New Large cabinet humidor, humidification suggestions?

[mrawdtsi]

Hi everyone, I know this topic has been beaten to death. I did a lot of searching here last night, but would still like some more expert opinions....

I recently got my hands on a large cherrywood cabinet humidor, from my barber. It is only a couple years old and in near perfect shape.

Its ~ 15-16 cu/ft i believe.

I used cigarmony beads in my old desktop (300 ct) and they did an amazing job, so im considering buying 3lbs to put in my new cabinet. Alternatively, ive been looking at the Hydra LG, and the Cigar Oasis II (large with LCD read out)

I would like to spend < 200, so i have more to spend on filling it up :tu

Can anyone give me some suggestions? The cabinet DOES have electric (110v)

Thanks!

-Bill


oh, since :np

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/18/photorbx.jpg

Dont mind the boxes in there during the seasoning, just some extra cedar for now :)

[hscmit]

looks good

[captain53]

From my experience Cigar Oasis is a piece of crap! :td:td

If beads will do the job that is probably the best suggestion for your budget and simplicity.:2

Nice Cabinet, you are fortunate to find it gently used.:tu

[68TriShield]

I would order a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors.

[pnoon]

I would order a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors.
Me, too.
:2
Posted via Mobile Device

[icehog3]

I would order a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors.

Me, too.
:2
Posted via Mobile Device

Times tree. ;)

[BlindedByScience]

I would order a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors.
Hard to argue with this. I have a Staebell humi and the active humidification system works great.

The guys at Avallo (http://www.avallohumidors.com/Accumonitor.html) have some nice systems as well. I know guys with them that are very happy with the performance.

Both systems are a bit over your budget. You only have to do this once if you get it right....IMHO it's worth spending a little more now to get years of hassle free humidification.

[pnoon]

Avallo is top-notch, too.
I gave the :tu to the Aristocrat because I own one and can vouch for it first hand.
Posted via Mobile Device

[chippewastud79]

I don't use active humidification in my cabinet and don't seem to have any problems. Just 65% beads spread throughout and holds pretty solid. Have to add much more water during the winter, but still go through less than a gallon a year. :tu

[captain53]

I would order a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors.

Me too but I did not make the suggestion due to the $200 budget since the Aristocrat exceeds it by about 50% but it certainly would be the better choice.:2

[icehog3]

You only have to do this once if you get it right....IMHO it's worth spending a little more now to get years of hassle free humidification.

Me too but I did not make the suggestion due to the $200 budget since the Aristocrat exceeds it by about 50% but it certainly would be the better choice.:2

Gotta agree with these guys. :tu

[hscmit]

Gotta agree with these guys. :tu

surprised tom didnt recommend the kitty litter route :r

[jesseboston81]

I don't know anything about the best way to humidify a large cabinet like that, but it sure looks sweet! Nice grab!

[mrawdtsi]

Thank you for the responses guys!

Ill investigate those options. The issue is getting the wife to buy in... thats a hard sell! lol

anyone have experience with the Hydra LG? i know this is not as good as Avallo or obviously Aristocrat, but im curious what first hand experience would be.

Thanks!!

-Bill

[chippewastud79]

Thank you for the responses guys!

Ill investigate those options. The issue is getting the wife to buy in... thats a hard sell! lol

anyone have experience with the Hydra LG? i know this is not as good as Avallo or obviously Aristocrat, but im curious what first hand experience would be.

Thanks!!

-Bill

I had a Hydra LG in my cabinet at first. The buzzer went off all the time to the point I just unplugged it and realized the beads would hold the humidity without the active humidification. I cannot speak on experience with and Avallo or 'Set and Forget' system, I am sure they are much more reliable and efficient. :tu

[mrawdtsi]

I had a Hydra LG in my cabinet at first. The buzzer went off all the time to the point I just unplugged it and realized the beads would hold the humidity without the active humidification. I cannot speak on experience with and Avallo or 'Set and Forget' system, I am sure they are much more reliable and efficient. :tu

i have to ask, based on your username. Did you go to CMU?

[chippewastud79]

i have to ask, based on your username. Did you go to CMU?

You are correct in your assumption :tu

[mrawdtsi]

You are correct in your assumption :tu

small world. Graduated in 05 with a B.S Computer Science :)

[chippewastud79]

small world. Graduated in 05 with a B.S Computer Science :)

'05 History and Physical Education :tu

[cobra03]

I have an almost identically sized cabinet humidor and i use the Oasis XL II Electronic Humidifier. It has worked flawlessly since i have used it. Set it at the correct humidity and forget it. I cant complain.

