NEVER BUY A HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER!!!! ITS A SCAM!!!
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- Опубліковано 26 лис 2022
- This shows the difference between harvest right freeze dryer and stay fresh freeze dryers. this shows the design flaws and poor customer service from harvest right, and the STAY FRESH freeze dryer that is far more advanced and reliable. harvest right is a scam company with no morals, and doesn't honor their warranty. there are thousands of customers that have a machine that will never get fixed. DONT GET RIPPED OFF.
- Ігри
For everyone commenting and praising HR, just wait until you need something other than to order a new machine!
Oops we messed up, sitting here watching my brand new harvestwrong not working.
Harvest Rights customer service and warranty are severely lacking. Bought a new medium system with the premier pump a month ago, after the 4th batch the pump developed a loud whine. I have 2 family members with the same sytem. They cant tell if the pump is running cause the freezer is louder than the pump. Mine the pump is louder than the freezer by far. After weeks of sending them video, log files, FLIR images, db sound readings... They won't just swap out the pump, I have to send it back for them to diagnose. Not happy after spending over $3k for a brand new freeze drying system. This company needs to get their act together. IMO
I suggest you ask @Dave Smith what to do about it. Before he recovers from having his feelings hurt, he will parrot your words and be no help. Poor Davey, he is unable to count pro comments from con comments.
What finally worked for me to get through the non-answer wall HR has for a Customer Service false front was to start trying four-number extensions when the less than AI menu lets you punch in numbers for the intra-company fone service. I kept trying random numbers until I reached one that connected to a person, then left a message with my litany of woes and call-back info and email addy. Then I kept going until I had left messages in four voicemail boxes. I wrote down the #s, and began to leave more messages the next day, and the next. They must have gotten tired of me filling up their inboxes and the next day I spoke to a real person. She finally took over my EIGHTEEN MONTH SAGA which resulted in returning the defective unit twice (because the first "repaired" unit broke on the first, second, and fourth batch. The second "repaired" unit would not even turn on. Ultimately HR replaced it with a new one which lasted four batches before the first "Made in China" components failed. So far so good now for several more batches. Go get a wagonload of patience, S.G., you are going to need it. See my comments below for other helps! At this point I have replaced every component inside the shell; judging by the number of frustrated owners I could make a good living fixing these HR appliances. I think freeze-drying is great!
@@marcviens8590 Yeah I used your words against you because you said I was uniformed for calling Stay Fresh out as a Chinese shell company, then proceeded to claim Birdseye was the inventor of freeze drying. I called you out on that, you deleted your comment and now you are ragging on me in the other comment sections because you got embarrassed I copy pasted your paragraph in relation to your error: "you are the self proclaimed mystic of one. Spouting without doing due diligence to the subject makes you look foolish and contributes nothing to intelligent discourse."
As far as SG's issue, Marc is right the customer service takes forever to get to you. Not 18 months, but definitely several weeks as the frontline techs don't know anything. You have to reach their head engineers which are like only three guys in the entire company. Your best bet for getting help is to join the Retired at 40 Mewe group so you can put a picture or video of your problem and there is a HR tech who is on there daily who can help you out. If you go to the Retired at 40 youtube channel there is a link to the mewe group in the description.
EDIT: I forgot he changed his channel to Live Life Simple or something like that. It's the youtube channel of the guy with the baseball cap.
I've had my HR for 2 1/2 years. Most of the time it just sits and takes up spaace, as I'm a long-haul truck driver....BUT....when I'm home, it is run 24/7 the entire time I'm home. It's how I keep from eating fast food and truck stop fare. NEVER had an issue with it, pump shuts off at end of cycle, machine beeps to let me know it's finished. And it runs every time, even with sitting for months not being used.
My harvest right was delivered DEAD ON ARRIVAL (DOA). After months and months working with support - instead of them just taking it back since it was a lemon - they forced me to try to fix it. Did dozens of fixes over months, it never worked, never got to use it so they finally told me to send it back. When I got my refund they charged me $1,500 to take back a machine THAT WAS DEAD ON ARRIVAL!!!!!! I just bought a CUBE
So to continue the saga. Harvest Right did finally send me a replacement model and extended the warranty. It worked great out of the box! For six batches...and now? Vacuum leaks. So disappointing. I now have a vacuum-leak machine in the basement, a broken unit on the patio, and three vacuum pumps that can't hold a vacuum...chinese parts? Poor engineering? Lousy management? Overtaxed manufacturing? Choose your number and take your pick and spin the wheel!
Totally AGREED. I literally saved up for 3 years to purchase this machine as a single mom. The shipping process was a disaster but that wasn’t the companies fault. I finally get it into my house, and read that I need a new plug. Had to wait until I could buy it and then find someone to install it for me. Finally get it installed, follow the directions step by step and the pump is faulty. I go through all the troubleshooting, all their videos send in numerous complaints to have them send me files to install. By the third time, I thought they were just scamming me, each time telling me they “updated” the files. Complete BS because it did nothing. Then they send me instructions to use Teflon tape around the hose, follow the instructions. Does nothing. So now I have a $4k plus machine sitting in my house that’s no longer covered under warranty and I have no clue how to fix it.
They aren't scamming you. I'm assuming you have the Large and you saw the NEMA plug difference in the description. Changing the plug doesn't make it work. The reason it has a different plug is because it has a different power requirement. The circuit the plug is connected to needs to be wired to deliver 20A. HR doesn't expect you to change the plug to your home, they expect you to plug the machine into a plug that is already wired in your home because that means it has the necessary 20A. This is why most people get the medium because the medium doesn't have the 20A power requirement, you can plug it into any regular 110-120V outlet. HR can't help you because they are assuming you are using the right power requirements.
