Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Reviews

Bought my Harvest Right freeze dryer in 2022, a little over 2 years ago, and I have run this machine hard; it only had a maximum of 2 or 3 days break. I finally came up with a problem: My machine overheated and burnt a batch. I watched the videos that Harvest Right provides to figure out how to service my machine, but they weren't helpful because they weren't up-to-date for my machine. So I called Harvest Right service, and to be honest, I wasn't thrilled at all with the person that I talked to who answered the phone because, in my opinion, they were strictly a card reader; they had little or no knowledge of the situation or how to fix the problem they just constantly kept asking me questions, to the point I had become frustrated and mad and wanted to talk with a supervisor !!! I wasn't thrilled with Harvest Right then, but I finally got connected with tech support, specifically a technician by the name of David Morrey. When I first talked with David, it was apparent that this wasn't his first Time speaking with an upset, angry customer; he was calm and to the point. He started walking me through step-by-step instructions on how to fix this machine; after several steps, we realized that the board had burned itself out, so I ordered a new one. While waiting on the new board. David downloaded the proper videos for my machine and the latest software installation program that would be needed. He walked me through each one of the downloads he had sent, Giving me the confidence needed to fix my machine. After talking with David and him walking me through the process of replacing the board, I realized it was a minor deal to replace it myself. Once I received and replaced the board, he instructed me to download and upload the software to my machine. David and I worked through emails and phone calls for several days. It surprised me how easy it was to fix (WITH DAVIDS HELP, OF COURSE). It should be fixed. It's Time to test it out.

Once David finished all he could do, the machine worked perfectly and has worked fine ever since. I'm not thrilled with the receptionist who had to read from a cue card. Harvest Right should send the people who answer the phones to the factory for one or two days of training so they would at least know what they're talking about. However, the service technicians are top-notch. I'd recommend Harvest Right to anyone looking into a freeze-dryer.

Gary, From Indiana, is the proud owner of Harvest Right.

Don't trust the reviews. They offered me $100 to leave positive reviews. Not happening, you shouldn't have to spend numerous hours working on this machine, changing every piece of teflon tape, pulling out their parts and sealants just to replace them with stuff you have to buy and do yourself after spending a small fortune on these machines. How can you as a company know of all these issues, and instead of fixing them in all machines, just offer money to hide it publicly. Not ok Harvest Right, it's called integrity.

My first dryer quit a couple months ago. Our two machines are from May and October 2016. My wife told me to go ahead and order the replacement screens we had discussed. I called Harvest Right and paid the tech support fee. I did not know that one of the machines had quit working, both had white lines on the screens and have been difficult to operate for several years. They sent us two screens for our machines, they had a few left. The newer machines have different components I believe they said “resistive”. I replaced the first screen and did the retrain, the machine works great with the clear screen.

I then replaced the screen on the early machine and I could not get the machine to work. I discussed this with my wife and she explained that only one machine had been working for a while.

Harvest Right has been great and communicating to see how the repairs are progressing.

I contacted them again and requested the board the the screen connects to. They no longer have any of that particular board. They sent me and new style screen and the intermediate board. I installed the new components and got a relay board failure message.

I passed along this information to Harvest Right and yesterday the new style relay board arrived.

Today I installed the new relay board and the machine lives and thinks it is a new machine. I get vacuum freezing and it is running now. I will check for candy mode between runs. Our standup freezer is full of trays ready to go.

Harvest Right has been great and the replacement parts are very reasonable.

Happy Camper

Andy

I received my Harvest Right freeze dryer about a month ago, and it has been running almost nonstop ever since. The setup process was incredibly easy, and I was immediately impressed by the build quality. The machine arrived quickly and in perfect condition, which set the tone for my positive experience. I love how user-friendly it is, with an intuitive touch screen that guides you through every step of the process. From managing the drain valve to adding extra drying time, the interface is clear and straightforward, making the freeze-drying process a breeze.

