Product Description An Amazon Brand. From the Manufacturer Amazon Basics
Space Saver Bags
Amazon Basics Vacuum Compression Storage Bags with Hand Pump, Multiple Pack of 12 (3 Jumbo, 3 Large, 3 Medium, 3 Small), Clear
$26.90
| Asin | B07RSCK4XS |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11.8"L x 9.8"W x 7.8"H |
| Weight | 2.94 Pounds |
| Manufacturer | Amazon |
Savvy Skeptic –
I bought these plus 3 other brands to see which ones worked best for storing a literal mountain of bedding. I tried Amazon Basics, Vacwell, Accenter, and the actual Space Saver bags. Here’s how it went:
AMAZON BASICS: bags are good size, but that’s where the pros stop. First it’s really annoying that they fold the bags with the size indicator on the innermost surface. Since they’re all folded into small squares, this means you have to completely unfold the bags to see their size. The slides to close the zipper don’t grip well, leave air gaps in the zipper, and constantly fall off because the stop at each end is too flat and doesn’t work. Caps are hard to put back on, threading crooked on most attempts, especially if the valve ring sinks in when the bag seals; when they do go on wrong they push on the foam gasket and let air back in. WORST CON: out of 12 bags, used correctly, sealed completely, and not overfilled, all but 2 puffed back up at least partially overnight, and several reinflated entirely within an hour. I could not find any holes, cuts, or damage; they just don’t stay airtight. BOTTOM LINE: good size, thick plastic, but doesn’t matter if it can’t hold a seal.
GENERAL COMPARISON: All 4 brands had some static, like most plastic or vinyl bags. The sliding clips need improvement on all 4 brands, and I got a better result just closing the zippers with my fingers like a big Ziploc bag. The sizes were good on all 4 brands, and I have king size down comforters sealed in jumbo bags from all but the Amazon brand, because it kept reinflating. I had to take that one out and put it in a Vacwell I had left over. I used my vacuum, so did not try out the pumps from any of the brands. They all look like basic, cheap plastic pumps that would do for travel. With the Amazon bags you’ll need it, because you’ll be constantly pulling air back out of your bags.
SPACE SAVER: Of the 4 brands I tried, the Space Savers were the only ones that had zero air leaks two days later. GUARANTEE: Space Saver also claims to offer a lifetime guarantee, stating that if any bag reinflates or doesn’t keep its seal, they replace it for free on their website. I don’t know if they really honor that, but they are the only ones to even offer it that I saw. If it’s legit, that alone is probably worth what I paid for the brand. The caps on the Space Savers go on very easily; you can literally drop it onto the threads, give it a spin, and it basically closes itself. This is because the caps are small and only cover the center part of the sealing ring; two of the other brands have caps that have to go over the entire sealing ring so they have to line up just right, which can be tricky once the bag is wrinkly from being vacuum sealed (see pics). The Space Saver clips work okay and stay on a little better, but still go past the stops way too easy and fall off. Again, I found ordinary fingers to be more effective, and I can actually feel if there are any open places.
BOTTOM LINE: If you aren’t looking for long term storage or lots of re-uses, the Vacwell and Accenter brands (also on Amazon) were average performers and a little cheaper, so they’ll probably work for travel or temporary jobs. If you’re looking to store linens or clothing for whole seasons or years, or use them for sheets and will be opening and resealing them often, my money is (literally) on Space Saver because of their tight seal, easy-close caps, and reinflation guarantee.
I wish I’d done this sooner and can’t express how awesome vacuum bags are to overhaul crowded closets, maximize tight spaces, and bring order to chaos. Sadly I can’t recommend the Amazon Basics at all since they just can’t seem to keep the air out.
Pictured is 19 (you read that right, go ahead and count them!) complete queen size sheet sets with their pillowcases (bag size SMALL), 9 king size duvet cover sets with their shams (also fit in the SMALL) and 6 sets of extra pillowcases (all in one small). These were crammed into any available spot in 3 bedrooms and my laundry room, and now fit in one tiny hall closet with enough wiggle room to make it easy getting them in and out. I used the medium and large bags for winter blankets, and the jumbo for my massive comforters. These things are truly game changing, especially if you’re short on storage space.
