Just received my first humidor!

[Joho]

No need to tell me, I know. I just wanted to have something that I could sit on my desktop and have it look nice.

Funny thing is, the FedEx truck pulled out of my driveway as soon as I pulled up the tracking page this morning, wondering where it was.

My Humidor

I actually ordered the seconds (imperfect), which cost me $29.99 and only had a few minor scratches and blemishes on the inside. For $29.99 I also got a digital hygrometer (I'm not a big fan of cheap Wal-Mart hygrometers as I use one and it's not particularly accurate, so I wanted to give this a shot), and a Western Torpedo "advanced humidification device".

Yes, I ordered it off of BargainHumidors.com. I received it in three days! I also ordered two of these just in case, as they were on sale. I received everything I ordered with no problems. When I placed the order itself, I received an email confirming it, and I was able to log into the site and keep watch on the progress of my package. +1 for BargainHumidors, despite their listing on the scum list.

I'm pleasantly surprised at the aesthetics of my wonderful wooden box; BargainHumidors needs to hire a new photographer for their website, as it looked like a piece of crap there. It's not a masterpiece, and isn't a solid-knockable-wood heirloom that I can pass down to my grandson, but for someone going through life's transitions this will definitely get the job done. I'm excited to see how well it'll work! *Crosses fingers*

Anyhow, I have wiped it down with a moist (or damp hehe) paper towel. As you can see from the pictures, it'll be three days before I open this thing again.

Pictures! (Cell phone camera so the carpet looks dirtier than it really is...I swear !!)

So...how long do you wager these humidification devices will last? Or should I immediately upgrade to something better? Perhaps Heartfelt beads? Then again, this is a pretty small humidor.

 

[calhounhusker]

Beads or gel are always better than the foam humidifiers most humidors come with. Humidor looks good, though you will be surprised how fast it might fill up.

 

[Joho]

Beads or gel are always better than the foam humidifiers most humidors come with. Humidor looks good, though you will be surprised how fast it might fill up.

Now are there advantages or disadvantages between beads and gel when it comes to smaller humidors? I can't seem to find any information pertaining to this.

 

[calhounhusker]

You got me on this. From what I can tell most people recommend the Heartfelt beads, So I would probably go with them.

 

[Marcos]

Beads work to add or remove humidity where gel only adds humidity ...(I think)

 

[smokintexas]

Beads work to add or remove humidity where gel only adds humidity ...(I think)

After reading up much about beads and contacting Viper and asking him a few questions as well I believe this to be the truth as well. Don't think your humi is too small for beads because the smaller the space (or the more beads if you have a larger humi/cooler/vino) the better the beads will regulate the humidity. Beads will also be great for you if you tend to open your humi often because they tend to regulate the RH back quicker then the gel. The other benefit it gives is piece of mind which will become very important with the more money you spend on your cigars. Beads are definitely the way to go and if you have any questions (after you have typed "beads" into the search engine and read up on it) Viper is always willing to lend a hand!

 

[Joho]

Awesome. I'll definitely look into beads!

How often do typical foam humidifiers have to be soaked in water again?

 

[Golfanatic]

Is that a diaper on the floor? Nice humi and fill it up!

 

[Joho]

Is that a diaper on the floor? Nice humi and fill it up!

Haha that's a paper towel I used to wipe something down with.

If I only use paper towels to wipe off water I generally keep them around for a second use (being an Asian of sorts I like to conserve everything)...I just hadn't gotten around to putting it in the "used paper towels stack".

And I definitely plan on filling this thing up! Thanks !!

Edit:
I just took a peek in my humidor (I don't know if this is bad or not, but I couldn't resist)...and the hygrometer revealed 81% RH. Is it supposed to go this high during the initial seasoning process and then level out? I placed a bowl of distilled water and shut it when I made this topic, about ten and a half hours ago.

 

[Mr Peat]

Awesome. I'll definitely look into beads!

How often do typical foam humidifiers have to be soaked in water again?

From my experience as soon as they are starting to dry out. I have one I forgot the name of it but it worked like a champ. It was pretty big and in the shape of a rectangle. It had a life time warranty on it and I never sent it in. At the time, it was around $90 with tax but it lasted me for years. That was before I got really into the hobby and bought myself a Grandfather clock sized humidor and put in the Avallo system. It wasn't cheap, but in the end it paid off big time. I just fired up the big humidor once again as I see I really need it now with the SCHIP going in place really soon.

