My first ever dehydrator. I usually use my electric oven for making beef jerky but I wanted to try a dehydrator after watching instructional you tube videos. I'm confident that the more elaborate stainless steel models work great for active enthusiasts but I didn't want to spend much money as a beginner. I purchased this Nesco unit based on positive Amazon reviews for ease of use and operational satisfaction. I disregarded negative reviews regarding packaging issues or disappointments unrelated to product performance. I knew beforehand that a basic model like this would need to be handled with some consideration for fewer bells and whistles and plastic trays instead of stainless steel.Overall, I am very happy with the performance and finished jerky, especially for the price. It takes a little more time than the oven method but I didn't have to flip the beef pieces during the drying process. I have no issue with the lack of an onboard timer or on/off switch. I can read a clock or set my smartphone timer and I can reach the plug to turn the unit off. It's not rocket science.I would recommend this unit for anyone interested in trying dehydrating without a large monetary investment.

Works well. Really easy to use, clean, and store. Use non stick spray to remove fruit easily.

muy bueno el deshidratador para un nivel de casa, excelente y un muy buen precio

日本語の説明書もつけてくれ

** Update June 2019 - I've been using this dehydrator about every 2-3 weeks to dry fruits (mostly apples) and for making beef jerky. I soon realized that 5 trays was not enough to keep up with how fast my kids devour the dried apples and how fast I go through the jerky, so I've bought 4 additional trays since my initial purchase to increase the capacity. One thing I've noticed is that when I added the 4 additional trays (for a total of 9), the drying time increased by about an hour for jerky and about 1.5 hrs for the apples. It still doesn't dehydrate evenly (never did from the beginning), so I'm still rotating the trays at the halfway point to get even drying. This dehydrator is rated to use 12 trays, but given how the drying time increased and how it currently functions with just 9 trays, I'm not confident that this dehydrator can truly handle 12 trays, so I'm not going to be buying any more trays. However, that being said, the dehydrator is a workhorse and I haven't had any issues with the motor or the heater shutting off or any nonsense like that. Still very happy with this unit!! **I was a little wary of buying this model because it didn't have an on/off switch. I'm not sure why that was going to bother me so much, probably because everything else seems to have one. But since i don't plan on leaving this dehydrator plugged in at all times (like my toaster or coffeemaker), I've realized that I really don't need an on/off switch for the dehydrator.I was also wondering if I should spend some more money and get one with a digital temperature selection and wondering if I needed to step up from a simple dial control. After having used this dehydrator for the past month or so, I realized that the digital temperature control would have done really nothing other than add cost to the dehydrator.The dehydrator itself works great. it's straightforward and easy, but there are a few things:1. The dehydrator touts it's ability to provide even and equal airflow throughout the entire space so that you don't have to rotate trays. Well, that doesn't seem to work exactly as they hoped. I find that the trays closest to the heating and fan element (top) dries out much quicker than the tray on the bottom. It took me a few runs to figure this out, so now about half way through the drying process I swap the trays and put the top on the bottom and vice versa.2. The trays stack well, but it is very difficult to get them perfectly aligned to satisfy my inner OCD. I'm not sure if they are designed to have as much wiggle room as they have, and I'm not sure how much it affects drying time and efficiency of the dehydrator, but it's annoying that the sides are not always flush fit.3. The trays are a bit of a pain to clean due to all the nooks and crannies where the food juices get stuck and dry out. Nothing a little water, soap, brush, and elbow grease can't scrub out, but when there's about a 100 or so crevices in each tray, it gets very annoying. i guess i could throw the trays in the dish washer, but I'm always a bit wary about throwing delicate looking plastic things in the dish washer.Otherwise, the machine works great and I've been able to make beef jerky at home to satisfy my cravings at a fraction of the cost of buying them at the grocery store, with the option to make the jerky as spicy or sweet or savory as i want. I've also used it to dry mangos and kiwis and this dehydrator has worked great. I've soon found out, as many others have, that I definitely need more than the 5 trays that come with it.

Working fine with 220v to 110v converter.

I really love this machine. It is my first real dehydrator, and what I've managed to do with is is excellent. The nature of such machines is that you either need it for way more than it can handle at once, or not at all. (Who, for example will dry out one apple, or carrot or potato? These things come in multi-pound batches.) That being said, it's quick, which means that you can move through your batches reasonably quickly.It's very easy to use, and it's reasonably quiet. You can hear it if you stand around it, but otherwise it is not much louder than my refrigerator. That the fan is at the top makes it odd to manipulate, but makes perfect sense as a design choice. All of life is tradeoffs.What I really like about it is that I don't need to swap the plates around, everything dries evenly across the whole machine. It is also very easy to clean. I wish that it would have come with a couple more liquid sheets and fine-screen meshes, but I can buy those. Those that came with it be default were a reasonable offering.This surprised me a little bit, but the book that came with it included instructions on dehydrating a variety of items. I would not have thought that this would have been particularly valuable, but it turned out (and continues to be) quite useful. It's a small thing, but I believe that manuals are good indicator of a product's quality and attention to detail by the people who make a product.If I have one minor complaint it would be that the machine lacks and on-off switch. One might perhaps be included in the thermostat dial. The only way to turn it off is to unplug it. It would be nice to simply flip a switch before lifting the lid and setting it down. Overall, I'd say that this is a good deal. The quality seems pretty good, and I think that I can count on it for many years of growing seasons. I've already recommended this model to three family members just because I like it.

I was very impressed the moment I opened the box! This food dehydrator looks much nicer than the last one I had (admittedly several years ago.) I love that it's not see-through, so no more having light come through and interfering with the dehydration process. Plus, the "granite" look is really lovely!I love that there are multiple temperatures, and the top of the dehydrator tells you what temperature to use for the most commonly dehydrated items (jerky, meats, fruits & veggies, etc.) There is no on/off switch, so you have to unplug the machine when you want to check on your items, but don't find that to be a problem at all.This machine is very QUIET! My old one could be heard throughout the entire house, but this one can barely be heard in the next room, and that's only if the room is completely quiet (meaning to TV, Wii, computer, kids, etc.) When I'm in the kitchen, I don't have to yell over the sound of the machine in order to be heard in the next room, either.So far, I've only done fruit leathers (or fruit roll-ups, as my kids call them.) Easy recipe, just applesauce and fresh strawberries pureed together! I did have an issue of getting the layer on the special sheet even, but that's my issue, not one caused by the machine. Just need practice!It comes with 4 accessories (not including the 5 drying trays): 2 fine mesh screens for drying things that would/could fall through the openings in the strays (like herbs, fruits, and veggies that get smaller as they are dehydrated.) Also it has 2 tray inserts for making fruit leathers or other things that need a "tray" with no holes. I found when doing the fruit it was helpful to put on of these inserts in the very bottom tray and use the other at the top with my fruit mix on it. The one on the bottom captured the few drips that fell through (my fault) and made cleanup so much easier.Having the motor on the top instead of the bottom is a great idea! That way if anything does fall/drip through, no worrying about it getting into the motor or having difficult places to clean. All of the trays and accessories are dishwasher safe, though if you have a dishwasher that has a washing arm for the top rack (as opposed to just the one underneath all the dishes) I wouldn't recommend it. Because more hot water gets to the top rack in these types, the trays and accessories can warp. But just soaking them in regular dish detergent and water then washing them with a soft bristle brush or soft cleaning pad works just fine. (Note the word "SOFT"! Anything harsh or rough will scratch!)All-in-all, this is a wonderful machine, and I'm looking forward to my next projects with it: dried bananas w/ honey, dried kale and herbs for my bunny's salad, and of course, JERKY!