I had another brand of freeze dryer that was nothing but a headache. After researching the various manufacturers I decided on StayFresh. It's easy to maintain and built with the consumer in mind. One of the best features is the separate release valve from the drain. Other Freeze Drier valves are also used to drain the water, which makes contamination a big issue.
I had an issue with the industrial pump when it arrived. Contacted StayFresh and had a replacement the next day. Support is awesome.
All the products on the Stay Frey line are quality built like the filter.
Well built, solid machine. I’ve made numerous batches and they’ve all turned out perfect. Customer service is excellent. I’m glad I got the industrial pump.
I have used a Large Harvest Right freeze dryer since 2018. I now have the Mega Freeze dryer.
1. Stay Fresh Mega vs Harvest Right Large. In my case the build quality is much much better.
2. The Mega does twice as much as the large Harvest Right. Calculated sq inch.
3. It appears to run much faster than my Harvest Right. I can run 30lbs of ground beef in 24 hours start to finish.
4. Not a single problem as of yet. I run one to two batches a week right now. My harvest right also runs one to two batches a week with no problems as of yet. Yes, for years I struggled with low vac alarms on my HR. I programmed it so it no longer does that. Drove me crazy.
5.If I had to choose one to keep and sell the other, I would keep the Stay Fresh over the Harvest Right. Design is much better.
6. Things I would change.
6A. I would put something in the front of the machine to tilt it back so that when defrosting all the water would go to the rear of the machine. I currently use an inflatable wedge for lifting. I do not use the defrost, but instead have found that a small fan blowing into the chamber melts the ice very quickly.
6B. I wish you offered a strong floor table with casters to put that heavy thing on. I made my own and it works great. It sits where my clothes dryer used to sit. When draining I can just roll it to one side and put a 3 gal bucket under the drain line. This freeze dryer is about the size of a clothes dryer so it works really well. Without a caster base, it would not fit there.
For now that is about it. I am glad I purchased the Stay Fresh Mega Freeze dryer.
6C. I wish your vacuum pump drain plug was like Harvest Right. They nailed it on the drain plug. I do however like your filter (works and less expensive) (Industrial Pump)
David
First let me be clear, I do not write reviews for any company ever. But I feel and believe these company deserves one. I will also write my expenses with HR as well.
I am no beginner when it comes to freeze drying. In my 2 years in business I have bought sold used about 28 HR machines I’m down to 3 of them left and I had everything from smalls to XL from home units to Scientific models. I have tried them all none of them come close to the basic model from stay fresh. And the mega unit is on a bench mark of its own. I’m doing my testing on my last XL unit vs the mega and in my testing the mega holds the same of the XL but drys it 25-30% faster than the six tray XL. Because of the food probe built in the machine in the stay fresh units. These save me electricity cost and time for another batch.
Let me talk about the 2 models I got, I got the standard 4 shelf tray with and 7 shelf tray extra. These machine is a power house, I bought 28 trays for these machine only, I been getting 12-14 dry time on 8 pounds of cook proteins, i sometimes do 16 pounds in a 24 hour period. These is truly amazing. The mega unit is huge, it does average 30-36 pounds of food in a 30 hour period. Both machines are truly great. Any advice I can give out for anyone that’s looking to start out, owns a business or just want to make a switch, definitely check out these company. Please do you homework on what are you looking to freeze dried and how often your going to use the machine. The stander basic model is perfect for anymore starters or pros is great and you can add items to the machine when needed to. The mega is great for large batches, ideal for the small to medium sized business out there that want scale up production, great machine will be buying more Mega’s in the near future.
Again I want to thank you for reading these review to the end. I hope these information is helpful in any way shape of form.
The freeze dryer has been amazing so far. The only issue I have is the support information on the website it hard to find and it feels a little lacking.
LOVE THIS PRODUCT>.. I dont have to cut anymore paper that dont fit after cutting LOL.. LOVE LOVE LOVE
I love my freeze dryer! It’s very easy to use. When we first went to purchase we had a billing issue and Tim was kind enough to call us and let us know what the issue was. Overall extremely happy with our purchase and experience with Stay Fresh!
