Need a new dehydrator and would like input! Anyone oven dry?

[tempus vernum]

Dh is a carpenter and I have been toying with ahving him make us one BUT I do dehydrate quite a bit. I am about to have to throw away our 2nd dehydrator in 7 years. We have gone through them cuz we use them so heavily and haven't bought the cheap ones.

A friend made one similar to this one http://www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/dehydrator.html but with more racks and an oven thermometer so she could monitor it.

I was thinking an excalibur would probably be the way to go but on ebay they are still $150 which considering the cost savings isn't that bad but I don't want to spend that NOW. Maybe I should pray this one makes it through harvest and ask for a dehydrator for christmas? Of couser, I don't know anyone who would give me $150 gift for christmas :rolleyes

Has anyone oven dried successfully? I have heard its not as good - that the food isn't as good quality and loses more nutritional content?

It's heavy on my mind cuz I got out the dehydrator to start drying the apples we picked otday and I had forgotten its falling apart. Even not during fall, we use it for nuts and seeds (we soak raw nuts and then dry them) so it's something I use very regularly!

[iplsmama]

OH goodness, I think I would get the excalibur. I have an OLD one that someone gave me and it is fabulous. Maybe you could get an old one on ebay cheap. Everything dries at least twice as fast in the excalibur.

[Garnet]

I do. I've dried apples, and spinach, and pumpkin seeds. But it takes FOREVER. Because you don't want it cooked KWIM? Just dried. I set mine on 200 or 250 and let it go for a few hours. I can't tell you timetables because I just watch it until its dry.