Excalibur Performance 6-Tray Review: $249.99 Buys Stainless Trays and a Second Phase, Not More Square Feet

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In this guide

THE SHORT VERSION

At the 2026-09-30 check the six-tray Performance was $249.99 at Excalibur's US store, which lists no shipping charge on its dehydrators, and the same machine sat at $249.99 in an Amazon buy box with Amazon as both seller and shipper. What the money does not settle is the machine's place in its own line, because the $199.99 six-tray Select declares the same 9.6 square feet across six trays and the same 600W element.

The $50 between them buys hardware, not area: stainless mesh in place of chrome, a maximum run of 80 hours in place of 60, a second drying phase, and a glass window in the lid above a door that slides under the cabinet. A batch dried at one temperature in under 60 hours uses neither the second phase nor the extra hours, which leaves the tray metal and the window.

Our verdict

Buy the six-tray Performance at $249.99 for stainless trays, a two-phase timer, and 80-hour runs. The $199.99 Select covers the same 9.6 square feet on the same 600W element, so the premium is parts, not capacity.

A good fit for: A buyer paying for stainless trays over chrome, a top window to check a batch through, and a second phase for recipes that finish at a lower temperature than they start.
We would skip it if: Skip it if a bigger batch is the upgrade you want, since the $379.99 ten-tray holds 16 square feet on 800W, or if one temperature and chrome trays will do, since the $199.99 Select covers the same 9.6 square feet.

Reasons to consider it

Six stainless trays over 9.6 square feet, a 600W element, and a thermostat that covers 85 to 165 °F for up to 80 hours
A second programmable drying phase, each stage 85 to 165 °F for 10 minutes to 80 hours, with a progress bar that splits the remaining time between them
A glass window in the lid and a door that slides under the cabinet, so a batch can be checked without opening the door

The compromises

The $199.99 six-tray Select covers the same 9.6 square feet on the same 600W element, so the extra $50 is in tray metal, run time and controls, not in output
Bought direct, the 30-day trial carries a 15% restocking fee, return freight is always the buyer's and a dirty machine adds a $25 cleaning fee; the same price at Amazon comes with free 30-day returns
The product listings promise a three-year limited warranty while the warranty page sets out one-year, five-year, ten-year-extended and 90-day-refurbished terms and names no stainless model

What we have not verified: The 85 to 165 °F range, the two-phase sequence and the 80-hour ceiling are Excalibur's published figures, with no measurement of thermostat accuracy, of how evenly a full 9.6-square-foot stack dries, of performance in a humid kitchen, or of sound. Excalibur publishes no body dimensions, weight, single-tray size or duty cycle, so counter clearance is unknown and the per-batch electricity figures are ceilings, not bills. On cleaning, the manual answers twice: the quick-start panel allows the dishwasher for trays, and the cleaning section says to hand-wash the trays and poly screen. The open question is the warranty: the listing pages promise three years, the warranty page lists one-year, five-year, ten-year-extended and 90-day-refurbished terms without naming these models, and which one applies would change what the second and third year are worth.

The things in this guide

A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.

The middle rung of Excalibur's stainless line, for jerky and garden fruit, not for bigger loads

Performance Digital Dehydrator · 6 Tray

$249.99 at Excalibur's store and in the Amazon buy box, for six stainless trays across 9.6 square feet, a 600W element, a two-phase timer, 80-hour runs, and a three-year limited warranty line on the product listing.

Before you buy: The $199.99 six-tray Select covers the same 9.6 square feet on the same 600W element, so the $50 buys racks, hours and controls, not capacity, and the ten-tray Performance at $379.99 is the model to price if 9.6 square feet cannot hold the batch.

$249.99 at Excalibur

Price checked September 30, 2026. Retailer prices can change.

The $50 upgrade is trays, hours and a second phase

The Select and the Performance publish the same cabinet: six trays, 9.6 square feet, a 600W element, and a thermostat from 85 to 165 °F. The differences sit in the metal and the clock. Select trays are chrome mesh on a 60-hour maximum; Performance trays are stainless on 80 hours. Stainless is what Excalibur fits to both Performance models and chrome to the cheaper Select. The Select shows its trays through glass French doors and has a recessed prep space on top; the Performance has the top window and the door that slides away under the cabinet.

The second phase is harder to place. The panel defaults to 165 °F for 8 hours, and dual mode runs P1 and then P2 in sequence, each between 85 and 165 °F for 10 minutes to 80 hours, with the progress bar dividing the time left between them. What it is for is finishing a batch at a lower temperature than it started. The recipe book that ships with the machine mostly does not ask for that: jerky runs at 155 °F for 4 to 6 hours, fruit leathers at 135 °F, fruit at 135 °F. Buy the second phase as room for your own recipes, not as a feature the box's recipes use.

