Reviews You Can Rely On

Excalibur 3926TB Review

This is our preferred option if you're after high-volume dehydration and professional results
gearlab tested logo
Excalibur 3926TB Review
Credit: Amazon.com
Price:  $370 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   Excalibur
By Nick Miley and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Aug 11, 2021
74
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 12
  • Dehydrating - 25% 9.1
  • Temperature Accuracy - 25% 8.3
  • Ease of Cleaning - 25% 6.0
  • Ease of Use - 25% 6.2

Our Verdict

We found the Excalibur 3926TB to be one of the best dehydrators in the class. While it is one of the more expensive machines in our review, the steep price is matched by the vast amount of tray space. This model might not be for everyone as it leans towards production food processing as opposed to compact storage. However, if you have the space available and want high-performance across the board, this is the model for you. To see how it ranks next to other top-rated food dehydrators, see our full review.
REASONS TO BUY
Massive capacity
Quick clean-up trays
Uniform food results
REASONS TO AVOID
Difficult to clean interior
No viewing window
Expensive

Compare to Similar Products

 
excalibur 3926tb
This Product
Excalibur 3926TB
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Full-Size Dehydrator
Editors' Choice Award
Best Mid-Size Food Dehydrator
Top Pick Award
Best for Storage Space
  
Price $370 List
$299.95 at Amazon
$190 List
$149.99 at Amazon
$395 List
$395.00 at Amazon
$110 List
$94.99 at Amazon
$70 List
$69.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
74
83
81
77
71
Star Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Bottom Line The best bet for production scale home dehydration with uniform outcomesThe unit's digital interface, transparent door, and metal trays make it a go-to for most home kitchensFantastic adjustability with an innovative folding designA quality dehydrator for the space conscious consumerThis unique dehydrator has ample tray space in a rectangular, stackable format; it also has simple controls and is easy to clean
Rating Categories Excalibur 3926TB Magic Mill Food Deh... Brod & Taylor Sahar... Presto 06301 Dehydro Hamilton Beach 32100A
Dehydrating (25%)
9.1
8.8
8.0
8.5
7.4
Temperature Accuracy (25%)
8.3
9.3
8.5
9.5
7.0
Ease of Cleaning (25%)
6.0
7.0
8.0
7.0
8.0
Ease of Use (25%)
6.2
8.0
8.0
5.6
5.8
Specs Excalibur 3926TB Magic Mill Food Deh... Brod & Taylor Sahar... Presto 06301 Dehydro Hamilton Beach 32100A
Tray Dimensions 15" x 15" 13" x 12" 21" x 31" 15" diameter 10.5" x 13"
Number of Trays 9 7 7 6 5
Temperature Range 105-165 F 95-165 F 86-165 F 90-165 F 100-160 F
Tray Material Plastic Stainless steel Stainless steel Plastic Plastic
Power Consumption 440W 480W 750W 750W 500W
Capacity 15 sq ft 7.6 sq ft 15 sq ft 3.25 sq ft 3.75 sq ft
Outside Dimensions 19" x 17" x 12.5" 18" x 14" x 13" 12.5" x 22" x 3.5" 14.5" x 15" x 7.25" 10.5" x 13" x 11"

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


excalibur 3926tb - large and in charge, this model has tray space to share.
Large and in charge, this model has tray space to share.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Quality and Consistency


The most important aspect of a dehydrator's performance is how the food coming out of it tastes and feels. While the dehydration process is simple enough to understand, it can be easy to mess up. The 3926TB produces uniformly delectable results in terms of texture, evenness, and flavor with beef jerky, vegetables, and fruit.

excalibur 3926tb - the lack of a transparent door means an extra step when checking the...
The lack of a transparent door means an extra step when checking the progress of the food.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Easy to Use and Accurate


The main contributors to quality outcomes with a dehydrator are timing and consistent internal temperature. When a product is designed to allow these elements to be controlled by the user it can help a great deal. The 3926TD has a pair of knobs to manage time and temperature. The problem is that the temperature knob is marked off in temperature ranges, making precision temperature settings difficult to attain. This is a likely cause of the temperature deviations we observed in our test.

excalibur 3926tb - tray liners make food removal and unit cleaning quite a bit easier.
Tray liners make food removal and unit cleaning quite a bit easier.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Clean-Up


Our testing has revealed that, with few exceptions, dehydrators are a bit of a pain to clean up. There are two parts to this process. First, there are the trays. Next is the interior and in particular the floor of the machine where all the drippings accumulate. The Excalibur has easy-to-clean trays thanks to its removable, non-stick mesh tray liners. The interior of the machine is another story. The plastic of this model has a rough texture, and as such it adds some difficulty to the wipe-down process. However, we've seen much worse, and it's nothing a little elbow grease can't overcome.

Value


The 3926TD is a very expensive dehydrator. However, this hefty price tag is congruent with the size and performance of the product. As such, we think this model is well worth the money assuming that you actually need the tray space.

excalibur 3926tb - old school knobs make it a bit harder to attain accurate temperature...
Old school knobs make it a bit harder to attain accurate temperature settings.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Conclusion


The Excalibur delivers consistent, high-quality performance in our side-by-side tests. That is not to say that there are no other machines that delivered similar results, but none that boasts the capacity of this machine. It's a large, expensive production dehydrator designed for serious cooks. If you're looking to make dehydration a regular part of your life, this is the model for you.

Nick Miley and Michelle Powell
 

You Might Also Like