I've been doing photography for two decades and the idea of purchasing an electronic dry cabinet never really crossed my mind until recently. I never actually thought I needed a device like this but climate change seems to have made our summer seasons more humid with more frequent episodes of torrential rainfall where the humidity levels can go up to 70-80% on my home hygrometer. Not the best conditions for expensive glass obviously.
Previously to this purchase, I felt quite safe just putting a few silica gel packs in my camera bags where my lenses were stored. I kept wondering if the silica packs were enough. I started checking dry cabinets online out of curiosity only but as I read more on them I decided to purchase one last year and since the last summer we had (2024) was one of the most humid summers of the last century, I'm glad I made the move.
I wasn't sure what size to buy and I spent a long time with size specs to determine what I needed. I wanted a little extra space in case my gear needs would expand but at the same time, I didn't want too much wasted cabinet space. I ordered the Ruggard EDC-80L thinking it would be just the right size. I opted for the weathered oak finish as it was exactly the same in price as the black one. It's a vinyl appliqué on metal of course but it looks quite nice IMHO. I also opted for the key lock as I don't trust the mechanical longevity of combination locks. The cabinet comes with 2 keys, a simple user manual, the AC adapter, an adjustable shelf and foam pads to put on the bottom and on the adjustable shelf. The cabinet is shipped in a sturdy box and it is decently packed. It is quite heavy but did not suffer any damage while in transit.
I got it set up, put my gear inside and was pleasantly surprised to see that I could put more gear than I had calculated. The cabinet actually looks bigger in real life than any picture on the internet can convey. After I put my camera bodies and lenses inside I had extra room to put my Nikon binoculars and my two TC's. Once plugged in, the unit starts working right away. You can see that it is actively lowering the humidity with a small blinking light where the humidity meter resides. That light will continue blinking as long as the custom humidity level you choose has not been attained. Once at the proper level it will stop blinking and start again when the humidity level is starting to rise inside. It doesn't take very long for the cabinet to reach a preset humidity level and what is most impressive is that you have no liquid to empty out and it is completely silent. I'm not sure how it works but it works. There are 3 buttons in front just below the temp/humidity display that allow the user to set humidity levels and a light button which lights a cool 4 led light strip inside. There is also a function button to dim the display with only 2 settings (dim and bright). The cabinet door is sealed with a rubber gasket all around much like the door on a fridge which of course acts to seal the inside from outside humidity and dust.
The first thing I noticed is that the humidity display on my unit is not accurate. It's supposed to give a reading of the humidity levels inside the cabinet but it's typically about 10-15% higher than the electronic hygrometer that I put in there. Is it measuring the humidity outside the cabinet ? That would make no sense but that's what it seems to be doing. I've seen other users report this in online reviews so I'm not the only one with this issue. I could have returned it I guess but I didn't since it doesn't affect the unit's effectiveness. I only had to adjust the humidity levels so that the hygrometer inside would reach a consistent humidity level and stay there. I've had my unit for almost a year now and after setting it at 42%, the levels inside indicate 29-32% consistently never going above 32% unless I open the door. Just on a side note, I have three electronic hygrometers and all of them indicate the same humidity levels inside give or take 1% so the display on the cabinet is at fault, not my hygrometers. Since the cabinet works so well at keeping the levels at +-30%, it's something I can easily live with. I can tell you that despite the humidity levels going up as high as 70-80% out of the cabinet on occasion, the inside stays at the same low levels throughout. Very impressive.
The temperature indicator can be changed from Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice versa and it seems to be accurate as it was on par with my electronic thermometers give or take 1 degree.
At the price these things go for which is likely a bargain when compared to the gear you will put inside, I think it's an essential piece of kit plus it can keep your gear well organized in something that looks good and doesn't take a whole lot of space. The best part is that it actually works and rather well too. It comes with a 5 year warranty and honestly I have no idea about the life expectancy of these things. I'm hoping it will last me more than 5 years. I bought this thing to give me some piece of mind when humidity levels rise beyond normal levels and as this seems to be the case more and more during our local springs and summers, I think it's a worthwhile purchase.
As a last note, I wanted to add that Ruggard sells dry cabinets in many other sizes and configurations. The sizes range from 30L all the way to a huge fridge like 600L. The 80L I bought is a perfect square shape reminiscent of an oversized microwave oven. Except for this model and the 18L, all the other models are built more like a rectangular bookcase/on the vertical axis. They range in weight from 8.4 lbs for the smallest 18L to a massive 158.7 lbs for the 600L. The 80L weighs in at 29.5 lbs. There are other manufacturers of dry cabinets out there besides Ruggard but I wanted one with a name I recognized.
*** The manual states that the cabinet should not be placed directly against a wall as it might impact the operation efficiency. I don't think most people will leave these out in a room like they would audio speakers for example and from the images I have seen online, most users seem to have ignored that warning. I placed mine about 3 inches away from the rear wall and it's the best I can do. It's been super efficient so far even though the electronics are quite close to the wall. Just be sure you leave an air circulation gap between the wall and the back of the unit.