| | |  | Dehydrators | Home » » Sedona Food Dehydrator | | | | | | | Description: | | Tribest Sedona Dehydrator Model SD-P9000 The Sedona Dehydrator is another of TribestLife's small appliances for healthy lifestyles. The Sedona Food Dehydrator is engineered to last with some fantastic features not previously offered with dehydrators. Twenty years in business and the 5 year warranty is Tribest's commitment that your dehydrator will provide years of trouble-free operation. Sedona Product Overview Accurate, Efficient, and Elegantly Styled The Sedona nine tray digital food dehydrator from Tribest accurately and efficiently distributes heated air, drying foods better and much more evenly when compared to other food dehydrators. Additionally, Sedona's heating compartment can be divided into two drying chambers offering unsurpassed versatility while using less electricity and eliminating excess waste. Other food dehydrators claim to be digital but only offer digital timers and do not control the current temperature within the drying chamber. Sedona is the only dehydrator which offers an all digital control panel and is fully automated to accurately control the way your food is dehydrated. Two digitally controlled fans with heating coils and heat sensors divide Sedona into two drying chambers. Dual Fan Technology allows you to program Sedona to be used at its full capacity or half its capacity. Conveniently choose to dehydrate four, five or nine trays of food at a time for small to large batches of your favorite recipes. Additionally, set Sedona's already quiet fans to day or night mode for extreme quiet operation. | | | Features: | |
• Digital Thermostat control, Digital Temperature Display; Digital Timer
• See-through tempered glass door; 9 BPA Free Trays; 9 BPA Free Liners
• Quiet Operation; Tray size is 15.25": x 13"; Dryins Space is 14.0" x 11.5"; 1" Between Trays
• Exclussive Dual Fan Technology for even drying; 600 Watts
• Manufacturers Limited 5 Year Warranty
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 17.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 14.6 inches | | Product Height:
| 19.7 inches | | Product Weight:
| 23.4 pounds | | Package Length:
| 23.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 20.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 17.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 32.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 11 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 11 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Great Dehydrator- Crazy Expensive!May 01, 2011
By J. Minassian
We researched all the raw-food approved dehydrators out there for months, and just before ordering a nine-tray Excalibur saw this newly-released marvel. The design is great; dehydrates well. Love the glass door, the dual fan option, the night-time setting (quieter), and the easy-to-clean interior. Digital display is great too. The biggest drawback is how crazy expensive this thing is (hence the 4 stars). After buying the unit, plus the silicon nonstick sheets (from another vendor, which we just trimmed with scissors), we could have put a down payment on a yacht. I also wish Tribest would offer a ten-year warranty, considering the investment, and especially since it has computerized components (which are never as reliable as the old-fashioned stuff). We bought the Sedona as an investment into our health, and I do think it will pay for itself in a decade or so. (We aren't even close to 100 percent raw, though. We mostly dehydrate snacks: crackers, fruit leathers, kale chips, and the occasional raw cookie.)
Bottom line, if you've got the 100 bucks to spare, I'd pick this over the Excalibur, but only time will tell if this baby is going to prove itself. I wish I would have had a few years-worth of reviews to look over before we made our decision.
UPDATE
********
Okay folks, here's my update after 8 months of owning the Sedona. It's a really good thing this thing has a warranty, and now I really, REALLY wish it was ten years. After only a month or two, the first one broke. Lower heating element quit in the middle of a batch of mangos. LAME. The good news is that after a little arm twisting, Sedona paid for the shipping to and from and replaced the unit. So far I have not had any problems with the new unit, except that every once in a while the "beep" sound that comes from adjusting the controls sounds a little like a sick bird. Weird, but not that big of a deal. We've made lots of dried fruits, crackers and cookies, and everything has turned out great. So other than the tendency to break (chuckle) this is a great product!
One other interesting thing. In the new model we received two free non-stick sheets. I was excited to try them out on some fruit leather. The fruit leather stuck so bad I had to scrape it off with a scraper and soak the rest off in warm water. It was the same recipe I used on my silicone sheets without any problem. Won't be using them again!
