Reynold’s New Handi-Vac is Handier Than it Looks

Ever since discovering how much easier Space-Bags make packing a suitcase, I’ve wanted something similar for use in the refrigerator, pantry, and workshop. Finally it is here. For about $10 plus the cost of the disposable bags, the Handi-Vac sucks all the air out of small packages of whatever needs to be kept dry and clean. I think the manufacturers are making a mistake promoting the product as being primarily used for packaging raw meat for the freezer. The first thing I tried packaging with my new Handi-Vac was a handful of AA batteries.

Concerned about cross-contamination of food products, Reynold’s discourages reusing the bags, but for non-food use, the bags certainly can be used over and over again. Many food items, too, can be placed inside a less expensive smaller bag and then vacuum sealed in the special Handi-Vac suction bags. If the bags are carefully labeled and used for the same kind of food, such as a few crackers loosely covered with plastic wrap, for example, there would certainly be no problem in turning the bag inside out, washing and drying it well to reuse again and again.

Contrary to my expectations, this device has strong suction, as effective as other much more expensive devices I have used, but with the portability they lacked.
However, one complaint I do have about ziplock-type bags in general, including these remarkable Reynold’s bags, is that they are hard for me to close repetitively.

That got me to thinking about how to improve this device. I borrowed one of the removable blue sliders from a SpaceBag and found that it did indeed slip right over the top of the Reynold’s bag and that helped with the closing. Instead of pressing hard and having to go back several ltimes to ensure a seal, with the slider, I could be certain of a good seal the first try. However I wanted a more comfortable grip, so I tried folding a thin silicon potholder in quarters and used that to grab the blue slider. That helped a lot. Note that this is certainly not necessary for light use, but I seal many items in these wonderful bags, and wanted a more streamlined approach. So after using the ergonomic hand-held vacuum to remove the air from my package, I just run the slider off the end of the zipper to remove it from the bag which is ready to label and store and the slider is ready to use on the next bag.

Reynold’s really should consider improving on this design and including a comfort grip slider in their starter kit. Until then, this product is a vast improvement over the storage methods that were previously available, especially for preserving items such as a few slices of peeled apple, half an avocado, or even, for those who are interested, for use in vacuum packing meat for the freezer.