Note: Digi-Cabi did send me the SMT-180 and I do get to keep it in exchange for my review. Digi-Cabi had no prior say other than fact checking for accuracy. However, I personally have used several Digi-Cabi products before this, and I will only recommend products I really love from brands who share similar beliefs and opinions as me.
Digi-Cabi Website - https://digicabi.com.sg/
Official Shopee account https://s.shopee.sg/9f8GG1k75E
Official Lazada account https://s.lazada.sg/s.cFdxx?cc
More vouchers and sales available on these 2 platforms!
See the reel here :)
Check out the SMT-180 here for yourself!
Digi-Cabi's website: https://digicabi.com.sg/product/smt-180/
Shopee: https://s.shopee.sg/8pZkaRwZH0
Lazada: https://s.lazada.sg/s.XX837?cc
Preface: What weather does to your gear
Weather in Singapore is a mess. Its either sunny and you feel sticky from all the sweat or its a torrential downpour. Our geographical location just means we have to deal with this humid (a lot of moisture in the air) 2-faceted environment constantly.
Just about everything in the household will get badly affected. From metal rusting, leather peeling, rubber melting and plastic deforming, all these happens at an accelerated rate especially in such tropical environments.
As such for even more expensive items such as premium watches, bags, and electronics such as microphones, cameras and lenses, leaving them lying around in the open is a recipe for disaster. Not only can the exterior of these precious items face the same fate as above, most of these can become home to fungi given their tiny pores are able to infiltrate even the tiniest of gaps.
Part 0: Why dry cabinets are necessary especially in tropical climates
This is why dry cabinets are important. Well yes most of them arent cheap. But think of it as a lifetime investment to protect all of your expensive prized possessions. Dry cabinets, as the name suggests, accomplishes this by maintaining a low humidity (moisture) level around your items, leaving much less chance for fungus growth and other potential damages casued by high humidity levels.
For the rest of the article, I would only be talking about storage for camera/ lens/ other accessories, but as mentioned earlier dry cabinets can be used to store other precious items including leather products, apparel, bags, jewellery, books, musical instruments.
Please refer to this chart to see what your humidity setting should be at for the best storage environemnt. Lower is always not better. For example, any setting below 30% for cameras and lenses could damage the rubber grips.
Important note on what a dry cabinet CANT do (Read this!)
Before I continue any further, I would like to state that a dry cabinet cannot reverse any effects of fungus growth or other humidity related damages to your items currently. Putting items with signs of fungus growth into a dry cabinet with other well maintained equipment could cause the fungus growth to spread further, damaging all the other equipment inside eventually. If you notice fungus growth happening in your equipment, best to monitor and I strongly suggest isolating them from other items and/or get it serviced at reputable servicing shops.
To kill fungus from growing, best to bring your equipment (cameras and lenses) out into the sun once in a while. Go and touch some grass and enjoy the world!
Part 1: Manual Dry Boxes
There are 2 kinds of dry box/ cabinets out there, manual ones and electronic ones. I personally am here to talk about electronic dry cabinets but its alright, let me touch a little bit on that.
This is alright if your setup is very small, and its honestly better than nothing at all. Might be worthwhile if you are going overseas for an extended period of time and cannot bring a electronic dry cabinet along.
The above are the manual dry cabinets that you can commonly find out there. Its just a box with a hygrometer (measures the humidity inside) that has proper seals to keep air inside. You will need to provide silica gel or get one of those rechargable silica gel packs in order to maintain the humidity.
However silica gel is not very good for the environment, and while yes it can be "recharged" by heating it, its not exactly the safest. Having studied chemistry previously, doing a quick search online can just tell you how dangerous this recharging process can be.
And for the environment conscious people who think that its better than plugging a giant cabinet directly to the wall practically running 24/7 and using up electricity, the recharging process via Google Gemini is said to be something like "heating the gel to a specific temperature, typically 120-150°C (248-302°F) for 1-3 hours". I think maintaining that kind of temperature for that long duration definitely takes a LOT of energy.
For the science geeks who want to read about water desorption in silica gel, you can refer to it here. Took a short read and while yes there seems to be a way to achieve low energy consumption, I dont think most of us here have their equipment to do so. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844022010453?
