Customer Reviews

Pelican 1500d Desiccant Silica Gel

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been using these silica containers for well over 7 years now and they are outstanding, simply outstanding. The best thing about these containers is they are reusable. As soon as they get saturated with moisture you simply pop them in the oven and abra-cadabra they are ready to be used again and you can continue to reuse them as many times as you want. There is no limit on the number of times they can be reused. I actually own around 45-50 of these in a bunch of misc sizes. I am an architectural photographer and I keep one in each of my photography cases and lighting cases. I also use them in the storage cabinets that I keep my negatives and prints in as well as in my safe, where I keep my very best negatives. I also use them in the pelican cases that I use to store my hard drives. In other words I have these things all over the place protecting all of my sensitive electronics and photographic materials.

I actually have an electronic device that measures the humidity in the air and I did extensive testing with these containers back when I was first looking into various humidity control solutions and these devices performed flawlessly regardless of where I used them. As long as you use the proper size silica container for the area your looking to dehumidify, you will no longer have anything to worry about in regards to humidity. Just make sure you check the saturation level regularly and you will be good to go.

The bottom line - The bad news is that humidity can really wreak havoc on certain items especially over the long term. The good news is that humidity can be easily controlled with very little effort and very little money. There are actually a lot of options out there for controlling humidity and most of them will do a fairly good job at doing just that. With that being said these silica containers are easily one of the best options on the market and they are very affordable. Again I have been using them for well over 7 years now and I have absolutely zero complaints. They do exactly what they are supposed to do and in all honesty, What more can you really ask for?

5 Stars!!!

I'd been looking for some reuseable silicagel for a while, and when I came across this on Amazon I figured it worth trying out, particularly since it is not all that expensive.

Well, the unit is nicely made - I have "recharged" the gel about 4 times now with no problems - just remember to use a glove or tongs to remove the tin from the oven and let it cool! Of course, this stuff is only as good as the weather-proofness of the space in which it's put, so I keep most of my digital camera gear in a Pelican case (actually, a LowePro camera bag that fits in the Pelican case) and slip this unit in there.

I have used this silica pack over and over again. The reason I am here now: I lost my last pack in Cocoa Beach on a location shoot. It was raining every day (in August), with lots of humidity. I kept my digital camera in a zip lock bag with this pack when I was not shooting. On the 6th and last night I put the pack in the oven for a half-hour at 300 degrees to dry out ( as I have done for years) and forgot to take it out of the over when I left. I am buying 3 more now. I believe this is an easy way to extend the life of my cameras.

I am sure this works fine, but it is now out of date.
Any silica gel that uses blue indicator was made prior to 2000 and considered toxic.

Get the cobalt-free version of the product to avoid cancer (orange)

Pelican also has their cobalt-free branded version on amazon. search for OSG-40.
You can also search the internet and you will find it for about the same price elsewhere.

Theoretically the newer "orange" silica gels may also be of newer formulation so will adsorb more moisture.

I use this product to store delicate pastry items that would otherwise be ruined by the humidity. A product that would last only a day without the dessicant, will last a week wihout becoming stale or sticky. It is the best dessicsant I have worked with in the kitchen because it is self contained, clear to tell when it need refreshing, and easy to refresh by leaving it in the oven overnight with just the pilot light on.

My complaint... The shipping is unfair. They will ship multiple items together, but still charge you as if they were shipped seperately. If the company wants more money for the product they should raise the price, instead of being dishonest!!! Bad business practices.

One of the dirty little secrets of inexpensive firesafes is that the humidity level inside is substantially higher than room ambient. In my case at least 20% higher during the summer. The manufacturers of these safes, Sentry, Honeywell and others, recommend opening them periodically to air them out. I'd guess more than a few people missed this fact and wound up with damaged contents. When the humidity level is in the 80% range, you can expect mold, mildew and rust. One each of the Peli's in two small hanging folder-type fire safes dropped the humidity level from the low to mid 80% range to the low 40% range. One of the firesafes was purchased locally in new condition. When opened, the user manual and other paperwork were moist from interior humidity. This in spite of having a manufacturer desiccant inside. I put one of these in overnight and it dropped the humidity level to the low 40% range. The Peli's are easily reactivated by baking them which makes them inexpensive, long term insurance. I wouldn't use these in anything larger than a hanging folder-type safe or container (less than ~1.5 cubic feet would be my guess) but in that environment they are performing exceptionally well. If you have a larger container, there are similar desiccants with more silica content that would be a better choice.

Pelican name: Tough, indestructible cases...

These: Thin aluminum with silica beads inside...

If they stood up to and kind of abuse, then I would be purchasing more of these, but I'm still picking out the silica beads out of my camera case months after it broke open on me.

This is a neat self-contained desiccator you can put in your camera bag, or elsewhere, to remove moisture from the air. It lowers the humidity for several days before needing to be regenerated. It is easily regenerated in the oven at 300 F for 3 hrs. Good product.

I've been using mine in my Pelican 1614 since I got the Pelican about 6 months ago. I was quite shocked to check the crystal one day when taking out some gear over the winter and found that it had turned colors. I really didn't expect much moisture to be present in the winter months. No problem, throw it in the oven for 3 hours, and it is as good as new again!

Now that we're moving into spring/summer I will be checking this on a much more regular schedule.

I've read of people that just throw the desiccant packs from shoe boxes, or wherever into their bags, or boxes. I can only imagine how ineffective those little bags are.

This is a definite buy!!!

I have years of extensive experience in prepping. In fact, I have these same desiccants in use elsewhere in my prep systems.
I thought I was getting the SAME brand or item. But when I opened the package, it did not even come the manufacturer's typical grey and white package.
Instead, it was OBVIOUSLY RESEALED in another generic plastic bag.

But it does not stop there!
The metal casing is supposed to say, according to the advertised photos from this vendor:
"Hydrosorbent 40 Gram Silica Gel: When pink, reactivate 3 hours at 300F"

Nope. Instead says:
"Dry-packs moisture absorbing can: reactivate when green - 2 hours at 280F"
Geez! Get your colors straight, because now I've inherited a confusing color scheme.

But it does not even stop there!
When comparing the original, my husband and I found that these were noticeably lighter and had less granules!

Listen - if you want to buy from a reputable vendor, buy from MidwayUSA and save yourselves a lot of hassle, deception, and wasted effort/time:
Go to MidwayUSA and type in their search bar: 'Hydrosorbent Silica Gel Desiccant Dehumidifier'
You'll be treated right at Midway and will GET THE ACTUAL PRODUCT ADVERTISED! Wow - what a novel idea!

One last point, I've purchased tens of thousands of dollars from vendors all over America; it's part of my job. Having said that, it seems that Amazon is being infiltrated more and more by these types of vendor scams in the past year or so, so PLEASE keep your eyes open and beware. If possible, I try to avoid Amazon when making my weekly lists of vendors to purchase from - it's gotten that bad.