This will probably surprise you, but we've been using a Foodsaver vacuum sealer for many, many years. Yesterday, we decided it was time to upgrade to the new model. OMG, this thing rocks on so many levels, here's what it now looks like:

What makes this superior to the older models? Well, here's a few highlights:

• It's form factor is much better, making it fit into your kitchen more easily. We now keep ours out all the time, nicely ticked up against the wall.
• The roll of plastic is integrated with the Foodsaver now (on top of the vacuum unit), so there's no extra holders to keep around. It's really easy to extract and cut a bag to size from the roll.
• It is much easier to use, as soon as you enter the plastic "bag", it'll detect this, automatically position it into the vacuum chamber, and start.
• The attachment hose for vacuum sealing containers is built in to the unit, and is nicely retractable. This probably means we'll be using vacuum sealable containers and lids more often.

The new Foodsaver also have a bunch of options when using the device, for sealing sensitive items, or for marinating meat etc. All in all, I'm really happy with this "upgrade", well worth spending the $150 on it even though our old Foodsaver (10 years old) was still working fine.