The freeze dryer has opened up a world of possibilities for preserving a wide variety of foods. I’ve freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs, milk, meats, and even leftover meals. As someone who enjoys gardening, I’m particularly thrilled with how it has made preserving my garden produce much easier. The ability to retain over 95% of the nutritional value of the food is a huge bonus, ensuring that I’m storing healthy, nutrient-rich options for the long term.

The Premier pump that came with my freeze dryer is quieter than I expected, and I’ve run multiple batches without encountering any issues. Harvest Right’s customer service has been outstanding. Their support team responded quickly whenever I had questions, providing educational and knowledgeable assistance. This level of service is rare and highly appreciated. Additionally, the abundance of instructional videos has been helpful, making the learning curve smooth and enjoyable.

My three-year-old granddaughter loves the different freeze-dried fruits, and I appreciate having healthy, delicious options for her. I can’t believe I didn’t get this sooner or opt for a larger model, as it has quickly become one of my favorite purchases. The freeze dryer has freed up space in my freezer and pantry, making it much easier to manage my food storage. It’s a game-changer for long-term food preservation.

Whether it’s freeze-drying fresh herbs like basil and oregano, fruits like bananas and strawberries, or even candy, the results are always superior to traditional dehydrating. The flavor and crispness of the freeze-dried foods are amazing, and the machine’s versatility is nearly limitless. I store my freeze-dried foods in Ball jars and vacuum-seal them, which keeps them fresh and ready to use whenever needed.

In conclusion, Harvest Right is an excellent company with a fantastic product and superb customer service. This freeze dryer is a must-have appliance for anyone looking to expand their food preservation methods. The ease of use, quality results, and exceptional support make it an investment that pays off every time I use it. I highly recommend Harvest Right freeze dryers for anyone serious about long-term food storage and enjoying the convenience and quality of freeze-dried foods.

I purchased a large freeze dryer slightly over a year ago. It is very user friendly and fairly quiet. I would suggest you house the unit in a cool room, it does generate some heat and if the room gets too warm it will slow the process. It was a big investment for us and overall, I'm happy with it.

NOTE: Harvest Right does not offer an extended warranty, you only have 1 year. Harvest Right does not have tech's that come to you, your unit has to be boxed up and sent back to them. $$$

After about 6 months, my unit would not advance to the vacuum freezing mode. I was told it had a defective condensing line and a freon leak. It took 3 months to get my unit back. It worked for 4 months then I had the same problem, the unit had to be sent back a second time. It took just over a month to get my unit back and I have been assured it has been fixed.

Fingers crossed!

I purchased my medium sized Harvest Right Freeze Dryer in January 2024. Overall, I would rate my experience as of today around a 4-1/2 stars out of 5. So far it's been a bit of a learning curve. The directions aren't very good, especially when it comes to the freeze dryer's on/off switch and pump valve. There is a decent amount of online technical support videos, which have been proven more helpful than the actual owner's manual. I recently contacted customer service, as the door gasket wasn't sealed which caused water and ice buildup on the outside of the machine's door. The first agent I spoke with wasn't helpful, however; the second agent I spoke with was very helpful and sent me videos to help me fix the issue by adjusting the freeze dryer's door. Overall, I think it's a wonderful way to preserve food long-term and short-term, and will be a huge money saver. I also appreciate the fact that my family & I can freeze dry our own food from our garden and not have all of the extra preservatives. I'm looking forward to many years with my machine, and believe it's a great investment for people whom are looking into longer and healthier food storage to pass down to our next generations.

A buddy of mine and I had been discussing the pros and cons of owning a freeze dryer for a couple of years. After a wee dram or two of scotch we decided that we would both buy one. The following day I bought 2 medium freeze dryers (one for me and one for my buddy who sent money along to buy his). The only two freeze dryers in the state were 2 hours away so the adventure was on. I picked them up without a hitch and returned to base.

