Dry Box VS Dehumidifying Cabinet

[Silence Sky]

Hello:

I have a question on the above subject. Which equipment is better to store our photography equipment?

I have a FOC dry box given to me while making a purchase at the Comex. I am wondering is it necessary to get an electric dehumidifying cabinet?

 

[ortega]

both are OK, but the electric cabinet is more convenient

 

[Silence Sky]

both are OK, but the electric cabinet is more convenient

Hello Ortega:

The dry box I am holding now has a vacumm pump, does a Dehumidifying Cabinet has this function as well?

 

[Youhong]

Vaccum pump? my dry box doesn't have that...

 

[buaytahhan]

Compared to the price of photographic equipment, electric dry boxes are relatively inexpensive and should be used by everyone in this horrendously humid weather we have in Singapore.

You can get a small one that can fit a modest DSLR kit for just under $100. The cost of cleaning one lens with fungus in it is around that price too, maybe even more.

Get one, set the humidity right and leave it switched on 24/7. That's it. Beats changing the silica gel regularly.

 

[Bluezonescuba]

Dehumidifying cabinet anytime......

Never regretted after i got my cab....
Looks cool too....

 

[satay16]

dry box works fine, i had been using it for 5 years before i got my first digicabi, and there is no problem with it. not sure about vaccumm pump though, i used thristy hippos for mine.

 

[snapperBB]

Get the Rodex brand dehumidifying cabinet. Served me well for the last 2 years.

Have another japan made toyo living cabinet, still functioning well after 10 years. Good investment and zero maintenance. More importantly, it protects your equipment and media from fungus.

 

[Artosoft]

Drybox with silica gel is not as good as dehumidifying cabinet:
- Blue Silica Gel contains Cobalt Chloride, which is work as a humidity indicator is known as a carcinogen agent.
- Drybox need you to watch the humidity level inside. Too high will be useless, to low the camera and lens(es) lubricant inside drybox may dry and cause another problem. Electronic dehumidifying cabinet with correct setting will need less attention and it will keep humidity at stable level.
- Silica Gel need to be recycled when it is pink color already. You can ovenwave it, but consider it as a carcinogen agent, you better think twice.
- There are alternative to blue silica gel, yellow silica gel. Which is not carcinogen. But I don't have any idea why it is not come to Singapore yet.

Regards,
Arto.

 

[Volks]

The Dehumidifying cabin is definitely the better choice.

Not only camera/lenses, it is also an excellent storage option for jeweleries, facbric, stamps, your precious trophies during school days fr oxidation marks.... even keeps tea leafs/coffee powder, ginseng fresh !

You would have many in family conquering every inch space.;p

 

[NE clicks clicks]

Don't need to ponder, Electric dehumidifying cabinet is the best choice. No maintenance, low running cost, adjustable humidity setting says it all.
Its not too much to fork out considering a digital camera , be it PnS or DSLR are times that amount.

 

[Silence Sky]

Drybox with silica gel is not as good as dehumidifying cabinet:
- Blue Silica Gel contains Cobalt Chloride, which is work as a humidity indicator is known as a carcinogen agent.
- Drybox need you to watch the humidity level inside. Too high will be useless, to low the camera and lens(es) lubricant inside drybox may dry and cause another problem. Electronic dehumidifying cabinet with correct setting will need less attention and it will keep humidity at stable level.
- Silica Gel need to be recycled when it is pink color already. You can ovenwave it, but consider it as a carcinogen agent, you better think twice.
- There are alternative to blue silica gel, yellow silica gel. Which is not carcinogen. But I don't have any idea why it is not come to Singapore yet.

Regards,
Arto.

Hello:

Thanks for sharing the information.

 

[slaam]

eh its an oft discussed topic i started a poll on it before.. nice summary by artosoft.. my pref is for drybox than cabi..

1)cos cabi if the meter is spoilt u wont know if its working if you use silica gel in it as indicator then it kinda defeats the purpose.
2)drybox is cheaper
3)doesn't need electricity
4)forces u to use ur camera more often else the rubber in it will dry (haha)
you can pack ur drybox for travel but not ur dry cabbi
5)your drybox doubles as a solid ziplock in wet travel locations
6)colorless sillica is safe enough to be used in food stuff as long as you dun use wet hands to handle the silica the cobalt cl wont come off
you can use thirsty hippo if u are worried
7) in space constrained spaces you wont have your mom/wife scream at you
8) a cabi costs as much as a canon ef 50mm f1.8 so which do you prefer?

 

[Hitman]

I'm in the drybox camp. Been using one without problems for the past one year.

Cheap & good and it's easier to pack for travelling. I do not have much gear, just my camera and 3 lens. My first bottle of silica gels ($5) from one year ago is still not exhuasted yet. And I don't bother recycling the silica gels...

 

[Silence Sky]

Thank you so much everybody for your feedback.

I will do up a comprehensive summary based on all your inputs in the later part. I hope we can come off with a winner between these two boxes.

Now I would like to point out to you a distintive feature of my Dry box. It has a vacumm pump, I suppose can pump out all the air in the box and create a vacumm. Fungus can't grow without the presence of air and moisture right? I do not have a Dry Cabinate, does it have a vacumm pump as well or something equivalent?

Here's a photo of my Dry Box. By the way, please comment on the picture sharpness. Thank you.

 

[satay16]

Thank you so much everybody for your feedback.

I will do up a comprehensive summary based on all your inputs in the later part. I hope we can come off with a winner between these two boxes.

Now I would like to point out to you a distintive feature of my Dry box. It has a vacumm pump, I suppose can pump out all the air in the box and create a vacumm. Fungus can't grow without the presence of air and moisture right? I do not have a Dry Cabinate, does it have a vacumm pump as well or something equivalent?

Here's a photo of my Dry Box. By the way, please comment on the picture sharpness. Thank you.

it sure looks cool. actually, i really think that both would be around the same. i used boxes for 5 years and nothing wrong with it. the only reason why i switched to digi cabi is just for its size and accesbility. so if the box is big enuf, and you find the hassle ok, then i dun see what's wrong.

 

[Silence Sky]

it sure looks cool. actually, i really think that both would be around the same. i used boxes for 5 years and nothing wrong with it. the only reason why i switched to digi cabi is just for its size and accesbility. so if the box is big enuf, and you find the hassle ok, then i dun see what's wrong.

Thanks, I just want to make sure I got the best accomodation i could possibly find for my newly bought carmera. I love it very much.

 

[satay16]

Thanks, I just want to make sure I got the best accomodation i could possibly find for my newly bought carmera. I love it very much.

but i can surely tell you that in a few years time(maybe even few months), heh heh, BBB, then time to upgrade.:bsmilie: