Harvest Right Freeze Review With A Cost Analysis

Home freeze dryers, such as the Harvest Right freeze dryer are a hot topic right now in the preparedness industry.

I was debating whether to invest in one for my family, but after much research and a cost analysis, I decided not to. At least for now.

I did a lot of research and spoke to some of the Harvest Right team to get some questions answered and below are all of my findings! I hope it helps you decide if it is right for you.

What Is A Freeze Dryer?

A freeze-dryer is a machine that uses extremely low temperatures and a vacuum to remove moisture from food. A good freeze dryer may remove as much as 99% of the moisture.

Through this process and with proper packaging, food can be used for as much as 20 years!

It is a perfect way to improve your food prepping goals.

What’s Great About Harvest Right Freeze Dryers

The Harvest Right home freeze dryer, while pretty expensive, can be a great addition to your prepping life. Up until the launch of the Harvest Right, the only way to preserve food at home was by dehydrating or canning it.  

But there are so many benefits to storing freeze-dried food instead.

  • Freeze-dried food is more nutritious than dehydrated or canned food because it doesn’t require heat processing.
  • Freeze-dried food lasts longer than canned or dehydrated food.
  • Freeze-dried foods don’t require any additives/preservatives (sugar/salt).
  • Freeze-dried food is easier to use in recipes as freeze-drying doesn’t change the texture or size of the food.

The idea of being able to use the Harvest Right home freeze dryer to make your own quality freeze-dried food is exciting! It means you control what food you preserve, how fresh it is, what preservatives you use, and more.

Some Harvest Right Concerns I Have

While I personally have not purchased one yet because it is not in my budget, I did reach out to the team with some questions and they were so helpful. In the research I have done I see many happy customers noting how great the support and service have been.

But there are some concerns, besides cost, that would also affect my purchasing decision.

#1 – Warranty

The Harvest Right only offers a 1-year full warranty for US buyers.  This makes me wonder if they have product manufacturing concerns. Why so short with something that has so many moving parts?

Other appliances have much longer warranties.

I look to look at things in numbers.

As you will see in #3 below, it will take more than a year to make your money back by freeze-drying your own food. 

What if your machine breaks after one year, but before you can make your money back?

I’ve read reviews that say that when users perform the recommended cleaning after 30 cycles or so, they find a good deal of rust with black un-plated bolts and not much stainless steel. A new pump can cost hundreds of dollars. 

These things make me nervous about investing thousands of dollars in this machine.

I personal would wait to buy a Harvest Right until the manufacturer offers a warranty of at least two-three years – or as long as it would take to earn my money back from using it.

#2 – New Technology

Home freeze-drying technology is still relatively new. 

Any new technology has a “learning curve” so to speak. I’m certain that home freeze dryers will get better (and less expensive) over time. 

But there is currently no solid competition for the Harvest Right, and I’m not 100% confident in the technology yet.

I work closely with Thrive Life (affiliate) owners and executives. I know that in order for them to produce quality freeze-dried food they need to do the following:

  1. They test each individual product multiple at different settings–testing it after each run. They adjust the setting again and again until they get it perfect.
  2. The settings for each food item (strawberries vs chicken) are different. This is why they test each product individually.
  3. They are carefully monitored by the FDA in order to ensure that their food is properly preserved and safe.

I’m concerned that the lack of control in the settings combined with my user error may create food that isn’t safe for my family. 

That would be the worst possible scenario, but even if that doesn’t happen, I’m not sure the shelf life would be as long or the nutrient level as high.

Anyway, do you know the difference between free-dried and dehydrated food?

Harvest Right themselves sells a “scientific” freeze dryer that allows you to control the temperature and pressure per product. 

How can the two machines deliver the same quality in the product? The quality of the “home” dehydrator has to be different.

I get that many of these same concerns exist for home dehydrated and canned foods–you don’t have as much control, and there is far more room for user error.  However, because both of those technologies have existed for a very long time “at home,” there are lots of competitors (reasons to try and be the best), so I am more confident that the technology is sound. I can finally freeze-dry my cheese or mango fruit.

