I now have 2 Excalibur dehydrators because I have a large herb garden and dry a lot of herbs, in addition to the chiles, the veggies, tomatoes, , onions, fruits, plums, apricots, apples cranberries, cherries, etc., etc., etc. And I can not beging to estimate how many pounds of jerky that has been produced. These appliances work much more efficiently than the smaller ones because of the way the fan distributes the heat. You do not have to rotate the trays and that is a great time saver for me. I tried the others, I think I bought 3 different brands. I either gave them away or traded them for things I could use. The excalibur does cost more, but they do the job better and if you find you no longer need it you can sell them on eBay for more than you paid for them new. <g> I have seen a couple for sale over the past few months and they sold for more than I paid for mine. -- Andie Paysinger & the PENDRAGON Basenjis,Teafer,Cheesy,Singer & Player asenji@earthlink.net So. Calif. USA "In the face of adversity, be patient, in the face of a basenji, be prudent, be canny, be on your guard!" http://home.earthlink.net/~asenji/