You need to find an outlet that delivers 20A first. Chances are if you never saw that plug before, you don't have it. You could get an electrician to wire up a new 20A connection, but personally I would return your freeze drier and get a medium instead.
I have been real interested in getting into Freeze Drying and after reading all of these reply's. I will be rethinking getting involved with it. That said If I do get involved with it I will never purchase a Stay Fresh Freeze Drier Ever. I will have to look into some other Brand. Looks Like Harvest Right has many Issues and all of this Made in China crap turns me off as well. Thanks Guys for opening my eyes to all the BS about these Products
My advice is at the first sign of trouble with the HR, initiate a return within the allotted one month period. That’s what I did and I was only out shipping plus frustration and disappointment. Oh, and wait to buy extras. I’m out the money for tray separators, etc. etc…..
I agree. I am not happy with my Harvest Right. It's been a pain in the butt and the support just isn't there.
Had my large over a year, ran hundreds of loads with zero issues. Half of what this guy says is flat out wrong. The other half are blatant lies.
That HR machine looks like he's dropped it a few times.
I'd bet that he has some kind of affiliation with stay fresh. He's probably a sales guy for them. If you have to trash one to make yours look like the better you are not very good in sales or life....
I have been running my second hand large FD for a year without any major issues, which I fixed myself after watching a couple dozed videos on UA-cam. This machine is not for everyone but once you understand how it works, and how to prevent and fix vacuum loss, you got it under control. To me it was a sound investment and I can overlook any annoyances considering what the machine does for me and my peace of mind.
Kinda messed up if oneself has to watch a dozen episodes
If you own a car, boat, house, motorcycle, jet ski, fourwheeler, have gas grill, a computer or hell, have kids or pets.
You either get an education watching, reading or learning somehow or, you get a mechanic, carpenter, plumber, electrician and phycologist to do it all for you.
The point is, I get it if something doesn't work right out of the box. Other than that instance, everything has issues. Learn how to fix things by watching a dozen videos, which isn't that many honestly or, pay professionals to do everything or, live in an assisted living home where all you have to do is eat, breath, crap and sleep. If that's the life you want. Lol.
I've had one for Three year's and it exceeded my expectations.300 plus batches in.
Just got my HR and it has been doing great. Was pretty worried with everything that I had seen...only problem was our Impulse Sealer had a short. They sent us a new one free of charge.
I do think that buying from an outlet with a return warranty would be a smart move tho, as HR seems like they are struggling to keep up with demand. All that to say - I know you are promoting the Stay Fresh FD and I wish success to you and the company. Competition in this space is great.
We also received a part free of charge.
100%🎉
I'm replying here because the comment is on the top and a great one at that! I would like to explain to many on here I fully understand investing in anything over $1K today will make you nervous and stressed as I myself bought the biggest one they had and just got my HR and now running a bread run. I use to work in manufacturing as a muddy boot engineer for 6 years and after lots of research on HR as well the manufacturing facility they have and the 2 major factors that come to play is 1st not having the work force or space for QC (quality control) on the units, reason being is HR pretty much blew up over night during covid etc and the last 2 years many are using it for business as well now both HR did not predict happening so over night they blew up in production. There was not much of a market for small business to use a FD but the last 3 years everyone is exploring the new trend and market made production blow up over night and more then intended for, so they spent the money and resources on bodies and sqft for production and not much in QC as well RND working together as well! This then caused a huge problem due to the fact you need a lot of sqft and SKILLED trades men on the repair and tech side and bring in some consultants on turn around for the warranty dept as well maybe production all of the production line along with RND!
The 2nd factor is shipping causes a hug part of the damage and issues that many get on arrival and is why FEDex stands around even in a blizzard to be sure YOU inspect the FD and noting any damage before arrival before signing off, if the FD looks damaged at ALL like in this video do NOT accept it as it states on papers in big red letter for you to inspect for any damage! Now idk what the percentage of the FD's get damaged in shipment but its a lot but when they do, it all end's up in the warranty dept Where all the repairs end up at so they end up being so backed up they have been chasing catch up! This video is a year old and a lot could have changed for the good since! #HarvestRight by all means is an American company that has expanded over night unexpectedly trying to manufacturer an American made product with pretty much no American tech company's producing the boards and components for the FD in America. HR does offer warranty of the FD and components for good reason and one you should think about how the whole process works on the warranty side of things and ask questions as well a few good FD Facebook groups to gather the info for help pretty fast. Hope this clears things up more to understand what all is going on God Bless!
Crap! We were ready to buy Monday…now I’m worried. Big investment. I’m a food preservationist (we grow more than we can eat right away) and I just want to preserve fresher foods, a little on the prepper side too. OK, not gonna lie, I cook a LOT and want to make sure it doesn’t go to waste. Dang more research needed. UGH!
It took my wife and I a year to make up our minds to get one. It was unusable for 18months out of 24. If you can do appliance repair, great. If not, not so great. Because Colt is absolutely correct when he says YOU are the Warranty Claims repairman. Harvest Wrong has a Customer Service department and mindset very much out of step with the level of quality of their machines. I would not agree HW is a scam, but they are truly lousy with the help when your machine goes down. I should call up Lowe's or Depot and ask them why they do not carry Harvest Right appliances? I might buy another simply because they have a service team and a 1yr guarantee! I love Freeze-Drying! It's the way to go. I don't particularly care to replace every component except the drum every weekend.
