the sealer does not actually seal the bags, it vacuums fine, but doesn't not seal the bag, rendering it useless. Sunbeam have clearly done ZERO testing on this product before they launched it.

From brand new it won’t vacuum the air out of the bag properly then it tries to seal it an doesn’t seal it
Waste of money won’t be buying another one

This works far better than my earlier more expensive machine - good vacuum, good seal, quick and easy to operate as long as one follows the instructions that are common to all such machines.

Doesn't suck all the air out and the sealing is terrible.
I purchased expensive bags and still had trouble with the vacuuming and sealing.
Only good thing I can say is that it was easy to store because it was small and compact. 1 out of 10 rating

Used my new Foodsaver VS4500 for the first time today so disappointed as it does not work at all ! The tips that the Sunbeam rep has provided should not be necessary ! Not their fault at all. This is not good for Sunbeams reputation as we have been a customer for years! Does not vacuum would be better off with ziplock bags. In some instances the shoddy device does not even seal. Last time this sucker will be purchasing a sunbeam product. Very disappointed. 0 out of 10

I bought it in February and did not need to use until now. Put roll in, plugged it in and no power. Not happy with this unit. Am sure to return to seller.

How does it power on, I just bought this and there’s no power light.... did I get a faulty one? Any help here would be great as I’d love to test it out

In following instructions and demo, we have found that though putting the opening on the bag into the channel, the vaccume isn't strong enough or work at all. Having only purchased it yesterday and using it for the first time this evening, it will be returned to BIG W with hope of refund. It's clear from other internet product reviews this is a very common problem.

Used it today to seal a few kilos of chopped vegetables. Worked on 4 small bags and on the 5th bag motor blew up, let out a puff of smoke and now stuck with a pile of vegetables l can't seal and freeze. Not impressed.

Bought this Foodsaver from Bing Lee about 4 weeks ago, to pack half a cow's worth of meat. Once you work out how it works best for you, it quickly becomes indispensable, it has earned a permanent spot on my benchtop. Apart from meat, I have packed green beans, garlic, limes, dried fruit, etc
To make it easier to keep the top edges of the bag aligned properly, I use a rectangular shallow 900ml Decor plastic container in front of the machine to support the bag. If you just have it resting on your benchtop, the weight of the contents tend to drag the whole thing down and you may not get a proper seal.

Purchased the Sunbeam VS4500 with Flybys points and really wished I hadn't. I've been trying to vacuum seal food all weekend for our Xmas camping holiday and the vacuum/seal just wont hold. Thought it was me but after reading reviews I guess it might not be. So disappointed!

I bought this vs4500 on ebay. The vacuuming is too weak. It doesn't vacuum at all. Plenty of air still in vacuum bag. I'm so disappointed with Sunbeam vs4500 Foodsaver.

I purchased the VAC780 food saver some years back now, don’t know exactly when, maybe 2013. It was so bad, that I gave up after many tries and put it in a cupboard. I recently got it out, bought new bags, thought I’d try again, but still insufficient vacuum to remove air and shoddy sealing. Are there better models these days or should I be looking at other brands? I always avoid sunbeam brand products because of my experience with this machine. But if they’ve improved, maybe I’ll reconsider.

I purchased this appliance at Myers boxing day sale I had, from the onset, problems to get it to operate sucessfully and took it back, where Myers promptly replaced it, but alas the replacement was no different, and does not work efficiently, I discovered that if you apply finger pressure to the lid that it will work well, but not all the time, it really is a matter of finding the right spot to apply finger pressure to, I bought a Sunbeam because of the brand reputation, but this quite frankly, is a piece of frustrating junk If you are in the market for a food saver stay clear of the Sunbeam VS4500 and save yourself disappointment

The Sunbeam Food Saver is exactly that. A food saver!. Very easy to use and sits nicely on my kitchen bench. Can prepare food in advance and then vacuum seal. Have used for home made pastas, salami, vegetables, fresh lettuce, vegetables. The list goes on. I also use it for storing things when we go camping. Affordable and excellent quality!!

It vacuums . It deals. But then if you store it in the cupboard that bag will let air in slowly over a day or so and you will loose seal