*Floater*
Contributor
Just wanted to post about a neat appliance I found recently: The Reynolds Handi-Vac vacuum sealer.
Scuba uses:
- I store my Salvo li-ion battery in the fridge to extend it's life, but some people advise against this because it can result in condensation that may hurt the wiring. However, now I can vacuum seal the battery into a reusable ziploc bag along with a desiccant (1oz Moisture Muncher) packet to protect it from the resulting moisture.
- I also vacuum seal my camera Moisture Muncher capsules and packets when not in use, to keep them fresh.
- I vacuum seal and store in the fridge various other small extras that I'm not likely to need for a long time, such as extra o-rings (not the one's in my save-a-dive-kit), and extra pairs of latex dry gloves and such.
Cost: $10 for the stater kit; includes vacuum sealer, 6 AAs, several vacuum sealing bags. The bags retail for a little over $3 per carton of 9 gallon bags or 14 quart bags. They are reusable in principle, but if you put in something greasy, it's easier to buy new ones than to wash the grease off. And to save on batteries, you can either use rechargeables or recharge the disposable cells if you have a specialty recharger for disposable Alkaline cells. Or if you are handy with electronics, you can hook it up to an old ~9V-12V AC to DC power adapter.
Availability: They should have these at Wal-marts and such, but even my local Fresh Grocer carries the starter kits and bags.
Design: Works with special Reynolds ziploc bags. The bags come in quart and gallon sizes only, but that's all you need for most scuba uses. They are designed with special canals (i.e. a sheet of plastic with rough surface inside bag) to provide tracks for the sealer to suck the air out through, and a specialty port for the handi-vac 'snout' to connect to. The handi-vac itself has a removable, easy-to-clean, front chamber that catches liquids if you use it to vac-seal juicy meats and such.
Negatives: Read the reviews on Amazon; a small but significant portion of users complained that this thing didn't work. Personally, I think they were just doing something wrong. The thing has worked for me without fail every time, but I haven't had it very long. Of course, as a diver you'll know how to inspect and grease the o-rings at the snout and the front chamber. Also, you do need the specialty bags, so if the product (and bags) get pulled, then you are screwed.
Scuba uses:
- I store my Salvo li-ion battery in the fridge to extend it's life, but some people advise against this because it can result in condensation that may hurt the wiring. However, now I can vacuum seal the battery into a reusable ziploc bag along with a desiccant (1oz Moisture Muncher) packet to protect it from the resulting moisture.
- I also vacuum seal my camera Moisture Muncher capsules and packets when not in use, to keep them fresh.
- I vacuum seal and store in the fridge various other small extras that I'm not likely to need for a long time, such as extra o-rings (not the one's in my save-a-dive-kit), and extra pairs of latex dry gloves and such.
Cost: $10 for the stater kit; includes vacuum sealer, 6 AAs, several vacuum sealing bags. The bags retail for a little over $3 per carton of 9 gallon bags or 14 quart bags. They are reusable in principle, but if you put in something greasy, it's easier to buy new ones than to wash the grease off. And to save on batteries, you can either use rechargeables or recharge the disposable cells if you have a specialty recharger for disposable Alkaline cells. Or if you are handy with electronics, you can hook it up to an old ~9V-12V AC to DC power adapter.
Availability: They should have these at Wal-marts and such, but even my local Fresh Grocer carries the starter kits and bags.
Design: Works with special Reynolds ziploc bags. The bags come in quart and gallon sizes only, but that's all you need for most scuba uses. They are designed with special canals (i.e. a sheet of plastic with rough surface inside bag) to provide tracks for the sealer to suck the air out through, and a specialty port for the handi-vac 'snout' to connect to. The handi-vac itself has a removable, easy-to-clean, front chamber that catches liquids if you use it to vac-seal juicy meats and such.
Negatives: Read the reviews on Amazon; a small but significant portion of users complained that this thing didn't work. Personally, I think they were just doing something wrong. The thing has worked for me without fail every time, but I haven't had it very long. Of course, as a diver you'll know how to inspect and grease the o-rings at the snout and the front chamber. Also, you do need the specialty bags, so if the product (and bags) get pulled, then you are screwed.