What 9.6 square feet holds, and the ten-tray step up

Tray area is 9.6 square feet across six trays, and Excalibur publishes no single-tray measurement. Division gives 1.6 square feet a tray, within a few percent of an 18-by-13-inch half-sheet pan; if the racks are square, that puts each one near 15 inches a side. The manual's leather method pours 1 1/2 to 2 cups of puree onto each tray, which puts a full six-tray leather batch at 9 to 12 cups.

Excalibur's ten-tray Performance is where the numbers move together: 16 square feet, an 800W element, ten stainless trays, and the same thermostat, timer and phases. It is the model to price when one load will not fit on six trays. Apart from area and wattage the features are identical between $249.99 and $379.99, so the question is whether one pass instead of two is worth $130.

What the thermostat does at jerky temperature

The thermostat covers 85 to 165 °F (29 to 74 °C) and the timer runs to 80 hours, with a factory default of 165 °F for 8 hours, which the manual's own guides do not use: fruit dries best at 135 °F and vegetables at 125 °F, so most loads start by changing the setting. For jerky the manual slices lean meat 3/16 inch thick, marinates it at least 12 hours, then dries at 155 °F for roughly 4 to 6 hours, blotting fat off the surface as it appears, until a cooled piece cracks when it is bent but does not break.

Two lines in that recipe are worth carrying into a purchase. Excalibur's own manual treats a cabinet temperature that swings around the set point as part of drying correctly, so a thermometer that swings at 155 °F is reading the design, not a fault. The manual also says the meat reaches 160 °F on a 155 °F set point, a statement about safety, not texture, made by the manufacturer about its own machine with no independent measurement behind it.

A jerky batch costs about 66 cents in electricity

The element is rated 600W, so a six-hour run at that rating draws 3.6 kilowatt-hours. At the 18.31 cents a kilowatt-hour the Energy Information Administration reports as the national household average for July 2026, that batch costs about 66 cents, and a twelve-hour apple load about $1.32. Both figures assume the element draws full power for the entire run, which is a ceiling: the thermostat cycles the element off once the cabinet reaches temperature, and Excalibur prints no duty cycle for these models.

Eighty hours at the rated draw is 48 kilowatt-hours, about $8.79, and no recipe in the manual comes close: jerky and leathers run 4 to 6 hours, and the longest fruit entry, persimmons, 11 to 19. A year of weekly jerky batches at the six-hour figure comes to about $34. Electricity is not the line item that should separate this machine from the Select, because both draw 600W.

Both channels charge $249.99; the returns are not the same

Excalibur's own store and the Amazon listing both carry the six-tray Performance at $249.99, so the channel is a question of terms, not money. The Amazon buy box showed the unit available and Amazon itself as seller and shipper, with returns under Amazon's 30-day policy. Excalibur's warranty page limits service to machines bought from Excalibur or an authorized retailer, excludes unauthorized dealers and discount retailers, and names no retailer list, so ask Excalibur whether an Amazon.com purchase qualifies before counting on the coverage.

Buying direct changes the exit. Excalibur's return policy gives 30 days to try a new household dehydrator, but every return has to carry an RMA authorization and takes a 15% restocking fee, return freight is the buyer's, shipping is not refunded, and a machine sent back dirty adds a $25 cleaning fee. Coverage is murkier than either price. All three product pages promise a three-year limited warranty, while the warranty page lists a one-year limited term, five years for certain 2400, 2900 and 2500 models made from 2009, 90 days for refurbished machines, plus a $29.95 plan that stretches cover to ten years, without naming any current stainless machine. That spread is worth narrowing with customer service before ordering.

What arrives, and which numbers are missing

The box holds six stainless trays, one poly screen, one crumb tray, and the digital recipe book. The manual disagrees with itself on cleaning: its quick-start panel says the trays can be washed in a dishwasher, while its cleaning section says to hand-wash the trays and poly screen and does not recommend dishwashing, against the product page's dishwasher-safe line. The leather recipes pour puree onto Paraflexx sheets, parchment or plastic wrap, and the kit includes no sheet for that, so leathers start with a roll of wrap or parchment.

Excalibur publishes no body dimensions, no weight and no single-tray size for this model, so counter clearance is a guess until the machine is unpacked. Two kinds of buyer belong elsewhere. If one pass instead of two is the goal, the ten-tray Performance at $379.99 holds 16 square feet on 800W. If one temperature and chrome trays are enough, the $199.99 Select dries the same 9.6 square feet and gives up the stainless racks, the second phase, the top window, and 20 hours of run time.

How we put this together

Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.

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