I sell cake decorating supplies (more info on my website).
A new heat sealer is going to cost between $150-$200.
If you have a vacuum sealer, it will also seal cello bags. If this is going to be a volume project then you may want to invest in the heat sealer.
If the new one is out of your price range, you might try eBay or Craigslist.
Have you tried the mini hand-held models? I had one years ago... has a magnet on it so it sticks right to the fridge and small enough to easily manipulate and get in close spaces.
Here's an example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Portable-Mini-Plastic-Bag-Heat-Sealer-Closer-A20_W0QQitemZ370156959218QQihZ024QQcategoryZ63510QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I know you said the vacuum heat sealers are too expensive but i personally say that's the only way to go. I tried buying a small handheld sealer i bought at linens and things, i think it was around 20.00. Ya it was cheap but it was sh*t. 
It either sealed the bag in some spots and not in others or melted the bag straight through. I was so frustrated with it i returned it. I tried it over and over and never could get a consistent seal. I think if i had a large cookie order that needed sealing i would go insane using such a product, and likely would waste more $$ since i'd be throwing melted bags away all the time.
I ended up buying a foodsaver vacuum sealer and LOVE IT! I bought it at costco with a coupon. Not only can i use it on my cookies, i can also use it for my other food. I was so impressed by it, i could've sealed cookie bags all day. 
So i think this investment is justified and well worth my sanity. 
JMHO
Suzanne
I agree with sweet craving I have the foodsaver one also and I love it. I also use it to store ready sheet of NFSC dough so they are ready to use. It is worth every penny I paid for it. Food saver came out with the new stand up model that I gave my mom for XMAS and to be honest I like mine better cause I can see exactly where I want to seal to be on the bag. You can probably find the older model for less money now that the new one is out. Try Walmart.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=11351115
I have this one and i love it.
I love using my Foodsaver.
I've had mine for a long time. It has paid for itself many times over!
I'm curious do the models you others use have a cutter? I was looking at Sam's Club and theirs didn't. Mine does and is very wide. I can actually seal 3(3x5) bags at one time. Mine sits on the counter and my DH made me a block of wood to support the bags while they seal.
I just line them up, seal and then slide the cutter across to cut any excess.
I'm looking for the time when I'll have to replace mine.
I have the Rival Seal-a-meal.. Mine works great and i use the sealing element on it for cello bags. It works great for storing fondant and gumpaste.
I cant vouch for how well the Deni vacuum sealer works but it has the heatseal element and it is only $25 at Walmart.
I got the 8" impulse sealer on ebay (out-the-door) for $39 and I love it!! I have seen the same sealer on different commercial websites for over $100 so I am not sure why they are so cheap on ebay but there are quite a few you can get for under $50.
I use them with the poly bags and at a lower setting, even with normal plastic bags. I love how they look sealed and the fact that they remain flat, whereas when I would tie and wrap with curling ribbon, the stiffer plastic bags sort of tweaked.
Here is a pic of the shamrock cookies I did. I tied a bunch of little bows one night watching TV and then I can just pick out the color I want and use a sticky dot to attach to the top of the bag. ( I usually put my business sticker on the backside too.)
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http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=11351115
I have this one and i love it.
That's the one i tried and hated...goes to show you everyone has there own personal preferences. I dunno how you got a consistent seal from it but good for you if you got that little sucker to work. 
I have a Food Saver and I LOVE it. Maybe I have a different model from the others with a Food Saver. To vaccum seal, you have to have at least two inches between the vacuum chamber and the end of the product being sealed. Otherwise, the air won't be sucked out. And if you want to heat seal only, you have to have at least one inch between the product and the heat element. That really limits what can be sealed. I use it for everything, but I am not sure I would use it for cookies. I would think that if you were to seal a cookie in a bag, you would want to get the seal as close to the cookie as possible (elminating as much air as possible). I would use it to freeze cookie dough, but I would rather have something else for cookie bags. That impulse sealer is pretty reasonable and it appears that you could get the seal pretty close to the product.
I don't actually have one. I would not go for the 4"- one description says to measure your item, then add an inch so you know all of it will get sealed. I don't see ever doing a cookie wider that 7"! I would get the 8" for cookies. The 16" is not much more expensive, but don't know when I would ever need that much.
I actually use a hair straightener (of course, just for this purpose!). I will say though that it is a bit of a bother as I do have to plug and unplug it so as to not get the heat too high. I use cello bags and it just seal the top. I then cover it with a cardstock fold-over tag and I am good to go, but I will say that the Foodsaver looks mighty nice!
The 12" looks great! I didn't even look at that! I just knew 16" seemed like overkill.
I looked at the FoodSaver- even if I already had a unit, it seems the bags would get really expensive for a lot of cookies.
i also just use regular celo bags for my cookies, not the foodsaver bags that the machine comes with. You just have to be careful when sealing them to only press the seal button for a few seconds instead of the full 'seal' cycle the machine comes set with. No added expense for bags.
I have Gramatech's hand held heat sealer and working fine. I know it is costly but working effectively.
I suggest you to user that heat sealer, you will not be disappointed.
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