Oh and also these tiny balls can cause a lot of issues if accidentally ingested. You can find out the very dangerous side effects that can occur if you accidentally eat any of those.
Feel free to see this video for more on the side effects of eating silica gel.
If you really want to use silica gels, get those that is already bundled in packets or use those permanently kept in the rechargable units. If you really prefer just getting a whole tub, get either the pure colourless white ones or the green to orange ones. The blue to pink ones may contain a toxic compound that is why try not to use them. And I rather you throw them away rather than attempt the difficult and dangerous process of recharging them.
These kind are definitely what I would strongly recommend rather than any other option, you just need to plug them to the wall for a while until it resets.
Part 2: Electronic Dry Cabinets
The issue with manual dry cabinets is you need to continually monitor and replenish the silica gel whenever necessary. This also means that in the long run you would technically be leading to more wasted resources. Same applies as you buy more equipment, leading to even more boxes. There are people who never check on these manual dry boxes leading to their items spoiling, and more resources will now be wasted to repair or replace them.
As an environmentally conscious (I hope I am) person, I would really rather you spend a bit more and look at electronic dry cabinets given the long term benefits.
Most electronic dry cabinets work the same way. Power from a socket is used to power a dehumidifying unit, which sucks moisture out from the air.
Furthermore as you can see from the image of the dry cabinets above, most have drawers for you to sort out your equipment nicely. Makes it a lot easier to find your equipment rather than trying to pull a Jenga brick out everytime you retrieve your equipment.
Part 3: How to choose a Electronic Dry Cabinet/ My recommendation for a first dry cabinet
So the truth is that all electronic dry cabinets serve the same purpose which is to maintain the humidity level inside. Even the cheapest electronic dry cabinet (but cheap isnt always the best) could probably get the job done. The price difference is mostly due to size and other quality of life (QOL) features which I would talk about later.
The most important question you should always ask yourself is this.
How much storage space do I need, i.e. what do I want to put inside?
I understand photography and videography is an expensive hobby, no denying it. Thats also why you should think further into the future rather than just buying off impulse. Get a dry cabinet with plenty of storage for potential future expansion.
I started out with a 36L dry cabinet from Digi-Cabi's sub brand, it was a promotional free gift with my first camera. That very dry cabinet served me well up to roughly 5 years into my hobby until I decided it was time to upgrade to a way bigger setup.
Personally if you are just starting out and are looking to get your very first dry cabinet, I think the new S38E dry cabinet is the perfect one. 38L can hold quite a lot of equipment, including a few zoom lenses like the 70-200 and 200-500. Of course if you know you would be getting even more equipment, you can look for even bigger sizes.
I dont think you need to look further than this if you are just starting out, given it has adequate size to fit a lens such as the 200-500/ 180-600/ 100-400/ 70-200 which are lenses people may consider getting after getting more into the hobby.
This looks so much nicer than the old Digi-Cabi 36L I had. My hygrometer was the manual one. Yes, thats how mine looked. I feel old.
Oh and the small keys they gave was the manual fiddly one. It got rusty really easily and after a while I just left the unit unlocked all the time (applies to other brands of Dry Cabinets too). Even on the 60L I had from Digi-Cabi were using these keys. I personally feel that password locks are better, but its no big deal even if you want to get one with manual keys. I have used them for many years and it still works. Just maybe use a different keyring rather than the one they gave.
Digi-Cabi are also nice enough to include a free rechargeable magnetic warm motion detect LED with every dry cabinet purchase via their website (most selected models that does not have built in LED lights). I remember even when I bought my 60L from them I didnt have such nice LED and its a nice welcome thought. I mean hey it does save you the money than having the added cost with a LED strip built in to the dry cabinet.
More info on the S38E here https://digicabi.com.sg/product/s38e/
Shopee: https://s.shopee.sg/10qtHq3geH
Lazada: https://s.lazada.sg/s.cuRf3?cc
Please make sure you click the correct model, Digi-Cabi do list many models under this product listing. But the S28E and S38E (2025 design) are my top choices for beginners currently.
I think for serious hobbyists, somewhere from 60-120L dry cabinet should ideally be good enough for most people. You can consider looking at even larger sizes if you really do aquire a lot of equipment down the line. Given houses in Singapore are becoming increasingly smaller, please do consider your space available.
