I use it every once in awhile, but I still use my directional. The problem with the Anova is the size. The bags are pretty small and bigger bags won’t fit in the chamber. So it’s really only good for doing single serving type stuff.
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Brother Andrew is correct—it is small.
But we are only two, and I can process multiple bags for company. So far I really like it. I used the fall sale to get it for about 280 bucks.
Discounts for APO and other stuff
To vacuum seal bread products, you should freeze them first. They still compress some, but not nearly as much as when fresh and they tend to re-inflate when they thaw.
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Good tip! I had the same issue with some biscuits I wanted to save. Never even crossed my mind how strong the thing is but it quickly reminded me 
they didn’t exactly “spring back”…
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I bought one of these a few months back. It sat around for a while before I put it in the rotation and now use it pretty regularly, mostly for sous vide and big batch leftovers of things like pulled pork, cooked lamb, and beef stew. I plan to start using it to freeze fresh cuts of meat as well.
I’m going to give the replacement bags linked above a shot. The replacements I bought directly from Anova are much thinner than what came with the unit. Really not an issue except for when I seal freshly roasted coffee beans. Given the tight seal, the beans sometimes have a sharp enough edge to pierce the plastic.
Here’s the PE/Nylon bags I use for my VacMaster. They are very strong (never had one break), and should work fine in the Anova (several available sizes). I bought 1000 in 2017 and I’m about half way through.
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I have been using these same bags in my VacMaster VP112 for more than 10 years and have also never had one break or have contents poke through (even when sealing things like bone-in ribeye). I highly recommend them.
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The vacmaster website has lots of different bag sizes in 3, 4, and 5 mil thicknesses. https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/bags-rolls/chamber-vacuum-sealer-pouches/ they are having a 15% off sale right now on some bags. You have to purchase 500 or 1000 bags but it is far far less expensive then foodsaver or buying low quantities of bags. Happy purchaser of the vacmaster bags.
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I use 3 mil, which are super strong (never had one break). Check https://www.webstaurantstore.com too for a price comparison.
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Giving them a try.
Have you bought other items from them?
I’ve bought stuff from them (frozen fruit purees to be specific) and was happy with the service.
I bought a VacMaster chamber vacuum from them too. At the time, they had the best prices on the web, and I think shipping was free IIRC.
Haven’t had to deal with their customer service.
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They are our ‘go to’ source for almost all things kitchen related. I’m repeatedly impressed by their service - super quick shipping, great prices, and great quality. Repeat purchases beyond vacuum bags include Cambro storage containers, green scrub pads, and latex gloves. The only thing to watch is that shipping charges are on kind of an ‘actual cost’ basis and different items ship from different locations. Therefore it is not unusual that you might add a $2 item to an order and the shipping cost increases $8 (because that item is shipping from a different location). Conversely, as long as the items are coming from a common location, adding additional items can be surprisingly economical. I usually just take a look at the shipping price after adding each item to the cart to see whether any items spike the shipping and I might wait and include them in a future order.
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