I received this as a gift and was excited to put it to good use. Unfortunately, on my first attempt it broke. I was using it just as the directions said, nothing out of the ordinary, and all of a sudden the plunger went from about medium (since a vacuum was being created) to very easy where it just felt like I was pushing a spring. The plunger broke that fast, and since it was broken, the device would no longer create a vacuum.Oh well, at least I now have a rectangular shaped clear plastic container with a lid that can hold perishable items.If you want to vacuum marinade, save your money and shop for something else.