Yes I do understand there are other brands out there offering LED lights built in at similar price points, and some may have longer warranty periods. I personally have used products from other competing brands as well and I would like to address all these concerns later on, so please read on!
Part 4: Some QOL features in other Digi-Cabi Cabinets/ SMART Series
Being one of Singapore's most established dry cabinet business, Digi-Cabi really has the largest lineup of dry cabinets (read on later to find out more). There are many different models out there with different set of features that adds on to the experience and looks.
Thanks to Digi-Cabi, I have been able to try out their latest SMART series of dry cabinets, in particular the SMT-180 which is their current largest SMART dry cabinet (not their largest overall). Many of these features are available in their other lineups, and here are some of the features you may be interested in when looking to get a new dry cabinet.
(Digital) Password Locks
Most dry cabinets out there uses keys which as mentioned earlier is honestly ok. The S38E has a password lock but its the rolling combination style lock, the ones you find in padlocks. Digi-Cabi is now implementing electric password locks in some of their higher end models, which I feel its easier to press compared to the padlock ones. Of course you need to replace the battery once in a while and I dont think these batteries are rechargable currently (I mean button cell batteries are pretty darn hard to make rechargable).
LED light strip
Yes, I know many other brands are also innovating with regards to this aspect. Its very beneficial to me given can find what I need in my dry cabinets easily given how deep the dry cabinet can be. I really love the warm tones of the dry cabinet, it complemented the design and aesthetics. As for the other models, I like how the free USB magnetic light by Digi-Cabi given has motion detect, which is really very nice. If you currently have a working dry cabinet that is spacious enough, you may just want to consider getting one of those magnetic lights and save the environmental and financial costs.
To my own knowledge as of writing this article (May 2025), I dont think any dry cabinet company has made motion detection in their dry cabinet that automatically turns on the LED strip when the cabinet is open. Maybe this is one area that Digi-Cabi would consider adding next time.
Preset Humidity Settings
This is really a goated feature when it comes to dry cabinets. To be frank, most of the time your humidity in the dry cabinet only needs to be within a range of values for the items you are storing, but most advance models out there allow you to set a proper fixed target value where the cabinet will try its best to maintain. The SMART series has a special preset button where you can easily set the target humidity value to be (35/40/45/50/55 %). Saved me time in setting up my dry cabinet, and if I ever need to repurpose this dry cabinet to store other items, I dont need to fiddle with the settings again.
Tuya SMART IoT app (gamechanger for professionals, really)
I think most of us people who frequently use our equipment and use electronic dry cabinets would have had this situation happen before. Forgetting to close the dry cabinet door fully shut, or accidentally turning off the power source for the dry cabinet. In some cases, the power adapter could be faulty and just based off seeing the LED display working, you might never know until it is too late. Personally I am lucky (or would I say unfortunate) enough to have experienced all 3 of these happening in my hobby.
The SMART series from Digi-Cabi essentially turns an ordinary dry cabinet into a smart home device connected via Wi-Fi, integrating with other smart home devices you may already have at home. Through the app I can easily monitor the status of my dry cabinet and adjust any settings from anywhere, anytime. Especially when I am travelling about and leaving most of my equipment inside, this really gives me the peace of mind knowing the humidity in he dry cabinet is well maintained. And if I ever see the humidity level keep on climbing even when I thought I did everything correct, I now know its propably I forgot to shut the door properly again.
Another very important feature that I cannot thank enough is the critical alert feature. If the dry cabinet ever goes offline, a notification will be sent to your phone and it gives you the time to react. When it comes to camera gear being sat in a moist dark environment, to me its like a life and death situation. Having these alerts really can save you from a lot of unnecessary trouble and potentially costly repairs.
Part 5: The SMT-180 Unboxing Experience
I would say I am amazed by how well all of Digi-Cabi products are packaged. Its been a really long time since I ever unboxed a behemoth like this (and it should be in your case too, given dry cabinets should last a long time). Unboxing this dry cabinet became a 2 man job. Best to have more hands on deck rather than make a mistake and break a brand new dry cabinet.
Unfortunately I might have forgotten to take any images of the unboxing, so the below images are from the screengrabs of the video unboxing. A lesson to further imrpove on myself haha.
