25 YEAR TEST: LOCKDOWN GOLDEN ROD GUN CABINET DEHUMIDIFIER

This review technically started way back around 1995. 

My first Golden Rod Dehumidifier was bought around that year.

Here is how well the Golden Rod Dehumidifier did back then and how well the new ones work today.

It all started with the first hunting guns I ever owned. I needed a safe to keep them in for safety and to keep the dings and scratches off before they were even a thought. The metal cabinet had a fatal flaw all enclosed spaces have: humidity. To combat this around 1995 I bought my first Golden Rod Dehumidifier. I taped up the extra mounting holes in the cabinet itself to seal the inside as well as possible and easily added the then new Golden Rod Dehumidifier to the back of the cabinet on the floor. It stayed plugged in all of those years and ran non-stop. I checked it once in awhile to make sure it was still giving off humidity drying heat but otherwise left it alone. It just kept on going and going like the Energizer bunny. Below is the original unit in it’s original home of a quarter century.

Enter 2020. With the age of the unit itself I decided to contact the company, Lockdown, to see if I can do a review of the new unit versus my old unit. The great folks were happy to help and quickly a new 18″ Lockdown Golden Rod Dehumidifier was at my door. I took the old unit out of the cabinet and my findings were nothing but impressive. Below is the power cord head with zero corrosion or melting that is common on older heavily used cords. The inside of the detachable power cord head also showed no signs of damage due to heavy use.

Below in this image we can see the plastic mounting brackets and where the cord attaches is perfect after all these years. Even the plastic mounting brackets had no heat damage.

That old Golden Rod Dehumidifier is in great shape though being 25 years old. Still serviceable is quite an understatement to this tough little dehumidifier.

I see why Lockdown has a lifetime warranty on the product. Other than a little dust from the cabinet that dehumidifier is pretty much in new shape. Impressive!

Well out with the old and in with the new. The new unit is the same 18″ in length that the older unit is. Made in the U.S.A. it is a 18 Watt, 110v unit that is filled with vermiculite. The vermiculite filling allows for even heat dispersal with no hot spots. That is especially important when in an enclosed area with your valuable firearm investments and heirlooms. This unit has a listed 200 cubic foot drying area. The detachable power cord head allowed the cord to be snaked through a small hole in the safe itself. The power cord head was quickly back on and plugged in. The Lockdown Golden Rod Dehumidifier was ready to combat any moisture now in the same spot where it’s father did for 25 years. Note this unit pictured below has plenty of space away from the cabinet foam and anything else for proper air flow.

I was curious how much warmer the new unit was compared to the old unit. With both units plugged in for the same amount of time I did the touch test. The old unit had plenty of heat after 25 years. My finger was on there maybe 10 seconds before the heat was a bit too much. Now the newer unit had a bit more heat than the older one. Interesting to note while the surface was quite warm to the touch off of that very little perceived heat could be felt. No worries about the heat applied to your wood gun stocks or even synthetic ones. The mounting brackets hold them with plenty of air space to keep everything good.

In summary I have found the Lockdown Golden Rod Dehumidifier is necessary to keep the moisture out of your gun cabinet. The 25 year old unit indeed still will work well and hence why Lockdown has a lifetime warranty on them. I am certainly impressed with the Lockdown Golden Rod Dehumidifier. Be sure to check out the Lockdown website for the Golden Rod Dehumidifier and all of their other great products for the gun owner. Also once again made in the U.S.A. is always a win.