My experience has been bad i have got 4 runs in 3 months 3 good runs in a row is my best yet I've had to open it up replace 2 dollar thread tape with 3 dollar tape add self fusing silicone around the hoses replace the cheap ball valve and now I think my pump is failing and I'm going to most likely send it back for repairs some people have reported 6 month turn around some 1 it's hard to say but they won't send me a new working unit even though that's what I thought I was buying my guess is because they know that will have the same issues I wouldn't trust any videos this was the most expensive thing I've bought straight up in full and I haven't had a working unit for more than 3 runs in a row and have been fixing it on and off for basically 2 months if you need it and you need it to work expect to be wrenching on it and redoing stuff that shouldn't be a problem I personally have never been told to get in and fix a defective product by any company and I don't think it's right I got a 23 year old car with 200k miles that needs less maintenance than my brand new HR freeze dryer
Some people get ones that don't have issues but many have issues if your willing to roll the dice it might work but know you may have to send it back for repairs or your money back if the other unit in the video costs more I'd suggest saving unfortunately
Try a Blue Alpine. Made in the USA, and a much better product. That's the route I'm going.
Your fault for accepting a banged up machine
Should have not signed for it
I had mine 6 months zero problems
Come back in 2 or 3 years, and tell us how things are going.
Hi
can you tell me the manufacturer and model of the left device. I live in Germany and would have to import every spare part. So I would be happy to buy a stable device.
Since you are in Germany you might be best with buying it direct from China. Especially if you can find an importer in your country who can deal with Alibaba for you.
We’ve had good experiences with our large HR, with none of the issues temp or time wise as this video poster. But I see some improvements can be made-I would prefer a few tweaks. My freezer is not out in a hot garage, it is in a 67 degree room. Industry always comes up with improvements, nothing new about that.
This new company may not have even existed without Harvest Right being an inspiration for home use, and I thank its creators for that, from the bottom of my heart. So let’s not be negative-let’s just focus on the nice upgrades of this new company. No need to call Harvest Right a “scam”. They are definitely not that. Be polite, we all need to feel the politeness of those around us-it keeps hope alive.
But I will a home freeze dryer companies may pop up everywhere, and the next one will have topped this second one. We’ll want the next ones to always be kind to the last ones. The first Mac was lacking, too, but that doesn’t mean it’s a “scam”. It’s a machine.
This is a video from a HR and SF customer, not from the SF company....
Let's not be negative? What are you talking about???? You have no clue what people go through after such a huge investment. Most major appliances are expected to have at least a 10 year life. These machines are bad out of the gate.
@@flyingsticks7155 , What are you talking about? 10 year lifespan? Stay fresh has been around a little over a year at this point. Not a single “at home freeze dryer” company has had a unit out for 10 years yet. Where are you getting these numbers? Do you even own a HarvestRight? ( provide proof please otherwise you’re considered a troll) Every single at home FD’r company offers a “One Year warranty “ on the unit with a “3 year warranty “ on the condenser. Crazy how they all copied HR on that part too.
Regarding your in accurate statement regarding the longevity of HRFD’s, I and a “LOT” of other HRFD customers do Indeed own 8 and 9.75 year old HRFD’s that still run perfect. There are literally Hundreds of Thousands of HRFD’s from 2014 to 2023 that work in perfect t condition. Am I saying HR is perfect? No, but they are NOT what this guy makes them out to be. Colt ( this guy) is a Stay Fresh Affiliate. The Biggest and First Stay Fresh Affiliate. He is the Owner of the Stay Fresh Group on FB. He controls what people say in his group worse than any of the HR groups. But you already know this… You’re one of his trolls.
HR is a nightmare. Agree 100% with the negative comments. Save your money and just buy freeze dried food from a professional freeze dry company! Less frustration and you're good to go for 25 years!
Thank you for the heads up my guy im in the hunt for one now and they are for sure out after seeing this man never a Harvest Right
Listen to more people than one. But I would like to see this machine work. I’m happy there’s another home one because competition encourages quality. But slamming others as a “scam” is an exaggeration as far as my experience with mine, and is not helpful, perhaps even counterproductive when it comes to trust in marketing.
@@Gasp7000 You misunderstood... this man just bought a harvestright and a stayfresh and he is giving his review. He is not SF...so it is nothing related to trust in marketing. In fact, harvest right is doing "great" in marketing. I only see a few influencer videos are sponsored by SF, SF barely have any marketing.
@@Gasp7000 But people pay 4-5 K on these machines that fail out of the gate and then customer support takes so long the warrantee runs out.
Try a Blue Alpine. Made in the USA.
I have had nothing but problems with mine, I’ve watched a bunch of there videos ,but I always have problems . One after another.My husband is a diesel mechanic and he’s discussed with it.
I feel your pain. Dealing with it right now.
yOU ARE COMPLETY RIGHT i'M A VICTIM STILL TRYING TO GET MY MONEY BACK AFTER 3 DRYERS NOT WORKING
thank you very much for you insight, I will strongly consider this video when purchasing mine.
We have had to use a third party repairman, on messenger, and did all the work ourselves. Rewrapped every fitting with gas rated Teflon tape and self sealing silicone tape, replaced ball valve and secured the drain hose. The lack of quality control is astounding. It’s running but for how long? The number of software updates is also concerning. Every time they come out with a new one it has bugs that freeze the screen, cause heating units to burn food and fry’s relays. Im waiting to see if a class action lawsuit is filed.
It seems Harvest Wrong has fallen into the trap that awaits every company who does not prepare for the growth cycle. If you do not bite the bullet and staff for the growth cycle during the flat times you will fall so far behind it will cause so many avoidable problems it can kill the company.
Wrapping leaking fittings is, at best, a crude amateur patch. Teflon tape should NEVER be used on JIC flared fittings. It's all intended to hide failed leaking fittings that have design issues.
The problem is the HR hoses are not actual JIC fittings. This is why they often leak.
This class action law suit you mention, how do we get some traction on this? I will gladly join you to get some justice from this dishonest company
@@joemugly Me too. And I would have to pay hundreds just to get this paperweight to the dump
Bro. Huge thanks for this video. You just saved me $5k.
