Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Reviews

WOW... where should I start?

After a lot of research and hearing great things about Harvest Right, we decided to invest in a Large Pro Freeze Drier. We opted to buy it mid-October (Oct 11th) vs waiting for any holiday sales because we had great opportunities for trade shows to make profit quickly.

After wiring in the correct outlet, waiting 3 weeks for our machine to be delivered, and then setting it up to run the initial "bread run," we discovered that our machine was defective. I called Harvest Right and set up an appointment with a technician who determined that the cooling mechanism wasn't working for an unknown reason. The only option was to send back the machine (no way to send a technician out to fix it).

All of this was unfortunate, but it happens. HOWEVER, what I feel is completely unacceptable is that it took Harvest Right 4 WEEKS from the time they told me I needed to send the machine back to send me a box kit to package up my machine. Then an additional WEEK for the machine to be picked up and now I'm still waiting for a new machine to be delivered.

It is now December 15th (over 2 months since I ordered my machine) and I have nothing to show for it. I've missed multiple trade shows and the ability to make birthday present (for 2 of my children) and Christmas presents. I also missed out on the $500 off promo that was available for Black Friday. If I had known that I'd be missing those events, I would have waited to buy it during the sale.

On the bright side, the customer service representatives I've spoken to have been very kind... but that can only go so far. I've had 4 different people I've been emailing with, but no numbers to actually call to get information. Any time I call and ask to speak with them or with a manager I am told they don't take calls and they will leave them a message for me.

I have yet to receive a call back from ANY manager wanting to make the situation better and NO offer of anything they can do for me (other than replacing the machine that they sent to me defective).

My machine quit heating. Turns out the epoxy harness needed to be replaced. The initial customer service rep was super helpful. Transferred me to tech support. That guy appeared to be on the ball. Said he would place the order that day. Could take 3 -5 days once shipped. Never heard anything that it shipped. 4 days later I enquired about it. He still hadn't placed the order. He placed that day. 3 days later, another rep contacted me, then realized someone else already was helping me. She wasn't assigned to my case, but continued to help me anyway. There was a mishap in the shipping department and it took 3 more weeks before I finally got the part I needed. Received the wrong part 3 times. She helped me get it up and running. I have no issues now.

She took the time to help and make things right. I appreciate her help so much! Excellent customer service

Got my freeze dryer it was larger than I expected. Took off a star due to having to get a new plug it doesn't fit a regular plug and as well not being able to freeze dry food using the Pharmaceutical dryer. I thought i was buying a better dryer however its not functional for food because the trays are too small for that purpose making it unusable. i have to pay additional $500 just to get the correct tray without sending it back. They will not just switch them out.

If you are doing candy and foods stick to the smaller dryers . there is no reason to do what i did and get the pharmaceutical unless you are creating medications and or doing herbs which is good feature but is not the main reason i bought it.

Customer service was pleasant to speak to and was willing to help me upgrade and send me the details for the new tray unfortunately they are the only people you can get the tray from as no one else sells them for any cheaper rate.

Sept 2022: Ordered Large, Grade B blemished (some dings & scratches) freeze dryer.

Oct 2022: Received. Started freeze drying large quantities the following summer.

June 2023: Right at the beginning of the harvest season, my unit began having problems, 109 hours drying time for asparagus & buttons were not working. From the beginning, customer service (CS) was lacking. It took 1 week to get a tech support call to address my problem. Anyone who has a garden or buys produce in bulk knows that the harvest does not wait, especially not 1 week. After multiple tech calls & instructions for me to disassemble my freeze dryer, HR sent out a replacement Electronics Modular Sub Assembly EMSA, but only after they had me remove my EMSA, send it back & receive it. (Removing & replacing an EMSA involves removing & replacing multiple electrical wires.) HR tech support did not "realize" that our machine was an older model & the instructions they were talking us through over the phone were inaccurate.

Late July 2023: I did not have a working freeze dryer for over 1 month of the harvest season. Tech support includes phone calls, sending your log files for them to review & more phone calls of them talking you through the repairs or tests that they want you to perform.

August 2023: I was able to run a test batch, but my screen kept getting stuck on "Dry Time Complete" with no buttons working after that. I was advised to update my software, which I did (after watching a short HR video on how to do that). I ran a few batches after that, but was still getting the same issue with the screen getting stuck on Dry Time. My quick fix was to turn the machine off, test the food for done-ness &, if it needed more time, run the cycle again.

