Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Reviews

We love our freeze-drying option over the long process of canning. We appreciate the customer service that we received from Mary and Norris.

We have had our Freeze Dryer for two years. We started processing almost everything from ground cooked meat, fresh eggs from our chickens, fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and complete meals for about a year and half. 6 months after our warranty ran out, we got a heating error and now we have been working on trying to solve that problem for over two months.

Their trouble shooting videos are on an older version and not the same as ours. Hince the parts are in different places making it harder to replace the parts ourselves. We replaced the relay board - that didn’t fix the problem. We ordered a new set of heating trays three weeks ago and just was notified that FedEx will be delivering them this coming Tuesday. We are hoping this will be the answer.

If not, we will be calling Mary and or Norris again.

My fresh eggs are mounting up in the spare refrigerator. We really need my Freeze Dryer to work!

I will still recommend getting and using a Freeze Dryer and Harvest Right is the only player in town.

Follow-up: HURRAY everything is working, and we are processing our third batch of 10 dozen eggs each. We have 20 more dozen to process. I love my Freeze Dryer. We really depend on it!

A couple months ago, we purchased our medium size, oil pump harvest right freeze dryer from a local merchant. I've already ran like a dozen batches through it, with various things and love it. It is super easy to run, I love how the machine came with everything you need. However, you will for sure want to buy extra trays, if your anything like me and become a freeze drying addict!

I called customer service, and you get to speak to someone almost right away. We did have an issue with some extra tray lids that came cracked, I had to call back and check on the status of the replacement lids. The first person kind of left me hanging, the second representative was on top of it and helped me right away.

I've done a lot of fruit and a little veggies, as well as dog treats, in the unit, and they turn out great. It takes awhile, but worth it. I like having easy snacks, for on the go, camping, etc.

I'm excited to try actual meals in the unit.

Set up was simple, all the stuff provided, along with extra oil for the pump. I quickly learned how to operate it, and the manual is straight forward.

The only reason I'd give 4 and not 5 stars, is not due to the machine itself, but the customer service rep that I talked to first, I feel could've handled my call better, but like I also mentioned, that when I called back several days later to check on the status, the second rep was on the ball.

Also the company ships out the accessories slow! So if you need a replacement or extra stuff you want for your unit, you have to wait a bit before it even ships out.

Overall, a couple months in, and a lot of batches later, I'm happy with it and am excited to get more stuff freeze dried!

Also recommend joining a harvest right facebook group to get others opinions on their units, recipes and tips

First the bad

Fist the bad. When I first received the machine I had to have a surgery and took a long time to recover so the machine was not used for almost 9 months. So close to my warranty runs out. I had a lot of problems at first with vacuum problems and the the machine would not bring the MT down and process the food. Finally after several techs one guy told me that it was the glue on the heating pad and how to correct it. It worked great until recently and the touch screen went out for some reason. I could do it but for an older person who is not mechanically inclined it may be difficult.

Now the good. I want to say the the last service person that help me was the best. Itzia helped me out and followed up at every turn. I have been freeze drying a lot of meat and eggs as well as vegetables and they have turned out great. I believe it is the best way to preserve a lot of food in the event of whatever happens. For that part I give the machine 5 stars

I got my Harvest Right over a year ago, it cost a lot but it's worth it! Its reliable and easy to use, and Customer Support is always there with answers to my questions. (And I had a lot of questions!)

This year I processed all the food I grew in my garden, and all the fresh organic foods that my glucose restricted diet requires!

All I need now is a second Harvest Right so I can sell my "Super tasty healthy snacks" at the market.

I have had my size small machine for almost exactly a year. I have used it A LOT in that time and have been super happy with my purchase.

Last week I ran into my first and only issue that couldn't be fixed by just turning it off and then back on again. Lol.

I called HR customer service and they were able to scedule me a call with a technician for the next day! Itzia called early to make sure we had plenty of time to troubleshoot. In less than 25 minutes, I had completed an update on the machine and was ready to run a test load.. in the case that I still had issues, we sceduled a followup call for 2 days later. The test load ran exactly like its supposed to and I'm back to happily freeze drying!

I couldn't be more thankful for the quick help I received! Plus, everyone who helped was super friendly which goes a long way for me!

Overall, I'm super impressed by not only the Freeze Dryer itself but with my experience with the company.

I purchased my freeze dryer in November 2022 during their Black Friday sale.

It came much faster than anticipated!We promptly set it up, read the simple instructions, and got it right to work.It’s been great fun trying lots of different things.

I had my first glitch with it a week ago. Went to the website and it gave instructions on how to fix the problem. Me being non tech savvy couldn’t do it right. I placed a ticket with Harvest Rights tech service. My husband came home and got the problem fixed.

Leo called today to help us out(since. I couldn’t figure out how to cancel the ticket) He was friendly and helpful. Thanks

I am new to freeze drying, but the new Harvest Right freeze dryers make freeze drying a snap! The set-up was easy--so long as you read the instructions, of course. Definitely pay attention to the vacuum pump instructions! There are many helpful videos on YouTube and on the Harvest Right website for setting up and using the freeze dryer. Also, I highly recommend checking out 'retired at 40' on facebook and YouTube for very helpful advice.

