Did I Make a Mistake Buying a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer?

I’ve used my Harvest Right about two dozen times since I purchased it over the summer in 2022. That’s not nearly as often as I’d expected, but not the “mistake” I’m talking about today. Before I get to that, I figured today would be a good time to point out some of the general annoyances I’ve had with my freeze-dryer.

Overall, I shouldn’t complain as I haven’t used the machine quite long enough to form a well-rounded opinion, but I’ll do it anyway. Besides the one time that the drain valve got clogged and left standing water in the bottom of the chamber, I haven’t had any real trouble aside from my learning what I can freeze dry and what I can’t.

In any case, here are several things that bother me about the unit, some big and others small.

The Pump

Let’s start with the pump. I have the upgraded, premiere pump:

If I remember correctly, the manual states that the pump is “quieter than a dishwasher” but if that’s true, then it must be the noisiest dishwasher on the planet. For a while there, I’d considered putting the Harvest Right in our kitchen and I’m glad I didn’t as that would’ve been an annoyance nobody would’ve wanted for hours on end. Instead, the unit is in an unoccupied room in our basement and, even then, I can hear the pump running in our living room upstairs. It’s not noticeable with the television on or any other noise, but it is still there. And, regrettably, the pump runs constantly once the unit has reached the proper freezing temperature. As such, it could run for days!

Additionally, I understand how checking that things are in order before starting a process is a good idea, but I have to ensure that the pump oil is at the proper level each time before starting a batch:

I think I only recently added some oil when I noticed it was lower than halfway. Speaking of which, I did have to change the oil a few weeks back after my twentieth run. The oil starts off clear but turns an amber color as it picks up impurities, so it was clearly due to be changed:

Again, checking or changing the oil really isn’t big deal, but if I’d thought about this more then I might have upgraded to the oil-free pump. [Note: now that I looked up the price again for the oil-free pump, it’s an extra $1495, so I almost surely wouldn’t have upgraded.] Ultimately, pump maintenance isn’t a big deal; it’s really just the noise that’s the issue… and it’s a big one if you don’t have an out-of-the-way place to put the unit.

On/Off Switch Placement

Another minor annoyance is that they chose to pump the main on/off switch at the very bottom right of the unit. I can’t show the switch without moving the freeze-dryer, so I’ll point out the general area with a red arrow:

Again, it’s a small thing, but I do like to turn off the freeze-dyer after use, and with my aging back not in agreement with some movements, the master switch placement isn’t ideal with having to reach around the vacuum hose and whatnot. I guess I could just leave the unit on?

The Drain Hose/Connection

Moving to the other side, one of the first things I noticed upon setup was how floppy the drain hose valve/connection is. I know you can’t tell from a photo, but the connection just flops around in a hole that’s about two or three times larger than it should be (see the red circle area):

I can only imagine they designed it like this because they expect some sort of maintenance that’s easier with a large hole, but that’s only a guess. Maybe they just assumed nobody would care? Well, I do. It speaks of poor craftsmanship.

On a related note, the drain hose is at the bottom of the unit, which isn’t convenient when trying to drain into a bucket. It does work, but there’s always water that’s leftover in the hose which inevitably leaks onto the floor when I take the hose out of the bucket. It’s another small annoyance, but if I had something besides concrete underneath then I might start to get perturbed at water I had to wipe up.

Non-Standard Electrical Plug

Although I knew that the large Harvest Right I purchased required 20-amp service, I didn’t realize that I would also have to switch out the outlet to one that’s compatible with the 20-amp plug attached to the unit (it’s the horizontal part of the plug that’s important):

I’m positive Harvest Right did that to ensure you don’t try to plug in an appliance that requires 20 amps into an outlet that can only supply 15 amps safely, so it’s not a problem… just something else that had to be corrected before I could start using it. [FYI: The spot where I placed the Harvest Right was already wired for 20 amp service because of an unused sump pump, so you can’t just switch out the outlet and expect things to work. Ensure you have the correct size wiring or risk a fire hazard!]

Computer Settings

When starting up the freeze-dryer, you have two options: you can just start it or customize the settings, which you can see the initial state below:

It would be nice if I could simply save my changes as a preset of some sort so that I don’t have to go back in and change it for times when I want to freeze-dry candy or whatever. The settings don’t change much, but I don’t always remember off-hand what they should be. Hmm… maybe I should write those down?