26 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 Hero To Zero! Asleep at the Wheel!Sep 30, 2011
By 2BFree
We received our new dehydrator in a defective state: bad heater assembly. We needed to ship it back to the manufacturer for repairs. The manufacturer requests that you ship the product back in the original box (keep the box!) We received the same unit back yesterday with all the screws missing from the back of the machine. The technician failed to put one single screw back into the dehydrator and shipped it back to us. After removing the unit from the container the machine was set on the counter for inspection and testing. One could imagine what it would look like without screws. The body was lop-sided and the door wouldn't close properly. Turning the machine around I observed "zero" screws holding the machine together. To make things worse, the front of the machine is scratched. Needless to say the wife is not happy.
Recommendation: if this item is a must have make sure you test the heating assembly within days of receipt. Turn it on and verify both elements are heating up. Amazon will accept returns within 30 days and you can get a new one. $369.00 is a lot of money to hassle with poor workmanship issues after repairs.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome Machine !!!!!!!!!Nov 09, 2011
By cecilia Prevost
I recently purchased this dehydrator over the Excalibur. Did not like the review on how noisy the Excalibur was. This is an excellent dehydrator it's ready to use right out the box. Easy to use love the control buttons and glass window. Placed order on Amazon and within two days got my dehydrator. I'm not a raw foodie, but trying to switch to healthier snacks. So far I have made zucchini chips, plantain chips, dehydrated sweet peppers, flax crackers, and kale chips. Awesome piece of kitchen gadget. It's a little pricey but well worth the price.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Great Product, Easy and Quiet.Oct 13, 2011
By PC Checker
I recently purchased the Sedona Food Dehydrator. What an awesome piece of kitchen gadgetry. I have previously owned a Nesco Dehydrator. It was round and not near as versatile. I was able to get rid of two yogurt makers and a very difficult to store dehydrator when I purchased this item. It is very quiet. Very easy to use. Matches my black kitchen appliances. It is expensive, compared to the other models by other manufacturers, but this one has all the bells and whistles. It is worth the price. This will be the last dehydrator I will ever have to purchase.
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Despite the Mixed Reviews, I Took The PlungeFeb 05, 2012
By S. Casanova
I have recently made my health and the health of my family a top priority. Thanks to eye opening, life changing documentaries such as Food Inc., Forks Over Knives, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, [EDIT/UPDATE - added Food Matters to the list] and numerous YouTube videos, I am transitioning from a predominantly high meat, high fat, low fruit/veggie diet to an organic plant-based/raw diet (and I too want to prove to myself and the world that you can be a Vegan body builder/athlete and not be weak or sickly looking). Additionally, I began my first ever compost experiment and will very likely build a couple of raised bed vegetable gardens in my back yard next month. I'm learning a lot about organic, sustainable gardening (permaculture) and I'm VERY excited to begin living this peaceful, harmonious, and loving & caring lifestyle.
In the short amount of time I've been eating a cleaner, more wholesome diet (two weeks now), I sleep more profoundly, wake up feeling fully rested, am not moody with the kids in the morning, have a spring in my step, and have an abundant amount of energy throughout the day. Eating clean coupled with strength training and cardio exercising, I can literally feel the fat 'melting' away from my body, especially from my mid-section, where men typically store excess fat. It's always been a goal (more like a far-fetched dream) to see my 6-pack abs and I feel I'm on the right track to achieving that and many other goals and milestones with my new attitude in place.
All of this information serves as a segue to say the following: believe me when I say pulling the trigger on this product came after an exhaustive research period. Although all the writings on the wall pointed to the Excalibur line of food dehydrators (at least, here on Amazon anyway), the Excalibur product line still appeared archaic and antiquated to me. Granted, if something isn't broke, you shouldn't fix it, which I found to be the main point from faithful long time users of Excalibur food dehydrators; however, the numerous side-by-side video comparisons and demonstrations on YouTube of both these dehydrators is what sealed the deal for me.
Problematic/defective units are a risk no matter what the product is. From automobiles, home theater equipment, PCs, juicers and blenders, 'oopsies' can happen on the assembly line or in manufacturing (especially if parts making is outsourced by a third party manufacturer). With that said, that is why the manufacturer's warranty is in place for nearly any product a consumer purchases nowadays. John from Discountjuicers.com has even done a video on location, in Korea, of Tribest's manufacturing facility, where the Sedona food dehydrator, among other products, come to life (found on YouTube). This footage may put to rest some concerns other reviewers shared where they were apprehensive about their product being manufactured in Korea. This purchase may be 'un-American' but I stand firm in my decision based on the the facts provided on how these two units perform, sound, and how they appear aesthetically on my kitchen counter. Also, as others have suggested, I purchased the 9 pack Premium 14" x 14" non-stick dehydrator sheets that I will trim down to size and because I am a dehydrator newbie, I also purchased Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook.
