Couldn't see the vac pack bags though? I presume you can just re-seal ones you open?
Colin they come with 3 metres on a roll, so they will be the same as they ones we bought for the hop pack so you cut, heat seal one end, fill, vac and heat seal the other end.
Expensive little sods to replace but that should be loads for hops if its hidden in the garage ;)
Spot on, cheers John, didn't look at properly. I'll pick one of them up so!
I might wait until the following weekend and see your reviews. ;)
QuoteI might wait until the following weekend and see your reviews. ;)
There will be none left in Co Wicklow ;)
They also have a couple of handy digital kitchen timers for like 4 euro as well, might be handy to have one ready? ;D
Sh!te! Did you get a dodgy one I wonder? I bought one too but wont get to try it out until tomorrow eve. Can anyone else who bought one try it & report back?
Bought one, the vac doesn't work. Going back with it now.
[Edit: my bad, I did not try this with a bag. However if its not capable of foil seals, then it is less suited for my purposes]
Makes sense.
I got cash back so can always get another after you do some more testing!
I am always sceptical about budget electrical stuff like this' I've had fun with stuff from lidl/aldi in the past.
That said, they have a good returns policy.
Just brought mine back for a refund. So does it work or not? :)
I got one this morning. I already had a similar one which had broken so I was happy to see a 3 year guarantee with this one.
It seems to seal 'slightly' better than my old one as it has a wider melting region of about 2mm. I tried 3 different types of bags with this, the supplied plastic, a freezer bag and a ziplock sandwich bag. All 3 types sealed without letting air back in, my old one used to let air back in sometimes. The best 'looking' seal was from the ziplock bag which has the heaviest plastic of the 3, followed by the supplied plastic and then the freezer bag which was very light.
In the image below, its garlic in a sealed freezer bag, in a sealed ziplock bag which is all sealed in the supplied plastic.
(http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/4002/20121231181723.jpg)
I don't like using the supplied plastic as I have to seal it on both ends so I will probably buy a pack of ziplock bags from Tesco tomorrow.
Overall it does the job, barely, just don't expect this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8bgxmoMBgs) type of performance.
QuoteAnyone thinking of getting one of these vac packers: DON'T!
They can't seal foil type bags and are barely able to seal the plastic bags they come with. I wish I hadn't bought one! >:(
Oh God that went hits up, sorry Guys thought it was a good deal :-[
One of the days Lidl will wake up, charge EUR1 more and sell stuff that's fit for a purpose.
Lidl are very good at refunding - just bring it back with the receipt
Will
Does the one from Amazon on the other thread do foil bags ?
Are foil bags necessary ?
QuoteDoes the one from Amazon on the other thread do foil bags ?
Are foil bags necessary ?
Mylar Bags as very prevalent in the US for Doomsday preppers, but quality ones are really expensive, there are cheaper versions on the market with similar structure to your crispbag.
Quality versions are a sandwich layer of foil and thin polyester film and will store perishables in the correct ambient conditions for 10 years+.
If you plan on keeping your hops for 2 Years + go for these otherwise they are overkill.
The heavier guage LDPE on amazon bags and the fact that you are freezing vacuumed bags in a zero oxygen environment and storing in the dark more that adequately ensures that you have minimal loss of hop oils and freshness.
Tips to maintain freshness would be to make smaller packets 50-100g packets of hops, less air in packet, and obviously reseal asap after taking out what you want.
I picked one up on monday and plugged it in last night and nothing. No led light or anything. Gonna check the fuse and if its a no go will be going straight back. There is no secret on off button I'm missing hidden somewhere?
even when i plug it in i get no indicator light. :(
I did kind of got it going. Trickey fecking thing to get going.
Have the bag made but not getting any vac seal. How long does it take to extract the air? Any ones I've used in the past you have to leave a few seconds and it pulls all the air at once. Industrial ones are not as noisy as well. Would go theough your head pretty quick.
please don't prolong my agony and just return for a refund :-[
Nigel
If you open the bag, then lift up the plastic flap thingy and slide it in between the open plastic bag.
I'll bet it works just fine
Quoteplease don't prolong my agony and just return for a refund :-[
You werent to know. Cheers for the tip anyway.
Yeah I think it'll be going back. Have no idea where the the receipt is though. :-?
Cheers Damo it actually works. Not a perfect seal but it'll do I think. Better than nothing. It was just about to get slung out the 3rd floor window.
No probs ;)
Whats to stop you sealing it up 2 or 3 times either end.
Also...
Give it as much downward pressure as you can when sealing and vacuming. This makes a huge difference :)
QuoteCheers Damo it actually works. Not a perfect seal but it'll do I think. Better than nothing. It was just about to get slung out the 3rd floor window.
I split one 400g bag of hops into 8 last night and the thought occurred to me.
QuoteI might wait until the following weekend and see your reviews. ;)
I'm so glad I let you guys test it out for me.
Thanks folks ;D
Ok round at Damos trying his
It worked perfectly well and to think I was embarrassed did any of you fellas read the instructions :(
Lift lid
Open bag and insert either side of transparent clip
Push down and lock lid until it clicks
Pump starts and away you go
Towards end apply sealer and Mary is your aunt
It does not suck a golf ball down a hosepipe as mine does but did a perfectly acceptable job considering it was a third of the cost and uses standard bags unlike the expensive ones I have
I got replies for various small commercial models akin to what butchers and used by HB comp.
Anywhere between €1500 and 2,200 depending rate of vacuum and bags between 30 and 50 cm.
So who is up for a group buy ;)
QuoteFirst bag I did went spiffingly well, as you describe above.
No other bag since (maybe 20 bags by now) has gone well!
I'll ask my driver to do it for you next time I'm up ;)
Just get a five dolla ho she will do the job for ya :o ;D
I peeled off the gold foil that is sitting on top of the heater wire. Seems to seal better with that gone.
Edit: Don't do this.... ::)
Not a risk, a guarantee. Its melting on them as we speak. Doesn't seem to matter when sealing alone but once you are trying to seal a vacuumed bag it melts.
QuoteI peeled off the gold foil that is sitting on top of the heater wire. Seems to seal better with that gone.
Edit: Don't do this.... ::)
:o
Its still working but plastic is being melted clean through when sealing. I'm amazed the bags are keeping their seal, it doesn't look pretty. I lost the receipt unfortunately.
*Cough* Surely someone has a 'spare' receipt for a working VacSealer *Cough*
So what's the concensus on these Lidl vac sealers? I definitely need one, so am thinking of this one. Anybody have this one, and care to comment on it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-James-Professional-Quality-Machine/dp/B001HBE5Y8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357571190&sr=8-1
thats the one that Padraic and I have and John is gettting its the dogs B, use parcel motel to save on shipping
Order an extra roll or two of the wider rolls and you will be set up for life
bags are expensive but it comes with enough even to repack even the shedloads you bought ;)
I have this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-James-Quality-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B001HBP7HW/ref=pd_cp_kh_0 which does the job just fine. I havent tried it on foil bags but it seals the ones it came with very well.
The other one looks good value at half price though.
that Professional one on Amazon Seems to be half price at the moment
link (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-James-Professional-Quality-Machine/dp/B001HBE5Y8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357733069&sr=8-1)
but it said half price on the tinterweb - it must be true :o
So the Andrew James is the way to go. Fed up with my crap liddyldi aldi one.
The NCB bag/roll order has just landed: Sneaked in amongst the bag order was a AJ pro model!
4 packs of bags, a pack of rolls so we are good to go!
Thanks to a bit of AJ over packing it incurred the PM oversize penalty but still less than half the price of UK to Dubland (€7)