No Wi-Fi Connectivity

Perhaps most important of all: I really, really wish they would add wi-fi connectivity. I can’t imagine that given the three to four thousand dollars a consumer spends on one of these machines that they can’t add wi-fi to the computer. It would make applying updates easier (rather than having to download them to a USB drive and then uploading the fix to the machine.

Best of all, if the unit had wi-fi, I can envision the Harvest Right texting me or somehow alerting me that the freeze-dryer is done, about done, having a problem, or whatever so that I know what’s going on. Right now I have to go check on it, which isn’t ideal and because I can easily ignore it for many hours, especially when it’s “almost done” then I waste time and energy if I don’t catch it when the unit finally finishes.

The “Mistake” Video

Now, how about that “mistake” I was talking about. In my very brief search for a fix as to why my impulse sealer isn’t working quite right, I ran across this video absolutely bashing the Harvest Right:

Yikes! If you watched the entire video, he’s not a fan. Truth is, I agree with some of his assessment, like the floppy drain hose connection and placement, but I think he’s a bit harsh in other areas. Maybe he just got a bad unit. I don’t know. But what really frustrates me is that I wasn’t even aware that an alternative freeze-dryer existed. Of course, that’s on me for not doing my research.

Although the unit costs are similar, I do wonder about the internal workings and overall craftsmanship, especially when it comes to the little details. I don’t know how important any of the problems he points out with the Harvest Right will be for me in the future, but I am becoming concerned. And I’m especially concerned if the company isn’t willing to stand by their product.

Look, if it were only a few hundred dollars and the unit crapped out, I would just eat the cost and move on, but I spent close to $4000 on this thing, so I expect it to work and I expect the company to fix a problem should something arises. At the very least, I expect a hell of a lot of help if nothing else.

Again, I know nothing about the Stay Fresh freeze dryer mentioned in the video. Maybe they have other problems that the Harvest Right doesn’t. I haven’t a clue. And I’m not saying my Harvest Right is a complete failure either. Not at all. Overall, I’m fairly happy with the unit after a few dozen uses. But it’s after a few hundred runs, and years down the road, that has me wondering if I made a mistake or not. Only time will tell.


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Comments

7 responses to “Did I Make a Mistake Buying a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer?”

  1. Peter Koths

    Good article – Valid points, however ultimately, it’s stated and obvious there was little research done other than the personal experience gained by owning and using a HR freeze dryer.
    Myself – I did a lot of research prior to purchasing my freeze dryer. The video on the Stay Fresh freeze dryer is spot on – all points made are 100% true. There are other freeze dryers out there all have pros and cons. Do your own research, gather facts, talk to people who freeze dry at home and then make your own decision.
    I went with a Stay Fresh freeze dryer and never looked back. Yes . . . it cost more but the quality build and functions are in league way above the rest. The Stay Fresh is like a Rolls Royce and the rest a Ford Pinto.
    Check it out make your own decision.
    Don’t forget to look up Harvest Right on the Better Business Bureau’s website literally 100’s of complaints.

  2. folrence quezada

    why don’t you tell us the way to get in touch with this company so we can call them out about the bad workmanship or call the gov. so they can put the screws to them because if you use the extention cord and you have a fire you will be sol.

  3. Judi E

    I feel another excellent book coming!!

  4. Gerald (Jerry) Price

    While reading your post this morning about the freeze dryer, you mentioned the location of the on/off switch. I did a little research and found what may be a solution to the problem. Place a combination of a short extension cord (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079J23GZ4/?coliid=IYQY8JGD1GTOL&colid=X5AMV47AGDX4&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) and this rocker switch (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XX9X3XG/?coliid=I1D20SYM4OTLNJ&colid=X5AMV47AGDX4&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it). Then leave the power switch on the unit in the ON position. I believe it will work. I use a variation of this on some of my woodworking tools that all have standard plugs but I need more remote access. I hope this helps. Let me know what you think.

    1. That’s a good thought. Thank you for suggesting the rocker switch. I will look into it.

  5. Dave C

    Looks like the Stay Fresh is also less expensive and only needs a standard 15 amp outlet.
    I’ve been wondering: why not just dry or purchase pre-dried food and vacuum pack it? What’s the benefit of first freezing? I recently bought a $100 vacuum sealer and oxygen absorber packets. So far seems to work great on dried fruits and almond clusters. I also have a dehydrator I’ve used to make jerky, dried bananas etc. why not just vacuum pack those? What does freezing add?

    1. I believe food needs to be frozen AND put under a vacuum so that the water sublimates (transitions directly from a solid to gas) so that more water is extracted from the food and so that it preserves freshness, quality, taste, etc.

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