Another Concern:

Harvest Right also suggests freeze-drying whole pork chops, chicken breasts, casseroles, etc.  You can’t find these items freeze-dried commercially because they are thick and don’t always freeze-dry safely.  It makes me nervous that they recommend using these less-than-precise machines to have people try this at home.

I have had multiple people who own a Harvest Right (granted, they all own the oldest version) tell me that casseroles and large pieces of meat that they have dried have gone bad quickly.

While you could simply decide not to freeze dry such things, it makes me question Harvest Right in general that they suggest such things are okay to their customers.

So, for me, I will wait on Harvest Right (affiliate) until they have at least one solid competitor to drive up the quality of the technology and machines.

#3 – Investment Return

Many people look at the cost of the Harvest Right and think “I’ll make that money back in no time by not having to pay a premium to a food storage company to freeze dry my food for me.”

In fact, the Harvest Right website says that if you freeze dry daily, you will make your money back in just one year.

Well, by my calculations*, you may not make your money back as quickly as you think.

Let’s break down the numbers a bit:

  • For the two smaller machines, the only way to make your money back in a year is to freeze dry 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Who will really do that?  Not me.
  • You would also have to get premium prices on the food you are drying year-round.  This might happen in the summer with low produce prices or by using your own garden produce, but it isn’t going to happen in the winter.  And if you are freeze drying 24/7/365, you will be freeze drying in the winter.
  • You will also need to pay for electricity, oil, cans to store the food in, and oxygen absorbers (affiliate).  These costs add up.
  • If you shop the right sales, you can get great deals on commercially freeze-dried foods.  The “make your money back” assumptions are based on you paying full price for commercially freeze-dried foods.

When you take all that into account, it will take one year, two months-three and a half years for you to make your money back, depending on which size freeze dryer you buy.  And this is still based on buying freeze-dried food at full price.

With the biggest–and most expensive machine–it would take just over a year to maybe 18 months.  This is reasonable.  But, that is only if you freeze-dry 335 cans in a year, which would be more than a one-year supply for most families of around four-six people.

*(If you want to see my detailed calculations, you can scroll down to the end of this post.)

All these estimates are beyond the one-year warranty period, and I just can’t confidently invest in something that I’m not sure will last long enough for me to make my money back, especially since I never pay full price for my commercially freeze dried foods.

I will wait on the Harvest Right (affiliate) until the warranty period increases or the time to freeze dry the food decreases.

#4 – My Time Is Money

Maybe spending time in the kitchen is your thing, but not for me!

I don’t want to be cooking, chopping, peeling, and shredding foods every day or two for 1 1/2 – 3 1/2 years in order to regularly use my freeze dryer and make my money back. 

I don’t want to spend time maintaining the machine’s pump between every cycle.

That honestly sounds exhausting to me right now with 4 young kids at home and a full-time business to run! 

My time is worth a lot. Not only financially, but also in my relationships with my family members and other things I want to do with my time (exercise, developing talents, serving, volunteering, spirituality, etc). 

I don’t have the time to prep multiple #10 cans worth of food several times each week and maintain an expensive machine.

So, I could use it just during the summer–that would decrease my production cost if I use garden produce, and I could involve the kids…but then it would take three-four times as long to freeze dry the same amount of food (because I’m only doing so three-four months of the year instead of twelve).

I can just order my freeze-dried food from Thrive Life and be done with it!

You Might Also Want to Know

  • You can put the machine on layaway to secure a sale price, so watch for sales even if you aren’t quite ready to buy one yet.  This is a FANTASTIC option!
  • Even the smallest Harvest Right (affiliate) is pretty big (over 2 ft tall and 1 1/2 feet deep).  The largest one (affiliate) is nearly 3 feet tall and just slightly deeper than my countertops. You will also need room for the pump. This is not an appliance that is going to fit nicely under the cabinet.
  • The Harvest Right is not quiet.  It isn’t crazy loud, but it’s not quite, imagine a noisy dishwasher.  So, if you are running it all day every day, you may not want it in the kitchen.  You may want to consider a utility room or garage.
  • One thing that is not very obvious on the Harvest Right site is the need for pump maintenance.  You have to drain 2QT of oil after every use.  Then, you should completely change the oil every 5-6 cycles.  Then, after 10-12 cycles, you have to do a power flush, and it can get quite messy.  At 30-36 cycles, you have to remove the pump cover and deep clean the pump.

