I Tried the New Snack Sealer That Amazon Shoppers Highly Recommend

Right now, just about everyone is trying to figure out how to make their groceries last longer — whether it’s fresh produce, raw meat, or even bags of chips. Which brings me to this Segminismart handheld mini bag sealer.

This battery-powered vacuum sealer uses heat to re-seal just about anything that comes in a bag. It’s a best-seller on Amazon with a decent number of five-star reviews — but it also has its fair share of one-star reviews. Also, heads up, though, batteries aren’t included. I decided to check this gadget out for myself.

If you read through some of the glowing reviews, you’d think this device is super- intuitive to use the first time; that is not the case. At least it wasn’t for me. So you don’t struggle the way I did, here are a few tips to get started.

1. Put the batteries in the correct way: OK before you judge me, hear me out. On the front of the sealer, there’s a plus sign on one end and a minus on the other, so I ended up putting both batteries facing the same direction — a true Millennial mistake. (What? I don’t use a ton of batteries!)
2. Take the hook off: The sealer arrives with a hook attached to it, so you can hang it up somewhere for storage. You must take the hook off in order to use it.
3. Heat the sealer for at least five seconds: To heat it up, you hold the sealer ends together for a few seconds. I’d recommend at least five, and counting really slowly. One one thousand, two one thousand … 

Once I finally got the device to work, though, I totally understood why it has all those glowing reviews. To seal a bag, you simply hold the ends together to warm it up (seriously, though, count slowly otherwise it won’t do a thing), place the bag between the clamps, then slowly pull the sealer across the bag. It’ll melt the two edges together, creating an airtight seal. (If it’s not completely airtight, just repeat the process.) 

The seal it creates is so strong that the bag literally has to be cut back open, which is what the other end of this device is for. Instead of sealing, when you slide this end across the bag, it cuts the bag open (though I found that using a regular pair of scissors works better).

So, if you love to snack (especially if you’re a big chip person), this tool is definitely worth checking out. It’s definitely way more effective than any bag clip you’re going to use, and arguably better than a lot of resealable bags, too. And at just $17 (with Prime shipping) right now, it’s a small price to pay to extend the shelf life of your snacks.

How do you deal with open bags of snacks? Have you tried this?