Surpassed all expectations.
First of all, this dehydrator is aptly named. Super quiet. I used it a few times Already for venison jerky and it’s never turned out better. Also, it had to have taken at least 1/2 the time as the old round plastic stackable units. Top notch, high end equipment here. The most important thing is function,of course, but it also happens to be aesthetically pleasing and would look good in any elegantly furnished kitchen. I was able to afford this b/c of a price drop for a dent that I can barely even see. However, IMHO, it’s worth every penny of the MSRP if you use it even a few times per year. As for durability, I cannot make a determination but it appears well designed and built so I hope it lasts for the rest of my life and I’m 50. I plan to store it in its original box and packaging when it won’t be used for any significant period of time but I’m not sure how often that’ll be since I enjoy dehydrated fruits and veggies too. I’m working on a batch of okra right now.
I personally have no criticisms but when I was initially researching dehydrators and came across this unit the only criticisms I recall had to do with having only a 24hr timer (increments of 30min) and not being able to set exact temperatures. This unit has 9 temperature settings that range from 95° to 167° (increments of 9°). Since I’m not a professional dehydrator, I’m not aware of anything that I would want to dehydrate that wouldn’t work perfectly fine at 95°, 104°, 113°, 122°, 131°, 140°, 149°, 158° or 167°. Nonetheless, if you absolutely require more precise temperature settings, then I guess this unit won’t cut the muster. I’m not even sure how possible it is to achieve a constant specific temperature with the way the air circulation works. The fan in the back is pulling ambient air in from the room and there are small vents in the front. With that in mind, maintaining a temp within a 9° range like this Samson seems to do, seems rather impressive to me. I’m curious if units with exact temperature settings actually function with any tighter precision. I’d still stick with Samson though for my purposes. Lastly, RE: 24hr timer; it only takes 5 seconds to program more time into it unless nobody’s around to do it. Maybe pay a local teenager to help out with that.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned