Review of FoodSaver mylar bags

[MaryB]

As I promised I was going to review some mylar bags I found that work with some FoodSaver vacuum machines. They are thick and heavy duty so if you can get a seal they will work well to protect hops.

I had to seal twice to get a seal and after the sealing bar heated up they worked much better so maybe sacrifice some of a regular bag roll to do about 10 seals in a row to get the machine hot.

The smallest available size right now is quart. I will be cutting them into 1/4's and sealing the edges to make smaller bags for 1oz hop bags to break down bulk hops after I open a bag. For this test I cut it in half for the test and to give me a no scissors needed way to open it(they come with a tear notch).

This is what they looked like after sealing some small leftover hop amounts.

You can get some samples from here for $6.99 http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/IMG_20160709_1506096821_zpsrnbg9qsc.jpg

Regular FoodSaver bags are NOT an oxygen barrier! After a year they leak in and I have often found a bag of food that had lost all vacuum after 9 months.

 

[day_trippr]

"Well, actually"...Foodsaver bags do in fact employ a PET oxygen barrier inner layer under a nylon outer.
It's the same material used in all kinds of barrier applications.
And I have bags of hops still sucked tight after two years in my freezer.
If they were admitting oxygen, they'd be flaccid.

Obviously, you need to achieve a perfect seal or it's game over from the jump. Hop petals and resin can conspire against this.
And sticks and strigs can punch holes in the bags, either immediately or when rummaging through a stack in the freezer...

Cheers!

 

[MaryB]

Yes but they STILL leak O2! Not enough for a flaccid bag but enough to initiate oxidation. Temperature makes a difference, colder the better. Mylar is a much better O2 barrier! And these bags are twice as thick as a FoodSaver brand bag and maybe 75% thicker than the generic bags I buy.

 

[doug293cz]

Yes but they STILL leak O2! Not enough for a flaccid bag but enough to initiate oxidation. Temperature makes a difference, colder the better. Mylar is a much better O2 barrier! And these bags are twice as thick as a FoodSaver brand bag and maybe 75% thicker than the generic bags I buy.

You do know that "Mylar" is just a trademarked brand name for PET don't you?

Brew on

 

[MaryB]

Mylar bags have a layer of aluminum in them. It acts as the O2 barrier.

 

[imasickboy]

I've switched to vacuum sealed mason jars for pellets. A pound fits in a quart jar.

 

[day_trippr]

Mylar bags have a layer of aluminum in them. It acts as the O2 barrier.

Vapor-deposited aluminum over a flexible substrate is not going to form a gas barrier.
The actual barrier is the same PET material as found inside a Foodsaver bag...

Cheers!

 

[passedpawn]

I've been using a foodsaver for a long time to store foods and hops. Occasionally one will not seal tight (immediately leaks). I attribute that to some contamination at the seal. But 99% hold a tight vacuum, indefinitely.

Advantages of the mylar bags:

• Reflective layer to eliminate IR heating (not likely an issue) and block UV exposure (might be an issue for hops, but not if in fridge)
• Writing on pkg is easier to see
• Look cool!

These advantages are so minor for me that I wouldn't consider changing. I buy economy bags (not Foodsaver brand) and I get them in 8" rolls.