How About You?

I totally get that not everyone will have the same opinion as I have.  Purchasing a Harvest Right (affiliate) may be a wise decision for you.

Do you have a Harvest Right?  Have you considered getting one?  Why or why not?

Why I won't be buying the Harvest Right yet?
Why I won’t be buying the Harvest Right yet?

Cost Calculations

Below you can see exactly how I calculated how much money Harvest Right might save youand how long it would take to “pay it back.”

Cost to buy commercially freeze-dried food

Below is the average cost of one # 10 can (based on costs from three different companies) for an average freeze-dried fruit, veggie, and meat. 

Each #10 can typically holds approximately 11 cups.

  • Freeze-dried strawberries: $23.76 ($2.16 / cup)
  • Freeze-dried chicken: $51.84 (4.71 / cup) each can include approximately seven-eight pounds of meat
  • Freeze dried green beans: $18.44 ($1.68 / cup)

(Average cost per gallon can: $31.35)

I have not considered sales in this pricing, which can reduce these costs significantly.

Cost to Buy the Same Food at the Grocery Store:

Now, obviously, to freeze dry your food you need to buy it first. Below are estimated costs of the same food from above in their full form. These costs will of cost vary based on location and the store you actually shop at.

I am using costs from my local Walmart – all are low-quality, non-organic foods. If you choose to buy higher quality, organic foods of course your costs will be more.

  • One 1 pound container strawberries (approximately 2 1/2 cups when sliced): 
    $3 ($1.20 per cup-$13.20 per gallon can)
  • 7.5 pounds of chicken @ $3 per pound
    $22.50  ($2.05 per cup-$22.55 per gallon can)
  • 1 pound green beans (approximately 2 cups when trimmed)–
    $1.50 ($0.75 per cup-$8.25 per gallon can)

Yes, during the summer, you could likely get some produce for less, but I’m going with averages here.  If you are using your freeze dryer all year, you won’t be paying rock-bottom prices for your produce for seven-nine of those twelve months.

You may garden and use that produce, but that still isn’t no cost; gardening does cost money (soil, water, seeds, plants, time, etc), and you will only be able to use fresh garden produce a few months of the year. In order to run your freeze dryer all year, you will need to buy some of what you freeze dry.

As for the chicken though, if you buy it at Zaycon like I recommend, you will likely play closer to $1.89 per pound bringing your cost for chicken down to $1.29 / cup and get much higher quality chicken.

I might consider buying a Harvest Right just to freeze dry my own meat as the savings there is greater than produce, but I will wait until the technology is a bit more advanced.

(Average cost per gallon can: $14.67)

Additional Costs When Using Harvest Right

Not only do you have the cost of the food, now we have other costs to consider.

Electricity
The Harvest Right uses electricity.  According to Harvest Right, it costs around $1-$2.80 per day to run ($1.90 average) for the small and medium sized machines.

Oil
One thing that is not very obvious on the Harvest Right website is the need for pump maintenance. You have to drain 2T of oil after every use. 

Then, you should completely change the oil every five-six cycles.  Then, after 10-12 cycles, you have to do a power flush, and it can get quite messy.  After 30-36 batches you are to completely remove the pump cover and deep clean the pump.

Various estimates I’ve found from online reviews put this cost at around $1 per cycle.

Supplies
If you are going to freeze dry your own food, you will need to store it properly – which means no oxygen or light.

Storage options include:

  • Mylar bag (shorter shelf life of three-five years)
  • #10 can (25+ year shelf life)
  • Food grade bucket with a mylar bag (25+ year shelf life)

Now what are the costs of each of these?

Cost to store in mylar bags
This will obviously vary depending on where you shop, but mylar bags are quite inexpensive. But, you may lose much of the shelf life and risk rodents getting into your food if you choose this method.

