Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Reviews

I’m eager to share my experience with the Harvest Right freeze dryer. When I used it for the first time, there was an issue with the condenser. Rather than wait an extended period for it to be repaired, Harvest Right replaced my model with an upgraded version — the Home Pro freeze dryer. I have run several batches successfully, and am very pleased with the results. It is more user friendly than the previous version. I was expecting to need some technical support the first couple times I used it, but it wasn’t necessary. I enjoy having a variety of seasonal foods in the off season. It’s convenient not having to cook as often, just add hot water and serve. I also appreciate being able to make my own “fast food”, free of additives that are present in commercially processed foods. The long shelf life allows me to store quantities that would see me through any hardship that may come along. The Harvest Right Pro is the most useful tool for achieving food sovereignty.

Recently called support over an item I ordered. Realized it was the wrong thing and attempted to cancel the order before it was sent out. So do not respond to the bill sent, like I did, but call the company direct. They would take the item back however, decided to keep it after all. The rep answering my call was very helpful and offered to send me additional information on how to care for my freeze dryer. Very kind of him and thankful for his help.

We had issues with our freeze dryer ticking, turns out it was the relay board. Harvest right sent us a brand new relay board with instructions on how to replace it. We installed it and the ticking went away, but then we couldn't get through a cycle without experiencing a "power outage" when we weren't experiencing one. Harvest right spent a lot of time trying to figure out what it was, continuously sending us new parts in hope it fixed the issue, even checking in when i went MIA for a few days. FINALLY we were able to figure out the issue and now we're up and running again :)

I think my Harvest Right freeze dryer is great. Although I have had a couple of issues, a technician has worked with me to resolve the problem that I’m having. The biggest issue that I have when calling about my problem is having to make an appointment days out to speak to a technician when I really just want my freeze dryer to work as quickly as possible so that I can continue to be productive and not waste any product. I do love it enough though to purchase another one which I am going to be doing in the near future.

Customer service was responsive, polite and very quickly helped solve my freeze drier error. I know this company was experiencing growing pains because they were growing so rapidly, however, I have found their customer service was a breath of fresh air especially on today's world. I was not continually rerouted by an electronic phone system and and was greeted by a real person. Thank you for your kind and timely response.

We purchased our Harvest Right freeze dryer about 18 months ago. We have used it to preserve produce from our garden as well as meats and casseroles. It is so convenient to re-hydrate mac and cheese or sliced ham and be able to create a meal in minutes with fresh tasting and nutritious food.

We store our food in Mylar bags and canning jars with oxygen absorbers.

We purchased our medium sizes freeze dryer about 3 years ago. I'd like to split this review into 2 parts; 1. The product and 2. The service.

1. The product works, we love using the dryer and how easy it is to use. That said, there are a few areas that could improve. For the cost, there are a few very inexpensive parts that seem to be common failure points. From cable connections to temp switch to circuit relays. Some of these are easy to troubleshoot, but why are they failing. Another issue is temperature around the dryer. Ours reports that the room temp is high, so the batch will take longer. Ours is in the garage where the temp is never over 68F. So we run fans near the dryer to help circulate air. Also, the dryer starting failing about 3 months after the first year of service. It took over a year to finally get to the correct part that was failing.

2. Service, the service from Harvest Right isn't bad, bad there are areas that could improve. There are 2 levels of service. One positive of their service is they are quick to respond and their service is US based. When you first call for service, you start with Level 1 call support. Level 1 follows a standard call process asking questions that will hopefully get to the issue. Note that they will ask if your software is up to date, so update first, before calling. It seemed to me that Level 1 support has no basic training on the dryer. And once they get to a point that exceeds the question process they need to engage Level 2 support. Level 2 support has a fee of $40 to get their help. Level support has had basic training of the dryer, but these are not technical engineers, they are just following a more in-depth troubleshooting procedure. My option is that this works 80% of the time.

Our issue required level 1&2 support and it went like this: 1st call Level 1: ended with us ordering a new circuit board $90. Installed the board, worked for about 2 months. The board was not the issue. 2nd call Level 1: Update to the latest software, worked for about 1 month. In between the calls to support, we were still having issues, but I tried to figure out the issues on my own. If I reset the cable in the back of the drying tray, I could get another batch completed. Then it would fail again. I found a temp switch on the back of the drying tray and if I reset the switch, I could get another batch done, then it would fail. Back to calling support. 3rd call to level 1 & 2 support: during this call, we exceeded Level 1 support and I paid for Level 2. Once with Level 2 we finally figured out that the issue was the temp switch on the back of the drying tray ($2.50). So I asked how we can fix this issue, they said send in the drying tray... I asked if they could just send me the part, I'm in IT (30 years) and I know I could replace the part very easily. That was granted by Level 2 management. Great, send me the part... I paid for the part and it shipped... A box came 5 days later and is was a cable for the back of the drying tray, even thought the packing slip said it was a temp switch. Sent an email to my support person, then got a call asking how the part was working. I let them know again that the wrong part was shipped. Level 2 said I will get the right part out right away. Sure enough, the part was shipped next day. 5 days later a package came, but the package was a soft envelope and the part had been torn from the package, no part. Sent another email to Level 2 person and then I got a call the next day asking how the part was working... I said there was no part in the package and had to send pictures of the package as proof. Level 2 said I'll have it sent again asap. And the part was shipped the next day. This time the part was in the package and I was able to install the part in about 30 minutes.

The dryer is working again, but still tells us that the room temp is high and we continue to run fans during batch processing.

In the end, we have a working device.

We bought our HR freeze drier this past winter & we truly love it. The amount of produce (purchased or homegrown) we are preserving is great. Our kids ask for dried fruit instead of candy (blackberries, peaches, or pineapple).