I set mine up immediately and did the “bread run” (first operation of the unit). All was really simple and went according to plan. Over the next 10 days I experimented with anything I could find that wasn’t high fat to get the hang of things. (By the way, freeze dried skittles are the bomb.) I couldn’t have been happier until about 12 days in I couldn’t get sufficient vacuum in the chamber for the process to work correctly.

Time for that moment everyone dreads…… call for tech support…. Without being put through hell on a rotten rail trying to speak to a real person fluent in the American form of English language, I found myself visiting with Landon. Landon walked me through some basic questions and then asked that I forward a usage log from the machine to him via email. The following day the mission had been accomplished and Landon was calling!

More testing and remedies were tried but nothing seemed to work over the next few days. (It’s important to point out I didn’t have to call and try to chase Landon down to get things moving. He was on top of the issue either emailing or calling me.)

Next step was in home service call handled through a vendor. That didn’t materialize at no fault of Landon or harvest right.

Left with no options Landon did the right thing, Landon cheerfully replaced the unit and has followed up just prior to me writing this to see that everything is satisfactory.

I am absolutely pleased with the level of service, professionalism, follow-up and accessibility. In a time where we are forced to converse with machines and “press 1 for English” it’s good to know that there are those out there who value my time.

Overall experience with our Medium size Freeze dryer is very positive with a few caveats.

1. We purchased our first unit around May 2021 and had a few issues with vacuum due to connections which we resolved by doing the work ourselves with the help of technical support and online videos.

2. We found that the oil-less pumps are fragile and prone to problems. We replaced it twice, first one under warranty and the second at our expense. We decided to purchase a premier oil type pump for the third pump and have not had any issues since then.

3. We feel that customer service should be more proactive in communicating the need for software upgrades as they become available. We had to call about a temperature issue and we were told that there was a software upgrade that needed to be installed and ours was 10 versions behind.

4. Lack of communication from the company. We found out from another website that a 5 shelve unit can be purchased for the medium dryer, increasing food capacity. If we had known this from the beginning we would have been able to process 25% more food.

In conclusion we feel this is a solid unit which does the job very well once the peripheral issues are resolved. We have purchased an additional large pro unit and look forward to putting it to work soon.

Works well at first. Within a year of light use the heater connector went out on the relay board. Im not happy that it is a known issue and it has not been fixed. Customer service was very easy to contact and overnighted a new board for $100.

Remember talking to the owner in 2012 back then I had an ammunition business and I couldn't understand what this guy was doing but if I can't even believe I bought this $5000 machineI got the XL version I didn't want to get the $10,000 version simply because that is a product for them that is brand new and I believe it is untested so it doesn't have a tracker where is the XLIt was taking a gamble but I believe they have it down as far as all the different parts so everything looked commercial the pump is larger the condensers everything inspired the machine in general I believe has More sensors. I would look at it that way this is a commercial grade and this is our new line of products at the end of the day if you run this thing and use your electricity why not simply just do more freeze dryingThe amount of output has versus the other machines you just simply wasting your time. I wish they would've told me how loud this thing was and how much he had put out but look man it is commercial grade and they explained it to me so I couldn't fully understand it from the sales people but this is not something you're gonna put in the kitchen in your house you have to dedicate a room sound through the walls etc.Particular before movement have to put the thing in the garage cause I don't think the wife is gonna be able to handle the noise. I don't think there's any other company I don't want to spend this much money with and harvest right that he's been doing this for I think 15 years? This company seems to keep on improving improving the quality was watching all the videos I would like to certain things like oh the filters got the metal screws or you know all the components they change from being plastic to metal. They are continuously upgrading all the machines or at least I decided to go commercial because for the amount of money you're spending me damn I'm gonna use this thing every day to get my money back

I purchased my Harvest Right Freeze Dryer at the beginning of 2024. Originally, I was thinking it would be a great side-gig for a supplemental income. But I haven't gotten there yet. There's too many things I'm trying for myself and my family. I love the idea of having emergency food that we enjoying eating and that I can control the quality of the ingredients used.

I find myself throwing very little food away now.... I just freeze dry it before it's bad!

