One of the critical points of owning and maintaining photographic gear which in themselves are quite expensive is safeguarding them from fungus attacks. The hazards of living in coastal region is the high level of humidity which is the persecutor to fungus growth. When exposed to moisture or high humidity, the fungus easily manifests on the lenses resulting in loss of optical quality. The repair process is quite cumbersome and not successful many a time.
As the equipment investment increased, I did focus my attention into long term maintenance of Photographic gear and one of the requirements was procurement of dehumifier, for reasons mentioned above. Dehumidifiers are the easiest and safest way to prevent fungal growth. Most of the dehumidifier cabinets use thermoelectric cooling technology to reduce the relative humidity of the air inside them. Dehumidifiers are extremely effective and can fulfil the roles assigned to them efficiently.
The brand of demudifier that I went in for was Digi cabi from Kalabhai & Sons. The firm is based at Mumbai and is mostly regional in nature. I procured two models (AD 60 N & AD 100 N) The numerical denote the capacity which in this case are 60 lts and 100 lts respectively. I have been using this particular equipment for over two years now and thought it is apt to write a review on the same.
Construction. The cabinet has an extremely well built metal body made from stainless steel, it is quite heavy in nature. There are trays built inside which move on rollers and channels. The movable trays are made of durable plastic, very sturdy and can slide out smoothly. Additionally, the trays can be adjusted height wise also thereby altering the width of the compartment. There is a light foam material on each shelf to prevent scratches onto the equipment from the shelf. The front of the cabinet is tempered glass with a steel handle. The door is provided with a key which comes handy to lock the cabinet.
On the back of cabinet, there is a removable power cable with a 3 pin 5 amps’ socket. Box also contained an instruction manual and a warranty card. The DIGI CABI stands guarantee for 03 years and after sales service is provided at the premises of the company. There is a control panel(hygrometer) at the right hand top portion with display which tells the relative humidity reading in %, temperature reading in centigrade or Fahrenheit.
Working Settings. The setting is done using a revolving dial, which is used to set the desired RH. The ideal RH is to be around 38-40 % as recommended. There is an accuracy of +/- 5 % RH. Too much of dryness by lowering the humidity to less than 30 % RH may lead to drying up of components and cracking of rubber or plastic parts.
| PROS | CONS |
| Well-built with sufficient cladding | No battery back up in case of power failure |
| Reliable technology | Controller susceptible to power fluctuations |
| 3 year Warranty | No After sales other than in Mumbai |
| Low power consumption |
My thoughts on the Product. The equipment has been in use continuously for over two years now with negligible breaks in between. The performance has been satisfactory with the RH being maintained as desired and a trouble free performance. There are other brands too available in the market /online but I think they are expensive and I wished to buy directly from source as this was my first introduction to a dehumidifier and I preferred a human interface. It is definitely recommended that this equipment is purchased in case one has photographic gear and resides in places of heavy monsoons, moisture & humidity.
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