Well, that's about all I have for now. I made the purchase today (2/4/2012) and I will update my review periodically after I've received and utilized the Sedona food dehydrator in hopes that my experience with this product (good, bad, or ugly) may help others make a more informed purchasing decision in bettering their lives by all the health benefits they and their families may receive by eating as much raw food as they possibly can.
** EDIT/UPDATE **
2/13/12
Well, it turns out my suspicions were correct. Right out of the box, this dehydrator works like a champ, no defective or DOA unit here. Here are some observations/key points to keep in mind if you do decide to make this investment:
- Shipping was very fast. One thing to keep in mind though is that this product is packaged (and delivered) in its original manufacturer's box, which clearly depicts (with pictures, labels, descriptions, and all) that what's inside is a fancy schmancy food dehydrator. If you live in a neighborhood like mine where the UPS driver drops off deliveries at your front door (without ringing the doorbell and without requiring signature for delivery), a box in plain sight which clearly identifies its contents may entice a dishonest person to help him/herself to your package if you are not home to receive it at the time of delivery. If that is the case, consider having this product shipped to your place of employment (if allowed) or to a relative, friend, or trusted neighbor that would be present to receive the product when it does arrive (assuming you wouldn't be).
- Read the instructions/warnings straight away. You have a small window of opportunity to remit the product registration (10 days after purchase/delivery, which is the only way to effect the commencement period of the warranty). The registration 'card' is in fact just a page in the owner's manual that you have to tear or cut out. After filling out the required information, the instructions would have you fold the sheet in half and tape or glue the seams, affix the required postage, and then mail it off as-is. I personally find the material to be too flimsy to be mailed off as-is, considering all the human and mechanical handling the page will undergo during transit, so to ensure this information makes it to Tribest in Cerritos, CA in tact, I opted to insert this sheet into an envelope and mail it that way. I suppose if someone were paranoid about ensuring the product registration reaches its destination, he/she could send the envelope with delivery confirmation.
- Make sure you remove the tray spacers (my verbiage) before turning the unit on. The spacers are there to protect the trays during transport. Remove all trays and wash in warm, soapy water before placing any food items on them (they are NOT, repeat - NOT dishwasher safe); however, due to their large size, I placed them in the dishwasher so they can air-dry naturally (do not use the heated drying feature on your dishwasher if you choose to do the same). I'm sure these parts have been manufactured and not washed and/or sterilized afterward. You don't want to introduce any germs from abroad into you and your family's home or digestive system.
- The electronic display was pretty self-explanatory and I was able to figure out all its operations within a few minutes without having to delve into the owner's manual (typical male). While the trays were drying, I turned the unit on to inspect the operation of both fans and heating elements. At first, there was slight smoke and a light burning odor. These conditions did not concern me as I figured the heating elements were just burning off dust particles that may have settled onto them post manufacturing. As suspected, the smoke and odor cleared up within minutes and I have not witnessed either since.
- To date, I've dried grapes into raisins, banana chips, strawberry slices, and have made fiber flaxseed crackers from my green juice pulp - and this unit has been humming along non-stop since I received it ... ALL without a problem. So with regard to the Excalibur user(s) who experienced problems with the Sedona food dehydrator, my guess is that he/she/they were used to the performance (heat/fan settings) of the Excalibur, expected the same results in the same amount of time and in the process, grossly under or over estimated drying times with this unit.
Since I have no prior dehydrating experience, I have no biases that may cloud my judgement and/or provide a less than fair review; therefore, what you have before you in this writing is a genuine objective assessment of the results I've produced thus far by simply following the owner's manual and my recipes. Since heat naturally rises, I've incorporated the good habit of rotating trays periodically from top to bottom and from front to back (advice I found through online research). I'm not sure if this method is anal retentive, but it just makes good common sense to me and is no big deal for me to do so (plus my girls love analyzing the results hour after hour - which the amount of product I originally started from decreases from their continued "quality assurance" tastes tests they perform - I love it).
All that remains now from my review and general observation is to see if this unit withstands the test of time like so many loyal and dedicated Excalibur users proclaim. I will return to update my review and keep everyone appraised of its performance after a significant length of time has elapsed or after discovering a defect, if any - which ever occurs first. Thanks for reading.
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