Mr mm and I had casually discussed purchasing one but decided against it because of the price.
Now for sure we won’t.
Ours has been running weekly since we bought it a year ago - sure, it’s had some issues and I needed to replace the relay board, upload new software, replace the USB board (twice), but with a bit of effort, and a bit of patience, overall I’ve been pleasantly surprised with HR’s support.
I’ve never had to wait for an ‘appointment’ - just dial the tech support number and then hit ‘0’. Connected immediately. Want your parts overnight? Pay about $30 and they ship them via Fedex Overnight.
If we had to buy the amount of stuff we’ve freeze-dried, it would have cost us at least double the cost of the entire setup.