  • 50 1 gallon (same size as a #10 can) mylar bags plus oxygen absorbers:
    $15.99 ($0.32 each) 
    (Total cost per gallon if using mylar bags alone: $0.32)

Cost to store in #10 cans
These can be hard to fin, but after a bit of searching, I found this source for lined #10 cans at a reasonable price:

  • Cost for the cans and metal lids: $2.15 each (must buy in bulk)
  • Cost for plastic lids (to be used once you open the can): $0.43 each (must buy in bulk)
  • Cost for the machine to seal the metal lid to the metal can:  $1,491 (I will add this to the cost of the Harvest Right Freeze dryer in my final calculations, but you could also share a sealer with multiple people in your neighborhood).  I don’t know of anywhere you can rent these anymore.

(Total Cost per gallon if using #10 cans: $2.58 (plus the cost of the sealer)

Cost to store in buckets
Each 5 gallon bucket will hold the equivalent of five #10 cans.  When storing in buckets it is best practice to store with a mylar bag as well.

(Least expensive cost per gallon if using buckets: $2)

Which Storage Method is Best?

At first glance, it seems like using buckets would be the best idea, but there are a few issues you’d want to consider.

You can only freeze dry one gallon of food at a time and each gallon takes 24-48 hours.  That means that by the time you get the fifth gallon freeze dried, the first one will have sat there, improperly packaged and exposed to oxygen and moisture for seven-nine days or so.  It will no longer be as crisp or as fresh.

When you open a package of freeze dried food, it will immediately start taking up moisture and becoming “sticky.”  It could take months (or even years for some families) to get through one # 10 can of green beans!  This means that by the time you get to the end of that bucket, your food won’t be as fresh.

Both of these issues can be mitigated a little by using the gamma lid instead of the regular lid, but that will increase your cost.

Last, there may simply be some foods that you don’t even want five full gallons of!

So, you could go with the mylar bags, but then you face issues with rodents and a much shorter shelf life.

If it were me, I’d go with the #10 cans. For this reason, this is what I’ve based my price comparisons on.

Comparing the Costs

So, if we add the average cost per #10 (gallon) can for the food ($14.67) and the #10 cans ($2.58), we get $17.25.

Compared to $31.35 that you’d spend on the same commercially freeze dried food, that is QUITE the savings!  You are saving around $14.10 PER CAN!

But you need to add the cost of the sealer, freeze dryer, oil and electricity into the mix.

On the Harvest Right site, they provide estimates for how many #10 cans worth of food you can do for each batch.  

However, these estimates assume you run your Harvest Right all day every day for 365 days.  I know I won’t do that.

I have kids, I’m busy, it may take me an hour to two between each batch (if I’m not sleeping when one finishes).  Heck, it may take days between each batch. We will take vacations; we will get sick.  I will want a break (it is noisy).  I know myself and my life, and I know I won’t run it 100% around the clock.

So, if I am realistic with myself, I may run it 50% of the time.  And honestly, even running it every other day (or six months of the year) is going to be a stretch for me.

The Smallest Harvest Right:  (affiliate)

It costs around $1.90 per day to run this machine. It takes 24-48 hours to freeze dry one batch (about one gallon can).  This means that each batch costs $1.90-$4.80 or an average of $3.35.

Each batch also costs $1 in oil, which for this machine = one can.

So, the cost for the food ($14.67) plus the can supplies ($2.58), plus the electricity ($3.35), and the oil ($1) is $21.60 (on average) per #10 can. A commercial can is $31.35 on average.  So, on average, you are saving $9.75 per can, which is still pretty significant!

But remember, you first have to use that savings to pay back the cost of the freeze dryer ($2795) and can sealer ($1491).

The Harvest Right site says you can freeze dry 240 cans per year, but as mentioned above, I’m not going to run it 100% of every single day. So, if I am more realistically freeze drying 120 cans per year, that is $1170 per year in savings.

If I don’t share the can sealer, it’d take about three years and eight months to earn back what I spent.  If I share the sealer, with three neighbors it’d take closer to two years, ten months.

