You get what you pay for?

[LongDraw]

I am in the market for a humidor. I was wondering if this is really worth it http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-CAPACITY-300-ct-...%3A1%7C294%3A50
I would really like to spend more but being a small one income family I can't Thanks in advance for any info you provide

-Eric-

 

[Not A Nice Person]

In terms of capacity for your dollar, the standing advice around here will be to set up a coolerdor. Should be able to get yourself 3-4X the storage capacity for that price.

Of course, the standing advice glosses over our natural impulse to want something nice looking to put our cigars in . . . something that'll look nice in the den or on top of the dresser.

The main problem I see with the one you've linked is that the lower drawers appear to be operable, and humidified. That's bad for two reasons: one, the more openings a humidor has, the more likely it is to leak air (and humidity) and the harder it'll be to maintain proper conditions. Two, the drawers take up too much room and leave you with no place for boxes.

I have a glasstop version of THIS HUMIDOR. I can fit 2-4 boxes underneath, depending on what they are (right now I have two boxes and 3 bagged fivers down there) and 50-75 sticks up top. Only the bottom drawers work, and I use them for cutters and lighters and cases.

~Boar

 

[baldheadracing]

I am in the market for a humidor. I was wondering if this is really worth it http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-CAPACITY-300-ct-...%3A1%7C294%3A50
I would really like to spend more but being a small one income family I can't Thanks in advance for any info you provide

-Eric-

You do get what you pay for.

Quick lesson in Chinese:
Black tassel on the key = MDF box with plastic mactac painted/printed to look like wood (MDF=medium-density fibreboard). Pressboard trays.
Yellow tassel = better than garbage. Almost always an MDF box with some type of wood veneer inside, and a decent finish outside (so add beads or whatever). Cedar trays.
Red tassel = decent, but rarely sold outside of Chinese stores. (I've never seen a red-tassel one outside of a Chinese store/mall.) Actual cedar (not veneer) inside.

That particular 'humidor' was/is $40 from other sellers, and that's not a sale price by any means. I bought that exact model - took a hammer to it to see exactly what it was made of. I use it to store cigar-related junk now. (I bought it as part of a "What can you get for $40 on eBay" humidor comparison test.)

For the money, go coolerdor!

 

[Humidor Minister]

I live by an old saying. The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the cheap price is forgotten. Buy American wood work and it's hard to go wrong.

 

[scthornton]

If you're serious about cigars, I would avoid this. I would lean towards a coolidor or a wine-o-dor if you want something you can still look at and maybe get your wife to let you keep out. I would also check out Daniel Marshall and their scratch sale stuff. Chances are you wouldn't even notice any blemishes on these and you can get a classic humidor at a decent price.

 

[dulaney22]

Go with the cooler. I was in the same boat a month ago and am glad I did . . . bought a 70 qt. one and it's dang near full already. Get yourself some beads from Heartfelt and you'll be all set for less than a $100.

 

[MadMonk]

You might consider a large Lock & Lock food container, and a couple of Boveda paks.
I use them for overflow, and they work flawlessly, with no variation in humidity. About 15 bucks total.

I put the whole box in. I open them one or twice a month for 5-15 minutes. The box buffers the humidity, and you allow some air exchange.

Figure out how deep you will get into cigar smoking, and then decide how much storage you really need. If you decide that you want to acquire a lot of cigars, you can then go for another option.

 

[redraider]

I actually have this exact same humidor. For the money it is very good. You can find them on ebay without the buy it now, I won an auction for $38.00 shipped. It will not hold 300 cigars. I have about 160 in mine and that is max. The bottom drawers will hold cigars, but you need extra humidification devices in each drawer. I use a small container with heartfelt beads. It actually holds its Rh very well. I would say it is worth every penny. It is actually lined with cedar on the inside.

