1. Why you should purchase a Pump-N-Seal over a FoodSaver? There are many significant reasons for purchasing the PumpNSeal over the FoodSaver, but the most significant is the cost difference. Why invest over a hundred for the FoodSaver when you can purchase the pumpnseal for a fraction of the cost. Other reasons are that the pumpnseal is very portable and does not require batteries or any other form of electricity. Pumping the pumpnseal is very easy and it actually will pull a much stronger vacuum than the FoodSaver. You can use ordinary plastic bags and jars, which you can't use with the FoodSaver. Don't make the mistake and make a big investment in the FoodSaver without trying the PumpNSeal first!

2. How many Tab-cheks should I order? Estimate how many jars you will want to seal and then you'll only need one Tab-chek per jar, plus some extras for "just in case." I'm dehydrating hundreds of jars of food, so I need hundreds of Tab-cheks. Very good prices on bulk Tab-Chek rolls at <www.pump-n-seal.com>

3. Will anything else work to replace the Tab-cheks? No! It is one aspect of the whole system that makes it all work so well. The Tab-Chek is actually the "heart" of the entire vacuum-sealing system. Nothing that we know of, or the manufacturer knows of, will work. But they are so reasonably priced that it just makes sense to keep plenty on hand. Also, they are reusable to some extent, as long as you don't try to peel them off and apply to another lid, as they then distort and may leak. You can find them at <www.pump-n-seal.com>

4. Any additional uses? We use the PUMP-N-SEAL™ for our long-term storage of dehydrated food AND for short-term storage our of everyday food. We vacuum seal all our jars in the refrigerator — the jellies, relishes, condiments, and "left-overs" stay fresh longer. We vacuum seal our yeast and then store it in the freezer — it stays potent much longer than just regular storage. I appreciate fresh salad with all the fixings (loaded with 5-15 different veggies), but cutting up all those fresh veggies everyday is too time consuming. I can make a huge salad on Monday, vacuum seal it in glass jars (or use the Bowl-Seal lid to seal it in my own large bowls, pots or pans) and that salad stays fresh all week. I served a salad lunch to Kay and she thought I had made it the day before, she was amazed to hear it was two weeks old — thank you Pump-N-Seal. When I break into a nitrogen-packed(NP) pail of food, I either put a Gamma-seal™ lid on it (for items I use up quickly, example: wheat) or I move the ingredients into jars and vacuum seal them with my PUMP-N-SEAL™ (for items I won't use in less than a month).

5. How do YOU use the BOWL-SEAL™? Besides the regular marinating that it was designed to do, we discovered a healthy alternative. Since we aren't overly fond of eating blood, and we can't find kosher meat in our area, we had been rinsing our meat in water ("marinating" in water and then changing the water about every hour) — that process took about 24-hours until the water we poured off was clear. Now with the BOWL-SEAL™ Flav-O-Nator®, we can "instantly marinate" or rinse the meat and have meat ready to cook in less than one hour. This "water-marinating" process takes about 3 rinses depending on the meat (a thick roast will take longer than a thin steak). You can find the Bowl-Seal lids at <www.pump-n-seal.com>.

6. Do I need the video? The video explains things very well. If you have a question, you can just rewind the video and re-watch that part of the tape. It also gives ideas that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. The video really helped me because I learn better by watching something being done than just reading an instruction sheet. We realize there are people who can read the thorough instructions that come with it and do just great, but for some of us, the step-by-step demonstration is extremely helpful and well worth the small additional cost.

7. I've had trouble with Kerr lids not holding the seal, what did I do wrong? This question baffled us as we never had that problem so we went out and brought some Kerr lids and tried them on mason jars and yes, some of them did fail. They would "hold" for a day or so, but then we'd look a few days later and the lid was not sealed. So, we called the chief of our supplier company and he explained. The Kerr lids are made to work in the canning process — under HEAT. The rubber doesn't expand without the heat action. So, if you are using Kerr lids, you'll need to heat them first in boiling water. It is easier just to use Ball lids — every Ball lid we've used has worked wonderfully. We've had no problem with recycling other glass jars (peanut jars, jelly jars, pickle jars, etc) — they work great — and they are "free."

9. Are the Tab-cheks reusable? YES! That is one of the great features. I keep a Tab-chek on the jar lid and I can re-use it over and over again. I can reseal the same jar lid hundreds of times. I always keep plenty on hand. They keep forever and are very inexpensive when bought in a bulk roll. I found a great price on them at <www.pump-n-seal.com>.