Courageous Joy

Posted this on SHS but I want as much input as possible with this purchase! {g} Thinking I may get some kitchen appliances and computer monitors instead of an elliptical machine! :::snort::::

I'm looking into a new dehydrator. I currently have the American Harvest Snack Master....6 trays, 500 watts of power. The movers destroyed the shield that sits over the heating element. There are no screws left (so it sits but not attached) and it is cracked. I've been using it daily for months but now that I'm using it a lot.....I need to buy more trays.....and to spent $30 on more trays when the bottom is cracked doesn't seem wise. I'm considering a new one. I have some questions for anyone who has one of these.....or has researched it.

1. Is 1000 watts really needed?

2. Is a potential of 15 sq feet or 30 square feet going to be used most? Currently I have six trays - 6 square feet.

3. Would the feature of being able to dry big and bulk items be used?

Here are the ones I'm considering:

American Harvest Garden Master - can expand to 30 trays (30 sf), 1000 watts, on/off switch (I think) - I like the free shipping and gifts at Urban homemaker. Maybe you need the more watts for the 30 trays?
http://www.urbanhomemaker.com


The Excalibur - 9 trays, timer 600 watt motor, 26 hour timer, can remove trays for things like cheese etc., on/off switch; wanted to buy from Urban Homemaker but direct you get all the mesh screens and fruit leather trays and such too.
http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/cat7.htm

L'Equip - 6 trays only (can't grow), 500 watt motor, on/off switch
http://www.breadbeckers.com/dehydrators.htm

Does anyone have personal experience with any of these models? Or has anyone "heard" or researched any of these models? For shear volume it seems the Garden Master would have the most potential...but with the American Harvests you can't dry anything like cheese that isn't FLAT. All have temp controls so the wattage doest affect that.....I think I'm really leaning towards the Excalibur or Garden Master now that I typed it all out...because I have 6 trays now and am constantly using it.....for instance I do 4 loads of apples a week....and could cut that down to 2 loads if I had more trays....LOL

The Excalibur seems like a good thing...but I don't want to get something that seems "good now" and find out later that I wish I had bigger! For example....I had a great kitchen aide but our use of it outgrew its capabilities and I bought a Bosch. I love my Whisper Mill but now that I have a Bosch the mill doesn't grind enough to do a full batch of bread and I wish I had the Nutri Mill which will mill more - of course I didn't have this need until I got the Bosch. LOL That is the sort of thing I want to avoid with this purchase...but I can't tell which of the above would be the best and which would be "settling".

Thanks for any input here, on the blog or in my in box. LOL
De'Etta