The only struggles have been that there are not a lot of "recipes" including TIMES for drying available, so a lot of trial/error. We have had a few software issues (updates needed that we didn't know about) but when we called HR, they helped handle it right away for us.

I bought the four tray Harvest Right freeze dryer because I wanted to preserve food for hiking and camping. I was a bit intimidated because I watched a lot of videos and the process seemed daunting. But after the arrival of my freeze dryer, the mylar bags, the oxygen packets, the pump and the sealer, it all made sense and seemed to be a logical process. Thus far I have done the "bread run" to break in the appliance and two chickens!! The more I learn about all the things I can do with my freeze dryer, the more excited I get to try out new produce!!

We have a lot of venison in multiple freezers and were getting tired of buying the continuous energy inputs to maintain the store of meat. Now we are converting it all to freeze-dried and are very happy with the results our HarvestRight machine is producing. We were also delighted when we had a power outage in the middle of a drying cycle, because as soon as the power returned, the machine rebooted itself and picked up right where it left off! That’s smart!

It did take awhile to get someone out to fix. The

person taking care of me did apologize for the delay. The third party was I believe the cause of the time. The

person that came to fix my machine was very polite! :)

Machine works as it should. I suggest joining a facebook group for information and watch youtube videos on the operation of the machine. There are many quirks with using these machines and you need to be informed on what problems will be encountered. We had the switch burn up in our machine recently when it had been working fine for 5 years with a dedicated 20 amp circuit. There are many issues with the switch so use caution when running the machine.

It did take awhile to get someone out to fix. The person taking care of me did apologize for the delay. The third party was I believe the cause of the time. The person that came to fix my machine was very polite! :)

We purchased a large size Harvest Right freeze dryer with the Premium pump in June 2023 in advance of our garden harvest. Unfortunately, we ran into numerous issues with this freeze dryer, including a disconnected wire (easily fixed) and a number of failed tests and software upgrades that did not resolve this unit's freezing and drying problems. These issues resulted in us not having a functional freeze dryer in time for our garden harvest, leaving us frustrated and wondering if this was a wise investment. But Harvest Right service was professional, responsive, thorough and fair.

After we had worked together to prove that our initial machine was faulty ('dead on arrival'), Harvest Right agreed to replace our machine with a new unit at no cost to us. We can't say enough about the customer service we received from them. The replacement machine has worked very well and performed as well as, or better than, expected. Long story short: rough start, great service, and now smooth sailing... thanks Harvest Right :)

We were kind of skeptical at first about purchasing a freeze dryer, but it is one of the best decisions we have made. After doing some research and price comparison we decided to purchase the Harvest Right medium unit. The amount of food we have been able to process in just a few months is phenomenal!

The Harvest Right support team are very professional and knowledgeable. They go out of the way to do whatever it takes to help resolve any issues which in our case was just user error not the unit.

I 100% recommend getting a Harvest Right unit if you are thinking about getting one.

I’m am so happy with my Harvey Right Freeze Dryer! We have had our for just over two years. I was experiencing some issues and wanted to talk with a technician. It’s was $45 and I was honestly not sure what I was going to get. I was thoroughly impressed! They set the appointment and I received a call just before our appointed time. Itzia was fabulous!

She was easy to understand and very knowledgeable!! She let me ask about 1000 questions and never seemed in a hurry or bothered. She truly seem to care. We could not fix the problem right away and I needed to go. She was mindful of my schedule and scheduled a time we could continue!

Wow! I could not be more impressed. She continued for several days as we worked to problem solve. She was able to send me what I needed and it worked. She even called to follow up to make sure everything was really working!! And she let me know if it happens again in the next 30 days she would reopen the ticket at no charge! Best $45 I spent! Harvest Right give that girl a raise! In a time where customer service and kindness are at an all time low Itzia was a shinning example of how to win business. If I ever need to I will quickly with confidence do the tech support.

Broke still trying to get it fixed

We have chickens and so many eggs. With only 2 in our household and so many eggs we bought something to preserve them. Now we freeze dry everything. It stays fresh, colorful, amazing flavor and will last 20 years. I plan on buying another as soon as I can save for another freeze dryer. I tell everyone what a amazing company Harvest Right is . Don’t hesitate buying one best purchase I have made.

It is absolutely a game changer to be able to prep food from our garden, place in a freeze dryer, and walk away until the end product gives us food that can be stored for a long period of time. The process is long but virtually hands off while it's working. For the most part, most foods come out just as fresh tasting as when it was picked. Learning the machine is a little tricky(do I need extra dry time?) but the Customer Svc team is patient and helpful. We now can have a zero waste harvest and instant meals and snacks. Video (Youtube) lessons are definitely useful. Money well spent!

i have had my freeze dryer for almost 3 years. i use it intermittently now ( the first year i used it very frequently, almost constantly). there is a definite big learning curve and i am still learning. overall i have thoroughly enjoyed my machine and have found it very useful. it arrived in excellent condition, and the basic starting instructions were ok, but not great. that was the one area i really felt like they did a poor job. one would have thought they would have had an excellent beginners book on how to freeze dry and things to do and not do. i think there are some books out now but i haven't checked lately. customer service overall has been good. some people have had issues at times and others had no issues. i have had a few but overall they have been able to had resolve them. i had to get a new relay board, but they were reasonable in getting it resolved. i recently had a vacuum issue and they helped resolve it and it is now ok. i had a minor issue today and they helped me easily.

it does take some figuring out as far as temperature control for the room it is in, as well as it is rather noisy. be careful about the table or cart you put it on.

again, overall i am very satisfied with my machine.