DE

 

[CigarMan Andy]

I am in the market for a humidor. I was wondering if this is really worth it http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-CAPACITY-300-ct-...%3A1%7C294%3A50
I would really like to spend more but being a small one income family I can't Thanks in advance for any info you provide

-Eric-

You do get what you pay for.

Quick lesson in Chinese:
Black tassel on the key = MDF box with plastic mactac painted/printed to look like wood (MDF=medium-density fibreboard). Pressboard trays.
Yellow tassel = better than garbage. Almost always an MDF box with some type of wood veneer inside, and a decent finish outside (so add beads or whatever). Cedar trays.
Red tassel = decent, but rarely sold outside of Chinese stores. (I've never seen a red-tassel one outside of a Chinese store/mall.) Actual cedar (not veneer) inside.

That particular 'humidor' was/is $40 from other sellers, and that's not a sale price by any means. I bought that exact model - took a hammer to it to see exactly what it was made of. I use it to store cigar-related junk now. (I bought it as part of a "What can you get for $40 on eBay" humidor comparison test.)

For the money, go coolerdor!

I actually have two of these. They are not great, but they are not pressboard trays or drawers. They hold humidity pretty well, better if you lock them. Yes you get what you pay for, but they have worked fine for me for over three years now. I have three and four year old cigars that are fine and have been in there for over three years. I use beads in the main humidor and bead tubes in the drawers for humidification and they work fine.

I do agree that if you have the room for a coolerdor, that might be the way to go. And I am upgrading to a tower later this year, but for now, my two work fine. I also have a couple of friends that use them as well. A good buy for the money.

One last thing. They hold between 175 and 225 sticks of good size, 300 coronas.

 

[Jonesy]

In terms of capacity for your dollar, the standing advice around here will be to set up a coolerdor. Should be able to get yourself 3-4X the storage capacity for that price.

Of course, the standing advice glosses over our natural impulse to want something nice looking to put our cigars in . . . something that'll look nice in the den or on top of the dresser.

The main problem I see with the one you've linked is that the lower drawers appear to be operable, and humidified. That's bad for two reasons: one, the more openings a humidor has, the more likely it is to leak air (and humidity) and the harder it'll be to maintain proper conditions. Two, the drawers take up too much room and leave you with no place for boxes.

I have a glasstop version of THIS HUMIDOR. I can fit 2-4 boxes underneath, depending on what they are (right now I have two boxes and 3 bagged fivers down there) and 50-75 sticks up top. Only the bottom drawers work, and I use them for cutters and lighters and cases.

~Boar

Boar gives good advice. Everyone here will tell you to build a coolidor...I don't agree with that. In time, you may want to look into that but most guys that are new to the hobby want something that's nice to look at and show off to the friends, so go with an example like he gave. When you build up your stock and need something bigger, then look into converting a cooler to a humidor.

 

[tsmckenney]

Chinese = Garbage.

 

[baldheadracing]

... It is actually lined with cedar on the inside.
DE

There are a couple of different models that look very similar. This one does not have cedar - the eBay ad linked says that. You can easily tell the difference as the movable dividers (not shown in the eBay pic) are cedar, and are a different colour than the rest of the interior 'wood.'

I actually have two of these. They are not great, but they are not pressboard trays or drawers. ...

On this one, what appears to be wood joints on the drawers are actually wood tape cut to look like wood joints. I couldn't tell that until I took a hammer to the unit (I glued it back together, but I can post pics if necessary). Yours could very well be wood - as there's no way this particular model could hold humidity in the drawers in a dry environment.

Price of the two different units is the same (or similar) on eBay. IIRC, the better one has a hygro similar in appearance to the Ravello that Boar linked to (and that is a decent model imported by qualityimporters.com). Caveat emptor.

 

[northernmoris]

I bought a Humidor foot locker as a imperfect for $100. It's absolutely huge. In the bottom I have about 8 boxes and the top 2 trays keeps singles. It's as big as it looks. I love my vinotemp, but after that I have no problem with the locker.

