There are two sizes of the FS canning jar attachments. One is meant for regular mouth canning jars, and the other is for the larger mouth canning jars. Yes, they use the exact same lids used in home canning. The lids are placed on top of the jar, and the attachment is pushed down over it to make a seal between a rubber ring and the glass bead just below the threads of the jars. Once air is pulled out, and you pull off the vacuum hose from the attachment, a tiny 'slug' of air, blasts into the small vacuum hole and the lid is forced down onto the jar and seals it. You remove the attachement then and rinse off the jar if its wet. The seal is very strong and is usually far better than a regular canning process would do. As mentoned, The FS vacuum pump is NOT powerful enough to be safely used as an alternative to regular canning processing. Besides that, if the very small vacuum pump inside the FS gets any trace of moisture in it, it can cause damage to the FS machine. I use a much higher powered piston type vacuum pump and also have a water/moisture trap on the vacuum line. The pump I have quickly goes down to 30 inches, which is sufficient for a decent vacuum. I also vacuum seal dried herbs like dill weed. It remains very fragrent and bright green color, even after 2 years of storage.

I'm a Food Saver fan, too. Have NEVER had a new one... all from yard sales or thrift stores. When I bought the first, new to me, unit... after asking if it WORKED (and being assured that it did), asked WHY they were selling it. Seller said she got it because the commercials convinced her she'd save a ton on "family size" packages of meat. When it became apparent to her that a big package of chicken (in nothing more than supermarket packaging) had NO real chance of getting freezer burned in a household with 2 adults and 2 TEEN boys, she quit using it. I'm cooking for 1, so the FS is perfect for me. A typical package of boneless/skinless chicken breasts usually consists of 3-4 BIG pieces... WAY more than I want for dinner... even considering left-overs for lunch. Same with ground meat... smallest packages usually about a pound... too much for one person. I find packages between 1 & 1.5 lbs and vac seal half for later. A half to 3/4 lb is plenty for make something like chili for me. Have found a LOT of their canisters. Like them for DRY stuff that won't necessarily go bad, but will get stale. Found sometimes seal fails... and I'll find the teeniest of crack (on bottom)... at that point the piece is pretty much shot for vac sealing. I LOVE that thing that lets you seal in Mason jars! It's NOT to replace canning, but is great for little pastas, rice, beans, grains. Can be opened and resealed several times... as long as ya don't dent/bend lid. Would work great for storing herbs/spices/rubs. Would love to find LARGE Mason jars... like GALLON size, if they even make that big?? Early this summer, I made MAJOR yard sale finds on FS stuff. Combined total from 2 different sales... well over 50$ worth of bags and rolls to make bags AND a FS unit (called something like Deluxe Game-something & priced on Amazon for something like $139)... for $10! I have never seen the bags ever go "on sale" anywhere, so now I'm set for a good long time.

I have had one for a couple months and so far find it does what it is supposed to do. I think I paid a little under $10 for it and the bags are around $3-4 per box; 14 qt and 9 gal size. To me it seals better than the large one I have sitting in the closet. I am not sure it would do a good job on something that has a lot of liquid, though. I noticed in the Sunday paper there was a coupon for $3 off....of course, after I had already paid full price!

1. Universal Lid can be sealed with the hand-held FreshSaver - no hose or lid sealer needed. I'm glad you asked, I've never tried using the FreshSaver for that task. The Universal Lids come in two sizes and you can use them on any "solid" container that has a smooth rim. I do have one concern using the FreshSaver instead of the FoodSaver with hose and jar sealer. When all the air is out of the container, the FoodSaver stops. You're never really sure that's true using the hand-held FreshSaver. You might want to call FoodSaver and talk to them for more information. 2. From FoodSaver user manual: To Vacuum with Mason Jar - Always pre-soak new metal lids. Bring water to boil, then turn off. Pre-soak lids 5-10 minutes. Helpful hint: Make sure your lids are separated during this process. When you do several lids at a time they tend to stack. I love my little Lid Sterilizing Rack for this process. You can put 12 regular or wide-mouth lids in the rack, which keeps the lids separated for maximum exposure to the hot water 3. It works great for salad greens, just make sure you do NOT vacuum-seal strong smelling vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Do not vacuum package whole avocados with their pits, but I do vacuum-seal guacamole and it will stay fresh much longer. 4. If you have a Tuesday Morning store near you, you might want to look there for FoodSaver items. That's where I got my FreshSaver. I also bought a FoodSaver there for $60 (included bags, rolls of bags, 1 canister, jar sealer and hose). 5. One thing to keep in mind with a new dehydrator, make sure it has a variable temperature thermostat. Check out the link below for more general information. Sounds like you are ready for a new food adventure! ;-) -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Dehydrators