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- Verified Buyer
I purchased this dehydrator to use side-by-side with my Nesco. You can view my review for the Nesco for additional info on that one. The main reason I went for having a second one was because I make different flavors and didn't want to make them at the same machine, getting the aromas mixed up. Here's my take:First and foremost, IF YOU ARE USED TO A DIFFERENT DEHYDRATOR, keep an eye on the timing with this one. This is a very powerful machine, which is a great thing! But if you're used to something that is not as powerful, keep that in mind. The first time I used this dehydrator, I calculated that, if my Nesco took about 3 hours, this one would probably take about 2. When I checked after 2 hours, my beef jerky was crispy like potato chips. It's not bad, but not the end product I was looking for.PROS:- Very fast drying- Huge drying area, approx. 10 sq ft- Nice looking for a dehydrator, doesn't look bad on the counter, even if it's huge- Set up is nice, don't need to remove the top and the trays can be removed individually because they are not the wall of the dehydrator like the Nesco trays are.CONS:- Pricy compared to the Nesco I use. Although the Nesco comes with only 4 trays, you can purchase additional ones and the total price for the Nesco, plus two 2-tray sets, comes up to about $70. And after I calculated the drying square footage, I realized that the Nesco with 8 trays has about the same drying area as this one with 10 trays.- For some reason, and this may be user-related and not really an issue with the machine, I can't make the jerky leathery with this dehydrator. It seems to go from raw and soft to crunchy, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and I actually make a flavor that I prefer crunchy, so it's all good. But when it came time to get another one, I went back to the Nesco.- You can't use fewer trays like you can with the Nesco that has a minimum of 4 and can be extended to 8. So, if you're making a small batch, you still need to have all the trays in.- It is really huge, but then again, all dehydrators are...- The back part of the trays gets ready much faster than the front, which makes sense since the fan is on the back. But I wish the trays sealed better on the front so the air would circulate more inside the machine, instead of going out the front. Basically, I feel like it could be better engineered here.- You can pull the trays out and prepare them on the sink, but because they have to to back into the file-cabinet like structure, you get lots of drips on the counter where the machine sits and the front of the lower trays as you slide the new tray in.Again, this is a very good machine and I would probably love it if I didn't have a different one to compare to. As you will see on my Nesco review, the Nesco has its own issues as well. They are just issues I'd rather work with than the issues I have with this one. And for the flavor of jerky I make that's nice crunchy, I would never use the Nesco dehydrator, this one does a better job.I guess what I'm trying to say is that each dehydrator from the two I'm comparing here has some advantages and some disadvantages. You should do your research and figure out which one would work better for your particular use. For example, if I were buying this to make fruit chips, I wouldn't think twice before getting the Weston dehydrator. The Nesco wouldn't make the chips as nice and crispy as this one.Enjoy!
