FoodSaver V4400 Review

In a class of highly competitive products, the FoodSaver V4400 earned a leading position as a vacuum bag sealing workhorse. Where others require downtime after just a handful of bags, this Clydesdale keeps up the pace. Moreover, this sealer has several features like bag storage and an auxiliary pump that make it a pleasure to work with instead of a chore. All told, this machine left us with little to criticize, save the considerable price.

Performance Comparison

Sealing Performance

Sealing performance looks at the aspects that collectively add up to a quality vacuum-sealed package. Our tests for this metric included the time to seal, the number of bags that the machine can seal consecutively, and the thickness of the seal itself. Suction strength, an essential aspect of vacuum sealing, is evaluated separately. This score is at the top of the group and only shared by the Amazon Basics Vacuum Sealer and the Weston Pro 2300.

We begin our sealing analysis by timing the start-to-finish time it took for the machines to seal up to four different foods: dry rice, ground beef, sausage links, and sliced bread. While the V4400 did well with the bread, all other foods required above-average times to package them. However, the V4400 made up lost ground by sealing 30 bags in a row without requiring a cool-down — an impressive feat to be sure and way above what the rest of the competition could do. This outcome is partly made possible by the narrow and, perhaps less durable, seal produced by the heating element. At just 2mm in width, the seal created by the V4400 is below the class average. While it would impede productivity speed, it's worth noting that you could seal each bag twice if one 2mm seal doesn't seem sufficient and still work through an impressive number of bags.

Convenience

As the name suggests, the convenience metric evaluates both the benefit and ease of use of a vacuum sealer. Specifically, we looked at features that make a product easy to use, such as the control interface, accessories, and tools. We also made observations about cleaning and handling. The FoodSaver V4400 is undoubtedly a titan in this aspect. It earned one of the highest scores in the group.

While titan is often an overused term, the performance of the V4400 relevant to its peers warrants this preeminent designation. Before we get into what makes this unit so great, let's get our one critique out of the way. Simply put, the V4400 is big and heavy. 7.8 pounds, to be exact, this is a significant increase compared to the 2.7 lbs of the Mueller. This relatively minor physical anomaly aside, the unit has all the little ease of use designs that one could ask for in a sealer. Of primary interest are the onboard bag roll storage and cutting tool. Also, we enjoyed the auxiliary pump hose that allows you to remove air from a variety of containers. Considering that this sealer is designed for production, it's nice that most of the sealing process is automated. However, as we will see, this feature poses some problems when packaging delicate foods such as berries for a smoothie.

Delicate Foods

Packaging delicate foods is a bit more demanding than the uninitiated may think at first. Having experience with such matters, we devised a test to assess each machine for this subtle capability. As was mentioned above, the V4400 struggles with treating fragile foods with care.

The delicate food test is simple but revealing. We take two slices of bread and go through the sealing process as usual. However, as the vacuum bag starts taking the shape of the contents, we begin to pulse the motor on and off. This process allows the air time to work towards the bag opening sans constriction. On many units, this is a very effective technique. However, the V4400's automated action prevents such an operation. The airy open crumb of the white bread we used resembled pita bread after sealing.

Suction Power

The suction power analysis is purely objective as it is simply a measure of pressure expressed in inches of mercury (in. Hg). The FoodSaver V4400 delivered a middling performance in this analysis pulling just 16 in Hg. While this is not a huge deal — and certainly not a deal-breaker for us — it does mean that the unit does not even approach a true vacuum.

Should You Buy the FoodSaver V4400?

Collectively, our tested categories flip over every practical stone in the hunt for a top-tier machine, and the FoodSaver V4400 proved itself to be one of our favorite vacuum sealers. If you need to seal many bags in the shortest amount of time and aren't worried about crushing delicate foods, this is undoubtedly one of the best options to consider.

What Other Vacuum Sealers Should You Consider?

The V4400 cost a pretty penny, to be sure. On top of that, its overall performance was good but not top of the class. However, the fact that it excelled in sealing performance and convenience goes a long way. That said, we still think that the unit is more than a bit overpriced. If you are willing to sacrifice some convenience, the top two models that we tested both cost significantly less and delivered better performance in most metrics. The Mueller Vacuum Sealer is your best bet for delicate foods. The Amazon Basics Vacuum Sealer is a high-performing yet affordable option that also does well with soft foods and offers a bit more in terms of sealing performance and convenience than the machine mentioned above.