Excalibur Select 6-Tray vs Cosori CP267-FD: Six-Tray Showdown
- Data from official spec sheets
- Public scoring formula
- No paid placements
Choose the Excalibur Select 6-Tray if you want the most drying area in a six-tray box (9.6 ft² vs 6.5 ft²), an 85 °F minimum, a 60-hour timer and a 3-year warranty. Choose the Cosori CP267-FD if you want stainless steel, dishwasher-safe trays and a declared noise level under 48 dB.
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Want the most drying area in a six-tray box, a longer timer and a longer warranty? Choose the Excalibur Select 6-Tray. Want stainless steel, dishwasher-safe trays and a declared low noise level? Choose the Cosori CP267-FD. Both are six-tray box dehydrators with a rear fan, a 165 °F maximum and almost identical weight. All figures come from the official Amazon listings; we have not run either unit ourselves.
| Model | Trays | Drying area (cm²) | Power (W) | Min temp (°C) | Max temp (°C) | Timer (h) | Trays | Noise (dB) | Dishwasher safe | Weight (kg) | Warranty (years) | DryFoodLab score | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 8,918 | 700 | 29 | 74 | 60 | Stainless steel | — | — | 8.3 | 3 | 9 | Maximum area and herbs | ||
| 6 | 6,039 | 600 | 35 | 74 | 48 | Stainless steel | 48 | Yes | 8.2 | 2 | 9 | Easy cleaning and quiet rooms |
(affiliate link) · Data from the Amazon listing; offers may change.
Which one holds more food?
The Excalibur, by a wide margin: 9.6 ft² against 6.5 ft². In metric, that is 8,918 cm² against 6,039 cm², or about 48% more area.
Per tray, the Excalibur gives about 1.6 ft² and the Cosori about 1.1 ft². So the Excalibur’s six trays are close in size to those of a large 10-tray machine. If you dry whole apples, a basket of tomatoes or a big bunch of herbs at once, that extra space is the main reason to choose it.
Do both dry evenly?
On paper, yes: both use a rear fan that blows air horizontally across the trays. Excalibur calls it “Parallex” airflow; Cosori describes a rear-mounted drying fan.
That layout gives every tray similar heat, so you rarely need to rotate trays during a batch. It also tends to mix flavors less than stacked round dehydrators, where air rises through each tray in turn. See our horizontal airflow dehydrators for other models with this design.
What are the trays made of?
The Cosori trays are stainless steel; the Excalibur trays are chrome-plated. The table shows both as steel because our catalog files chrome-plated metal there for lack of a better category.
Stainless steel tolerates scrubbing and the dishwasher well. A chrome-plated tray is a coated surface, so gentle hand washing is the sensible default, and the Excalibur listing gives no dishwasher guidance. If you want stainless in any size, see our stainless steel dehydrators.
Which is easier to clean?
The Cosori CP267-FD, because its trays are declared dishwasher safe. The Excalibur listing says nothing about the dishwasher.
For fruit and marinated meat, that is a real daily difference. On either machine, a silicone liner cut to size keeps sticky juice off the mesh. If fruit keeps gluing itself to the trays, see our sticky fruit fixes.
Which is quieter?
Only the Cosori publishes a figure: under 48 dB. The Excalibur listing does not state a noise level.
That does not mean the Excalibur is loud; it means we cannot compare them on paper. If the machine will run overnight near a bedroom or open-plan living room, the declared figure makes the Cosori the safer bet.
Which has the better temperature range and timer?
The Excalibur: it starts at 85 °F (29 °C) and runs up to 60 hours. The Cosori starts at 95 °F (35 °C) and runs up to 48 hours. Both top out at 165 °F (74 °C).
The lower start helps herbs and flowers keep color and aroma. The top end on both covers the USDA’s 130-140 °F (54-60 °C) dehydrator range for jerky, after you heat the meat to 160 °F (poultry 165 °F). Our drying times and temperatures chart gives settings by food.
Which uses more power?
The Excalibur, at 700 W against 600 W. The ceiling is W × hours ÷ 1,000, so a 10-hour batch uses up to 7 kWh on the Excalibur and 6 kWh on the Cosori.
Per square foot, the Cosori has more heat to spare: 600 ÷ 6.5 = 92 W/ft², against 700 ÷ 9.6 = 73 W/ft² for the Excalibur. Real consumption is lower than the ceiling, because both heaters cycle. Try the drying cost calculator with your electricity rate.
Which has the better warranty?
The Excalibur: 3 years against 2. Read our full Excalibur Select 6-Tray review for everything its listing does and does not say.
What if you want something smaller?
Look at the Cosori P501, a five-tray stainless unit that weighs 4.9 kg. It gives up area but reaches 176 °F.
The Cosori P501 is the compact option in the same family. It keeps stainless steel trays, horizontal airflow and a 48-hour timer, and it reaches 176 °F, higher than both six-tray units. Cosori lists jerky and fruit among its uses and backs it with a 2-year warranty. Its limit is space: 3.1 ft² is about a third of the Excalibur Select and half of the CP267-FD. It suits a small household that dries a tray or two of snacks at a time.
Pros
- Five stainless steel trays and a rear fan
- Reaches 176 °F, the highest of the three
- 4.9 kg, about 40% lighter than either rival
Cons
- 3.1 ft² of drying area
- No noise or dishwasher statement in the listing
- Best for
- Small kitchens and snack-size batches
- Skip it if
- Garden harvests or big family batches
Specifications
| Trays | 5 |
|---|---|
| Drying area (cm²) | 2,880 |
| Power (W) | 480 |
| Min temp (°C) | 35 |
| Max temp (°C) | 80 |
| Timer (h) | 48 |
| Trays | Stainless steel |
| Airflow | Horizontal |
| Weight (kg) | 4.9 |
| Warranty (years) | 2 |
Which should you buy?
Pick by area versus convenience.
- Most area, herbs, long runs, longer warranty: Excalibur Select 6-Tray.
- Stainless trays, dishwasher cleaning, declared quiet operation: Cosori CP267-FD.
- Smallest footprint and weight: Cosori P501.
For more compact options, see our small food dehydrators or the full best food dehydrators ranking.
Frequently asked questions
Which has more drying space, the Excalibur Select 6-Tray or the Cosori CP267-FD?
The Excalibur, with 9.6 ft² against 6.5 ft². That is about 48% more area from the same number of trays.
Are the trays stainless steel on both?
No. The Cosori CP267-FD declares stainless steel trays. The Excalibur Select listing says chrome-plated trays inside a stainless steel housing.
Which is quieter?
Only the Cosori publishes a figure: under 48 dB. The Excalibur listing does not state a noise level, so we cannot compare them directly.
Which is better for jerky?
Both top out at 165 °F (74 °C), which covers the USDA’s 130-140 °F dehydrator range. Heat the meat to 160 °F (poultry 165 °F) before drying, as the USDA advises, whichever you choose.
Which one weighs less?
They are practically the same: 8.3 kg for the Excalibur and 8.2 kg for the Cosori, about 18 lb each. The Cosori P501 is the lighter alternative at 4.9 kg.
Based on official spec sheets, manuals and published owner feedback. We have not physically tested every model. How we review.