These items are wonderful and easy to use. Following ALL instructions is mandatory, but they are easy to follow. Vacuum sealing of items with liquid is difficult, but either pre-freezing the item for a few hours or placing a paper towel to collect liquid while sealing are both viable options.I did a comparison test between two freezing packages. One was the Seal-a-Meal using the variable sized Seal-a-Meal bag roll vs. a commonly used zipper type freezer bag. I used meat from the same package, same weight and size. 1 was packaged with the Seal-a-Meal, the other placed in a freezer bag. After vacuum sealing one package, both were put in the freezer, same conditions.Within 2 days, the zipper freezer bag meat was covered in ice crystals, freezer- burning the meat. The Seal-a-Meal bag was free of ice crystals and the seal was still holding. At 1 month, the Seal-a-Meal bag was still frost- free, the vacuum seal intact and meat was a normal color. Don't get me started on the other freezer bag!I have already used this for sealing other items than food as well. (I went on a sealing spree!) Paper towels sealed, then put outside for 2-3 weeks in heavy rain. Was still dry!I will recommend this product to anyone and would purchase again if needed in the future.