We own a harvest right freeze dryer and it has always worked flawlessly. We have run countless batches with no problems. Sorry to hear about your bad luck
Yours is an anomaly. I’ve had nothing but issues with my HR. Same with all my friends who own HR. Likewise with everyone on BBB. I’m glad you had successes with it. But your experience is rare
@@joemugly I don't think it's rare to get a functional HR unit, most people I know who have one haven't had any issues. The most common problem our group encountered was before the premium pump became standard that silver pump always failed (which is why the oiless was suggested by most groups initially). They got rid of that years ago and changed the oil recommendation and we haven't had any issues. In the MEWE Retired at 40 group it seems a lot of people's issues come down to either placing the unit in a room that heats up too quickly, incomplete defrosting which leads to acid corrosion (Phil at 4800 has a video on that issue), or shipping damage. I personally suspect shipping is a big reason a lot of people have issues in the same area, because while HR made the packaging easy to take apart without having to lift the freeze drier up out of a box the lack of support on the base of the package probably means every bump in transit is transferred right into the refrigerant unit.
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj dude, are you a HR employee? Do they pay you to shill for them?
@@joemugly dude, are you a SF employee? Do they pay you to shill for them?
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj you’re definitely HR. It’s clear I’m not shilling for SF. But, dang! You are pushing an HR agenda so hard. SHAME ON YOU!
I regret my purchase. I’ve had my harvest right for 8 months. I’m already having trouble with it. I’m having vacuum errors. And the machine stays in freeze mode and won’t go into dry mode. Very frustrating.
I will buy your defective machine for 10 cents on the dollar value.
@@alfonse5043 I'll double it! 20 cents on the dollar.
I’d be willing to bet your pump is bad. Did you by chance get the low profile oil free pump?
@@joemugly The oil free pump is like the worst pump dude. That thing breaks down like crazy, it only lasts like 1 year at best. Their cheaper "premium" oil pump (the green one with the slot window) is a lot better. I run a fan pointed on the green part to help cool it down but I'm not sure if it even really does anything. Supposedly they claim you can now get 30 runs on one oil change, but I still change out the oil each run. I drilled a hole in my cart and riveted a jar lid on the bottom so emptying the oil is mess free. Changing oil used to be a pita.
Since you had your HR for less than a year and assuming you haven't had much use of your drier yet, chances are you are running the defective software that people had trouble with. I'm almost certain you don't have hardware errors, the software is just thinking you do. Either upgrade to the current software or downgrade to an older one and see if that fixes it. I would check out Retired at 40's mewe group as there are a lot of long time users who can help you out, and there is a HR tech who actually know s the machine on there.
Helpful comparison. HR just released updates to all their machines that address some of the issues you describe. They should send you one. I wonder how they compare now.
Wish I had something to comment about but my HR doesn't work right out of the box. I have spent hours chasing a vacuum leak with no help from the company. Luckily they are many UA-cam posts on this issue as looks like this is standard quality. Just what I need is another project around the house to work on.
Did you run the vacuum and the heater for 24 hours? They had me do that because sometimes the insulation on the shelves off gassing can leave a slight residue. I DID THAT AND IT PULLED BELOW 400 MTORR
We did have that issue, but a simple o-ring replacement fixed it. We have run many batches since.
Dude, you’ll never have it fully fixed. The new ones do not work well.
I can attest it's true. We had our HR torn apart for a month. Their support team is fake, they know nothing. It was up to us to troubleshoot until we finally found the epoxy leak.
Are the model's similar to properly compare
Yes, just received it back for the third time from the company. Still not freezing.
Classic Harvest Right service! So lame.
I can feel your pain, Laurelin. Buckle in for the long haul...
I purchased two and both were broken out of the box.
First one, they made me call repair man to install more freon. Still waiting for the refund they said I would get.
Second purchased cause the first one was taking over a month to fix with their techline. Out of the box the screen glitched. Still waiting for a screen to be sent.
You will be fixing this yourself and watching UA-cam videos.
Everything this man says is 10000% telling the truth. I can't believe better business bureau hasn't shut down harvest right yet.
Apparently they are not a BBB company.
The "better business bureau" is worthless. You pay them enough and you get a good rating. Try a Blue Alpine. Made in the USA. That's the route I'm going.
Thank you very much. You and others have convinced me not to buy Harvest Right. Great demo and comparison. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
What this guy says is true. Three HR FD over a period of 10 years. Three FD that didn’t work out of the box. It seems like the same issues occur time after time and the issues that have not been fixed over the years. Not only that but their support is horrible. Your HR machine will have a problem. You’ll submit a ticket via their website. Several days later they’ll send you an email with several choices of setting an appointment several days later. Hopefully one of those days/times work. So you’re at least a week later before you can talk to someone. You may ask why I bought HR. At the time I purchased these they were the only game in town. I had faith they would send me a quality product. Did they? NOPE!!!
I'm glad I watched this. Ive heard a lot of people have issues with the HR freeze dryer.
Harvest Right machines are Hell.
We had. Harvest Right. HAD. It was horrible to maintain, loud and messy
Here’s another Harvest Right video I wish I had seen before I bought mine…what a mess it’s been.
Harvest Right is garbage. Their team is worthless. It’s a purchase I regret
Can you do a video and let us see the internals of the Stay Fresh?
Its clear to me there is a connection to Stayfresh and this guy. BUT that doesnt mean what hes saying is wrong either. Ive done a TON of research on the HR (waffling every day on getting one). The issues he points out in this video are the same issues I run across in other reviews, and videos all over. This video, in the mud as it is, has at least given me a bit more caution. However a 16 week lead time is unacceptable as well. Ordering today and getting it May is simply not ok.