[grateful1]

Contact www.habitatmonitor.com

They originally supplied Bob his 'Set and Forgets' (now Bob puts together his own).

I have two end tables, one with the original HM from when Bob sold it and one new one from HM direct. Both work great.

I just got a small add-on fan to help move the air!
They didn't just sell me what I wanted...they actually talked to me.
Very helpful.

Nope...I don't work or schill for them...I'm just a very happy customer.

[Lucky_Hippo]

I have almost the same size cabinet (the Verona) and I use a combination of beads and a lg Hyrda. I keep three lbs of beads spread around and usually only really run my Hydra during the winter time.

I couldn't be happier with the cabinet or the set up. It's worked perfect for two years now.

Enjoy your new Humi, it looks great!

[GoatLocker]

The guys at Avallo (http://www.avallohumidors.com/Accumonitor.html) have some nice systems as well. I know guys with them that are very happy with the performance.


I have the Avallo Accumonitor system, and while it has performed flawlessly, the build quality is terrible. It looks like it was cobbled together in someones garage. Of course, you don't notice it much when the humi is full of cigars.

I gotta agree with NFH, spend a little extra now and you won't regret it later.

[Chainsaw13]

I have almost the same size cabinet (the Verona) and I use a combination of beads and a lg Hyrda. I keep three lbs of beads spread around and usually only really run my Hydra during the winter time.

I couldn't be happier with the cabinet or the set up. It's worked perfect for two years now.

Enjoy your new Humi, it looks great!

Same setup in my Tower of Power cabinet. I think I could run the Hydra less if I just fixed the door seal.

[Aero95]

Is that a pull out shelf on the bottom? if so I would just put beads and maybe a fan on a timer switch. I would try and get a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors with watersorb crystals but that might be a bit out of your price range. Good luck and have fun!

[mrawdtsi]

Is that a pull out shelf on the bottom? if so I would just put beads and maybe a fan on a timer switch. I would try and get a set and forget system from Aristocrat Humidors with watersorb crystals but that might be a bit out of your price range. Good luck and have fun!

Yes, there are two pull out drawers that had the old humidifiers with floral foam. I removed them so they are empty right now.

:tu

[jdawg]

Really nice cabinet! Great buy!

I've been wanting one for awhile now.

[RonC]

This is RonC from Cigar Solutions, and I would like to comment about the "build quality" of the Avallo Accumonitor.

The Accumonitor is made at the Avallo factory in Nashville, TN. Of all the brands mentioned, it is the only humidifier that is "Made in the USA". Matt from Avallo buys all the plastic cases that house the Accumonitor from another US manufacurer. All the cutting of the cases gets done right at the Avallo shop. Matt does not own any million dollar CNC routers, so cutting does get done by hand. So while the cuts are not as pretty as cuts done in some "Made in China" factory, the ugly cuts are not a negative on its performance.

The Accumonitors engineer lives in Nashville too. So again, you have a designed in the USA product. Matt meets with his engineer in person whenever he feels an improvement might need to be made.

Regarding parts, anyone who has compared an Accumonitor to a "Made in China" system knows that the humidity canister fans are much more powerful than the competitions. The Accumonitor will also power up to 8 fans. This extra capability requires Matt to use more expensive parts. So for about $50 more than one of the larger imported models, you have a system that can humidify a much larger cabinet, and humidify it at a much faster rate.

Regarding construction itself, Matt and 1 other employee make these by hand. They do all the wiring and soldering and assembly. As a result, Matt knows this system inside and out. Troubleshooting for customers is easy. Customization for customers is easy. Even for out of warranty service, Matts knowledge of the parts makes replacements and repairs extremely cheap for his customers. He knows that there are times when just sending a new $20 sensor will fix the problem instead of replacing a whole unit for $200.

Bottom line is there is nobody else out there who engineered, designed, and constructs a "Made in the USA" humidification system. It does not come in a fancy box, it does not have fancy packaging, and it sure aint pretty. But the bottom line is that it is the best system out there, and the price can not be beat.

[captain53]

Ron C - (don't need to quote all that info this soon)

You have made some very good points there (as you usually do) and for sure Made In The U.S.A. carries a lot of value!:tu:tu

Thanks for sharing the info.

