Excalibur 9-Tray Food Dehydrator with Digital 48-HR Timer and Adjustable Thermostat, in Black (3948CDB)

I purchased this model to replace an aging 9 tray dehydrator that was close to 20 years old. I can tell you without a doubt that I know I dehydrated a ton of meat for jerky with out any problems. I used the old model so much that the bottom of the unit where it sat on the 4 legs completely vibrated through. Finally the whole bottom side cracked but not from any factory problem. I have used the new one 3 times so far and the jerky that came off of it was perfect. Thank you Excalibur for making a fabulous product. Do not hesitate to purchase an Excalibur you will not be disappointed. Craig

Since receiving my Excalibur I have had something going almost non stop. Here are my bullet points so far: -- This dehydrator holds a phenomenal amount a product. I was amazed the first time I used it! -- The drying is very consistent. I have heard that you need to rotate items when drying. While it might not hurt to rotate, if you forget don't worry. -- The book that came with the unit is very clear and takes some of the worry out of the process if you have never done this before (which I hadn't) -- I love the clear door. Some things to consider (by buyers and/or manufacturer): -- Cost. It is the highest priced unit on the market and I was actually surprised that the unit is almost entirely plastic (and super light for the size). Just seems kind of cheap (when it is not). -- The top shelf has significantly less space that every other shelf, so if you are rotating you can't put stuff on the top shelf. Increasing the overall height by 1/2 inch would solve this. -- If you are buying I would suggest that you get the tray liners. On our first products we placed items directly on the screens and they were a pain to clean. We are now using parchment paper and it is a pain to keep cutting to fit.