Yep yep
Interesting thing is what if scenario if it does incur vaaccum error or does leak. All one piece sounds like ur gonna be paying out the ass to fix that. No sealant gonna just seal anything
That is true. SF need to ramp up their production. They said they expect to be back in stock in April and will have much shorter lead time by then.
SF likely has a 12 week lead time because they probably are Chinese copies that have to be shipped here. In that sense it's kind of silly it costs more than the American made Harvest Right (although I'm sure HR also uses some chinese prefab parts).
HR uses all cheap Chinese parts. HR is only "assembled" in America, but made in China.
I just bought a large HR and I love it. I’ll be sure to follow up with good or bad comments as I continue to use it. So far, I’m having a terrific experience.
How is it bud
@@valley2thebay288 It’s good. I recently moved and am still unpacking and getting settled since we’ll see how it fared the move. Hopefully, all is fine.
Well, that's unfortunate, I just purchased a Harvest Right freeze dryer back in September of 2022. I don't know if they fixed some of the issues yours is having. I pre-freeze my food before I begin. I haven't watched the whole process, but I know mine gets below -34F in a 78F room. I've freeze-dried a variety of foods, and the longest run so far was around 24 hours. If I buy a second one, I'll keep Stay Fresh in mind.
I believe last year they did some major changes because the newer ones do look constructed different vs the early models. Also there was a big software change which caused some issues for a lot of people but now is stable.
Want to sell it? Cheap?
Thank you soooo much for this video! I've been on the fence between the 2 companies and this sealed the deal for me. I would be angry too with that experience after investing that much money.
@didithomson1538 Here we are, barely one month into our purchase of our brand neew HR and IT IS NO LONGER WORKNG!!! CS is of NO HELP!!! So who is the Rip Off??? I regret my purchase with them
Do you have to put them in a garage? Great comparison.
I own a HR and
Love it!🇺🇸
Your positive experience is not typical.
If anybody plans to buy a HR machine I would suggest: buy a size small so you can lift it onto the pallet for repairs. Have an HVAC professional in your family. Only expect to get a few batches before it fails.
I have wanted a HR for a few years now but the bad reviews stopped me from buying one. I have read HR customer service is great. How is SF customer service? Anyone had to call them yet for problems?
HR customer service is not great. It is barely passable. Bring a wagonload of patience...
Yup!
HR customer service is only great if your problem requires an item replacement. For example if your pump fails or something you ship it back and they send you a new one and they pay the shipping both ways. Given the pumps are almost 1K, that's why people are happy with that service. If your problem is more esoteric like a leak, it's a headache because their front line "techs" do not know how to fix the machine. There is only like 3 guys at HR who actually know how to fix things in detail and it can take weeks of cat and mouse on the phone before you are referred to them.
For SF there is zero customer service. Keep in mind SF is produced entirely in China and shipped here, which is why it takes several weeks to ship your order. If your SF unit breaks you are likely SOL. It's basically refund or nothing. SF also just started several months ago so there is a possibility the company itself could just dissolve. Personally I would check out 4patriots as an HR alternative (although I have had zero problems with my HR unit, only issues with the very first pumps they started with several years ago). 4patriots looks less like a HR knockoff and an attempt to actually make novel design choices.
What the brand name of the silver unit?
Stay fresh
From what I've read and seen these machines are like if oneself wanted to fix a machine they would've gone to an automotive school.
So whats the name of the other one?
Well I just bought one and my second one is on lay away and now this makes me very scared
I have a harvest right and it has worked well for me (once HR got rid of that first version oil pump and gave me the new one with the slotted window), but why did you buy a second one before trying out your first?!
I AGREE!!! I haven’t even been able to run my first batch on my HR. And customer service is doing nothing about it. Vacuum leaks everywhere. So much regretting my purchase.
weB3now (such a creative handle!) I commiserate. The replacement FreezeLiar lasted four batches before the first software glitch caused a week-long delay. 2 batches later, fingers still crossed! The learning curve is steep if you have not ever troubleshot or repaired a home appliance. The videos can help only to an extent and HarvestWrong does not supply the tooling along with the ill-written packing slips that do not match the contents of the box. One tip for the threaded connections in the vacuum system, use the yellow teflon tape designed for gas lines not the white teflon tape designed for water pipes.
@@marcviens8590 PTFE should be used on the pipe threads only. HR instructs putting it on the flared fittings, which is flat wrong.
@@BowWowPewPewCQ Thanks Phrede! This is exactly why free, open discourse is essential to the maintenance of a free society! Boycott China!
I will buy your defective machine for 10 cents on the dollar value.
@@alfonse5043 Along with a Brooklyn Bridge?
Please suggest your brand of freeze dryer.
DO NOT BUY HARVEST RIGHT!…….I don’t know about the other brands. I’ve looked at 4Patriots, StayFresh and Kassel. They’re all in the same price range and no idea about quality, but you will regret a HR purchase
Blue Alpine.
I bought a large harvest right tried my 7th run now it won't freeze and is making a noise every 50 seconds I don't know what to do
Buy a Blue Alpine. Made in the USA, and a much better product.
Damm I just bought a medium and am having issues from day one. Never heard of stay fresh.
It sounds like you haven't run the Harvest Right unit. Most of what you are saying just isn't true or it's a huge exaggeration. Start to finish most of my loads take around 24 hours. I've run mine over 3500 hours and have not experienced one issue you mention in the video. Why all the hate?
So you represent all others experience? Nah you dont. Both companies are chinese parts assembled in the USA. Who Duh fook trusts chinese crap? You obviously.
The time it takes depends very heavily on atmospheric conditions in the room and the specific foods being prepared. If you had had the problems most others have had, you would not ask that question
@@junkmedicine I am one of hundreds of thousands of people who don't have an issue. There is absolutely no way you have used a Freeze Dryer by your comments. You don't have to like the Freeze Dryer. But blatantly lying is not the way to prove a point.
