direct comparison of solar dehydrator types

Forgive me if this is buried in another thread - I have searched several and not found it.

I want to make my family a solar dehydrator. I found these plans: http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/tools/solar-food-dehydrator-plans-zm0z14jjzmar.aspx and was all ready to start getting the materials. Then I read some more and saw mention of mold problems

Then I found this: http://www.geopathfinder.com/Solar-Food-Drying.html Which looks cheaper and easier to build, and dries food faster, but has the downside of burning food if you don't watch it.


Then there is this one http://velacreations.com/howto/solar-food-dryer/ - looks easy to build, but exposes the food to direct sunlight which is supposed to be bad...


So, has anyone had personal experience with more than one type of dryer? It seems like you have a) convection dryers, b) radiant dryers, and c) direct sun dryers. If so, I'd like to know which one you prefer.

Thanks in advance?

I haven't seen a direct comparison either but I haven't exhaustively looked for one. I believe the differences in how well they work depend on your climate. A dehydrator that works well in New Mexico may not do so well in Oregon.

Just to add one more design to your list of potential options, I found this when I was searching (Tunnel and fan solar dehydrator

I'm in the "humid midwest" so I'm leaning towards the Eldergrove Homestead design (your second link). But I'd love to see a direct comparison myself. Good luck!