Took me a couple runs and quite a few videos to learn the basics. But this thing has been running pretty steady the first month.
The options on this machine make Harvest Right seem basic. And the build quality is superb.
Stay Fresh allows you to make all kinds of tweaks to their machine. Change preset curves, change default values, and the function screen will allow you to do each step manual or u can use auto mode.
The electric bill definitely noticed the new toy. Seems like about $3 - $5 worth of electricity per food run. Candy runs are much quicker. But it is what it is.
The industrial pumps are about indestructible as long as you keep oil in them, AND always run them under load. Don't ever run the pump with any valves (or door) open with free flowing air going into pump. It will blow all the oil right out into the baffle. (Which will mostly run back into the pump after the pump shuts off) I work with these pumps everyday at my job. They like to work.
The ONLY thing that stuck out to me as odd with this purchase was their instructions to keep the pump as far away from dryer as possible. But they only included about 30 inches of vacuum hose. I ended up buying a 10' section (1/2" ID) vacuum hose from Amazon to move my pump further away from the machine. Be nice if they included 6' of hose.
The Freeze Dried Candy sellers at the local fairs all advised me "if your going to buy one, don't buy Harvest Right, unless you like to wait for parts to fix the machine yourself".
I'm glad I took their advice and bought quality. Haven't had to contact Stay Fresh for any customer service. But from what I have read their Customer Service is hands down the best. And that alone is huge.
Happy freeze drying.
We are very pleased with our new Stayfresh freeze dryer. We started to freeze dry various foods and it works as it should. Very good quality equipment.
We have been very happy so far with our freeze dryer. The seven trays hold a substantial amount of food, which we hope to put to good use next year from our large garden. Very quiet too!!
I LOVE MY STAY FRESH FREEZE DRYER! It is amazing! The personal service, quick response to questions, fulfilling my needs and orders has been fantastic. I would highly recommend Stay Fresh for all of your food processing and storage needs. Well worth the investment!
I had 2 freeze dryers from harvest , a medium , then large. Medium to small for me. Gave to my brother. Got a large one that didn’t make a year ( I think 7 months) started last September with freezing issue. We start with service paying for a service call (hmmmm) then we have to package and return($$$$) and I received it back last friday(a week today) I’m out of town during the week. So yesterday , I had to determine if I was happy with repair. So obviously , I didn’t get it tested — in the mean time my brother who lives 5 hours from me returns the one I gave him. It failed after 3 batches spent about a month trying to solve ( which I never did) instead I ordered a large stay fresh and have been freeze drying for better than a month ( kinda fun using 2 different brands ) I love everything about stay fresh except I wish the trays were Beveled for easier removal
Hands down better built , it seems to dry food faster with much more consistency
Maybe now would be a the time to say
THANK YOU
So far we have freeze dried 64 cases (764 cans) of canned vegetable's without one problem. We do one run a day on our four tray machine. We haven't used the Parchment paper yet.
The stainless steel hose was very easy to install and i have a piece of mind that it will last for many years. I also could not ask for a better dryer! The operation was very easy. Emailed questions are replied to very promptly.
The construction of my freeze dryer is very well done. They have great attention to detail and quality control. My unit has worked flawlessly since setting it up 2 months ago. Hears to continued success with it and I hope you continue the quality and attention to detail during your build process.
I formerly, (for the last 3 1/2 years) have had a HR freeze dryer. I had to do multiple repairs during those years and finally, because the compressor bit the dust, had to purchase another unit. At the time I bought the first machine, HR was pretty much the only game in town, and when I needed to buy another I went back to that which I was familiar with. The new machine (HR) was faulty right out of the box( door didn’t form a seal(needed 1/8” shim, would’t achieve a vacuum(hose leaks, which I sealed), and the chamber only froze 1/2 way(all of these, were documented on a check list as inspected). By the time I found the obvious freezing problem, after fixing the other two issues, i decided “three strikes and you're out”. To make a long story a bit shorter, I requested a refund and received nothing but gaslighting from HR including being told that my machine was performing as it and should. After about a month of back and forth (including my promise to involve the BBB) I received my refund.
This brings me to why I came to Stayfresh. I watched a few videos on youtube which showed the differences between my former machine and Stayfresh. The difference in attention to engineering and attention to detail of construction that appeared in these videos and the fact that you get to talk to the owner of the Stayfresh company when you call, encouraged me to try one of these machines.
