FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer VS-0160 In-depth Review
Overall Verdict
The FoodSaver VS-0160 is a steal for its price, excelling in both dry and moist food tests. It has a budget-friendly price tag but offers a premium design with a metal top lid. While it lacks extra features like a bag cutter, its outstanding build quality means that it’s guaranteed to last.
If you want a no-frills vacuum sealer that gets the job done, the FoodSaver VS-0160 makes for a pretty solid choice.
Things We Like
- Affordable for what it can do
- Excellent vacuum sealing performance
- Beautifully designed and well-built
- The lid actuates smoothly and has a storage lock
- Relatively quiet
Things We Don’t Like
- Safety could be improved with stickers that warn new users about the heat bar.
- No extra feature.
The FoodSaver VS-0160, an affordable choice within the FoodSaver product range, ranks among the top-rated vacuum sealers available today. The fact that FoodSaver is a very well-regarded brand in the market only adds to its appeal.
We've bought a unit and thoroughly tested it in our lab to see how well it performs and evaluate its design and ease of use. See for yourself if it's the right choice for you!
8.3 Performance
The FoodSaver VS-0160 delivers exceptional performance, ranking among the top performers in our batch with an impressive total performance score of 8.0 in both the dry and moist food tests.
8.3 Max Suction Strength Test
In the dry food test, the FoodSaver VS-0160 stood out with its high suction power. Our vacuum gauge recorded peak vacuums of 62 kPA and 63 kPA in the two respective tests. The black rice grains we used for testing were tightly packed with no visible air pockets inside. It also impressed our reviewers with its speedy performance by completing a full working cycle, including sealing, in just 11 seconds.
6.0 Crunchy Food Breakage Test
10 Beef for Sous Vide Test
8.8 Design
The FoodSaver VS-0160 stands out with its metallic top piece. Its sleek and elegant design earned top marks for build quality from our reviewers. Components such as the control panel and the lid also received perfect scores in our evaluation. However, the VS-0160 lacks extra features, like a bag cutter, which is disappointing.
In the Box
In the shipping box of the FoodSaver VS-0160, other than the product itself, you’ll find the following:
- Rolls and sheets of pre-cut plastic bags
- Instruction manual
Dimensions
The FoodSaver VS-0160 is quite average in this department. It won't hog much of your countertop space. The sealer is also lightweight, making it easy for most people to move around, which is handy if you need to store it away after use.
9.5 Build Quality
The FoodSaver VS-0160 is mostly made of plastic, which keeps it both affordable and lightweight. However, the top piece has a metallic sheen, which gives it a premium appearance and feel despite the price tag.
Inside the sealer, you’ll find a green removable drip tray made from bright green plastic. Slotted right into the vacuum channel, it’ll help catch excess moisture when you’re vacuum-packing particularly moist or juicy food. When the sealer’s not in use, the bar also doubles as a dust shield for the vacuum channel.
At the bottom, the vacuum sealer has grippy feet to prevent it from sliding, even on wet countertops
All components, including the heat bar and the foam seal around the vacuum channel, are well-made.
However, the sealer's fit and finish leave room for improvement. When the lid is closed, noticeable gaps appear between it and the body of the sealer. Fortunately, this doesn't affect the sealing performance, but it does detract from the overall aesthetics and gives the impression of a less well-crafted device upon closer inspection.
10 Control Panel
The control panel is simple, with just three buttons. You've got the "Vacuum" button to start the vacuum process, and right next to it, the "Seal" button for sealing bags.
Over on the far right, there's a smaller "Mode" button, which lets you easily switch between dry and moist food settings.
Above the “Vacuum” and “Seal” buttons are indicator lights. These lights pulse gently during each stage of the working cycle (vacuuming, then sealing.) When they stop flashing, that’s your cue that the cycle’s completed.
10 Lid
The lid of the VS-0160 is very well-constructed. The hinges remained rock-solid even when we shook it during our test, showing no signs of wobbling. When we applied pressure to close the lid, the locks engaged effortlessly without requiring much force.
A unique feature of the FoodSaver VS-0160 that sets it apart is its storage lock. When you’re storing the sealer, you can switch the slider on the side to "Store" mode. This locks up the lid and won't release even when you push the release latches. This design prevents the sealer from accidentally opening during storage, effectively keeping dirt and dust out.
1.0 Extra Features
The Foodsaver VS-0160 comes with a removable drip tray to make vacuum-packing moist food more convenient.
8.2 Usability
The FoodSaver VS-0160 is highly user-friendly. We didn't encounter any difficulties when closing the lid or inserting the bag into the vacuum channel. While there's room for improvement in safety and an audible chime to track the working progress could be a useful addition, there aren't many issues to nitpick in this department.
8.5 Ease of Use
The handling experience of the FoodSaver VS-0160 can be best described as "seamless," according to our reviewers. The control panel is user-friendly. However, the lid can be quite hard to close, and you'll need to use both hands to make sure it shuts properly. This makes it tricky to operate the sealer with just one hand.
8.0 Safety & Noise
Safety could be enhanced with the addition of a warning sticker to caution new users that it can get hot after use. Currently, there are no warnings inside the sealer, and all safety information is in the user manual, which some users may not read.
The VS-0160 is relatively quiet compared to other models we've tested. In our dry food test, we measured a peak loudness of 77.9 dBA.
7.0 Indicator Lights and Chime
The indicator lights are bright, and, by looking at the way they pulse, you can track the working progress of the vacuum sealer throughout a working cycle. The FoodSaver VS-0160 doesn’t come with an audible chime.