Need a bit of advice.

[Winnie]

With my new found wealth, I have a shopping list. One of the items on the list is a food dehydrator. I've had a quick lookee on the interweb and this one caught my eye.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stockli-Food-Dehydrator-food-drier-dehydrating_W0QQitemZ310127197647QQcmdZViewItemQQp tZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item4835057dcf

Has anyone any experience with this make? If so what do you think of it?
Or maybe you have a tried and tested make you could recommend.

[nell67]

My son just got me this one for Christmas,and I have been dehydrating fruit that I got in fruit baskets ,along with trying a large can of tropical fruit,it works really well,no rotating trays,have not heard of the brand you posted.


http://www.nesco.com/category_449f7f01f1ea/

[mtman22]

i am using my moms old excalibur she got in the 80's and it is still working like a champ. this thing is bullet proof. i have not herd of the one you posted, i guess the option i like the best is having a temp control.

[smhg]

Winnie, thanks for posting this thread! I am looking for one as well, but my budget won't go for an excalibur. I hope some folks can give some great cost effective suggestions!

[smhg]

Nell, I did not see the link or picture. Sorry if I missed it...what brand is it?

Thanks!

[nell67]

Sorry smhg! It does help when you actually POST the link,eh??!Check out my reply again:blushing:

[Rick]

Winnie, I've never used that make but from looking at some ratings on the net they seem to be okay. I have used round ones in the past and, in my experience, they don't do as good of a job and they are harder to clean. In most round dehydrators (and it looks the same in this one) the heater and fan sit in the bottom and dry air is blown up through the trays. That typically results in the bottom trays drying much quicker than the top trays unless you rotate the trays quite often. The other issue I ran into was cleaning. Because the motor and heater sit in the bottom, anything that fall off the trays lands on the heater/fan. That's no biggy if you a drying apples but if you choose to dehydrate liquids such as spaghetti sauce then it can be a real headache.

In contrast, the square dehydrators, like the Excalibur, have a heater and fan in back and they blow air across all the trays so it eliminates having to rotate them. In addition, the bottom is flat and if something falls or drips onto it then you just wipe it clean. The down side is they are rather expensive but an investment that will last a long time.

The rounds ones I've had worked. They worked pretty well but you have to mess with them quite a bit more by keeping a close eye on them and rotating the trays as needed.

Mine has both a temperature control and a timer, which I love.

[Winnie]

smhg, I have a feeling you and I are going to have a similar problem again! Unfortunately the Excaliber is way out of my price league. They start at about £200. There are some cheaper ones I've found, but I was a bit wary, as they were made in Korea!. The one I'm looking at seems to be mid range price wise and looks OK.
I had a look for the type you have Nell and I can get one shipped over, but the price is lots.

[Winnie]

Ah, thanks Rick, having never used one it's very helpful to know these things from someone who's used them. I'll keep looking.

[nell67]

Winnie,the unit I have has the heater/blower unit on the top of the machine,forcing the air down over the trays,and I do not have to rotate the trays,the store I work at sells them for $49.99,and with my discount is $42.50US,not sure how much shipping would be across the pond though.

[Winnie]

Another update, been having another quick look and thought I'd found the perfect model a L'Equip it's a horizontal type, but a few reviews have commented on the fragility of the element and all the suppliers I've found are sold ot. Soooo, either there's a problem with them, or they're so popular they're flying off the shelves! I'll keep looking if not the Stockli it is.

[smhg]

Winnie,the unit I have has the heater/blower unit on the top of the machine,forcing the air down over the trays,and I do not have to rotate the trays,the store I work at sells them for $49.99,and with my discount is $42.50US,not sure how much shipping would be across the pond though.

Nell, do you work on commission? If so, what would shipping be to Charlotte, NC (zip code 28288?)

Also, from the link, which model do you have?

Thanks!

[nell67]

Nell, do you work on commission? If so, what would shipping be to Charlotte, NC (zip code 28288?)

Also, from the link, which model do you have?

Thanks!

Nope,not on commission,I would not be making anything if you wished to purchase them,just trying to help out friends.

[smhg]

Nope,not on commission,I would not be making anything if you wished to purchase them,just trying to help out friends.

Okay...if you worked on commission, I was going to consider ordering from you. Otherwise, I'll take a look on e-bay.

Thanks!

[LowKey]

I can only second what Rick said. I have an Excaliber too. Worked like a champ though this past harvest season, now that I got the hang of it.