Dehydrator Query

[kayla]

OK, I know I'd really like to buy a dehydrator and have pretty much decided on an excalibur because of all the rave reviews they are getting around here. The thing I am wondering is if there is some sort of drawback to the Excalibur 2400 (the 4 tray model)? It doesn't seem to be as widely available (not even available through Alissa), and on sites that sell both the 4 tray and the 5 tray there is a $70 difference between them! For just the one extra tray!

I can get the 4 tray for $100 on a site plus 2 free teflex sheets, but I am boggled by the price difference and wondering if it's just plain not as good. Does anyone have any idea as to why?

And just FYI, I won't be needing a big ol honkin thing (like the 9 tray) cause it's just for me, so the size issue isn't what's stopping me, it's just the question of quality.

Should I just go ahead and get it? By the way, the site I am looking at for the 4 tray can be found here: http://www.productsforhealth.com/excaliburDehydrators.htm

[jorjeni]

great post I would like to know too I want a new dehydrator I have a round one and so I would like to get a small one since it is just me.

[Apples'nAvos]

Hi Kayla

I was in your situation a while back, and was also deliberating between the 4 and 5-tray Excalibur dehydrators. I read a few posts on here, and many people mentioned how they wished that they had bought a larger one that what they did. I ended up buying the 5-tray, despite the price difference, because even though it's just for me (dh really dislikes the idea of being RAW, and doesn't eat any the food I make) I usually end up dehyrating 2 things at one time over the weekend to save time, and the 5 tray allows me to do this a little better than I think a 4 tray would.

:)

[Miranda]

i got a 9 tray dehydrator on ebay for $110 including shipping. it had only been used a handful of times and it's in PERFECT condition. seriously looks like i took it out of the box myself. maybe you can take a look on there and see if theyre any good deals.

[greywolf]

the 4 tray has no timer - easily fixed with a wall-plug version if needed. it also has no "on-and-off" switch - weird, but plug-and-play works ok for me.

the main differnce is the overall SIZE of the unit. my kitchen is very very small and the 5 tray just would not have fit. the 4 tray fits in the small space above the fridge in my place, and slides back to be completely out of the way and still accessable.

look at the size of the unit and the space that you have. i LOVE my 4 tray.

[RawTruth]

Go for the 9-tray. It won't be too big for you, trust me. When you have crackers and cookies and pesto-stuffed mushrooms you want to do all at the same time .... well .... see why I say consider the 9-tray!

[Sheryl]

The trays of the four tray are also only 11x11 instead of 14x14 - in reality the 5 tray is twice as big as the 4 tray.

I bought the 4 tray first, and upgraded to the 9 tray in about 2 months. The four tray was a pain - you'd make ONE recipe, and it would take 4 days to dry since you had 4x too much stuff to put in it at any one time! That's probably why Alissa doesn't sell it!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[theresaann]

yeah, that's what I was going to say. I don't always need the 9 trays, but even if I don't, I like the idea of the extra space because more air circulates, and also, if you DO need the whole thing, you've got it. What the heck, I say-go for it...

[jennplas]

i also opted for the 9 tray even if i am the only one in the house who eats anything made in it. I never regretted getting that size!
a lot of the stuff you make may be kept for a while if well stored, like crackers, so if you are going to bother making a recipe, you may as well make enough to last you. or make a few different ones at once. i dont use it very very often, but when i do, i make it worth the use! so if you ARE gonna make a big purchase anyway, may as well make it worth it.

jennP

[Drawn]

I have the 9 tray even though I live alone and noone shares my raw food. I like to be efficient and do all the dehydrating at once. Even though I don't do a lot of it, I would rather do it a couple days in a row, twice a month, then several days a week just to make a few recipes. Plus, if I want to warm something up and I still have a few trays in process, I can take out a few trays and put my plate in the bottom. Seriously, if you have the room, get the 9 tray, you will not regret it. I haven't and I don't dehydrate a lot; I'm just more organized with the larger one.