Has anyone heard of VegiKILN dehydrators? They claim to work exactly the same as Excaliburs, and they offer a 10 tray version at a cheaper price.
Here's what one site says:
Finally, a square dehydrator series that includes horizontal front to back drying similar to another very well known and popular brand, but at a much lower cost!
Pragotrade VegiKILN 10 Tray Food Dehydrator is the perfect food dehydrator for all your healthy living needs!
The perfect way to preserve fruits, meats, vegetables, herbs, breads, and flowers! Easily make healthy, delicious and natural snacks like banana chips, fruit roll-ups, yogurt and jerky. Retains natural flavor of foods without additives or preservatives.
* 10 large, removable, drying trays provide over 1 square foot per tray of drying space
* No bulky front door/cover required - each tray's front lip seals to the tray above it to contain air movement within the dehydrator
* Each tray measures 14 1/4" x 10 3/4" (36.2 x 27.3 cm)
* Foods release from trays easily (Excalibur's ParaFlexx® Sheets may be cut to size to fit these trays)
* Color coded, adjustable thermostat from 84 to 155oF (29 to 68C)
* 600-watt heating element with 5 1/2" ultra quiet fan (8 and 10 Tray), 500-watt (6 Tray)
* Even drying, tray rotation not necessary
* Rear-mounted drying system circulates air from back to front through each tray
* Solid ABS polymer construction
* Easy to use....easy to clean
* Includes instruction and recipe book
* One-year limited manufacturer's warranty
* WHITE ONLY (at this time)
VegiKILN 10 Tray Food Dehydrating System
Product Weight: 17 lbs.
Product Dimensions: 18.5L" x 13.5W" x 13.5H"
This site's offering a 10 tray dehydrator for $149 with free shipping:
http://dehydrators.livingright.com/item658.VegiKILN-10-Tray-Food-De...
They also sell 8 tray and 6 tray versions, which are also cheaper. Most 9 tray Excaliburs go for about $210, so this is obviously a hell of a lot cheaper. Seems like a good deal, but I've never heard of this name brand. Does anyone have any experience with them? Do they work just as well as Excaliburs?