I came upon my first issue recently, it was with my oil filter. The team at Harvest Right was very helpful with their quick responses and helped me resolve the problem. There are so many uses for a freeze dryer and although, I haven't tried another brand, I would definitely recommend Harvest Right.

Trusting that Harvest Right was a genuine supplier of the domestic-size Freeze Dryer was quite a challenge for us here in Australia. To establish this trust, we turned to YouTube and accessed several professionally presented videos. These videos showcased the quality product Harvest Right was supplying and made us confident that we could use it either for establishing a small business or for our personal use (which is ultimately what we are now doing).

We’ve recently installed the medium Harvest Right Freeze Dryer in our small 2-bedroom apartment kitchen. After completing the setup process and running our first batch of bread (as recommended), all went well. Yesterday, we cooked our first batch of freeze-dried meals and are looking forward to freeze drying and packaging them so at this stage we are excited to continue this procedure into the future.

Throughout our inquiries and dealings with Harvest Fresh, we’ve received first-class service, and we’re confident that this will continue. The packaging of the products, shipped to us in a solid crate container along with the freeze dryer, was of top quality and style. We enjoyed discovering what each box contained and were very grateful for the surprise gift that was included. Keep up the good quality of products and service Harvest Right. Meanwhile we are happy to share our experience with others who may be interested in a similar purchase. Regards Dianne & Bill

Pros:

+ A very cool/hot tool to preserve food!

+ Customer service has been outstanding!

+ Great way to not waste food.

+ Great way to save room in the freezer.

+ Looking forward to long term use.

Cons:

- It may take a while to recoup the cost.

- It may take a while to learn the ropes of packaging.

Overall, I'm happy to have this food preserving tool in our home to use and have confidence in Harvest Right to help me if/when I need help.

We bought our Harvest Right Medium freeze dryer in 2020 and have had a lot of fun with it. We've also had a few problems which the company helps with when you pay a $45 fee. The customer help (when we paid the fee) was excellent, though putting the freeze dryer back together after fixing/replacing parts ourselves was quite difficult.  If you have child-sized hands it might be easier to get all the screws in place, and you need a special bit and a flexible extension to use a drill to remove and replace screws. 

We bought the oil-free pump, which was very convenient, since I didn't want to have to change the oil each time, but it does have vacuum issues over time and reportedly doesn’t hold up as well as the properly maintained Premium Industrial Pump. 

Over many batches we have freeze dried: tomato sauce, soups, cooked meat, eggs (raw and cooked), candy, lots of fruit, dairy products, and main dishes (like casseroles, spaghetti).  All of that has turned out well.

Ran into an issue with an intermittent temperature sensor. I called tech support and was immediately scheduled with Tech Support: Adam. He had me pull the log files and found an error at 3:00AM. Adam had me check all connections and plug and unplug the main tray connection. Adam had me follow up with a water test and scheduled a follow up appointment. The tests all passed after reviewing the log files on that water test. He had me go ahead and test food again followed up a couple days later all tests past. Adam was really on it and was very thorough. You couldn't ask for better support.

Harvest Right Medium 5 tray

(which we named Frost Vader).

We purchased our Medium 5 Tray Black freeze drier with premier pump

direct from Harvest Right on 2/12/24

WE LOVE IT

I knew nothing about freeze drying foods or food preservation prior to our purchase, but thankfully to a very intuitive menu on the machine and lots of information being shared among YouTube videos, we were up and running in no time. We are currently on our 16th batch inside of 3 months.

I can see how this machine can be a valuable addition for anyone looking for food preservation and meal preparation.

We were stuck on which size to buy, for us (a family of 3 and 1 dog) we choose a medium, which we have no regrets on the size. (but be sure to order extra trays)

Our primary use was to freeze dry homemade dog food – and then any of our food next, but we are having so much fun experimenting with what can go in the freeze drier it seems like its running all the time and we are constantly asking ourselves - Do you think that will freeze dry well? I could see us adding another Medium to our current set up in the future.

