I bought this dehydrator on Prime Day because:
1) It was about $70'ish discounted
2) It has dishwasher safe metal trays
3) It included two fruit leather trays & a couple of fine-mesh screen trays
4) Is a a brand I recognize
5) Has pretty strong reviews

I have been running it nearly non-stop since it was delivered. So far, I've dehydrated apricots, bananas, two different types of fruit leather (strawberry/pineapple/banana; peach/apple w/a splash of vanilla extract & a sprinkle of cinnamon -- tastes like a peach/apple pie!), and a ton of pineapple slices (add a sprinkle of tajin for a little kick!). And while it's easy to clean (dishwasher safe metal trays!), what l love most about this thing is how quiet it is!! I was assuming it would too loud to have in the kitchen, or even in the house, and had even already identified where I would run it out in the garage. But, it's quiet enough to have in the kitchen. And, at the rate we're going through pineapple rings and fruit leather, I think I won't have to worry about where to store it when not in use, because it's going to continue to be constantly in use :)

The only question / concern I have is that in the operations manual, it states to NOT run this dehydrator for continuously more than 24 hours at a time, and yet the timer is able to be set for far more than that. If it needs to be turned off for a few hours after 24 hours, then why make the timer longer than 24 hours?

This is the best dehydrator I've found - well made, easy to use & clean, plenty of trays resulting in a variety of dried fruits & veggies. Figs & tomatoes are so delicious dried and are easy to keep.

This is our first time using a dehydrator and so far everything has gone great! If us silent and does not emit much heat.

Overall, this is a pretty great dehydrator! I started with some apple slices and then tried some banana chips (those take awhile!) and then finally today some jerky.

I purchased a 5.7 lb package of eye of round already sliced to 1/4" thick and split into two different flavors of jerky; a Sweet and Spicy and a Jerky Lovers Ghost Pepper.

Before putting the jerky in the dehydrator, I figured I would break out my Fieldpiece Dual Temp Thermometer and check the actual grate temp at a thermostat setting of 165 degrees. This is a professional meter (I am in the HVAC industry) and I wove the temp probe through the grate to get a temperature at the grate. The probe was calibrated in ice water to 32 degrees prior to this test. I tested at the middle grate position, the top and the bottom. Temps were very even and was let run for 20 minutes to make sure it had time to heat. As you can see in the photo, the temp was consistently 122 degrees in all positions with the temp set at 165 degrees.

I am not sure where Magic Mill locates their thermostat probe, but I am guessing it may be near the heating element causing false operations.

If a guy wants to make jerky, these temps can be a concern as getting beef to at least 160 degrees is a good idea to kill possibly dangerous microbes. I knocked a star off for this reason. I may look into where the probe is located and see if it could be relocated somewhere different to sense box temp more accurately. I think I will call Magic Mill first to see if they can give me any ideas.

Other than that, I only have one additional gripe and that is the unit is pretty flimsy once you remove the grates from it. Obviously, the grates keep the box square when installed, but the box seems to be made mostly of plastic and doesn't have much of a rigid frame. Again, at this price point, this is to be expected!

When the unit is running, it is VERY quiet. Airflow is great due to a large diameter fan prop in the rear cabinet. The beeps ARE quite loud, but I have the dehydrator in our pantry (which is a different room) and it doesn't bother me and I can still hear it in my living room, so for my application it works.

In conclusion, this is a great dehydrator at a great price and includes 10 metal screens, 2 fruit leather shelves and one silicone screen for herbs and sticky fruits (bananas). I will probably order more of the silicone screens from Magic Mill so I can dry peppers and herbs next season. The digital display is easy to read and easy to use and the temperature range is a nice feature. I set the unit to 95 degrees, pulled out the screens and placed my stainless mixing bowl unit with some bread dough to proof and in an hour, the dough had more than doubled in size, so another great feature! The recipe book includes some directions about culturing yogurt in the machine as well and is a nice mention, as I never thought of using the Magic Mill in that fashion.

I will update this review if I find out anything about the temperature accuracy and also when the jerky currently in the machine is done.

UPDATE: Jerky turned out pretty great! Had it at 165 and ran for about 5 hours. So much easier and faster than the old round stacking style I had with no fan! Thumbs WAY up! ðŸ‘ðŸ»

I ordered the Magic Mill Dehydrator to make jerky and other dehydrated foods for backpacking and camping. When it arrived, there was a cracked corner where the door attaches, even though the packing and packaging was some of the best and most conscientious I have ever seen. And the part in question seemed very strong, well engineered, good material. Must have just been dropped in shipping or something.

Magic Mill quickly made good on the issue, when I emailed them with pics. I don't fault them at all for the issue, as the appliance was so well made and so well packed by them. And as so many other reviews suggest, the appliance works exceptionally well, uniform dehydration, great trays, good temp control and timing.