Do note you are supposed to first open it up from the bottom to remove the power adapter and insert the 4 adjustable feet. This also means flipping the whole package upside down. Exactly why I said, its really meant to be a 2 man job.
I like how every single detail in the packaging were considered to ensure your dry cabinet stays safe till it reaches your very doorstep. While yes there is a lot of styrofoam on all sides to protect the cabinet from all angles and indeed they are harmful to the environment, I would say its probably the best method as of now to transport these kind of huge metal boxes with a giant glass panel. Hopefully one day Digi-Cabi would figure out more sustainable eco friendly packaging, but in my view they already used very little and did put enough thought into minimising packaging material. For the sliding drawers, they are secured with tape so they dont move around during transport and shipping.
Instructions wise it is nice that most of them are online QR code instructions for you to follow, saving lots of paper. However its funny I accidentally locked the dry cabinet the very first time with the instructions including the password lock still inside. At least my first 2 guesses of 0000 and 1234 (this was the password) unlocked it. Would have been funny if it wasnt any of these and I had to call to reset the password (this is also really nice of them, but I am pretty sure they will verify your details before giving you the information haha).
The tray sizes were really big enough, here you can see that a lens as big as a 180-600 can fit in horizontally in each tray (the 60L I had could barely do so only on the bottom shelf). Yes I like to space out my items properly so I can easily grab for them without accidentally knocking over other items.
Part 6: Why I have been using Digi-Cabi compared to other brands
Now time to address the elephant(s) in the room and clear some air. I know many people would be saying some of these. "There are lighter dry cabinets out there"; "This brand cheaper and got 1 more year of warranty"; "Same price but Digi-Cabi one no LED light strip"; "I never heard of this brand that much now, seems to be online only". I know its hard to justify because all of these by competing brands seem to offer better value for money, or is it really?
I cannot comment directly on other brands since even though I did buy and use their products, I have never personally spoken with their headquarters. The only time I spoke to their staff was when I was enquiring on a faulty unit that eventually turned out to be the power adapter. Unfortunately that company left me on read even though a simple reply could have been given. However I am happy to tell you that I had a very pleasant interaction with Digi-Cabi staff when I went there previously. They are really down to heart and really give their all into their products.
First I would like to mention why Digi-Cabi moved their operations online. I think long term hobbyists would know Digi-Cabi used to showcase and sell their products through authorised resellers and in recent years seemed to not be as widespread. While there are still authorised resellers for Digi-Cabi, most of them have turned to catalogue form (I think its fine given the most important aspect is the exterior dimensions to ensure it has a place in your space, which the catalogues clearly and easily are able to do so).
One answer is because of costs. Digi-Cabi has access to a huge warehouse and being able to consolidate the distribution of their products will bring in cost savings to consumers. Currently, Digi-Cabi operates via their website and on Lazada/ Shopee.
Another answer is with regards to the warranty. Many customers who used to buy from these retail shops end up losing the warranty card and receipt for the purchase, making it very hard to offer the proper after sales support. Every unit directly sold by them are tagged and they are able to keep a proper record in their system, making it easy for them to provide the necessary support. I know there are complaints and fuzz about needing warranty cards but honestly speaking even my camera comes with one that I keep at least until the warranty has expired. This is to prevent any fraud when it comes to claims. In all my experiences with Digi-Cabi, all the warranty cards for the units I bought came with the warranty card alongside the receipt outside the box, there may unfortunately be cases where resellers might have forgotten to include the card and end up tarnishing both the store and Digi-Cabi's reputation. I understand its also hard to believe any review online, including mine but personally my experience has been largely positive.
It is always advisable and recommended to register online for warranty coverage. You may do so via the link here. https://digicabi.com.sg/customer-information/warranty-registration/
I was also curious why only 5 year compared to 6 years by some other brands (but 1 year only for DC power adapter LED/LCD Display Hygrometer, internal LED Light, I think its still fairly reasonable although would have loved for 5 years on everything) and when I asked them, they mentioned that most dry cabinets are very robust and will not fail that easily. Most of the time it would actually be the power adapter that failed rather than the main unit. Honestly having used their products as a customer for several years they do last. In comparison, all my camera gear that doesnt run 24/7 only has a 1 year warranty, so theres that.
