Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Reviews

Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is a great product. My wife and I have been using our for past three years. The company stands behind their product and any issues we have had were addressed and resolved in a timely manner. Their customer service support is outstanding.

The Tech support was better than average, but the Freeze Dryer is another matter. My wife bought it, only because I was able to effect repairs on it as necessary. The freeze dryer was cycling between holding a vacuum and not holding one. The fault was in the vacuum hose and it needed to be piped wrapped. We will need to wait to see if this is the final remedy for this machine.

I absolutely LOVE my Harvest Right freeze dryer. I purchased the medium sized one with the premium pump. I have been using it non-stop since I got it in December 2022. In retrospect, although the pump with oil doesn’t take a lot of time to maintain, I think the oilless pump may have been worth the extra money. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because there was a vacuum issue straight from the factory that took considerable time to troubleshoot. But having said that, my technician David was fantastic! He walked me through all the steps and we figured out the issue. Tech support is top notch and I highly recommend this freeze dryer.

I have owned my large Harvest Right, 5 tray freeze dryer for two years and 3 months. To date I have run 414 batches and the unit has run 16,105 hours. A car running that many hours, at 45 miles per hour, would log 720,000 miles! At 12+ pounds of food per run, that comes to about 5,000 pounds of food that I have freeze dried. My unit runs pretty much non-stop, except for when I am out of town.

Over the last two years, I have had two problems with it. The first was a leak in a vacuum sensing unit that Harvest Right walked me through and I repaired the problem in a few minutes with some silicone sealer.

The second one… I am in the process of correcting now. It turns out that I have a computer board that developed a problem and costs $100 to replace. They helped me through the process of determining the issue. Because my unit is out of the warranty period, I had to pay a one-time $45 service fee to have a specialist work with me through the repair process. She (Itzia) walked me through the process of correctly identifying the problem, and how to repair it. I will have the new part in a few days and it will take me all of about 30 minutes to have “Freddy” back in service. If I have any problems after the new board is in place, the $45 will cover any additional help that I could need to get the problem corrected.

If you can’t tell, I love my freeze dryer!!! It is my baby…my wife often helps to get the food products ready to go in, but I run the unit from start to finish. I have processed over 35 different kinds of meals, fruits, veggies, meats, cheese, ice cream and dessert items, not to mention a few different candy items. The finished products are incredible, to say the least. If someone stole Freddy tomorrow, I would immediately have another one on order.

If you are thinking about getting a freeze dryer, quit waiting and get one on order from Harvest Right. You will not be sorry!

We bought our freeze dryer a year ago…

We bought our freeze dryer a year ago and have loved freeze drying so much food. A couple of months ago we started getting the mid batch heater failure sign so we called Harvest Right to get it repaired. At first we were not able to get a hold of someone to clearly explain what to do. We were given videos to watch to repair our own freeze dryer, which I wasn't thrilled about. I truly felt frustrated and like the repair for the freeze dryer was my responsibility and that I was supposed to watch a video and do it myself. It was overwhelming and I felt like it was above my pay scale! So I finally sent a text to tech support and got a representative who spoke English to call me and we were able to work out the details to get my machine repaired. We had to take it in the first time and it was a big hassle because we have a large freeze dryer. We brought it back home and it was still not fixed so a repairman came out and fixed it. Overall it was pretty frustrating, but it had a good ending. For future reference I think Harvest Right should have a repairman come out to the house and fix the machine when it needs to be repaired. No more hauling the heavy machine up to Harvest Right for repairs!

Date of experience: March 14, 2023

I bought the freeze dryer for processing garden produce. It is user friendly and produces a great product. Much easier than canning and the food retains more nutrients with a longer shelf life. We used it through last gardening season and it worked great. We have it in our garage so the vacuum can get overheated when the outside temp is high. We put a fan on it and that helps. We also use it to preserve allergy friendly foods we can travel with for our children with multiple food allergies. It gives me piece of mind we have access to food they can eat when we aren't at home. Every time I have called customer service, they have been helpful and prompt. Great experience so far!

Food is too expensive to waste, so freeze drying leftovers has been an exciting thing for us. We have only used this a handful of times, but so far it seems solid. It is an investment, but having food one day when it might not be available is worth the cost. It is also something that makes a constant sound for around 24 hours, so make sure you are ready for that…also have room for it to breathe and a sturdy table for the weight of it. Otherwise, buy it for peace of mind or maybe you want the novelty of the candy mode. Either way, glad we bought it.