Love my new machine and knowing that this company is here any time I need help is great!
We had another Brand HR. This unit is Far Superior. Being able to make contact with the company in the U.S. and speak to the owner is an absolute necessity with me. This is not the case with the other brand. I have left other companies behind me just for this reason alone. Keep on doing business this way and watch your customer base grow.
I love My Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer. I am 70 years old and am a little slow learning new technology. This freeze dryer was easy to set up and the instructions were very clear. Also the customer service was EXCELLENT, I'm was very patient and explained any questions and the response to questions was very quick, I don't think Tim ever sleeps.
I love that I have cut down on food waste by using the freeze dryer. I love that by utilizing the freeze dryer I have cut down on the number of trips to the grocery store because when I go to cook meals for my family I have the ingredients I need in my freeze drying inventory.
I feel the expense was well worth it, the savings out way the cost and look forward to using my Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer for many years.
I was completely new to freeze drying so having a freeze dryer that was completely plug n play was a blessing. Any questions were responded to by Tim very quickly. I have never felt so safe and happy with an expensive purchase as I am with my Stayfresh!! Highly highly recommend!
We purchased our medium freeze dryer a couple of months ago. I am extremely satisfied and look forward to preserving more food for long term storage.
Came very well packed. Easy set up and worked perfectly. Great communication with company and tracking details.
The Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer is a Superior machine, right out of the box the machine worked perfectly, The freeze dry time was just as it should be all my batches have come out perfect. The support is outstanding the company has proven to well worth the money of the machine, well done to Stay Fresh. I would recommend this machine to anybody who is getting into freeze drying products.
It is well made and works great. I have no problems with it does everything I need it to do. I am so glad I went with this brand.
I was super scared to buy it at first because it took a little over a year to save for it, I received it in just about a months time and it’s been running almost non stop since it arrived! I had to get extra trays to prefreeze my next load because im always thinking of something else to go in lol. No issues so far, super happy with it :) Thanks Stayfresh!
I have been so pleased with this unit. It is everything I hoped for and more. It consistently does its job without issues. Everything is made with the highiest quality. Everything is put together with thought and care. I am so impressed!
This is an excellent product. It does everything I want it to do. I have had no hiccups or hassles with the unit. I couldn’t be more pleased. The customer service is first rate and my initial questions were answered in a timely manner. It is with no reservations that I recommend the product , company and service.
we found the stay fresh very very easy to use in all of its programs! exemplary customer service, well built, I just can't say enough good about it! Tim answers questions promptly either by phone or email! we are looking forward to more products to use with our freeze drier, hoping for some tray stackers and maybe some tray covers? this product is AAA and I'm glad we purchased it!!!!!!
Best machine out there never regretted the purchase love it dont waste your time with any other machine these out performs all of them by a country mile
Tim and Stay-fresh is an amazing company and I can't say enough good things about my experience with them. I had issues that I created myself entirely, and Tim took his time and patience with me several times to address my problems, (on the phone no less). I have another freeze drier from another company and their customer service and equipment pails in comparison in every way in my opinion. Thank you so much for what you do and how you run your business, it's truly amazing how some, (very few) can maintain the basics on how to run a business in this day and age but, Tim manages to do it so very well. If I could give him a 6 star review I would. Thank you again so much and have yourself a great day. Jim Costa. : ))
II have had the pleasure of using my freeze dryer now for fruit and vegetables with 100% satisfaction. During my learning curve I reached out for help and Jason with StayFresh answered my questions promptly. I am so glad I went with StayFresh and not one of their competitors!
When I ordered my Stayfresh I was concerned that the vacuum hose might not be long enough to put the industrial pump on a shelf below the freeze dryer. I emailed Stayfresh and got an immediate response from Tim that they would send a longer hose, which was shipped with my unit. I couldn’t be any happier with my Stayfresh FD after 15 successful loads.