Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Dehydrator Review

Rating: 4.7 Reviewed by Susan

If you’re looking for large capacity and the best features, the Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Dehydrator might be the perfect choice for you. This top selling model gives you 15 square feet of drying space, it includes an adjustable temperature control and automated timer, and it gets top ratings in customer reviews online.

It’s also from an excellent manufacturer. Often referred to as the first name in food dehydrators, Excalibur has a reputation for building quality, long-lasting products.

This model is a 9-tray, box style electric food dehydrator with a unique drying system designed to provide even heat and air flow for the best results on all types of foods.

However, it isn’t for everyone. Price is one consideration. Another is the size of the unit, especially for anyone with very limited kitchen or storage space. As always, you need to “know before you buy”, so this review covers all the details to help you decide whether this food dehydrator is right for you.

Features

• Adjustable Thermostat with 95° to 155° F range — Safe to dry meat for jerky but lower temps can be used for fragile foods.
• Built-in 26 hour timer.
• Exclusive Parallexx Drying System with temperature controlled, fan forced, horizontal drying system mounted in rear of unit for even heat distribution across individual trays.
• Trays can be removed to allow for dehydration of bulky items or tall jars, or to raise dough.
• 15 square feet of drying space – great for harvest time or hunting season.
• Removable door for easier loading and clean up.
• Includes 9 polyscreen tray inserts (flexible mesh sheets)
• 10 Year Limited Warranty

If you research online you may find a lot of confusion about the warranty on the Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Dehydrator. Some people think that in order to get the full 10 year limited warranty you must purchase directly from the manufacture. However, this is NOT true. To verify it, I contacted Excalibur and asked the company if the 10 year warranty applies to this model when it’s purchased from Amazon. In an email dated March 11, 2014, Exaclibur customer sevice responded:

“Hello yes if you purchase a new unit from Amazon your warranty will be for 10 years for that model. If you purchase a used unit it will not be covered under warranty.”

You may also be interested to know that I submitted that question on a weekday shortly after noon, and Excalibur responded within less than an hour. That certainly speaks well for their customer support!

One of the most important points to note about this model is how its timer works. The manufacturer calls it a “motor driven timer”, and what that means is that if the power goes off while the dehydrator is in use, the timer keeps track of the actual drying time.

With regard to safety, this Excalibur dehydrator 9 tray model has 3 separate circuits to protect from electrical malfunctions. This is important if you plan to leave your dehydrator running unattended during the night or while you’re away from home.

If you know anything about dehydration, you’re aware that temperature is crucial. For jerky you need temperatures high enough to process the meat safely. For many other foods you need to avoid excessive temperatures that can destroy enzymes. This Excalibur model includes an adjustable thermostat that enables you to choose the correct setting for what you’re drying.

While the cost may be a downside to some, this is an excellent dehydrator for anyone looking for a high quality machine that is convenient to use and produces great results with all types of foods.

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Wattage & Voltage

Wattage: This Excalibur model, the 3926TB, is a 600 Watt unit. (You may see conflicting information about this online, but apparently some people are confusing this food dehydrator with Excalibur’s 5-Tray model which is a 440 Watt unit.)

Voltage: 120 volt 60hz – Sold for use inside the USA.

Color & Materials

This model used to be available in white, but I’ve been unable to find that recently. It appears that now your only choice is black.

All outer materials and trays are made of plastic. Tray screens are made of polypropylene #5. The case is made of FDA approved polycarbonate.

Made in USA? BPA Free?

This dehydrator is made in the USA in Sacramento, California.

As stated above, tray screens are made of plastic called polypropylene #5, which is BPA free. This plastic is also resistant to high heat, which makes it dishwasher safe on the top rack of most dishwashers.

The manufacturer does not claim that the outer case is BPA free. What they do say is that the case material, made of FDA approved polycarbonate, is safe and does not give off harmful fumes when used under 160°F. The manufacturer’s website further states:

“The polycarbonate we use is recognized as safe by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food, United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory agencies Worldwide.”

