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[rughead]

 My wife has been wanting a Dehydrator for some time now.
Can I get some opinions please. Looking at the 9-10 tray size.
I have been looking at the Excalibur units.
She will be doing Fruits & Vegetables the most. I might try Jerky. Going
to be hard to beat what my Traeger can do through!
Thanks in advance for all your information.
Merry Christmas & New Year to all.. 

[Bar-B-Lew]

I bought two different ones at Cabela's that have worked great for me.  I bought some frog mats on ebay and cut them down to size to fit inside the plastic racks that slide into the dehydrators.  I put the jerky on the mats and onto the smoker for 2-3 hours and then into the dehydrator to finish for about 2 hours.  Cabela's usually has them on sale between now and Christmas.  I think I paid $100 for the smaller one and $160 for the larger one.

I have the 10 tray and 12 tray Pro Series.

[Darwin]

Meat Processing Products has been running several sales this week.  I deleted the emails so as not to be tempted.   
Google said Home Depot carries Excalibur.  So it's true, Google is our friend.   

[Bar-B-Lew]

Ive heard a lot of good things about Excalibur.  I bought the Cabela's Pro Series because they are supposed to have a lifetime warranty.

[BigDave83]

I started with the old Ronco dehydrator and had about 12 or 15 trays on it. Went to cabelas one day and came home with one of their 80L models and wish I had bought the larger one. What a leap from something with no fan to this machine. Jerky making for me went from days to 7ish hours.

 I see they have something similar to the Excalibur, with the fan in the back, that may make you not have to rotate trays. I do in mine as the heat source is on the bottom. Mine will hold 20 pound of meat.

[smokin soon]

I think that the Excalibur is great for occasional use, but the Cabela's 80l is a very precise quality built unit that can take heavy use for a very long time. Dried many full loads of Jerky and dried fruit for friends and co workers. I don't use it as much being retired. Had to cut down on the dried fruit as the wife was complaining about the somewhat volcanic reactions it gave me.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I thought about getting that 80L machine when I bought my first dehydrator but wasn't sure what I was getting into. How easy is it to clean the racks?

[smokin soon]

I thought about getting that 80L machine when I bought my first dehydrator but wasn't sure what I was getting into. How easy is it to clean the racks?

Really easy, all metal, no plastic. I bought the optional mats similar to Frog Mats. The only drawback I can think of is that it's a bit noisy and takes up a bit of real estate. Makes an excellent bread proofer also.

[BigDave83]

The racks in mine are coated, they pretty much just wipe clean, the bottom is nonstick also.It does make some noise, and do not put it in the room with your thermostat as it puts out some heat over the hours and the rest of your house will get cold. I bought a cart from sams club to put mine on.

[Bobitis]

There are many good dehydrators out there, and the simplicity of them makes it tough to make a bad decision.

Do not use it in your living quarters. Garage, deck, patio... ok. You'd be amazed at how much moisture food stuffs contain.
I did about 5 lbs of green and red bell peppers in my garage (BIG garage) and it took months for the smell to go away.

Do you forage wild mushrooms? Many are actually better when dehydrated and reconstituted. Some, not so much...

Yer gonna love whatever you choose.

[SurfAndTurf]

Excalibur.
Jerky often. Veggies when the garden is going. Currently have rose petals in there.
Limes are done on the tree so I will pick up the castoffs and slice and dehydrate for Christmas garland.
No more Gin and Tonics until nest year

[W6YJ]

I know this is a very old thread, but figured it would be better to add to it than making a new thread.

Excalibur has a 20% off sale on their dehydrators right now if you use the code 20FORYOU.

[Bentley]

Thank you!

[jdmessner]

Ive heard a lot of good things about Excalibur.  I bought the Cabela's Pro Series because they are supposed to have a lifetime warranty.

I worry about getting a lifetime warranty. If the product goes bad does that mean my lifetime is over?

[BigDave83]

Ive heard a lot of good things about Excalibur.  I bought the Cabela's Pro Series because they are supposed to have a lifetime warranty.

I worry about getting a lifetime warranty. If the product goes bad does that mean my lifetime is over?

When I was at the auto parts store, I had customers asking about lifetime warranties. I always told them I would give them a lifetime warranty. Once it breaks that is the life of it, warranty over.