Late Aug 2023: I contacted HR tech support again. I again spent countless minutes/hours on the phone or at my computer sending log files, videos of the screen, pictures of the screen.

Mid-Sep 2023: Ran a batch which resulted in 4 of the 5 trays with burnt food & the door on the freeze dryer crackled! There was a lot of product lost & a LOT of labor & money that went into preparing that product for freeze drying. I finally raised the issue to the saleman who sold me the unit & the supervisor of tech support in the company, asking for help & a replacement unit. It was agreed that my unit would be sent back to Utah for repair & then returned to me fixed & operational.

Sep 29, 2023: My unit was sent back to Utah for repair.

Oct.19, 2023: My unit was returned to me. Pump was leaking oil all over the box it was delivered in. Got unit in the house & after talking to tech support, ran some tests. Door needed adjusted & the wrong door gasket was put on my machine when it was shipped back to me. Tech support shipped out a new door gasket. Ran test batch. Sent more log files. Set up tech calls which were not always kept by tech support for the appointed day or time. Prior to tech calls, I also had to remove panels from my freeze dryer.

Oct 19-Nov 22, 2023: numerous phone calls & emails were exchanged with HR running tests, sending log files... Still no working machine.

Nov 22, 2023: HR finally agrees to replace my unit. I have to wait for return packing kit (find your own pallet each time you return a machine to HR) & wait for Fed Ex to pick up my machine before HR will release a "new" replacement machine to me.

Dec 14, 2023: Expected replacement machine arriving

6 MONTHS without a working freeze dryer for which I paid almost $4000! Completely missed my harvest time, burnt up multiple trays of hard-earned, expensive (time & money), organic produce. I am just sick! I hope this refurbished (not new) machine arriving tomorrow will be problem-free & I can get on with the happy task of freeze drying. This has been a terrible experience.

Once I tasted some or the product that it produces, I Had to purchase one!

This five tray Freeze Dryer really works well!

Read the set-up instructions, and you are good to go. Once in place and set-up, load your trays and it’s totally automatic until packaging your goodies!

It is a bit expensive, and a bit noisy. I put mine in my shop next to a power panel with a dedicated 20A plug.

I purchased mine from a local Ace Hardware store, and they were very helpful as well.

We have been freeze drying with Harvest Right dryers for well over 3 years now. We have owned 4 different machines over that time. We have used them for personal AND business purposes.

We have had over the top customer service since we got started with them.

We are particularly impressed with the new Pro medium that we have and will be adding another one soon.

This machine is a game changer!

Once delivered, assembly was quick and easy. There is a special outlet required to use this machine residentially, but to have this installed only cost us $10 and 30 min of time from an electrician (who did this for free since the task was so simple).

Customer service has become a best friend to me. They're very informative, willing to answer even the most mundane questions and help me utilize all the functions to their max capacity.

Long story short, I've spent more time trying to fix our machine than packaging finished product. The last thing I expected was to receive parts and incorrect instructions instead of repair technicians.

At age 68, I don't have the physical strength, coordination, or eyesight to replace wiring harnesses, circuit boards, and screens, let alone the tools and programming skills necessary. I lost about a month of my time trying and failing until I found videos posted by other people.

If you have dietary restrictions, can't find the foods you want already freeze dried, or love fixing equipment that breaks over and over, HarvestRight is for you.

I have only had the freeze dryer for a few days, but at this point I will say that the vendor, Posey County Coop in Mt. Vernon Indiana was very helpful and even had samples for us to try. The samples were what really convinced my husband that this would be a good thing. He tried a rehydrated strawberry.

I had difficulty registering the freeze dryer for the warranty online, but when I called Harvest Right they quickly assisted me with that.

I’ve had my freeze dryer for about a year and a half and we do love using it. We have a garden and I’ve freeze dried fruit from our trees (apples, pears, grapes) I’ve also freeze dried ground beef, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, onions, garlic and ginger. Everything freeze dried great and is so easy to enjoy the many things from my garden throughout the year. I would also recommend a freeze dryer if you are trying to stock up on different foods for long term storage as well. Harvest right is always very helpful and when I had to contact them with a question they were able to help me. It’s quite easy to use and I don’t think people will have a problem with using it. We are very happy to have one for our family!