By the way, Digi-Cabi can support repairs of their products even after warranty is long over. They guarantee up to 10 years of part support for most models (the larger units especially) from the date you buy your dry cabinet. In fact some dry cabinet models dating back close to 20 years old are still being able to be serviced by their technicans with their inventory of parts. Dry cabinets are expected to be a long term investment, and it is really nice to hear that products that are that old can still be worked on.
Read Digi-Cabi warranty and service terms here https://digihub.com.sg/servicing/
As for ease of repair, I too questioned them on that regards. I only wanted to collaborate with a brand that make their products repairable, rather than planned obsolescence from all the mobile tech giants (I hate these greedy con-panies). I was worried on the ease of repair of all their electronics, especially for features such as the built in LED strips, especially given dry cabinets are supposed to last. Digi-Cabi did show me that they are replacable and it is relatively easy to do so across their lineup. Furthermore, their modeular design makes removing their dehumidifier unit easy so us consumers do not need to bring the whole bulky unit down to their service centre, which saves so much unnecessary trouble and risk. They do also offer on-site servicing support (may incur additional fees).
Of course it is best that you let their technicians do it, but perhaps they may make self DIY tutorials next time, just like what Nikon has been doing with their new releases (but please note as with every company any damage due to user error during the repair process is the user's liability).
When I toured their headquarters, Digi-Cabi was kind enough to show me their arsenal and their large lineup of dry cabinets. I really love how much they are always looking to improve and innovate. Currently, Digi-Cabi have ventured into fully customisable wardrobe dry cabinets for storing clothing, books and other household items. They also have made dry cabinets for specifically storing those precious musical instruments, while making sure they are classy enough to showcase them as a centrepiece in your homes. By the way, they are even working on a new lineup for watches, so look out for that once it is released!
Part 7: Where to find Digi-Cabi
You may check out Digi-Cabi's lineup at their websites and on Lazada/ Shopee
https://digicabi.com.sg/
Digi-Cabi official Lazada account https://s.lazada.sg/s.cFdxx?cc
Digi-Cabi official Shopee account https://s.shopee.sg/9f8GG1k75E
These two platforms are the only ones I trust. There may be other sellers offering the same deal for cheaper, but remember these listings could very easily be fake. Lazada should have the Lazmall label on it whereas Shopee should say Preferred. Just look at the seller statistics. Digi-Cabi official accounts will have proper statistics.
There truly is an option for your every need at every price point. You may also schedule an appointment to head down to their warehouse and see some of their options for yourself before deciding what to purchase. As mentioned near the very beginning, most of the electronic dry cabinets use the same technology, and prices vary mainly due to size and other QOL features. Spend responsibly as always, and only get the dry cabinets from their official sites.
If you are just starting out and just need a small sized dry cabinet that will last, get the i-Cabi S38E. I think you cannot go wrong with that.
More info on the S38E here https://digicabi.com.sg/product/s38e/
Shopee: https://s.shopee.sg/10qtHq3geH
Lazada: https://s.lazada.sg/s.cuRf3?cc
However if you are looking for even bigger storage, I would suggest to look at the 60L-100L range from the below ranges. SMART and LUX are more premium with more features and will be more expensive.
The AD-60X which I am still using and is honestly decent: https://s.shopee.sg/9UpRNjWcc6
Part 8: Closing Statements
Digi-Cabi shares the same sentiment as me in making sure customers are truly happy with their purchases, and they are committed to their research and development efforts to ensure customer needs are answered. No company is perfect and I understand that there can be companies doing things better, but this continual drive to seek improvement is what makes me believe and support Digi-Cabi.
Digi-Cabi has always indirectly supported my craft all these years from their solidly built, long lasting dry cabinets which have led to my eequipment being well protected. I am truly honoured and grateful to be given this opportunity to collaborate with Digi-Cabi and share more of what I have seen and learnt along my journey. At the end of the day, both of us want people to make more informed choices that they will truly be happy with, rather than one of impulse to only regret later. If you have any comments, feedback, criticism on Digi-Cabi products, feel free to voice them out to me, I will pass your comments forward for their team to work on.
Thank you for making it this far and taking the time to read through this.
It means a lot to me.
Stay happy and healthy!
Captures By YKteo
Note: Some of the above links may be affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from every purchase made through the links, at no extra cost to you. All these are invested back into my craft, ensuring I can keep making better content for everyone.