The Standard Harvest Right:  (affiliate)

Electricity, food, and supplies are the same for this size machine and each batch still takes an average of 36 hours.  But you are getting around two gallons per batch instead of just one, so this lowers your electricity and oil cost per gallon can to $2.17 total making your savings per can around $11.92

The Harvest Right site says you can freeze dry 380 cans per year with this size, so I would more realistically freeze dry 190 cans per year, which is a $2265 per year in savings.  This machine costs $3495, and the cost of the can sealer is the same.

If I don’t share the can sealer, it’d take about two years and two months to earn back what I spent.  If I share the sealer, with three neighbors it’d take closer to one year and nine months.

The Largest Harvest Right:(affiliate)

Electricity, food, and supplies are the same for this size machine and each batch still takes an average of 36 hours.  But you are getting around three-three and a half gallons per batch instead of just one or two, so this lowers your electricity and oil cost per gallon can to $1.34 total making your savings per can around $12.76.

The Harvest Right site says you can freeze dry 670 (WOW!) cans per year, so I would more realistically freeze dry 335 cans per year, which is $4274 per year in savings.  This machine costs $4495 and the cost of the can sealer is the same.

Suggested Read: Home Freeze-Drying and Harvest Right At-Home Freeze Dryer Review

If I don’t share the can sealer, it would take about one year, or three months to earn back what I spent.  If I share the sealer, with three neighbors it would take closer to one year and two months.

I hope this can be a helpful guide as you do your own calculations! In alignment with this, you should also know how to rehydrate freeze-dried food.

Final Thoughts

I think the idea of the Harvest Right freeze dryer is fantastic! 

I’m excited about the technology and find it interesting. I love the idea of freeze-drying my own food, but don’t love the amount of work that is required.

However, I will wait to invest in a Harvest Right until:

  1.  It has a longer warranty
  2. The technology has been around a bit longer and there is some solid competition
  3.  I can make back my investment more quickly
  4.  I don’t have to invest hours and hours of time freeze drying year round because I feel pressured to make my money back

Save

Save

+ posts

Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.

105 thoughts on “Harvest Right Freeze Review With A Cost Analysis”

  1. In the US there are regulations regarding “Warranty Reserves”. Warranty Reserve is a fund maintained by the manufacturer to meet warranty expenses. On average the longer the warranty, the larger the reserve amount.

    Any manufacturer can artificially suggest their product is of higher quality by offering a longer than typical warranty. when in fact it is simply a financial and marketing decision.

    If I believe I will secure more sales than a competitor with a longer warranty and the added cost of that reserve fund will be offset by either more sales or by marking up the product to cover the added reserves, then if I am right I win.

    Think of a warranty in excess of a year as an extended warranty that you are being sold but not disclosed. I prefer to purchase extended warranties by choice, not by marketing a potentially false suggestion of reliability.

    Warranty service is a business expense. It is not free. It is ALWAYS part of the price you pay.

    Reply
  2. Thank you for your analysis and conscientious approach. It is easy to get over-optimistic when imagining creative solutions to storage issues. It is good to have someone remove the rose colored glasses before the impulsive plunge. I believe that your approach has made me more confident that I will be making the right choice for my family. You played a good devil’s advocate for me and many of your respondants voiced the same requirements and benefits of personal freeze drying that make my goals not seem as unique and unusual at all.
    Aside from the natural reasons for freeze-drying food, in general, I appreciate the control I can gain over my condiment laden refrigerators. I use many exotic condiments and specialized ingredients that I never see in the freezedried supplies and as others have remarked, have many allergies and dietary disciplines to consider for my large family.
    Thanks for your thorough challenge.
    Camille

    Reply
  3. 2/2021. don’t know when you made your analysis, but I purchased the large freeze dryer and I love it. it is enabling me to empty my many freezers which i plan to sell and not pay electricity to run. We had several days last fall without power and running a generator to keep my freezers (I am embarrassed to say how many) going was expensive in itself. I purchased the premium pump and it isn’t terrible loud and I love the taste of the food, and especially the long term storage that does not require electricity. Buying F/D food is very expensive for prefixed meals and not an option, so I hate to see to discourage people from a product that is excellent.

    Reply
  4. We have a machine about three ears old and for the first couple of years worked fine
    and no problems until this year. For whatever reason we are simply not able to get the machine and or the pump to provide the necessary vacuum to function properly.

