L Equip 528 Food Dehydrator

Pros: Wide range of temperature settings. Large capacity. Quiet. Easy to clean.
Cons: Price. Very poor owner's manual.

The L'Equip 528 Dehydrator replaced my old round dehydrator which was primarily used for making fairly large quantities of beef jerky. My first impression concerned generous size and rectangular shape of the 6 included drying trays (the manufacturer ...

Pros: Price, shape, efficiency, reliability.
Cons: French name. Right wing friends are inspired to do their French jokes after seeing it.

After looking at all the dehydrators, my wife and I got this one. Couldn't be more pleased. The drying capacity and the shape both entered into our decision. The other dehydrators in the price range are round, as the company's hype points out. That might not seem like a big deal, but when you're trying to prepare backpacking dinners for a crew of eleven for a four day three night trip, the additional space and utility provided by the rectange versus the circle are significant. I do take the time to rotate the trays while drying a lot of food; the top and bottom trays seem to dry the fastest. If you're thinking about a dehydrator, though, go no further. Get this one.

Pros: Works like a dream
Cons: none

This is the best dehydrator there is, and it is very reasonably priced. Don't waste your time and money on buying a cheap piece of equipment. My family uses this as part of our raw food way of eating...it is one of the best products I have ever bought.

Pros: Good price for the quality and you can't beat the 12 year warranty.
Cons: Can't wash in the dishwasher and the fan is at the bottom

I did a good amount of looking around and reading up on these things since they are plastic and are subject to heat over a long period of time. It seems like a lot of authors that write Raw diet books recommend the Excalibur but it's twice as much as this unit.

The fan is at the bottom of the unit which may be an issue for those dehydrating a lot of liquids. It looks like you can take the fan cover off and clean it out if needed. From what I read it's best to have one with a fan on top or on the side.

Overall I'm very pleased with it and it didn't take too long to figure the "in and outs" of the device. Also it comes with everything needed to get started. Great owners manual on facts about dehydrating and tips.

Pros: Quality, warranty, compact, square, quiet, easy to clean.
Cons: No timer. Temperature gage doesn't list all temperatures.

I have never bought a dehydrator before so I did a lot of research. I decided on the L'Equip because of their warranty, the square shape and the consumer reviews. I also saved myself about $60, which is always a good thing. I have used my dehydrator twice in one week making raw "burgers" and "bread" and it works like a charm! I was a little concerned about the hole in the center of all of the trays, but the fruit leather trays fit nicely and can accommodate a lot of food. And it's very easy to clean.I love that it's so quiet too. I wish that they would have included a timer, but the manual said I could hook it up to a light timer, so I tried it and it's fine. Also, I don't know why they didn't print all of the temperatures on the temperature gage; they only list 93, 125 and 153 and the hash marks in between. All in all, though, I would highly recommend it. I can't wait until summer so I can start dehydrating plums and pluots!