I have an American Harvest 4 tray machine. I recieved it as a gift,
however I've seen them in stores for about 50 bucks. Yes it IS worth
the extra money. Here's a link. The one I have is the second from the
top. http://www.everythingkitchens.com/fooddehydrators.html
Using it is a breeze. Just plug it in, adjust the heat for whatever you
are making and go. I usually make jerky with it, and a full 4 tray
batch takes about 6 hours to dry. FYI, If you ever plan on making
jerky.... a 5 lb top round roast well trimmed will make about a pound
and a half of jerky. DO NOT use preground hamburger. There are recipes
that you can use, but I've never had a batch turn out good.
What I don't like? That's easy. Cleaning the trays and the machine in
general. It's quite a chore to do, because any liquid dries hard onto
the trays. There are little nooks and crannies all over the place,
plenty of places for crud to collect. The inside tray on the base isn't
easy either, you need to back out a few screws then release plastic
clips around the outside. About the easiest way to clean them is to
let them soak in soapy water for a full day, then run them in the
dishwasher with the water heat OFF. Cleaning after drying fruit is
worse, simply because of the sugars present. This crud dries sticky. If
you don't remove it right away, more crud from the air gets into it and
it builds up.