I actually own the regular series of this product and I love it. I previously owned the type of dehydrator with a hole in the middle of the trays. It's so much easier to use these type, especially when I'm drying grains. It does a great job and heats quite evenly. I've been very pleased. The only thing I don't care for is the way the door attaches. It just hangs from a lip on the front. If you don't get it seated just right, it rattles. In fact, sometimes it rattles even when you do.

MommyofBoys

Undisclosed

I was given the Excalibur 900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator as a gift and boy what a great gift!! I see only two downsides to this, it's big, This is also a plus, due to it's large size dehydrating large quantities of what you're dehydrating is super convenient and makes it seem worth it in the end. The second thing that I'm not a big fan of is that the trays are a bit hard to clean, they come clean easily but they're large and a bit floppy and are just a bit difficult. BUT, with all of that said, this is really a top of the line dehydrator. It has a temperature gauge for food items to dehydrate at the appropriate temperature. It also circulates air well because of it's shape and where the fan is placed in the machine, it's at the back instead of at the top which gives all the trays the same dehydrating love. It's a bit pricey but if you're serious about dehydrating it's really worth investing in this Excalibur Food Dehydrator.

theblairjrs

Kansas City, MO

The Excalibur Deluxe 9 Tray Dehydrator gives your family and wholesome option for snacks. Gone are the days of chomping on chips, palming some popcorn, or gnashing on nachos now that the Excalibur is here!This dehydrator makes many healthy alternative food snacks at a fraction of the price for junk food. The dehydrator makes outstanding jerky in all varieties and a plethora of dried fruits for your pleasure. It dehydrates the food so much quicker and I like that it has a fan in the back of it and distributes the heat evenly. I would recommend this product for any one that dehydrates a lot. I love that it is nine trays because you can fit so much more on there than the littler dehydrators. I have dehydrated Bananas, Onions, Zucchini, cheese flavored Kelp and a nut based crust each item on different trays all at the same time and I did not have any flavors cross or penetrate the other foods.

jrsmith0213

Fremont, CA

Growing up my parents would use a dehydrator that was round and clear and it was ok but was very difficult to clean due to the shape.  This dehydrator though is the easiest thing in the world to clean and is absolutely amazing!  Everything that I have dehydrated has come out perfect. **Pros:** There are 9 Trays!  You just don't realize how much you can fit on it until you actually do.  I purchased a dozen bananas, 2 pounds of strawberries, and 6 apples and I still had room for more! Health wise this is great for your family!  Even some of the dehydrated packs you can buy at stores have added sugar and preservatives.  It's way better to make it yourself and know that everything is 100% natural. This can be a fun event for your children as well!  My newphew loves coming over and helping with making dehydrated fruits.  Although he probably enjoys eating them more.  Cleaning afterwards is a breeze.  Simply pull out each tray and wash in the sink with a non-abrasive pad. The inside of the dehydrator does not get dirty so far that I have seen.  **Cons:** Once you turn it on, it is rather loud.  Fortunately for me I have a "man cave" to retreat to when it is on and I cannot hear it in the basement.  This dehydrator is HUGE!  So you cannot keep it on the counter, you will need to find a place to store it and good luck with that! **Overall:** Despite the noise and size, I would still recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy some beef jerky and dehydrated fruits!

devexityspace

Columbus, OH

I never knew that I needed a food hydrator until I received this one as a gift from my parents, who told me it would help us save money and waste less food! They sure were right. I wasn't really sure what to do with it, at first, but as my husband and I are vegetarians, we quickly learned that this dehydrator is perfect for storing fruits and vegetables -- things that we eat a lot of! It is so wonderful to be able to have fruits and vegetables stocked up all the time -- we will purchase them in bulk and store them until we have a use for them! This little unit is so easy to clean, and although it seems like it is an expensive item (thanks mom and dad!) it is definitely worth it in the long-term, as you'll surely save on throwing out food that has gone bad!

Mindylane

Lawrence, NY

Love love love the Excalibur! I was afraid it would be really noisy, but I really do not think it is that noisy. I have it in my laundry area off my kitchen, and its just a little hum like a microwave oven, really. I think it is definitely worth the money!

TaraKeehn

Lake Station, IN

You can often hear our dehydrator humming--it's a great source of raw, whole, and yummy food! During harvest times it's drying apples, pears, or peaches but all year long we come up with ways to use it for healthy food. A favorite recipe is for dehydrated granola: we sprout buckwheat by soaking it in water for 20 minutes, pouring it into a colander (or 2 big ones in the case of filling all 9 trays with this delicious cereal) to be rinsed every four hours for a day or two. When it has little tails we mix it up with a bunch of coconut oil, raw local honey, vanilla extract, carob powder, dried shredded coconut, and any number of ground flax, hemp, chia, sunflower, or sesame seeds, and/or finely chopped nuts. This is spread onto the trays and dehydrated at 115 degrees overnight or all day (never really timed it, we just taste to see if it's done). Because we don't measure anything, sometimes it comes out crumbly and soft for cereal and other times it is harder and chunky like cookies or granola bars. We love it any old way it comes out--it's impossible to fail with this loose recipe and an Excalibur!!

kimberjoy

Tucson, AZ

When I was growing up we had a little four tray food dehydrator for years that was used extensively for drying apples. My parents finally upgraded to this Excalibur Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator when I was in my teens and, boy, did it get a work out! I was so excited to get my own Excalibur Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator shortly after I got married! Now, I haven't used it nearly as much yet as I helped to use my parents' so this review is mainly based on that experience. We dried bushels of apples every fall as well as peaches, pears, canteloupes, bananas, various fruit leathers, and of course jerky! The fan in the back keeps the warm air circulated so that everything dries evenly. The nine trays allow for maximum capacity...we could fit about a half a bushel of apples in the Excalibur Dehydrator at a time. My husband and I are having a wonderful time experimenting with what all we can dry in our dehydrator, and this is definately the model to get!

munchkinsari

Union Mills, NC

I have used many a food dehydrator in my time. I have found that the Excalibur 3900 Delux Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator is not any better or worse than any of the others that I have used. The trays slide in and out nicely, but are a little more flexible than I would prefer. The main issue with dehydrators is that the food has to be cut all about the same, or some gets dehydrated better than others. It would be nice if this was taken into account by the manufacturers of these products so that we don't get some dehydrated and some sticky items in the same tray. I like the color of this product and it does fit well in my kitchen with the other apliances I have. I know it would be difficult, but it would be nice if they dehydrated food quicker. This product is no better or worse than othes that I have used, and I can not specifically recommend this product over any others. Thankyou for reading my review.

twistedheartsranch

Norco, CA

Ok, to anyone who owns this....is this not the best thing ever? I've been making jerky forever. I started with one of those Home Harvester's or something like that. Not sure of the name. It was fine for years, but very difficult to clean. I wore out many toothbrushes trying to clean those racks. Then, I saw a written advertisement for the Excalibur brand dehydrator. It was very expensive. I mean VERY. After much hemming and hawing, I finally ordered one. This was back in about 1985 or so. Since that time I have probably used my dehydrator to make pounds and pounds of jerky. As a matter of fact, I have nine racks in the process of making jerky right now. I used to only make beef jerky, but have found that the chicken tastes just as good, (with my home made marinade), as the beef. It's much cheaper and there isn't as much waste, (fat to cut off). I loved this dehydrator so much that when I saw one in a resale shop, I bought it. I have since given that one to my son, and he has made jerky as well. I hear that you can make other dried products with this machine, but so far, jerky has been good enough for us! I give the jerky for gifts all the time, and people love it.

indylou1959

Carleton, MI