[Bubba - NJ]

I have the Hydra LG and got it from the devil site for $96.00 plus shipping . If I could get another for the same price I would pass on it , just doesn't seem to work well enough . I replaced the floral foam after a couple months with water pearls , it has helped but still doesn't work that well . I have 2 extra fans for it running constantly(with one blowing across the unit) because the unit measures the humidity level right at the unit , might be better if RH was measured at the corded remote . The extra fans have to run constantly and that bothers me but it does help the unit to work better . I have a very similar cabinet to yours called the Sentinel . I am happy with the cabinet , just not thrilled with the Hydran LG . You might want to try the Moist n Aire . I'm pretty sure I'll go for the Avallo or the Staebell system when I have the extra coin . As a side note I have about 2 lb's of Heartfelt beads inside and they help immensely . Good luck with your cabinet . I sit in front of mine every day wishing it was warmer , drives me nuts !

[shilala]

This is RonC from Cigar Solutions, and I would like to comment about the "build quality" of the Avallo Accumonitor.

The Accumonitor is made at the Avallo factory in Nashville, TN. Of all the brands mentioned, it is the only humidifier that is "Made in the USA". Matt from Avallo buys all the plastic cases that house the Accumonitor from another US manufacurer. All the cutting of the cases gets done right at the Avallo shop. Matt does not own any million dollar CNC routers, so cutting does get done by hand. So while the cuts are not as pretty as cuts done in some "Made in China" factory, the ugly cuts are not a negative on its performance.

The Accumonitors engineer lives in Nashville too. So again, you have a designed in the USA product. Matt meets with his engineer in person whenever he feels an improvement might need to be made.

Regarding parts, anyone who has compared an Accumonitor to a "Made in China" system knows that the humidity canister fans are much more powerful than the competitions. The Accumonitor will also power up to 8 fans. This extra capability requires Matt to use more expensive parts. So for about $50 more than one of the larger imported models, you have a system that can humidify a much larger cabinet, and humidify it at a much faster rate.

Regarding construction itself, Matt and 1 other employee make these by hand. They do all the wiring and soldering and assembly. As a result, Matt knows this system inside and out. Troubleshooting for customers is easy. Customization for customers is easy. Even for out of warranty service, Matts knowledge of the parts makes replacements and repairs extremely cheap for his customers. He knows that there are times when just sending a new $20 sensor will fix the problem instead of replacing a whole unit for $200.

Bottom line is there is nobody else out there who engineered, designed, and constructs a "Made in the USA" humidification system. It does not come in a fancy box, it does not have fancy packaging, and it sure aint pretty. But the bottom line is that it is the best system out there, and the price can not be beat.

I hear ya, brother. I certainly see where you're coming from, too.
There's a lot to be said about pride in craftsmanship, and all the words or excuses in the world aren't going to cover up a lack thereof.
That's not a dig at all, I'm a big fan. It's just a suggestion to do better. There's no reason to settle for "good enough", ESPECIALLY when it's made in the USA.

[OldDirty]

I sure am looking forward to fiddling around with my EZ I just ordered after Ed is done building my new humidor :D :tu

This is RonC from Cigar Solutions, and I would like to comment about the "build quality" of the Avallo Accumonitor.

The Accumonitor is made at the Avallo factory in Nashville, TN. Of all the brands mentioned, it is the only humidifier that is "Made in the USA". Matt from Avallo buys all the plastic cases that house the Accumonitor from another US manufacurer. All the cutting of the cases gets done right at the Avallo shop. Matt does not own any million dollar CNC routers, so cutting does get done by hand. So while the cuts are not as pretty as cuts done in some "Made in China" factory, the ugly cuts are not a negative on its performance.

The Accumonitors engineer lives in Nashville too. So again, you have a designed in the USA product. Matt meets with his engineer in person whenever he feels an improvement might need to be made.

Regarding parts, anyone who has compared an Accumonitor to a "Made in China" system knows that the humidity canister fans are much more powerful than the competitions. The Accumonitor will also power up to 8 fans. This extra capability requires Matt to use more expensive parts. So for about $50 more than one of the larger imported models, you have a system that can humidify a much larger cabinet, and humidify it at a much faster rate.

Regarding construction itself, Matt and 1 other employee make these by hand. They do all the wiring and soldering and assembly. As a result, Matt knows this system inside and out. Troubleshooting for customers is easy. Customization for customers is easy. Even for out of warranty service, Matts knowledge of the parts makes replacements and repairs extremely cheap for his customers. He knows that there are times when just sending a new $20 sensor will fix the problem instead of replacing a whole unit for $200.