I ordered my machine on a Wednesday and received it on Wednesday the following week. (I live in New York state) The difference between the Stayfresh machine and HR, in my opinion, would be like comparing a Cadillac to a Volkswagen! The attention to detail and quality of materials is outstanding! Thanks for a well built machine!
The equipment arrived packaged very well and in great shape. Quick shipping and tracking information. The freeze dryer and industrial pump has worked wonderfully. Many batches of candy. Batches of chicken, spaghetti sauce, minestrone soup and tons on apple slices, wedges and apple sauce. Enjoying the machine while preparing for the future.
K25 are very reliable and there are no concerns w/ deterioration of a silicone hose over time. They are also very easy to install/remove when necessary.
The K25 stainless steel hose and clamps provide confidence and improved performance. I wasn’t sure about the extra cost, but I’m glad I invested in it.
The StayFresh Industrial Pump is undoubtedly constructed with robust materials and possesses exceptional durability. The StayFresh Industrial Pump Exhaust Kit is a purposeful addition to the pump, as it is easily installed on the pump itself. It is a truly great addition to StayFresh’s line of accessories.
good morning everyone, i ended up getting the stayfresh after my harvest right dryer died this fall. the quality of parts and the design of the machine used by stayfresh is so far above what hr uses it's amazing, as luck would have it i figured out the issue with the hr and repaired it along with updating the software and it now performs better than it ever has which is wonderful. i'm able to use both machines on the same product at the same time for a comparison. i don't understand why but the few times i have done candy the sf has produced such higher quality results than the hr that it is amazing. using nerds as an example, the finished product is almost half again as large as the hr produces and both are completely finished. when doing tomatoes i'm finding that besides holding more product that the sf is finished normally and hour or two sooner based on weighing to insure dryness. As far as user friendliness i have to give that to the hr. i don't know why but it just seems like when it says it's done and has gone into extra drying time that it actually is close to being done. i still have to pull and weigh trays to ensure dryness but i know when to start monitoring it. i find that i do more weighing with the sf but even with that it is done sooner with more product . i find myself using my notes from previous runs to know when to start weighing. at first i wasn't using the probe because i prefreeze everything and it's hard to stick the probe into frozen food. finally i read to take a drill bit and drill holes into the food for the probe to fit into, that was a big duh moment. i now drill holes in the food on every tray and use the probe. i have no idea how or why it works but it sure does. use the probe. if both machines were to die and i was ordering a replacement it would be a no brainer, the stayfresh is so much better built and how it performs that i wouldn't consider the hr even though i like the software better in it. when i have smaller amount to dry i use the sf, it works that much better. ps, i've had a couple of friends stop by that also have hr machines. after discussing the pro's and cons they also have decided that as of now, if they had to replace theirs it will be with the stayfresh. sorry for the length of this but it's just what i have observed
Originally had another brand which failed almost immediately. And the service was atrocious. The StayFresh is worlds above the other brands in both engineering and the use of quality components. It has performed flawlessly since we got it and the owners are right there to answer any questions. Love it.
Great machine, superb quality construction.
Company stands by its product. Tim was there for me during the set-up of the freeze dryer. Once set-up, it has run flawless.
Two tips for defrost.
1. Tie a string around the chamber with the knot at the bottom. This will guide the water down the string and into my bucket. Very tidy and quiet.
2. I drilled a hole in the styrofoam packing, push it against the chamber to create a seal. Then use the air pump to clear the drain tube without removing the rack. Some trimming and heat to seal the edges keeps the styrofoam from shedding. Saves time and wear on the cables.
It is a life changer, if you are a type of person who loves being independent, this is a must. I just started and it is very satisfying. All of or friends and family are amazed by it. I must say, I can become a vegetarian with this machine. Wow, the flavors are so good and clean.
I haven't been able to use my FD yet as we are building a "she shed workshop" specifically for freeze drying. with that being said, I inspected everything when came in and all materials seem to be of high quality and even watched a video of how everything is put together and that was a key feature in my reasoning for purchasing a StayFresh over other brands. Customer service has been excellent with all my questions as well as promptly sending me a replacement manual when I misplaced my original one. I am truly excited to get started using it soon.
The customer service is great. He always calls back if you leave a message. I bought the Stayfresh Freezer Dryer on 10/10/2024 with the industrial pump. The freeze dryer has been running great. I'm very happy with the purchase.
Exactly what I was looking for , though the spacing stops certain treats , for food applications it’s great
This is my first freeze dryer, so I’m still learning, but I can’t say enough good things about the unit and the support you get from Stay Fresh. From my limited experience I could confidently recommend a Stay Fresh freeze dryer.