    Harvest Right did send us a new pump , new hoses, door gasket etc., and the latest computer programming. All to no avail..

    That said, their customer service has been great and they have worked with us to get this machine up and running. Five stars for effort!

    My son also has a machine which uses the “oil less” pump and reportedly the oil less work better than the older pumps.

    My own opinion is that for the home market that the machine be easier to maintain and repair if necessary.

    Reply
    • I hear you… I love mine, but I also have an electrician/ plumber as a husband who will do all the maintenance for me. If I had to do it myself, I would probably burn out. We had to replace the touch screen on ours, at about 5 years old.
      It definitely “paid for itself” in a year, comparing the price of freeze-dried food to purchase, and I always make too much food, and have no freezer space left. It gives me a great deal of food security and that’s good, because I wouldn’t have shelled out for f/d cans (and we only eat organic, so almost impossible to find to buy).

      Reply
  5. We have had the Harvest Right for a few years with no issues. To maximize the payback schedule, I harvest all my produce in summer from my garden. Anything extra (that we dont eat fresh) is FD’d. also have freezers so when meats are on a great sale, I freeze them and then when my garden is not harvesting, the Harvest right is filled with meats bought on sale. I also forage in our area. I joined one year a local gleaners group where amongst other things, I was gifted with 30 tip to tail salmon. They were brought home, cleaned and smoked. I have both Salmon steaks, and smaller bits to use in salads and chowders. I also got lots of mushrooms (expensive in the stores, and go bad so fast, but free thru the gleaners, and freeze dried, will last until I feel like using them.)
    I grow and store my own spices, some for culinary use, some for medicinal use. Much cheaper to grow my own…
    But the main reasons we bought a Freeze dryer, are #1- Allergies, lots of allergies and many of the premade meals have other things in them, I can better control who gets what, and #2- Hubs is diabetic and I am pre-diabetic. We don’t want or need all the fillers and starches in pre-packaged freeze dried meals. While we will use some noodles, for example, I will mix them with spiralized or thinly sliced veg (Cabbage) or turnips or cauliflower stems instead of potato chunks.

    Reply
  6. Misty,

    Thank you for your thoughts on the subject. I look at this a little differently. While the science behind the concept is rather simple, the execution aspect is a little more complex, mainly because HR had to abstract the mechanics from the consumer. When you do that you add complexity to the overall system design. I think you did a nice job holistically in your approach explaining the risk with owning one of these systems. I and many like me however are willing to assume the risk, systematically work through the issues to achieve an ultimate outcome. These systems will not be for everyone for several of the reasons you stated. For those of us willing to take the leap, we will progress and achieve the outcomes we desire. Be healthy and happy new year.

    Reply
    • You are so right- there is definitely a learning curve on both the food and the machine maintenance, and I too feel it is totally worth it for the long term storage, not having to can in the heat of summer, no need for jars (haven’t been able to find any in the last 1.5 year!)

      Reply
  7. I’ve been considering a Harvest Right freezedryer for awhile now so your post was exactly what I hoping to stumble across! Very informative & very helpful. I appreciate your unbiased candor while testing/reviewing the merits as well as the downsides in owning this particular product. The cost breakdowns that you offer are very helpful too! Will help me a lot in my final decision making process. Thanks again!

    Reply
  8. I hope you all have gone to YouTube and watched the voluminous vidoes available about the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer from various owners. Some of them have been using this product for quite a while now. I think it comes down to whether or not you have the time and patience to deal with the processes that keep the machine functioning properly. If you are not willing to put in the effort to maintain it, then don’t buy it. If you are committed, I don’t see any in making the purchase. My husband and I are middle aged and are looking to the future and how we can cut down on expenses when on a fixed income.

    Reply
  9. Great write-up. I purchased the new model (large) machine and have enjoyed it. Thanks for providing all the details and technical information.

    For those of you who are considering adding the freeze drying activities into your lifestyle…. it is liberating to know that you can freeze dry whatever you typically eat as part of your nutrition plan. It’s difficult to place an economic value on that benefit. Nevertheless, the data presented above is great information and worthwhile to understand.