I JUST bought a Harvest Right. Too bad Stay Fresh doesn’t advertise. The only company I could find that wasn’t pharmaceutical or commercial grade was harvest, right.
“Stay Fresh” is news to me, too.
@@Gasp7000 Stay Fresh is from Los Angeles so most likely they are Chinese copies of HR.
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj they can't be chinese copies of HR because HR are chinese. not to mention it's a completely different machine entirely. You can tell by just looking at it how different it is. Like.. did you even watch this video?
@@dootpooter4740 Harvest Right isn't Chinese. I don't know where you got that from. The founders of Harvest Right came from Oregon Freeze Dry which is the Mountain House people. They practically invented modern freeze drying as they were the ones working for the government throughout the 20th century.
I'm sure there are some Chinese components (such as the micro controller and shelf which isn't made by them) but if you open up the HR machine you can clearly see US made parts, and in fact they even took a sharpie and blotted out many of the serials so you cant just go to the hardware store or mcmaster carr and buy replacements to circumvent warranty and hide if you did something wrong.
Stay Fresh is clearly a rip off of Harvest Right. Stay Fresh also hasn't responded to my email which most likely means it is a Chinese shell company (again, LA is notorious for such things). Also if you go on aliexpress you can see the Stay Fresh freeze dryer for sale. The Harvest Right copies however don't have any of the functions of the HR drier. Even the trays aren't as nice as the HR ones.
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj I looked inside the machine at all the parts marked "Made in China", that's where "i got that from".
I would have to agree that stay fresh manufacturers a more solid machine. Plus it runs shorter batch times and uses less energy. Does anyone have a comparison between stay fresh and blue alpine?
Thank you for this video now I understand why you should never buy this. Seriously NO solid state relays for the small fortune that they charge?
My Large Harvest right freeze dryer has been a nightmare! I've had it for 3 years, and it has worked 30% of the time. After spending $5,000 on a system, I expect it to work properly every time. And yes, you are on the hook to try and fix their bad designs. After paying a fee to speak with customer service, they determined that I needed to send it back in. I had to go find a pallet. They at least did pay for shipping it back. After a couple of months, they sent it back. It worked great for about 5 months. And just like that, the freezer mechanism stopped working again. So I'll have to pay again to speak to someone, and go through the whole ordeal again. This is very frustrating.
I've had similar issues with my two machines. Customer support is beyond horrible. $4500 paperweight
@@flyingsticks7155 if it’s the new 5 tray model update your software
Yes everything you say is sadly the way it appears now. The HR machine is a bad design, parts are sourced over-seas many ill chosen for the application, and the factory workmanship is horrible. Quality control? Not so much. I call them Harvest Blight!
Stay fresh seems like hands down a better designed and constructed machine.
Thanks for this honest review of Harvest Blight!
If this review had been available last fall I would probably not be stuck trying to fix a brand new Harvest Blight now.
The trouble with your video is that you didn't show us what the Stay Fresh could do at all. I know a lot about what is wrong with Harvest Right but I don't know much about Stay Fresh. Telling is one thing. Showing is another.
Watch for D-Freeze later this year too.
Not going to say you're wrong but the HR we bought in 2021 has worked pretty well. The StayFresh does look nice tho.
I can verify that the Harvest Right service department is inept. I have owned the large freeze drier for over a year. It has not worked for more than a month without issue. I have had to tear the machine apart and figure out how to repair it. The repairs involve hours of speaking with harvested rights service department techs who seem to be guessing on what might be wrong and send parts that u must figure out how to install. In the end they run you out of the warranty period and you are left with a paperweight. I have never wasted so much time working on a product that i have purchased. This includes my car.
I had a problem with my medium HR after about 2 years, luckily I know a smart guy who had the parts replaced. I looked at stay fresh and I'm not too impressed. HR seems to dominate the market and definitely has good customer support for the most part. Their new XL dryer is next on my list and I can't justify buying a smaller machine from a smaller company.
On what basis do you claim they have "good customer support for the most part"? Sounds like you found a friend to help you.
@@flyingsticks7155 I've used their support, it's a pain in the ass since you're a new person every time you call even though they should keep track of your issue. They do help at least.
Check out Blue Alpine. They've done a ton of R&D and make their freeze dryers in the USA. That's the route I'm going, after a couple years of research.
So I take it you are affiliated with 'Stay Fresh' so for the reason of this post I would never buy one.
Own 3 HR dyryers. Had a few problems but we do run them hard. How much stay fresh pay you?
Thanks... lots of good to know facts
I love the concept of freeze-drying. I hav had a harvestwrong freezeliar for a year and a half. It has been nothing les than a journey of frustration and you r soooo right. It worked for three months, and then just like you said i began to replace one thing after another with poorly written or non-existent instructions. Shipping label to wrong address. Packing lists that didnt match contents. Missing items for repair. This went on for months. I hav a string of emails and a big box of replaced parts. Harvestwrong finally paid to ship the unit back. I packed it up nicely per their video, n received it back with a substandard pack job and a dented top. Inside, several connectors had been bent or dislodged. After "repair" it worked for 4 batches and failed again. They took it back again for "repair" and again it came back but this time the computer had failed for temp sense. They finally agreed to replace the unit. I received a brand- new unit which has worked fine for 4 batches, and now the screen says "FACTORY RESET". I am glad to learn there is a compeing company that makes freeze- dryers. I hav had quite enough of the lousy customer support and constant breakdowns. The freezeliar has been broken FAR longer than it is has been working. Truly a disappointment with the HarvestRight company.