Initially, I did have an issue with the freeze dryer getting hung up in the 'drying' cycle. Apparently this is an issue with some of the newer medium and large units. I called Harvest Right's tech support and they were very responsive and helpful. They sent me a software update (which was a piece of cake to install) and now it works perfectly! I have to say, I am really happy with the newest freeze dryers from Harvest Right. Even though I never owned the older versions, I have seen many videos and read many posts from owners and the newest ones have not only removed steps (such as, the older versions needed input as to whether you pre-froze your food or not and the new ones do not), but they have also added an extra tray to both the medium and large, allowing more productivity.

Once you start on your freeze drying adventure, you will want to own more than one! It is just amazing how many things can be freeze dried!! I have often run out of freezer/refrigerator room, especially when the garden is producing, but now I can freeze dry so much of the produce and store it pretty much anywhere. It can sit in the pantry or even outside in the winter! And there are so many healthy snacks as well that you can make. Strawberries are our favorite, but pickles are right up there, along with apple slices, flavored cucumbers and zucchini slices. I have only scratched the surface of my freeze drying adventure, but I am confident I will get much use out of 'Fred' (yes, you can even name it!) for many years to come, and have plenty of food on hand for the next pandemic.....

We love our freeze dryer! We got the Large size.

Initially we had some problems with it not completing a cycle (it worked fine, it just never ended so we manually ended it), but after reading some online forums we found that we just needed to update the software and it has been great ever since. No mechanical problems whatsoever, just

needed the update. We have done skittles, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, onions, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and diced jalapenos. The Ice Cream Sandwiches are like cookies, but they're still good. My freezers are packed with product waiting to go in.

We received our Harvest Right freeze dryer a couple of months ago, but just began using it last week. We had a few questions at 2 different times first when we received it for confirmation of electrical requirements and then more recently prior to first use. Customer service was excellent with questions answered quickly by friendly and knowledgeable staff. We have run the unit through 2 cycles now without problem but with our third I got an error code that it was not freezing properly. I canceled the process, defrosted and then dried the inside of the machine before trying again. The next 2 cycles were without problem. The freeze dried raspberries are delicious and taste like candy. We have also freeze dried zucchini and made zucchini flour! We are looking forward to more freeze drying adventures with our Harvest Right freeze dryer.

I purchased my Freeze Dryer last year. It only had a small problem this year when running a batch.

I contacted Harvest Right by phone and within minutes I was talking to someone and getting booked in for a service call. The person I was talking with had a new door and some small part sent to me and within a few days I have received the door, other small part on way. I would highly recommend Harvest Right company. Very quick customer service and pleasant people to talk to.

Despite my low rating, I do like the Harvest Right freeze dryer. But I do have a couple of concerns. 1.

I've run the medium sized Harvest Right several times. I had found that the top tray and the bottom tray seemed to dry slower then the two center trays. I called Harvest Right with my concerns and they installed new software via USB port which seems to have made a difference with the 3 batches that I've run since. 2. The rep. noticed that the room temp. was to warm and suggested I put a fan on the left side where water discharge hose is. The freeze dryer is in our exercise room so I put a second fan to blow the hot air out of the room. The fans made a difference the freeze dryer no longer tells me that the room is too warm and has improved the length of the drying time. 3. This morning when I opened the door to check if the batch was dry the door fell off of the hinges. Good thing I was holding the door by the handle. I called for my husband for help. He being mechanically inclined was able to put the door back together while I tended to the food since all was dry. He said it was a little tricky because the bottom pin has to be installed onto the bracket then set the door on the pin, then connect the upper pin to the door and tighten. Now I will be checking the lower pin to make sure that it isn't unscrewing when I open and close the door. 4. The Harvest Right mylar bags do not have gusseted bottoms. Not being able to stand the bags upright makes it difficult to load especially when the food has been shredded. 5. There is a picture on the screen that look like there should be sound but I haven't found anything in the manual about activating the sound. I may have to call Harvest Right about that. and finally 6. The touch screen at times seem to be ultra sensitive and other times I need to touch it several time. I guess I can live with all of these concerns. Harvest Right has been very good at answering all questions without a long wait time. Plus, I'm truly enjoying the benefits of freeze drying over dehydrating.

I love my Harvest Right Freeze Dryers! That's right I have more than one!

My daughter and I purchased our first unit to use for ourselves and after a few months we bantered about the idea of starting a FD business. We gave it a couple of test runs at a local farmers market and needless to say, the FD candy and fruit was a smashing success!

It only took us a couple of weeks to realize we would need another machine to keep up with the demand. We got our second unit and it has been working like a champ! (Just like the first unit). Even better was when I called to order a second unit, I was offered a nice discount as a returning customer!

I have always considered the "customer support" aspect of any business as a critical component of my overall attitude toward the company and product. I can say that Harvest Right came through with flying colors when we had an issue with our first unit. Without going into the boring technical details, I am happy to say that Harvest Right stepped up to the plate and hit a home run! A technician was assigned to me and he walked me through some technical steps that required me to pull the back and top off the unit. I sent him pictures of everything and he was able to determine the problem and walked me through making the fix. He called me back a week later to make sure all was well with the machine and we have not had any issues since that time (April 2023). Our machines are running pretty much 24/7. I recommend changing the pump oil weekly using the filtration unit if you are going to run them as hard as we do.

I can't say enough about my experience with Harvest Right FD machines! Just take care of your machine and it will take care of you! :)

My relay board overheated. Although it took several days before a tech could call me, once she did, we were able to get a solution. I was able to get the relay board replaced and a software upgrade. The videos for replacing the board were for a different machine than mine so it was a little confusing; hubby was great at figuring it all out. I've done a couple of runs and everything seems to be working great!

Lynn in MS