    Reply
  10. I ordered one out of curiosity. I didn’t base my purchase based on economics. I want to try a bunch of the cool looking snack recipes I see all over the place. It is more of a toy that a prepper thing.

    Reply
  11. We have had our Harvest Right for two years. We love it and have had great success with our freeze drying. We have freeze dried all kinds of produce, fish, chicken, beef, pork, eggs, ice cream, milk, half and half, coconut milk, Chili and Mac & cheese, just to name a few. We have turkey freeze drying at this time.

    We have had NO problems with Harvest Right people. They have been very helpful with questions.

    Reply
  12. I came across your site earlier when you were just doing your own research, and started saving up for the Harvest Right. Finally got most of it saved, in the meantime, I’ve been getting emails from them letting me know of any sales. Got an email today telling me about their early black friday sale. Went to check it out and imagine my disappointment on how much they jacked the price up on the size I’ve been saving for. I’ve heard of businesses doing this during these ‘holiday’ sales but never have gotten to witness it. Then came across your site again and I just want to thank you. I feel like you; will wait for all the reasons you had stated. Btw, they jumped the price from $1995/1999 -$2395. 🙁

    Reply
    • Harvest Right just came out with updated machines. That’s why they jumped a bit in price. Give it a few months and they should come down in price.

      Reply
  13. Some of the comments that people submitted kinda gave me a chuckle.”The cost of food prep is, well, free.” Chris, you really feel your time isn’t worth anything? I’m a retired stay at home mom and have no problem seeing how much my time is worth still. And, “I’m sorry you’re poor.” Dude. The handfull of rich people I know actually think twice before buying junk. That’s one of the reasons they’re still rich, you know. You need to find better rich people to hang out with, maybe.

    Thank you, Misty, for your help. My husband and I moved to NZ a few years ago, and just about everything is twice as expensive to buy. We were looking into investing in a Harvest Right to help save more of what we buy and grow, saving even more by buying the unit when we go back to visit family in the US for Christmas, but decided to wait until they back their product a bit more than just the one year that they have now. If they don’t feel comfortable backing it for longer, why should I think it will last?
    Thanks again.

    Reply
  14. The cost of food prep is, well, free. Think of all the food that you have as leftovers . Instead of feeding the dog feed the freeze dryer while the food is still fresh. Let the dog eat dog food

    Reply
  15. I have been using mine on a daily basis for over six week utilizing produce from my garden and on sale as in fruits. I am single, 81 yr old and tired of the canning process which I have done all my life. The oil changing can be a mess and no where in my instructions does it mention a flush. I change and filter the oil after every batch tipping the compressor multiple times to flush out any debris while machine is still warm. The machine is loud and produces a lot of heat and I do not consider it something I would want inside my home. I bought the small model wish I had bought a larger model. I have not noticed but a small increase in my electricity usage. Yes the machine was expensive. I gave myself the gift for my birthday. At my age it is interesting to learn a new skill and I will sell all of my canning equipment except a small pressure cooker. I am using the food for short term as I will have a garden again next year. Makes preparing meals for one much easier–with a wide variety of vegs and fruit always available. I dried basil, strawberries, cantaloupe, onions, squash both cooked and fresh, pumpkin cooked, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, nectarines, peaches, kale, peppers, sliced ham, tea leaves, yogurt, green beans, grapes too much sugar for it to be long term but delish! Spirilized zucchini is great. So far so good. Had good customer and tech help as door needed adjustment to pull a pressure seal. Its a learning curve.

    Reply
    • Re: sound-yes, it is loud… we have ours in the garage, and our bedroom is upstairs; I can hear the pump turn on and run. It’s actually a good thing, because I can also hear if something happens and it fails, and go restart it.

      Reply
  16. you have me on hold as well,sales are appearing on line for freezed dried products as of today with up to 60% off,not the best variety but a good start.
    Thanks again
    Alex

    Reply
  17. We just got our Harvest Right…not loud at all based on everything we have read we were expecting it to be awful. We are NOT keeping it in our kitchen as we have extra space in our home. We are still learning of course but so far so good! As far as recouping the cost? We have invested in this for health reasons and food storage most of all. It is an investment for us as we do not just have extra money to do this type of thing but we are making it work.

