Cooking for 2 usually yields some leftovers. Considering a sealer so we aren't limited to what can be kept in the fridge for a few days. I'm guessing that the real expense is the cost of the bags over time...am I correct?
If you have a sealer you like, what brand do you recommend?
What features are you looking for in a sealer? Do you want a basic sealer that just vacuums and seals? Or do you want other features like roll holder and cutter? Plus, do you plan on sealing mason jars/canisters? If so, then you want one that has that feature.
I've owned 4 Foodsaver brand sealers in the past. They are older. Two of them had trouble keeping a seal. One I gave a way because it didn't have a roll holder which I liked.
The one I like (and still own) is a totally manual original type made in Italy (Tillia). Plus, I had a Vacupack equivalent but sold at ebay. Maybe just as important is the type of bag used. With Foodsaver bags, I've had varying results.
The best bags I used are Vacstrip bags where the center of the bag has a strip (thus the name) where air leaves for vacuuming, instead of the entire bag like the common Foodsaver ones.
I like the old original Foodsaver machines because not only do they have a roll holder, cutter and canister port, but also if the machine does happen to suck up too much juice (which can happen if you buy, say chicken leg quarters or pork chops and vacuum seal them to avoid freezer burn), the juices leave through the bottom of the machine and need cleaning, but won't mess up the pump like many others.
As for the more recent Foodsavers, I never tried. Perhaps others here have.
As mentioned in my previous post, for vacuum sealing meats, I also have a chamber sealer which is a bit of a beast (weighs about 50 lbs and a loud pump) but I get great results, even with cheap chamber type bags.