Size & Capacity

Dimensions of this model are approximately 19″ deep by 17″ wide by 12.5″ high, and it has 9 trays. One big advantage of the design is that unlike round dehydrators, the trays do not have a hole in the middle, and the corners are not cut off. This unit gives you a total of about 15 square feet of drying space, which is great for heavy duty users or anyone who processes a lot of food at certain times of the year (such as garden harvest time or hunting season).

The unit can be operated at full capacity, half capacity, or with only 1 or 2 trays in use. You can also remove trays to accommodate very thick foods, tall jars used for making yogurt, larger craft items, or to make space to raise dough.

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What’s Included with the Excalibur 3926TB?

You get the dehydrator and an instruction booklet. That’s it!

The trays do have a small lip, which is necessary for making fruit leather or processing any type of non-solid foods. However, you will need to purchase the non-stick flexible dehydrator sheets that are sold separately. (See “Optional Accessories” below.)

Note that the Excalibur 3926TB is a 9 Tray unit and is not designed to accommodate any additional trays.

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Optional Food Dehydrator Accessories

The only accessories available (or needed) for this machine are non-stick dehydrator sheets. You’ll want to invest in these if you plan to make fruit leather. These sheets are also needed for processing soups, sauces, pureed fruits or vegetables, or any other liquid or semi-liquid.

The manufacturer recommends using only the “Excalibur” brand sheets. They are the most expensive, especially if you buy them directly from Excalibur. An alternative is shown below. These generic brand sheets are sold in packs of 9 and measure 14″ by 14″ but can be cut to size. These are solid but super flexible.

Go here to check the current price of these sheets on Amazon: Pack of 9 Premium 14″ X 14″ Non-stick Dehydrator Sheets- For Excalibur 2500, 3500, 2900 or 3900

Be aware that both brands of these sheets are coated with DuPont Teflon. Just my opinion here, but under normal use, dehydrator temperatures won’t usually be high enough to cause concerns over the Teflon coating. However, if that really bothers you then another option is to use parchment paper.

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Customer Reviews

At the time of the most recent update (October, 2022), 82% of online reviewers give the Excalibur 3927TB model the highest possible rating (based on well over 2,000 reviews). The only consistent complaint is that the unit can be somewhat louder than expected and that the door may rattle. Those who mention this use simple solutions, such as moving the unit to another room to lessen noise, and taping the door to stop rattling. Overall, even those with minor complaints are still extremely pleased with the quality of this dehydrator and the results they get when using it.

You’ll find very little feedback on customer service, which is usually good news. People tend to be very quick to complain, and bad experiences are almost always well documented online. The few reports available on Excalibur are almost 100% positive. For one example read the comment from Mike below. He owns a different model but got quick results from Excalibur on a replacement part.

Average Customer Rating (Out of 5 Stars): 4.7

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Pros

• Lots of tray space – large size works for heavy users or peak season processing.
• Adjustable temperature control – works well and goes low enough for the “living food” temperature range.
• Timer with automated shut-off – you can leave the unit unattended if necessary (one of the best features).
• Will accommodate thick foods and tall items – simply remove upper trays to expand available space.
• Excalibur has an established reputation for manufacturing high quality, top of the line products.

Cons

• Cost – more expensive than dehydrators that don’t have a timer
• May be a little noisier than some other dehydrators.
• Does not include solid sheets for fruit leathers or drippy foods.
• Controls located at very back of machine can be inconvenient if unit is used on counter under cabinets.

Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Dehydrator Review: Summary

This is a quality machine that includes the most important feature for successful results – an adjustable thermostat – and it also includes the convenience of an automated timer. It’s great for heavy duty users or people that hunt or garden and anticipate excessive usage during peak seasons.

If your budget is limited this is probably not the machine you want to start with. You may want to check out the much lower priced Nesco Snackmaster Pro, which doesn’t have a timer but sells for a much lower price.

But if cost isn’t an issue and you want a quality dehydrator with a large capacity and all the best features, you will definitely want to give serious consideration to the Excalibur 3926TB.