    Reply
  18. Excellent, thorough article. You have been positive about the wonderful aspects of the product, whike completely realistic/transparent about the many drawbacks. This product is not consumer friendly, yet. I will wait, as well.

    Reply
  19. Very thorough and detailed information. This is exactly the kind of detail I was looking for to be able to make an informed decision.

    Reply
  20. Misty, Thank you so much for this info breakdown! Excellent information. My husband and I also were very close to buying the large unit. We also, decided to do more digging in the product reviews area. There are so many recent reviews that are just sad. Units not working properly, major customer service issues when trying to work through problems with the product, RESTOCKING fees-which they say on their website will NOT be done, a very short 90 day window of time for a return, leaky pumps, bad seals, and the list goes on! It’s truly a shame that this company charges thousands of dollars for a product…….and they don’t stand by it when problems arise. We will wait, as you said, for the technology to improve and for other companies to bring some much needed competition.

    Reply
  21. I’m so glad I ran across this post. I didn’t see on the Harvest Right link what the warranty entailed. For the price of the unit and the upkeep involved I would hope they would’ve given at a minimum a 3 year warranty or an option to purchase more years. I do hope they are a major success and the price/warranty goes down before I make that major of a purchase.
    We currently have the Excalibur dehydrater and couldn’t be more pleased. I would love to add a freeze dryer to our tool chest in the future. Thank you again for this information

    Reply
  22. My husband and I were just on the brink of making the jump and buying a harvest right freeze dryer. I decided to do deep research first before doing so, and so glad I did and ran across this article. I also had worries, but some of them I didn’t even consider until reading this! My husband and I are SO excited about the technology….But it’s always kind of scared to be one of the first to buy into such technology when it is new and hasn’t had a lot of testing. Thanks to your article we feel confident in our decision to wait as well. We will keep hoping and praying that the technology get’s better and better and we’ll confidently be buying a home freeze dryer in the next couple of years. Thank you for the break down and great thoughts and worries on this subject.

    -Natalie

    Reply
    • I have had a freeze dryer for several years now not the very earliest variety but they have been exceptional for warranty and they had some growing pains I love the unit changing in the oil is really not a big deal flush it out not a big deal the unit works extremely well. I have frozen whole pork chops boneless as well as fruits and vegetables and anything else you can get your hand on
      I put it in the thick of mylar bags with an oxygen absorber that makes the difference

      They actually have put a sheet of plastic over the circuitboard because they found they were getting condensation issues on the circuitboard because of the cold temperatures and that took care of that problem / failure.
      They have been exceptional well past the warranty. And the unit is trouble free and works extremely well !

      if you get done and test it and it still is moisture in it put it back in and run a little bit longer that’s all

      The unit itself is about as noisy as a refrigerator not a big deal the vacuum pump was a little louder anybody that is mechanical or deals with refrigeration knows what a vacuum pump is it is about the level of noise that it makes I wouldn’t put it beside my bed but it is not a big deal anywhere else
      If you are used to a totally silent environment then it might be an irratition depending on the individual location.

      All in all is an exceptional piece of equipment with customer service that is just fantastic
      If I bought another one I would buy the big one which requires 220 power so it would be some wiring involved but I would love to be able to do more at a time when things get really busy.
      Buy a second set of trays that way you could have one set prepared waiting in the freezer and that cuts your cycle time down

      Also do not cheap out on the mylar bags buy the ones that are seven mill thick as opposed to the more common fir and 2 mil thickness because it makes a big difference in the lifetime of the product

      It is a long-term pay back piece of equipment however if you are buying freeze dried food commercially or at a local store this has beat it hands down you can do whatever you want you can do soups you can do steaks produce out of the garden strawberries blueberries Anything that you would feel like using in the long term you can save and use a later this year or five years down the road.
      Blueberries and grapes are hard to dry unless the skin is pierced to let the moisture exit, I have ways around that too!

      Bob Ellison
      [email protected]

      Reply

Leave a Comment