A vacuum bag will leak, it’s a matter of time before the bag detoriates with repeated usage. The upshot of vacuum bags is that there’s very little moist air that has to be dehumidified by fresh silica gel beads.
A good cereal box with a seal and clasps shuts off air exchange, however there’s no getting the air out, so it’s a lot more air to dehumidify (at the same time, there’s more space for silica gel beads). The good part about them is that a good box with good seal will last longer than vacuum bag.
The best option would be to have a vacuum container (like the ones for food), however the ones I’ve seen are far more expensive than even good quality cereal box containers and I’ve never seen ones the size needed to hold a spool in them.
@Johnny_Bit I agree, but still ask myself the question: How much humidity will travel through whatever tiny hole the bag must have (be it a poked bag, a non tight seal, or the valve itself)? There is practically NO airflow once the vacuum is gone. How does this match the travel of humidity? I EXPECT it to be next to none existent. I may need to do a test with hygrometers placed on the bag and see if it raises once the vacuum is gone.
I have vacuum bag punctured by cat’s teeth and claws. The hygrometer inside says “30%” when room’s humidity is 60%. The fully sealed bag says “10%” but that’s lowest that cheap hygrometer can go.
I have a question on how you attached the hydrometer to the box. I use the 20qrt Serilite tubs with the blue gaskets, but I can’t find an adhesive that will actually stick to the tubs for more than a couple of months.
Yes, same here. After a couple of months they’re falling down. I’ve tried double sided tape from TESA and the thick transparent tape from AliExpress. If I open the box for a filament change, I push it back on the box. :-
Every time I look at zip bag reviews before buying, I always get steered away because it’s always the same as what was said here. I use the 21 cup Rubbermaid container for my most valuable filaments. They are expensive but work very well and are pretty much indestructible. I had developed a rewind system that required multiple holes but have since found two great solutions requiring only two holes for PTFE tube adaptors which I glue to form a seal. The PLA I usually keep in zip bags with desiccant but might start using boxes for them as well.
I find that using real bearings in the roller base work better than printed ones and the magnetic retract desiccant system works amazing.
