I’m looking to shift my binder collection and graded cards to better long-term home storage. The humidty here ranges to the extreme depending on season, from 15% to 75%, and regular electric dehumidifers in the room are not a long-term solution for me, I hate the buzzing for plug-in silica ones, and remembering to change the packets for smaller safes.
I already sent an email to my recently retired engineer father-in-law to see what it would take to produce larger, custom cabinets in the US.
These are very small for what I imagine most people would want. I also am guessing of people willing to spend $400 for this, most would spend $1000-2000 for something customized and with more functionality.
For sure. It has to have more size. The question is really how the costs scale with that size.
These are also made in China. The materials are probably poor. They also give the impression that they control temp, which they don’t. And reviews seem to suggest that they barely help with humidity. The website for the companies that are selling on Amazon are obviously quick Chinese throw-togethers.
If you’re going to do this whole thing right, I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes cost-prohibitive. If I’m in $2K in parts and $500 in labor, after shipping and making it worthwhile, you could very easily have a $6000 cabinet that just becomes not worth it.
If it’s custom, hear me out – a giant egg on a stand for support. You can tilt the top of the egg off to expose the climate controlled shelves. Or the egg can be transparent so binders always on display.
These look like a pretty good idea. I like that they all appear to be lockable. FORSPARK isn’t a brand which sells these in the UK, but there appear to be plenty of other options.
I’m tempted to pick one up, but in the UK you only really get humidity above 60% on a handful of days each year, so I’m not sure if it’s massively worth the money.
I bought a Ruggard brand dry cabinet [B&H Photo Video Link] this week and just got it set up yesterday. Since I’m only using it to store raw cards to be graded and not for display purposes, I purchased blackout window film for the glass door. I have a SensorPush hygrometer inside and both the SensorPush and cabinet sensor are giving the same reading, so it does seem like the cabinet works as one would expect.
If you need something huge, Ruggard’s 235L or 600L model would probably work. The rack locations are totally adjustable, so you can change the height as needed. For what these things do for our precious cards, they are an absolute bargain.
The large vertical 180L looks nice. The brands all look so similar I’m assuming they’re outsourcing to the same production area with their custom logo treatment. If they work well I don’t really mind.
Not too comfy but I can imagine it working well as a cabinet with the turning egg!
Maybe you can even close it up while you´re sitting in it and then look at chansey cards that are attached to its sides!!
I’m just afraid that continuous exposure to light could damage my cards (e.g. if you keep them in a cabinet with a window). Can you confirm or debunk that fear?
@ripguyfawkes, I’d be displaying with zippered binders vertically in an angle where the light hits the side of the case vs. the front, and with other cards in their own deck boxes or PSA boxes. If I decide to display graded cards face-up against the glass, which I am considering as part of a mini-frame of a few cards, I would indeed avoid havng the cabinet face a window and maybe put in a dark corner but with LED strip to illuminate.
@qwachansey, thanks for the hint! If I were to display cards in a cabinet, i would display them upfront so you can see them immediately, otherwise it would miss the point imo and I could store them in a dark shelf anyway. No direct sunlight from the front is a good idea
That’s a very valid concern. There’s nothing in the product description for the cabinets that says the glass is UV resistant.
If you’re using the cabinet just for storage, you can do what I did and buy a $10 roll of blackout window film and apply it to the inside of the case. It makes the case look really sexy and sleek.
If you’re using the cabinet for display, there appear to be many options when it comes to UV resistant window film, but I’d probably splurge and go for the professional (and probably expensive) 3M stuff. From a bit of quick googling I’m not even sure if it’s purchasable in smaller quantities, but maybe that could be a fun little adventure in and of itself