The process from ordering to delivery and set-up could not have been simpler. We are extremely happy with our decision to buy a Harvest Right Freeze Drier. If you are on the fence – Do It! You won’t regret it.

I've had a vacuum issue and called technical support. After weeks of following the experts recommendations I still had no result. I had to find the solution on YouTube and after I fixed it, now I have a freezing issue. Back to Youtube, because now they are charging 45$ to speak to technical support.

I was so excited to receive my large freeze dryer but was nervous as it is a lot of money to invest…

I was nervous about getting a defective one, because I read reviews of having to pay to get it shipped back etc.

Well.. I received a defective one. lol

Dylan with harvest right customer service was nothing short of amazing through the entire process guiding me through troubleshooting with patience to sending me a new one and arranging the shipment back of the old one.

The new one I received I have done two batches already and it is AMAZING.

So worth it!!

My son absolutely loves the fruit (11 months) and it’s nice to have healthy options for him. My husband also loves it… and it took me months to convince him because of the price.

IT IS SO WORTH IT!!

Harvest Right Medium Stainless Steel Freeze Dryer – I first learned about freeze dryers about 3 yrs ago from a YouTube homesteader couple’s video. It was quite a surprise to see their whole video as marketing on the Harvest Right website. I knew they were legit and not actors for sure.

After a long wait for various reasons, ‘Shirley’s Dream’ became a reality upon arrival. (I chuckled to be able to name my unit.)

I could not be more pleased. The company reps, the unit, and the finished product exceeded all my expectations. The first “bread” run went without a hitch – no vacuum leaks and reasonable drying time. My next ‘run’ was all fruit. I had my 50+ yr old son try some and his comment was “It’s like candy!” He loved it all – so did I. I would highly recommend these units for long-term (and short-term) food preservation, especially in these times. I purchased the oil-free pump so as not to need to purchase oil, change the oil frequently and dispose of old oil.

I am looking forward to this summer in Canada preserving my organic garden produce.

From the moment I embarked on the journey of using the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, it was clear that this was not just an appliance; it was a game-changer for home food preservation. The Harvest Right Freeze Dryer brings the innovative technology of freeze-drying into the comfort of your home, allowing you to extend the shelf life of your favorite foods, from fruits and vegetables to full gourmet meals, and even delightful desserts.

What sets the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer apart is its remarkable ease of use. The intuitive design and user-friendly interface mean that even those new to the concept of freeze-drying can start preserving their foods right away. It's as simple as placing your food items into the freeze dryer, hitting start, and letting the machine do its magic. The process retains the nutrition, shape, color, and taste, making it a superior method to traditional dehydrating or canning.

The efficiency of the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer cannot be overstated. It operates quietly in the background, and the energy consumption is surprisingly low, considering the heavy-duty preservation work it's performing. This makes it an economical choice for those looking to save on food waste and reduce their grocery bills by buying in bulk and preserving.

One of the most exciting aspects of owning a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is the incredible shelf life it offers—foods can last up to 25 years without losing their flavor or nutritional value. This not only provides peace of mind in terms of food security but also opens up a world of possibilities for home cooks, gardeners, and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Imagine enjoying your summer harvest in the depths of winter or creating ready-to-eat meals for camping trips that are both lightweight and delicious.

The quality of the food preserved is nothing short of astounding. Fruits and vegetables retain their crispness and flavor, making them perfect for healthy snacks or rehydrating for cooking. Meats and fish preserve their texture and taste, offering a fantastic way to store bulk purchases or leftovers. Even dairy products and fully cooked meals come out beautifully, ready to be rehydrated to their original state.

In conclusion, the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is a must-have for anyone serious about food preservation. Its combination of ease of use, efficiency, and the quality of the preserved foods makes it an invaluable addition to any kitchen. Whether you're a seasoned prepper, an avid gardener, or simply looking to reduce food waste, the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer offers a versatile and reliable solution that will undoubtedly exceed your expectations.