The dryer they get, the longer they'll last, but as has been pointed out, they can get too chewy if over-dried. I guess everybody has to find the right balance--I'm still learning, and picking up tips wherever I can. I personally tend to err on the side of being too dry, just to be safe. Even so, last year I dehydrated a batch of figs and sealed them into ziplocs, only to find some little moths crawling around in the bag a few weeks later--so now I put them in the freezer for a few days after drying just to try and kill any bug eggs that may have survived the dehydrator.

I got an old, used Excalibur with 9 plastic trays from a neighbor whose fruit trees ended up not yielding enough to bother with. It works great, but my wife noticed it gets drier on one side than the other, so for some fruits we rotate the trays 180 degrees halfway through. I'm really a fan of drying--it's so much easier than canning, and you can extend the harvest for as long as you have the self-discipline to keep rationing your snacks!

Gene, mostly I use frozen figs in smoothies.
I take the figs, berries ... out of freezer and let them thaw for 5 minutes that is long enough for them to soften a bit and can be added to the mixer with some peaches, yoghurt (whatever you like).  Blend them up a few minutes and that is my morning drink before my coffee.  I find that adding figs makes the smoothie a bit thicker.

For experiment I just took out a black fig (- 1 bite) and a green fig and let them thaw.  They tasted a little jammy like they had been blanched but still had a nice taste.  My green figs (Italian honey) are very juicy so I can see them getting watery after defrosting for a long time but the black are not as juicy and they hold their texture better.  I think best thing is once defrosted you need use them soon.

 
 

The best dehydrator I've ever owned is the Nesco FD1010  http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-Harvest-FD-1010-Gardenmaster-Dehydrator/dp/B004512HOM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405198517&sr=8-1&keywords=nesco+dehydrator+1010

Much more powerful than the others and more reliable than the digital.  The only problem with the Nesco is that if you dehydrate wild mushrooms the spores build up on the fan and it stops working.   For anything other than mushrooms it's as good as the Excalibur at 1/3rd the price.  You definitely want a model with a temp control as some things will taste burnt at higher temperatures.