Buy them directly from china instead of giving money to the murikan scamster
Wow, that is not the experience I had. I’m so sorry, you should never have had to go through that. We’ve had a good experience, but competition may motivate improvements, In sure. It makes be wonder, where are these parts being made, and really, is their sabotage?-because our self-reliance efforts in this country are being politically attacked. To me, that means this new company may also be at risk. Prayers all around!
@@Gasp7000 Thank you for the reply, Marianne! I love your attitude and mindset about self-reliance. My delivery guy said he is delivering 5 or 6 units per week when the first arrived, and repeated that when I questioned him on the next two "repaired" deliveries and also on the replaced delivery (#4). I am glad to learn people all over America are waking up to the personal risks when corporations control your food supply. My entire family of grown children are right now actively seeking out food-producers of all kinds and becoming conduits to other families. When 10% of Americans do this, there will be am oceanic upset and one of the corporate tyranny's holds will be lifted. Boycott Chinese-owned Smithfield!
@@Gasp7000 Bravo on the self-reliance! Make sure you check your Morton or Diamond salt. If the ingredients say "Salt, Yellow" I encourage you to research "Prussiate of Cyanide". Poison in the Salt! Prayer Works!
What is the name of your FB group?
I bought a HR freeze dryer Aug 21 and by March 22 it was having issues. It's been o the shop for repairs twice now. The most recent supposed fix was mid November 22. I haven't set it back up yet because I still have to do some things with the pump because they don't do anything with them. Thinking I originally just got a lemon, I bought a 2nd HR in Nov 22 and have already had issues causing me to call them twice for help. I will probably have to do some mechanical things this time to make it work...issue was just today. I need to load a new version of the software, and then they can help me troubleshoot. Very frustrated. I wish I had researched other companies prior to the 2nd purchase.
So sorry, Cheryl. Settle in for a long, hard row to hoe. I know exactly how you feel, and it isn't good.
So you had one you weren’t happy with and your solution was to buy another?
Thanks for the video!
Well that solves my issue..have been thinking of buying a freeze dryer but after reading all the comments and watching this video I don't think I am going to get one. If there's a lemon in the bunch then it usually attaches to me and I can't afford that hassle...lol
@@junkmedicine Am so sorry to hear that...I DID buy one after making this statement and have had no issues with mine at all...knock on wood...
450,000 units in operation.
Problem rate 0.4%
Vast majority of problems are owner caused.
My large Harvest Right is doing just fine.
I kinda wonder if these very critical vids are made by people who are working for other Freeze Dryer companies??
"VAST MAJORITY OF PROBLEMS ARE OWNER CAUSED." This right here makes my blood boil!!!! How dare you say that. You have no basis to say that. Just go away. And how long has HR been paying you to cheer lead for them?
4 years on my Harvest Right with no issues. Seems to me you got a bad apple
Oh well, it was the only one on the market when I bought it so I'm running it until I can't.
Odd, my neighbor has been running hers every day for the last 2 years......she hasn't had a single issue.
@@junkmedicine what about the tens on thousands that haven't? Same goes for ur logic. I got 2 in the last 2 months been running flawlessly large and XL
@@junkmedicine lil bit of an odd example. People have problems with thier Samsung phones or iPhone's as well here and there, People have problems with all sorts of appliances most don't tho the vast majority. But I fail 2 see what that has to do with the death toll of an earthquake
Is it made in China, Taiwan?
In China.
HR and this brand, and many other freeze dryers, are loaded up with ("cheap") Chinese parts. If you have a HR, open it up. And look at where its refrigeration components, some of the most important, are made: China.
@@user-lw6ml5xz4v I'm not really sure about that because the Chinese copies actually cost more than the Harvest Right models. On mine at least there aren't any visible Chinese parts on the refrigeration. I'm pretty sure the electronics like the screen and circuit board is chinese as the microcontrollers are lacking the labeling you typically would see on US manufactured chipsets.
The first pump I got was definitely from China though and I had tons of issues until they sent me the current pump model which is made in America and I didn't have any more issues. I think the oil less pump is still Chinese though, which would explain why everyone has oil less pump failures.
@@DaveSmith-cp5kj My HR unit, purchased summer of 2022, had "Made in China" stamped on them, the refrigeration components. There are so many overseas parts in HR these days, they can't even legally say "Assembled in the USA." Or even "Made in the USA (with global materials)." Because they are not.
I have a S,M,L, XL units mine run fine I had to learn how to fix vac leaks but other then that no problems
Nonsense, I have my harvest right unit for 7 years with no problems at all! Bunch of BS! Desperately promoting no name machine!
It's my understanding that there is a huge reliability difference between the older units and the new ones.
I can tell you my unit delivered in December 2022 is poorly built, undocumented, unreliable, and poorly supported. It has constant problems running.
@@BowWowPewPewCQ Yup, all the OG HR zealots have no clue what 2022 models are like, or about HR's "remarkable new AI software" (on a cheap Chinese chip lol) that converts the machine to a $4000 dehydrator!
Ludmil, I am happy for you that your machine works. However, using 1 data point (your experience) to judge for statistical analysis generally produces inaccurate results. The positive/negative comments on this chain is actually 47% problems, 53% few problems.
"You got yours." Now sell it. And buy a new one. Then get back with us.
You had an older machine when they probably worked. That is no longer the case and why do you care if you're having a wonderful experience? Go use your wonderful HR machine and let others contemplate the decision.
thank you I almost made the purchase
Amen brother.
Honestly, Harvest Right was the first freeze dryer available for home. They have been around at least a decade vs Stay Fresh which is just a year old fledgling! Many have a HR with no issues and I wish all these who disparage Harvest Right would get nailed for slander. It's amazing how loud the nay sayers are and no... its not a ton of people. It's just the same ones ranting over and over...seeking groups out and joining to make their noise heard. If you dint like the HR... MOVE ON! Give it time and the precious SF will have its issues and then D dryer and 4 Pateiot owners will be slamming them!
