Review on Samson Silent Dehydrator 6-Tray: Digital Timer & Temperature Control for a Variety of Foods - Fruit, Vegetables, Beef Jerky, Herbs, Dog Treats, Fruit Leathers and More by Dustin Barry

I've been using the Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator for over 15 years. Actually still works perfectly, but the plastic housing breaks at the bottom. This Samson unit arrived today. Packed very securely in the factory carton. It's smaller, only 6 trays, but that's what I wanted. It has a digital timer and temperature control, which is what I wanted too. Excalibur trays are 15" x 15" and will not fit in the dishwasher unless the top shelf is removed. Samson has 12" x 13" trays and they fit perfectly in the bottom rack of the dishwasher. The Samson is MUCH quieter than the Excalibur. The posts are sturdy and the net is also very strong and thick. I hope this device will last me another 15 years. The only thing that can really go wrong is the digital controls. Time will tell, but I smile when I look at this Samson. I use a dehydrator to make jerky. This size can handle 6 pounds at a time. That is much. That comes out to 2 pounds of beef jerky. *** UPDATE *** Made my first batch of jerky. It came out fantastic! So my old unit had 9 15x15 shells and only used 6 shells, while on this one I used all 6 shells and reloaded 3 more shells, but my old unit didn't have a timer and sometimes I wasn't around to close it. turned off, so my batches were too dry. This unit is MUCH quieter than my Excalibur and the mesh is thinner and doesn't stick. There are no traces of the net on my dried net! I love this Samson! I might buy another one to make the same amount as I do with my Excalibur. You may think this is crazy, but look at the price of a 9 shell Excalibur! The only thing I would ask the manufacturer to change is to either remove or reduce the beep that turns on after the timer runs out. It beeps for 20 seconds, which is a VERY long time. Two or three beeps are enough, especially if it happens in the middle of the night. Other than that it's an impeccable device and as someone who has been dehydrated for 40 years I would have no hesitation in recommending you to buy it!