excalibur food dehydrator

[mrsb]

Thanks Andiesenji....can I ask is the 30 year old 5 try still working after all this time?

It looks like it will just make sense to get the bigger one even if I dont always use it full

Deeau

No, I used it up.  The 5-tray died after working great for twenty years.  I had it running constantly for several days and probably pushed it beyond its capability.  It was also outside on the deck during very hot weather.
I certainly got FULL value and then some from it.

Wow! That is pretty good purchase to last 20 years! I just bought a 5 tray with timer on Sunday and received it on Tuesday. I bought it through Melbourne naturopath on eBay. Quick delivery. I tried it out last night with some mango but I must of cut it too thinly but it is still good. Can't believe how awesome these things are. Dried mango costs $20 in shops here for 350grams. My husband loves the stuff. I like dried vegetables as chips.

[Wonder]

I'm thinking of upgrading my dehydrator from the Aldi one I purchased a while ago and wondering if I should spend the money on either an Exacilbar or the Sedona or go for a cheaper one off eBay. At the moment I'm back to drying fruit straps for DS in the oven and it would be great to be able to dry more than 2 trays. Would love any advice.

[Bedlam]

Wonder I bought one from the, not excalibur. The excalibur has a cover which i think would be better, mine when the draws are shut close the front off.  Much cheaper and does dehydrate well ( although it hast had a lot of use).  Wish you lived closer you could trial it and see what you think.

[Wonder]

Thanks Bedlam. I really like the look of the excalibur and they have a great name. I've been in contact with a women who is selling a 5 tray one on gumtree which she purchased in September last year ,and has only been used once (or so she says). She is only about 15 mins drive from my place and she's offered it to me for $290 which is approx $70 less than the best price I can buy new. I think I will go with this one as I'm sure it will be a lot better than the aldi one, and I'll be able to do the fruit straps much quicker than the oven.

If only you lived closer - thanks.

[Bedlam]

Wonder mine is a massive 10 tray and 5 really would be big enough for me. Sounds like a good deal, i would go for it.

[Wonder]

already done and picked up. The guy was really nice and he's only had it since September last year and purchased directly from Excalibur Australia, the invoice is included so I'm happy I got a good deal. He's a chef and as soon as he purchased the 5 drawer realised he would be better off with the 9 so is upgrading. He also has a hotmix pro for sale and is upgrading that to the gastro model. I had an interesting chat about the TMX and he said there is a new model coming out late in 2014 which will got to a much higher temperature, has a bigger  motor and is more stable - interesting!!

[Bedlam]

Ooo Wonder that sounds very interesting about the new thermomix. Wait with baited breathe!
Good on you  with the excalibur.

[mrsb]

What a good buy on the dehydrator wonder. I love mine.

Interesting about the thermomix.

[ElleG]

I am in the process of trying to decide if I would use a new food dehydrator, or would it turn into a white elephant. I have a very old Sunbeam that is so noisy I can't stand it - put it in a bathroom behind two closed doors and can still hear it! So haven't done any dehydrating for months.

Are people still happy with their purchases? I followed this thread but talked myself out of buying last time. I have narrowed down to an Excalibur or just saw one on EBay that looks a bit similiar but a third of the price. Described as - New 8 Tray Food Dehydrator Dryer Commercial Preserve Yogurt Fruit Beef Maker. Sorry, cant make the link work. Does anyone have one of these? The Sedona looks really nice, but can't justify the priced for something I am not convinced I would use regularly.

[judydawn]

I've got the link working for you Elle.

[ElleG]

Thanks Judy.

[Bonsai]

ElleG I had a very bad experience buying a dehydrator on ebay - it seemed very similar to an Excalibur but a fraction of the price. The first time I used it the motor stopped working because wires were caught around,the fan. When I contacted the seller they initially said they'd repair it if I shipped it back to them (other side of Australia) and then offered to have it repaired locally but only to minimum cost. When I pointed out that this (and their dodgy repairs note on their website) contravened consumer law in Australia they refused to answer emails from myself or consumer affairs in WA. I couldn't follow it through the small claims court as their address had changed so a summons couldn't be delivered. As my Mum had bought it for me as a gift there was no Paypal protection. I did report them to ebay.

I'm sure there are reliable sellers of dehydrators on the market but just be very sure you have a reliable address/phone nimbler for them and check their returns/refunds policy to make sure it meets local laws.

I ended up buying an Excalibur and love it. It's worth it if you plan to dry lots of things. It is quite quiet - it can run in my kitchen overnight and I don't hear it in the bedroom which isn't that far away.

[ElleG]

Thanks Bonsai, for your very helpful comments. And good to hear how quiet you have found the Excalibur and how much you love it.  Still trying to decide if I would use it enough to justify its purchase.

[ElleG]

I bought the 9 tray Excalibur without the timer. Tried it out, dehydrated cayenne pepper pumpkin chips, bananas, onions, pumpkin seeds, fruit leather and fruit and yogurt leather. Very happy with it.

I made room for the dehydrator in the kitchen. However it is to noisy for my small kitchen, so it has been banished to the garage. It sounds like a clothes dryer and it heats up the space. I am sure DH doesn't mind sharing his workbench