Dont tell people what to do! You seem like a shill for HR. You act like if someone gets burned by $3k+ purchase no biggie just move on. STFU
you wish people who have had horrible experiences with this company would be "nailed for slander?" Are you hoping to censor all discussion? Are you the thought police? Are you a HR rep? Why are you so very invested in this company? Are you afraid of the cognitive dissonance you might experience if you considered that your huge investment might have been a mistake? Why on earth would you say this-- especially now when companies produce terrible products right and left and consumers pay and pay and pay as those companies get richer and richer? What is your problem?
And please tell everyone in the room here on what basis you can make the claim that the nay sayers are "not a ton of people?" Why are you even on this page. If you love your machine, go use it. Other people are trying to make a very important financial decision and you want to nail them for slander??? Who the hell do you think you are? Go AWAY
Dude, mine doesnt run as bad as yours.
Where is stay fresh made
Good Question. Boycott China if you value free elections!
So are you saying you don't like HR? 🚫
Truth
Sorry you had such a bad experience with HR. We have had our large for over 2 years and have run hundreds of loads of many different things. We have had zero issues with it and continue to use it. There are going to be people that have bad experiences that are very vocal. But I feel that there are many more like myself that have had wonderful experiences with them that just go about our freeze drying without letting people know. I hope you enjoy using whichever one you like best and prepare for whatever lies ahead.
I had a minor issue with my HR, but it was resolved in days with the excellent customer service HR provides. this guy must be getting paid to trash HR and promote a less reliable piece of junk freeze dryer.
I believe their most recent machines are having the most issues. Lots and lots of returns. I think they just don’t care anymore. They made their money and know that their older units will keep their name afloat. It’s just sad all around.
We had ours for two years spent over $4500 and it took five months to get it fixed when it went down and I’m still not sure that it’s working right. So hoo raw to the vocal people that are not happy.
@@GospelOutside I think it is the opposite. It is the older machines that have issues. My first machine when they first came out had issue after issue with the pump so they gave me a "premium pump" which stopped failing. They have since discontinued that pump as well as the first oil-less pump design and made the premium pump the default one. The other issue was last year they did a big software overhaul to speed up times which was a mess and they didn't get corrected completely until autumn of last year, likely because they made so many changes over the years, the software probably wasn't playing nice with all the different parts. For my friends machines we just downgraded the software to older versions and it got it working, the only one of ours that worked without issue last year was the one that was bought on black friday. I would not buy an older unit (particularly if the pump has that circular window, which is the old one I had problems with).
I can't imagine HR not caring about returns, because they pay your shipping so every return is a loss on their part. There is no way to make money if you never make a profit. Even the retailers HR sells to wash their hands of it because the warranty card refers you to get a refund from HR direct, rather than Tractor Supply or wherever else you bought it. So they do have a pretty big incentive that the machines need to work out of the box or they will only lose money.
on what basis do you say, "But I feel that there are many more like myself that have had wonderful experiences with them..." ???? I'm in my 5 month wait on a repair. 5 months because customer support doesn't care, doesn't return emails or phone calls. They absolutely do not care
Our HR works fantastic.
Harvest Right’s pre-delivery instructions are very clear. If any part of the shipment is damaged, do not accept it. If you accept delivery of a damaged unit, it’s on you. You own it and they will not warranty it.
The first medium freeze dryer sent to me arrived in a FedEx truck with a pretty banged up box and a dent on the top of the unit. I refused the shipment and called Harvest Right. A replacement unit was on the way the next day with expedited shipping.
I’m sorry you have had an unpleasant experience.
This is the reason I don't understand a lot of people complaining about machines being broken out of the box. Harvest Right spams your inbox with like 3 emails warning you to take the time to fully inspect the entire package and contents before signing it off. It seems like a lot of issues are a case of "didn't read instruction manual"
Same happened to me, the unit was beat to hell, had a new one in two days. I bought from my local Tractor Supply.
Pot calling the kettle black
Seems the only one who had an issue is you... I love my HR Medium
So you don’t like it?😂
Want to sell it for $100 then?
lol.
So many false statements. We've had our HR for 8 years, have not had to make any repairs, do not run an air-conditioner as poster indicates. Wow!
No false statements at all. Just experience with a late model HR machine.
You’re fortunate to have gotten an early model. As for the recent iterations, dudes video is spot on. I thought he was reviewing my machine at first. HR makes garbage now
"You got yours." Now sell it. And buy a new one. Then get back with us.
Mine gives the hot room warning when the room is 72 degrees in the summer. I'm on my second machine. The first a lemon out of the box but months of fighting before they finally replaced it. The replacement failed after only 8 batches. 5 months and counting on the "support" staff fixing the problem. This video is valuable because for whatever reason, those who do not have problems are very loud and vocal in insisting the machines and service are fantastic.
I messed up
How so?
Got the 7 tray pharmaceutical a few days ago should got the stay fresh
Bull I'v had my unit for over 5 years and run it 24 hours everyday and it still runs great. You must be selling the other units. They should sue yoU for false statements.
It’s not bull. The newer machines are all like his. They all break and throw error codes constantly. The only suing that should happen is a class action suit against HR
So many false statements in this video. I'm with George.
"You got yours." Now sell it. And buy a new one. Then get back with us.
@@joemuglyDude…, Here it is a year later and we all know that Colt is Stay Fresh’s Head Marketing Guy… 🤦🏻♀️
@@kimmididwhat it feels like you’re making a point. I don’t quite know what it is, but it’s right there. It’s almost as if your sanctimonious remark could have merit if you could just find that last bit
What a joke.