thirsty hippo > silica gel?


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tingatron

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hi im thinking of buying a dry box and just wondering, will thirsty hippo work better than silica gel?
 

hi im thinking of buying a dry box and just wondering, will thirsty hippo work better than silica gel?

They both will dry the air - but it's not important to get the air as dry as possible but rather to keep the Relative Humidity (RH) within a target range (45-55%). I guess silica gel might do the better job (it's used for such purposes since years) but best is to check with the RH meter in the box.
 

Isn't thirsty hippo too bulky and only one-time-use? Not that suitable.
 

They both will dry the air - but it's not important to get the air as dry as possible but rather to keep the Relative Humidity (RH) within a target range (45-55%). I guess silica gel might do the better job (it's used for such purposes since years) but best is to check with the RH meter in the box.

is it necessary to get an RH meter?
 

just get a de-humidifier from HomeFix DIY. $19.90. Plug it on the socket and on it, the silica gel in it will turn from purple to blue(Blue indicates dry). Have been using it for about 1 year. No regrets!
 

is it necessary to get an RH meter?

Yes, it is necessary. Some would even call it essential. The recommended RH for storing cameras is 45-55%. Higher humidity will be in favour of fungus, lower humidity might cause damage to rubber parts in the long run. So you need to keep an eye on that. No chance without RH meter.
 

I tried both thirsty hippo and silica gel in my small dry box. Had to keep replacing the silica gel because it got saturated so quickly, especially if i ever forget the shut the dry box!

Ended up just using thirsty hippo. A bit bulky within the confines of the dry box so I can't store more than 5 lenses + body. But it doesn't really suck all the humidity out, I find that it tends to stabilise around the recommended range.

It does get a bit scary when the water starts to accumulate in the bottom of the container though.
 

In my experience, Thirsty Hippo works far better than silica gel. Although it is a one-time-use-only item, it lasted really long in my dry box.

Problems? It takes up a lot of space and is not reusable, unlike silica gel.
 

I'm using the Olee recharger silica gel from home-fix too, more convenient. Have tried thirsty hippo before, once I almost spill the water collected inside the container :(
Now have two Olee inside my dry box and very happy with it.
 

Yes, it is necessary. Some would even call it essential. The recommended RH for storing cameras is 45-55%. Higher humidity will be in favour of fungus, lower humidity might cause damage to rubber parts in the long run. So you need to keep an eye on that. No chance without RH meter.

yup, RH meters are necessary. thirsty hippos can't tell you how dry or moist the air in the box really is.

however, too dry an environment won't cause the rubber to crack per se, that's if you use your equipment often enough. i usually keep my RH between 35-45%. so far so good. no cracks. haha.

i would advise you to get a dry box if you're really serious about photography. as the years go by, the more gear you'll have. from DSLR bodies, to SLR bodies, to AF lenses, to MF lenses, to TLRs, to vintages cams, to toy cams, the list goes on and on. and you'll soon find yourself needing too much silica gel! but with that said, it's also better to get a bigger dry box right from the start. my dry box in my room is running out of space (but it's a hand me down from my mum, and since it's free, i can't really complain. haha)

so yes, get a dry box.

one last thing, silica gel is a cheaper alternative to thristy hippo and it's really good if you're going out for extended periods of time, ie to a very wet country or place. put the beads into a sock, tie it up (make sure the sock has no holes, or you'll be damn pissed afterwards) and chuck it with your gear. when you get back, heat the silica beads up, and the moisture will evaporate. silica gel is reuseable! hahaha.
 

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