I bought my freeze dryer in June 2022. It would sporadically warn me that the mTorr value was too high. It needs to get below 500 before the process can continue. I would jiggle the hoses around and sometimes that worked. Eventually that stopped working and I just couldn't get the value below ~1500. Called support and they told me to check a few things. One was to put my finger at the end of the drain hose while it was stuck. Sure enough it was slightly sucking even though I had the valve closed. I told the support person and she sent me a new valve and now things are working great!

We bought our Harvest Right freeze dryer around 5 to 6 years ago. It was a learning curve at the time. Customer service was great as they walked us through the process. If we had questions or problems they were there to answer and solve the issues. We have freeze dried vegetables from our garden, eggs, and our favorite, ice cream! We feel in these times you need to do what you can to have good food storage and Harvest Right is the best choice .

Wife's Review: We bought our medium HarvestRight freeze dryer in October 2022. We have a large garden and wanted another way of preserving the harvest. We have freeze dried apples, tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, applesauce, beets, kale, avocados, pineapple, beets, chicken liver, bananas, green peppers and lots of other things but my favorites are mangoes and yellow kiwis. We were gifted a subscription to a cheese site and were getting too many cheeses to eat up so shredded and freeze dried them to top soups or salads or just to munch. Oh yes, had lots of fun with all the candies and ice cream sandwiches! We haven't tried the whole meals yet and mostly are just munching away all the wonderful and healthy snacks. We gave away bags of treats for Christmas gifts. We are loving this wonderful machine.

Husband's Review: We were at first concerned about future reliability, but now know that the dryer proper is basically a freezer, and they routinely last for decades. Of course the freeze drying system also has a vacuum pump which will be “wearing out”, but minimal attention to the oil will probably give 5 years of trouble free operation which can then be renewed by replacing the wearing parts which are available from HarvestRight as a service kit. We did have a minor issue with the vacuum pump’s de-mister, which turned out to be an opportunity to contact and speak with HarvestRight tech support, and I was pleased with how knowledgeable and helpful they were. I even found that they continually make software upgrades which are quite easy to download and install!

I use my Harvest Right all of the time. I am an avid gardener so it’s especially handy for storing away the excess bounty without having to can it. It’s pretty simple to use- and there are lots of Freeze Drying forums and YouTube videos that also help with ideas and problem solving. My machine came with the screen not working but my husband was able to replace it with another one HR sent. The door wouldn’t seal so I use a piece of cardboard in the latch so it will maintain vacuum. It has become an addictive pastime making treats and storing food.

It was 1 year ago that I took the plunge and bought my Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, the 5 tier option. I encourage you to "Go Big" it is worth the investment. I have been keeping mine running 90% of the time. No regrets. Freeze Right Customer service has been extremely helpful. The call service addressed Each issue was fixed with a phone call and/or a part that I requested. The replacement parts were very inexpensive. I ordered the film strip for the heat sealer. Yesterday I ordered a new demister. very inexpensive, and there were also videos to review for cleaning the one I have. So I have a spare.

HR offers the best service and a quality products! Every interaction I've had over the past year has been 5 star!!!!!

Alright, first things first, the idea of freeze drying to preserve food is amazing, and the candy videos you see online that come out of a freeze dryer look quite intriguing as well ha! I was ecstatic when we ordered ours, unfortunately, the first almost 6 weeks of having our freeze dryer we had nothing but issues....but we have it running now.

FIRST, we ordered our unit from Home Depot, waited a few weeks and received the wrong product...YES, THE WRONG $3,500 ITEM... THEN, we had to deal with the frustration of repackaging and shipping off the unit (another ordeal) just to get the return process started...we ordered our unit Jan7 and finally got the right one on Feb14 wowsers! We excitedly setup the unit and read through our manuals and online info....ran the bread through the machine as instructed...and NOTHIN...nothing happened. We tried running candy through....NOTHING.

We started watching ALL THE VIDEOS and read all the information possible, ran all the tests....we had to get on the phone with someone and submitted a ticket as well. There's NO WAY we just spent almost 4k on a freeze dryer that doesn't work!!

THANKFULLY after countless hours of running tests, making phone calls, the latest update (yes, an update after just receiving it..idk) some adjustments to our vacuum part, and voila- we have successfully freeze dried bananas, apples, and yes even a batch of candy,

FINALLY!!!! THANK YOU to all who helped us at Harvest Right, I think my husband could start a side business of fixing local units after all the time invested in fixing our unit HA! Anything worth having is worth paying for...and fussing with...and working on....and learning about.....lol We are definitely excited to get this party started!

This company is incredible! I have been eyeballing their freeze dryers for years now, and my mama finally helped me make my dream a reality! Unfortunately, we did not realize that the large freeze dryer requires more power than my rental house can provide... I contacted the company immediately, and not only did they help me get a smaller model that I could use in my home, they are sending me free mylar bags for the trouble! I am highly impressed by the customer service, and the freeze dryer! If you've been considering buying a freeze dryer from Harvest Right, I highly suggest you take the leap! Well worth the investment.

I really like my harvest right freeze dryer it has been a great experience in a new way to preserve food for longer and you make your own meals with your own seasoning to your own taste I am so glad I found this and it saves any left overs no waste any more,a added bonus is,the candy mode is awesome my kids love it the customer service is fantastic all around you talk to a real person and not a machine that is rare these days they care about their customers awesome company I highly recommend their freeze dryer best choice I have made

We have been using our Harvest Right medium size Freeze Dryer for a week and have been so impressed with how simple the process has been! We freeze dried peppers and fruit already! Their customer service is outstanding and very helpful as well.

We love our Harvest Right! It took us several months to get started using it—dedicated electrical setup, appropriate location in our basement, the perfect cart stand, reading and rereading the manual, and getting over a bit of “machine-intimidation.” We had opted for the oil-free pump, and are very pleased we invested in that upgrade. The operation has been extremely easy and smooth. I’ve learned that when I try to cut corners and not wash the large gasket after each use (it’s not like it gets dirty…) I will lose the vacuum seal on the third use, so do wash it at least every other batch and make sure to air dry it so there’s not a speck of lint on it that will prevent the vacuum seal. We have had great results (and a lot of fun), and we can’t wait to test the quality of the freeze dried meals on an upcoming trip! Get the silicone mats for sure. They make the process even easier. All the accessories are first class. Customer service folks have also been great (helpful and professional) on some minor order issues. What more could you ask for? Quality and outstanding service! So happy with our decision to invest in this terrific product.

Graduated from dehydrating to freeze drying.

I bought a Harvest Right to prepare for an unknown future. Droughts, Food processing plants burning down, and burdensome government regulation is threatening our food supply.

I'm tired of discarding food due to lack of space in a tiny freezer for leftovers.

Mostly, I want to be able to store food long term without tying up space and/or wasting food.

Ground beef is perfect for long term storage. No bugs for this girl (LOL!)

Anyway, Harvest Right has build a high quality machine for home consumers and I couldn't be more pleased.

The machine comes with everything you need to hit the ground running. Customer Service is informative. It also arrives with everything you need to start your long storage needs. Those items would include a premier pump allowing for longer use of the oil, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, pans, impulse sealer, instruction manual, and a starter guide to educate the new owner on the process of Freeze drying. They also have additional accessories online.

I honestly feel more secure knowing that I am storing food for times when it will be so expensive, or not even available.

Going to text a batch of cornbread dressing. Imagining getting half of my Thanksgiving dinner cooked months in advance. HOLY SMOKES. I think that alone is worth buying the machine.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE that canning jars can be vacuum sealed with this machine. No more hand pumping the air out for this girl!

Next up, ready to go smoothie ingredients; yogurt, freeze dried oj, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, etc...

If you are on the fence, take the dive. The possibilities are endless.

I purchased my Harvest Right Freeze dryer to make backpacking meals but have found myself doing much more! Making candy has turned into a fun little hobby. If I have left-overs or items that will not be used before going bad, I freeze dry them. This has virtually eliminated food waste. Great product and great customer service!

After 1 year of frequent use (2-3 times a week), we are very happy with the quality and efficiency of the HR freeze dryer. The preserved food is very light weight and wont break like glass jars. A medium size tray will hold about 3 servings of most foods, so it is great for a small-medium family. Provided instructions and website are detailed and have lots of great info, but read directions CAREFULLY b4 using the machine. I recommend the oil free pump despite the higher initial cost, as it saves $$ and time doing oil changes over time. For long term food preservation, this is your best option.