FoodSaver Round Food Storage Canister

    Manufacturing Defect? - I've been using Foodsaver round canisters for about 5 years. As others have noted, they sometimes crack on the bottom--but by my experience, primarily with a certain usage pattern. The canisters that I seldom open and reseal are doing just fine, but the ones I frequently open and reseal (3-8 times a week) are the ones that crack. Since all the cracks stem from the injection molding point on the bottom, this leads me to believe that this is a manufacturing defect in their canisters. Specifically, the frequent resealing causes stresses on the canister bottom that reveal a structural weakness at the injection molding point. After enough reseal cycles, this results in a crack. What you can do that might help mitigate this problem: * Don't refrigerate your canisters, if at all possible (thermal variation may exacerbate the cracking problem). If you're marinating overnight, oh well. * Never, ever freeze a canister or heat one in a microwave. * Hand wash your canisters (again, the thermal factor--dishwasher water can get quite hot). Ultimately, though, if you're going to use your canisters for things you'll frequently access, consider using the "light vacuum" setting on your Foodsaver (if your model has one)--this may lengthen the service life of those canisters. Otherwise, be ready to contact Foodsaver customer service for replacements when (not if) your canister cracks. FYI, I've had some success getting replacements on out-of-warranty canisters via email contact (but never via phone call). For canisters that are seldom accessed (and where long-term freshness of the contents is a bigger issue), you should be OK using the normal vacuum setting. The ones I use this way have been in service (contents under vacuum) for 2-5 years with no problems. As for the reviewer who had the lids "fall apart": I've had this happen, too, where I accidentally brushed the rubber cap on the top of the lid and had it pop off. Unlike the other reviewer, I had no problems reassembling the lid afterwards, and no issues with that lid holding a vacuum later.