Dimensions: 16 3/4” W x 12” D x 16 1/2” H


400-500 Foot Locker Humidor
The Havana Foot Locker

 

[Joho]

I bought a Humidor foot locker as a imperfect for $100. It's absolutely huge. In the bottom I have about 8 boxes and the top 2 trays keeps singles. It's as big as it looks. I love my vinotemp, but after that I have no problem with the locker.

Dimensions: 16 3/4” W x 12” D x 16 1/2” H


400-500 Foot Locker Humidor
The Havana Foot Locker

Ooh, I've been eying that for a while now. Where'd you get the imperfect?

And, like everyone said, a coolidor will work great. It's the best option in terms of how much storage space you'll get for your money. On the other hand, you can purchase an "imperfect" or "seconds" desktop humidor for everyday smokes as I did...most humidor websites will have a section for humidors that are flawed in some way, but do not compromise the functionality of the humidor. Prices will be marked down accordingly. Often times, it's a barely noticeable nick here and a hard-to-see scratch there, and take it from someone obsessed with everything being perfect--you'll find a great buy!

 

[northernmoris]

I bought a Humidor foot locker as a imperfect for $100. It's absolutely huge. In the bottom I have about 8 boxes and the top 2 trays keeps singles. It's as big as it looks. I love my vinotemp, but after that I have no problem with the locker.

Dimensions: 16 3/4” W x 12” D x 16 1/2” H


400-500 Foot Locker Humidor
The Havana Foot Locker

Ooh, I've been eying that for a while now. Where'd you get the imperfect?

And, like everyone said, a coolidor will work great. It's the best option in terms of how much storage space you'll get for your money. On the other hand, you can purchase an "imperfect" or "seconds" desktop humidor for everyday smokes as I did...most humidor websites will have a section for humidors that are flawed in some way, but do not compromise the functionality of the humidor. Prices will be marked down accordingly. Often times, it's a barely noticeable nick here and a hard-to-see scratch there, and take it from someone obsessed with everything being perfect--you'll find a great buy!

Cheaphumidor.com not a single scratch or dent on it..

 

[sinnyc]

Say it with me now: "C-O-O-L-I-D-O-R".

Same money for an item that will hold many times what that desktop will. And, should cigars at some point lose their luster for you, you still have a solid cooler.

- Tim

 

[tasman]

Gotta agree with Sinnyc! I have had owned one of those before and it is just not enough or what I wanted. I quickly got rid of it!

Have to agree with the "C-O-O-L-I-D-O-R". Simple and low maintenance! :thumbs:

 

[BlindedByScience]

The best sealing, best performing, most reasonably priced storage you can buy:

Sooner or later....you'll get there....

Good luck - B.B.S.

 

[scubagrunt]

Ordered an imperfect humi from cheap humidors.com paid $38 for 100 count. I'll post some pics when it arrives (I can't wait!)

 

[Pittsey]

I bought a Humidor foot locker as a imperfect for $100. It's absolutely huge. In the bottom I have about 8 boxes and the top 2 trays keeps singles. It's as big as it looks. I love my vinotemp, but after that I have no problem with the locker.

Dimensions: 16 3/4” W x 12” D x 16 1/2” H


400-500 Foot Locker Humidor
The Havana Foot Locker

Ooh, I've been eying that for a while now. Where'd you get the imperfect?

And, like everyone said, a coolidor will work great. It's the best option in terms of how much storage space you'll get for your money. On the other hand, you can purchase an "imperfect" or "seconds" desktop humidor for everyday smokes as I did...most humidor websites will have a section for humidors that are flawed in some way, but do not compromise the functionality of the humidor. Prices will be marked down accordingly. Often times, it's a barely noticeable nick here and a hard-to-see scratch there, and take it from someone obsessed with everything being perfect--you'll find a great buy!

Cheaphumidor.com not a single scratch or dent on it..

Cheapumidors.com FTW, just received my tiny little 15er(I am a noob) in the mail, packaged great, looks great, cant wait to fill it.