*I bought these items with my own money, no discounts, and my review is honest and unsolicited.
Nicole –
Great low cost option. One bag had a hole and didn’t work but there was plenty in the pack to make up for it. We used the vacuum to remove air. It does cause a lot of wrinkles in clothes, even when folded nicely. Great space storage option. Can be reused many times.
Kindle Customer –
These bags were perfect. The size fit so many blankets. I live in a cold state and so am reluctant to get rid of any warm blankets in case of a heat outage. But that’s rough on space. These bags made storage so easy. And my boys loved helping to “vacuum” out the air. (It comes with a reverse air pump that works great). I highly recommend them, and I’ll likely be buying more in the near future for further storage needs.
Dental health lover –
The only thing that I didn’t like was my vacuum did not work to seal these. But the included pump works well. I used them on a vacation where I could only have a carry-on and I was able to pack a lot in a small space. Once you pack them full they can look very small but be deceivingly heavy.
Iris Garza –
This is absolutely great. Unfortunately we don’t have a vacuum hose so we have to use the pump it provides. It’s tedious but worth it. I have stored comforters, winter clothes, and other bulky items with no issue. It stores well.
Allison Hunt –
We live on the road for work, these are amazing. I should’ve bought them a long time ago. I put away all of the summer clothes and all of the super heavy winter coats for three people and I still have 4 empty bags. They take up maybe a 1/4 of the space they used too. I read the one review on here that said squeeze the air out before you start pumping, and it worked like a charm.
Holli –
Everything about these is a MUST. I ordered them in a whim because they weren’t too expensive and I was packing my house. They come with a little hand pump that works perfectly! Gets a really good, tight seal. You can put SO MUCH in these bags too. The hand pump is convenient for travel too, because it’s not big and fits in backpacks and duffel bags just fine.
Jordan Tyler –
Used a few times for travel and it worked great! I try not to check bags, so have to make the most of my carry on. This frees up so much space! And with the hand pump, you don’t have to worry about finding a vaccuum.
annie –
I moved recently and didn’t want to get rid of too much, but still needed economy of space. This product is awesome. I didn’t use the pump, just used my Dyson vacuum over the hole to remove the air. Nothing was wrinkled too badly when I unbagged everything, and it was so satisfying to pack and unpack everything out of the air-tight bags!
Rebecca –
These worked perfectly for me! I needed something to compress my spare guest bedding– including pillows and a foam mattress topper. These vacuum bags worked great for me! I put two pillows in per bag to keep the size manageable. And amazingly I was even able to get my foam mattress topper in one of the bags and get it compressed down enough to fit it in my Ikea Skubb under bed storage. In fact, by using these vacuum bags. I was able to get five pillows into a single 17″ Skubb under bed storage container, while also getting my foam mattress topper (also vacuum compressed in these vacuum bags) to fit together with the inflatable mattress and sheets in another 27″ Skubb under bed storage container. I’m thrilled! Also, since I only needed these for bedding, I only needed the jumbo size vacuum bag, so these were a great deal for me ($20 for 6 of them!). I used them with a vacuum cleaner and it was quick and easy. I am glad I was not deterred by the reviews that said a lot of these bags didn’t work — I am surprised to hear that other people had that experience when every single one of mine worked perfectly. I suspect some of their difficulty was due to human error. By the way, to open these bags, you just gently pull apart the interlocking mechanism as you would a Ziploc bag. To seal, you run the little plastic tab back and forth over the interlocking mechanism a few times to ensure a good seal. Then unscrew the cap on the vacuum hole, and start sucking! Note that you have to be careful that the vacuum hole is not directly against the other side of the bag when you vacuum, or it won’t work– since I didn’t fill my bags very much, I had to make sure to move the side of the bag with the vacuum hole a bit so it was directly over my pillows or other contents– that way I would suck the air out of the bag instead of just get stuck sucking into the other side of the bag! I would highly recommend these bags to help reduce the footprint of your extra bedding and pillows!