Samson "Silent" 10 Tray Stainless Steel Dehydrator with Glass Door and Digital Timer and Temperature Control for Fruit, Vegetables, Beef Jerky, Herbs, Dog Treats, Fruit Leathers and More

It's pretty big. It can hold more food than I plan to dehydrate at once so this was probably more than I needed. The size does however make it possible to use it as a proof box for 1 or 2 loaves of bread. I saw some complaints that it didn't reach the FDA safe temp of 160 for jerkey. I haven't tested if this is the case, but it should come close to it. It dehydrated meat very well within 4 hours. If you're concerned for food safety it should be fine to take meat out a little earlier and put it in the oven at a higher temp for a few minutes to sterilize it.I didn't have any problem with the noise. It's about as loud as a small fan. The timer is set in 30 minute intervals up to 24 hours. It's recommended that after 24 hours you allow it to cool before using it again. So this won't be good if you're planning to dehydrate continuously over several days.Cleaning the racks is as much a hassle as I imagined and it takes some time for them to air dry. I reccomend using silicone bake sheets to minimize cleaning. You can go cheap and order a large roll that you just cut into shape or buy the more expensive reusable ones.No clue how long the motor and heater will last. If it breaks I'll come back and comment again. The door seems sturdy and shouldn't fall if you aren't slamming it shut.It really threw me off how this thing looks exactly like the magic mill labeled machines. I think both brands are produced in the same factories, but perhaps one is somewhat higher quality than the other. At least I hope the Samson was the higher quality one. Only time will tell.

I researched dehydrators for months before finally settling on this one. I was a little apprehensive about this purchase as I tend to go with well-known brands when it comes to kitchen appliances, simply because they tend to stand the test of time. Upon receiving this item, however, I was very pleasantly surprised!The quality cannot be understated. I was originally going to purchase what may be considered the "Cadillac" of dehydrators, but I honestly believe this is a better value for the money -- not to mention the stainless steel model by the most well-known competing brand costs approximately 3 times the price of this one. The racks are sturdy and very easy to clean, heating element temperatures are accurate when tested with a laser thermometer, and everything I have made has turned out fantastic. I also purchased silicone dehydrator sheets separately for more water-laden foods, which have definitely come in handy when making fruit or vegetable roll-ups.I have had this product for about 3 months now and have made jerky, apples, veggie chips, bananas, dried citrus, dried herbs, soup vegetables, kale chips, roll-ups, and much more. All have turned out perfectly and have dried in less time than other models I have used in the past. I also use the dehydrator for making yogurt and proofing breads by setting it to one of the lower temperature settings.All in all, this is a fantastic product. If you are on the fence comparing this model to a more well-known brand, please keep in mind that this model is EXTREMELY quiet and is all STEEL. Better known brands may have acquired a reputation over the years, but they are also fashioned from PLASTIC and much, much louder while operating. This is the best bang for your buck. Period. Happy dehydrating!!

Best features: Stainless Steel and easy to clean, Runs quiet, constructed well, and I love the glass door. I also love how it looks and it fits very well on counter top. It arrived quickly. The temp goes high enough to safely do jerky where as some other brands will only go to 155 degrees. Negatives: The temp and time settings are very basic. I could'nt get the temp to run at 135 degrees and had to do 140 but maybe I misread instructions. The time feature will not allow to go under 30 minutes which really is not a problem and the digital buttons are also extremely sensitive. I think that I like knobs to turn instead of buttons. People may complain about the cost being higher but this is a stainless steel machine with quality stainless steel racks which other brands often have plated chrome, so the costs should be expected. It would have been helpful to have a better informed booklet with tips on dehydrating. I ran my first batch of apple slices right after I cleaned and ran the 30 minute pre-run. Apple slices turned out just how I had hoped. This is a super quality machine. I don't understand why people would complain about it warming up a room. -Of course it will heat up your room! It is like having a heater blowing so people should expect some heat to come out of any dehydrator! I love it.

Like a lot of people, did a lot of searching and reviews to figure out the best dehydrator for our needs. Got scared off by some of the most recommended products that had questionable customer service and/or plastic frames. This unit is solid metal/aluminum. It's heavy and sturdy (but not ridiculously heavy to transport / store) and feels well made. The unit is pretty darn quiet. No it's not silent, but it's really not very noticeable either. Tend to run it 10 hrs "over night" and it hums away pretty innocuously in the kitchen. Come on, now often do you get to use that word :o) The glass door is a nice feature, but really you're opening the door to pull out a tray or two to check anyways. With 10 trays you get a lot of surface area to cover. With farmer's markets fading early fall had to dry out some tomatoes and apples to enjoy later when the store only has less than rich versions. The plastic trays are easy to clean and dry and look like they'll hold up quite well. Haven't had the concern to deal with customer service, but other reviews seemed to indicate it was solid. Buy and enjoy!