Somewhere in my life - I think in Boy Scouts - I developed a taste for beef jerky. Years later, in grad school, I realized I could make it at home, as well as dry fruits and vegetables for snacks, with a magical machine called a dehydrator. At the time I picked up a cheap machine - $24, I think - from Wal-Mart. I was able to make some ground beef jerky, dry some fruits and make my own ground red pepper from peppers I grew in pots in the porch. Soon, the dehydrator lid was cracked, the trays warped, other things got my attention, and forming jerky strips from ground beef was tedious without a jerky gun, so the machine got put up for a number of years.

Six or seven years later, I'm in my career and new house. The interest in making jerky and drying foods is renewed, bolstered by an interest in drying foods for camping. I tried to use the old machine. It's only temperature control was a variable vent on the lid - but you still didn't know what temperature you were drying at... Read more

I already own the FD-50 (the smaller version). I found myself wanting more capacity. I did a lot of research but had been so happy with the smaller Nesco I just decided to get its big brother with all the accessories (screens, trays)

I wasn't disappointed.

Preformance - Same as the smaller version, Jerky in 4 hours, apple chips in 6. Higher capacity for sure but not night and day difference from the smaller one. This ones strenght comes in that you can stack a whole lot of trays.

Features - A dehydrator with an off switch. What a concept. Put a timer on it and maybe you'll be in the 20th century! Why they can't put these things on is beyond me. I still use a light timer but at least now I don't have to unplug it.

Build - One another area of improvement over it smaller brother. Seems to be built a lot better. Has more weight to it and just seems like a higher quality item.

If you want a deydrator to handle volume don't hesitate to... Read more

If you are tired of paying too much for dried fruit at the store I strongly recommend a dehydrator. I chose this one based on the good reivews and I haven't been disappointed. Special Note: the more trays the better! To limit drying time I slice fruit very thin so that takes up more trys. Also, there is work involved in the prep and clean up so why not get most fruit out of a single drying session? This is not a quiet item so plan on using it in a different room.

Pros: Great product, easy to use, easy to clean

Cons: Noisy, Out of date booklet.

Special Note: Dried honeydew mellon is wonderful!