Overview
The food storage container industry is actually pretty big business. There are dozens of companies that are making their money just producing plastic and glass storage units for leftovers and lunch containers. When you think about it, it is a pretty important part of the kitchen, and if you don’t have a reliable way to store your food you could end up throwing out a lot of perfectly good food, which is pretty much the same as throwing money away. So let’s see if this is the fix we’ve been waiting for.
The Claim
freshvac claims that their containers suck out the air, and they say the proof is there because with certain foods like dry cereal you can watch the food get blown out of the way when you unlock the seal. They also say that it is the air that gets trapped in with the food that causes the spoiling. There is some truth to this, because that is why vacuum sealed food products seem to last so long. All that is required is pumping the air out by pressing on the top of the lid. The seal on the top is easy enough to undo, releasing the vacuum pressure, and allowing you easy access to your food.
The Hype
The hype comes from so many companies coming out with different ways of storing your food, and no one coming up with the killer app that totally takes over the industry. There are still plastic baggies, vacuum sealers, food storage containers with airtight seals but no vacuum, disposable containers, and glass ones as well. All of them would have you believe that they are the end-all be-all to your food storage concerns. But unfortunately none of them have been able to seal the deal, so to speak.
The Cost
There is a wide assortment of freshvac containers, but just to give you an example of the kind of prices you will see, they have a 10 cup square container for $15. This makes them more expensive than the disposable kind of containers you can find at your local supermarket. But they are designed to be dishwasher safe, and can also go in the microwave and freezer, so they should last you long enough to justify the additional expense.
The Commitment
When you think about it, finding the right food storage container could really result in you spending less time shopping at the grocery store. If you save enough food to replace a few meals a week with leftovers, that is two meals that you don’t have to shop for, prepare, cook, and clean up after. That’s a lot of time savings, in addition to not wasting the food by having to toss it out. It depends on how far you want to take it, and how dedicated you are to storing all of the food that’s left over after dinner.
Evaluation
The concept behind freshvac containers is a sound one, and you can see how they would work just by using them. Pressing the air out of the specialized valve makes it so that you get the equivalent of a vacuum seal for your food. Releasing that seal and hearing the sound that it makes is proof positive that it was actually able to keep that seal while it was storing your food. Out of the reviews that are coming in, it’s showing that the sealing mechanism does in fact work, but the rub is that it doesn’t work for long.
When put to the real world test they don’t live up to their expectations, with most users saying that they do provide a tight seal at the beginning, but aren’t able to hold it. They also say that with repeated use they break rather easily, and the hinges on the sides don’t hold up. This is rather unfortunate, since they had so much potential.
We had
high hopes for freshvac food storage containers, but the number of people that have said they don’t work very well is hard to ignore. You can still try them out if you want, but just be sure to set reasonable expectations for them, and don’t expect them to blow your mind the way they first appear like they will. The overriding consensus is that you have to be very delicate with these, and through regular use they just don’t last.Our Recommendation
With so many different options available to you in the world of food storage containers, it’s not the end of the world that these don’t work as well as you might’ve hoped. There are products like the OXO Good Grips that are specially designed to fit your hand well and are able to open and close with just one hand. Then there are the Kinetic Go Green containers that are infused with nano-particles that are supposed to be able to kill the bacteria that is responsible for spoiled food.
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View Comments
I purchased two sets (5 containers of the clear "commercial" designation cost me about $150) at a Home Expressions show in Manitoba about 15 years ago. Was told there was a lifetime warranty. I am careful with whatever I own; they worked well at first but after 4 years the seals quit working on the ones I used every day (butter and bread storage). A year ago the closure snaps on the side started to fall apart. A week ago my bread bin fell out of my hands on my floor (not tile) and cracked. Into the garbage. Over the years I've tried to contact them but the company has vanished. They were attractive containers but did not live up to the hype
If they actually work they are great. The problem is most of the time they do not seal. Virtually every time you have to remove all seals and make sure they are thoroughly clean and dry. When you’ve done that you have about a 10% chance of them sealing. A couple of mine never seal at all. They are rubbish. The people do not answer emails at all which makes it IMPOSSIBLE to get in touch with them to rectify the problems. They know they have many problems and are simply thieves by refusing to accept my emails and by continuing to sell them. Do not buy this product and I for one will tell all of their potential customers next time I see them at a show peddling their rubbish.
I also purchased a set of containers from two older ladies at a Caravan & Camping Show only to find 2 of the 3 containers would not seal. Over the last 5 months I have rang them 8 times and left messages as well as sending 2 emails. With NO REPLY!! After reading the feedback from other purchasers I now know why they do not return phone calls -
Too many faulty containers/parts to replace under warranty. Having said that I Can’t believe they still have the audacity to sell this faulty product... Eager to take your money and take no further responsibility.
We purshased ours years ago and they are good but all of the handles became brittle and fell off. I can't seem to find anyone that can assist me and it been siting in my cupboard for 2 years unused. I'm even willing to pay for new handles but finding someone to talk to is an ongoing battle. Going in the bin after this weekend if I don't hear anything back from Lynette. Been trying for 2 years to get a response from them so not having high hopes. Would I recommend it. Nooooooooo!!!
We purchased 2 sets at a Caravan & Camping show this year, 1 for home 1 for caravan. Seem to work well now with the exception that 1 of the lids didn't have a seal. Rang & left 3 messages sent 2 emails & this lady that calls herself professional, does not even give the common courtesy of reply. Steer clear of this scam artist.
We purchased 3 of these and 1 is faulty, the warranty is worthless, they have not answered multiple emails or phone calls. After sales service is very poor to say the least.
I would recommend staying away from them, they are not as good as they are made out to be.
I don't think they will last very long.
Bought three - after the valve no longer working on one, it then cracked. Contacted them and asked where I could purchase replacement parts and they didn't even have the decency to reply. I paid $75 for them at the Essendon market.
Please, let me know how I can buy new valves to replace the actual that are not very good. I love this
vacuum food storage .
Thanks
These actually look pretty good. My grandma has them in her fridge because she insists on keeping every scrap of every meal ever eaten in her house. which means that she never has any room in her fridge because these things do the job so well. You wouldn't think that you could actually get all the air out of them with such a little movement in the lid, but I guess when they are closed with the seals closed, there isn't much air left inside. Really good food container. I definitely recommend.
Our family has used these Freshvac containers for several years, and as long as the rims and seals are kept clean they work very well. Not one has broken in more than 4 years, and that's after dropping them on hard time floors and constantly running them through the dishwasher. We'd like to buy more, but unfortunately it appears the company is no longer in business. . The website is shut down. Sad.