So I have spent the day working on getting the humidity back up to snuff as I let it dry out while I was in Russia last year. I didn't want to risk it with my brother and sis-n-law as they both hate cigars. LOL!!! But the sis-n-law is a cigarette smoker and that will probably be coming to a close soon enough. I also had to place an order in for the Wicks which is for the humidification unit which I just love. I can set the humidity to whatever % I want. :thumbs:

I have a digital one for the 300 stick one and I just have a plastic cup I cut with water in it and it works perfect for it.

 

[stlboarder]

It's normal for the humidity to be high when seasoning. If you bought a seasoning pack they are usually set at 84% I believe. After having the bowl of water in there for a few days take it out and just have your humi device in. Then it should level out some. Definitely get the beads though. You won't regret it.

 

[Martimus00]

Off topic here but I have to ask, where did you get that bowl in the humidor. I have one VERY similar that came from an arts and crafts sale in Louisville kY.

 

[Joho]

Off topic here but I have to ask, where did you get that bowl in the humidor. I have one VERY similar that came from an arts and crafts sale in Louisville kY.

I actually have no idea. My mother picked it up a while ago, and she never leaves the state so...someplace in Jersey?

 

[Joho]

Okay, so the humidity is a steady 74-75%. Is this too high?

 

[smokintexas]

Okay, so the humidity is a steady 74-75%. Is this too high?

Most around here (including myself) think that anything above 70% is pushing it, in fact a lot of us keep it between 62-69. I don't think that 75% will hurt your cigars, they just might not burn/taste the same as they would if they were around 65%. The B&M I recently visited had their RH at 81% and the only thing I could really notice was that the burn wasn't as even and I had to re-light it more often. My palette is not developed enough to taste the difference though. I would suggest to try and drop it down a bit, possibly by leaving the lid open for a while. Cigars are meant to be relaxing though so don't fret too much over a +/- 5% RH.

Just my .02.

 

[Joho]

Yeah, the CAO Gold I smoked a few days ago kept going out and I had to relight it.

I was just wondering whether 75% happened to be deadly or mold-encouraging or whether it's still acceptable and safe.

 

[Joshua72]

That is a great desktop humidor. I sure like the imperfect humidor section, you can get some great deals that way most of the people I have talked to who purchased a imperfect say in most cases say they can't even find what makes them imperfect. This is what I am going to shop next time I am in the need for a new humidor and the rate I am buying sticks it should be in about a week or so!!
Josh

 

[Joho]

That is a great desktop humidor. I sure like the imperfect humidor section, you can get some great deals that way most of the people I have talked to who purchased a imperfect say in most cases say they can't even find what makes them imperfect. This is what I am going to shop next time I am in the need for a new humidor and the rate I am buying sticks it should be in about a week or so!!
Josh

My next humidor might as well be an imperfect. I'm very satisfied with mine at the moment and the blemishes that made this humidor imperfect are barely noticeable. Imperfects shouldn't have any flaws pertaining to the functionality of the humidor; they will only be flawed in terms of aesthetics, which is great for us budget people.

An update: my humidor is holding steady at 75% which is a tad bit too high; my sticks are a bit difficult to light. I plan on just allowing my humidification device to slowly lose humidity as a 5% deviation isn't really that big of a deal to me.

 

[LibertyToad]

Beads or gel are always better than the foam humidifiers most humidors come with. Humidor looks good, though you will be surprised how fast it might fill up.

Now are there advantages or disadvantages between beads and gel when it comes to smaller humidors? I can't seem to find any information pertaining to this.

FWIW. I have the Heartfelt beads. They're fantastic. Much, much easier than the typical foam in a new Humidor.

I read somewhere that the gels tend to work better in the winter (when it's dry) while the beads tend to work better in the summer (when it's humid). I'm not sure how true it is, but I'm pleased with the beads and Heartfelt is a great place to order from (I've ordered many times from them). The beads both absorb and give off humidity.

Oh, if you get the beads it isn't a bad idea to buy more than you need.

I got the 65% beads. I have far fewer burn problems than when I was keeping my humidor at 70%

 

[Joho]

FWIW. I have the Heartfelt beads. They're fantastic. Much, much easier than the typical foam in a new Humidor.

I read somewhere that the gels tend to work better in the winter (when it's dry) while the beads tend to work better in the summer (when it's humid). I'm not sure how true it is, but I'm pleased with the beads and Heartfelt is a great place to order from (I've ordered many times from them). The beads both absorb and give off humidity.

Oh, if you get the beads it isn't a bad idea to buy more than you need.

I got the 65% beads. I have far fewer burn problems than when I was keeping my humidor at 70%

Once I get another job and a steady income going again, I definitely plan on investing some money into 65% Heartfelt beads.