Bottom line is there is nobody else out there who engineered, designed, and constructs a "Made in the USA" humidification system. It does not come in a fancy box, it does not have fancy packaging, and it sure aint pretty. But the bottom line is that it is the best system out there, and the price can not be beat.

[mrawdtsi]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Since budget is an issue right now, I'm going the cigarmony bead route. I just ordered 3 lbs, to add to my 2 8oz bags I already have. I hope these help, if not I will invest in a good electric to supplement the beads.

My biggest concern is that. Live in Phoenix, and even keeping my old 300ct desktop above 65 rh was a challenge in the summer, we see single digit humidity come July...

Currently the humidor is around 45% and very slowly climbing. When I got the cabinet it was in a garage so I'm sure the cedar was about as dry as it gets. I suspect this will take a week or two to properly season.

Will adding some oust fans help season? Perhaps the airflow will help push the dw I have at the bottom around a bit better?

Thanks again!

-Bill

[captain53]

From my experiences that humi has too much space for Oust Fans to make any difference at all, they move very little air. Suggest you save your money there for a future active unit.:2

If it has been in a garage in Phoenix then it would probably work best to treat the interior. Wet a new clean sponge with distilled water and wipe down the interior wood wait overnight and do it again then it should come on up easier.:2

Enjoy!

[beyonder]

Bill,

I picked up a similarly sized cabinet a few months ago and got a lot of input on humidification beforehand as well. Mine is the same size and design as yours except that mine has some rows of small drawers in the middle of the cabinet separating the top portion from the bottom portion.

I got the Hydra LG with mine and, while it worked well for the initial seasoning of the humidor, I ended up going through two units and neither of them worked properly.

I initially had gone with the Hydra and three pounds of beads thinking that the beads would keep it largely stable and the Hydra would provide humidification periodically when the humidity dropped quicker and move air around in the cabinet.

After the problems with the two Hydra units where neither of them worked properly I ended up going with four pounds of beads, two pounds in the upper and two pounds in the lower, and the humidity is completely stable with just beads.

[GoatLocker]

This is RonC from Cigar Solutions, and I would like to comment about the "build quality" of the Avallo Accumonitor.

The Accumonitor is made at the Avallo factory in Nashville, TN. Of all the brands mentioned, it is the only humidifier that is "Made in the USA". Matt from Avallo buys all the plastic cases that house the Accumonitor from another US manufacurer. All the cutting of the cases gets done right at the Avallo shop. Matt does not own any million dollar CNC routers, so cutting does get done by hand. So while the cuts are not as pretty as cuts done in some "Made in China" factory, the ugly cuts are not a negative on its performance.

The Accumonitors engineer lives in Nashville too. So again, you have a designed in the USA product. Matt meets with his engineer in person whenever he feels an improvement might need to be made.

Regarding parts, anyone who has compared an Accumonitor to a "Made in China" system knows that the humidity canister fans are much more powerful than the competitions. The Accumonitor will also power up to 8 fans. This extra capability requires Matt to use more expensive parts. So for about $50 more than one of the larger imported models, you have a system that can humidify a much larger cabinet, and humidify it at a much faster rate.

Regarding construction itself, Matt and 1 other employee make these by hand. They do all the wiring and soldering and assembly. As a result, Matt knows this system inside and out. Troubleshooting for customers is easy. Customization for customers is easy. Even for out of warranty service, Matts knowledge of the parts makes replacements and repairs extremely cheap for his customers. He knows that there are times when just sending a new $20 sensor will fix the problem instead of replacing a whole unit for $200.

Bottom line is there is nobody else out there who engineered, designed, and constructs a "Made in the USA" humidification system. It does not come in a fancy box, it does not have fancy packaging, and it sure aint pretty. But the bottom line is that it is the best system out there, and the price can not be beat.

The performance of my Accumonitor has been great. It has been chugging along for over a year without a hiccup. Usually "Made in The USA" and "Hand Made" are indicative of quality workmanship, but there is a lot of room for improvement in the sample I received. I certainly don't want to hijack this thread, and the OP has made his choice. Maybe Matt can take this as constructive criticism and improve his product...

[GoatLocker]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Since budget is an issue right now, I'm going the cigarmony bead route. I just ordered 3 lbs, to add to my 2 8oz bags I already have. I hope these help, if not I will invest in a good electric to supplement the beads.

My biggest concern is that. Live in Phoenix, and even keeping my old 300ct desktop above 65 rh was a challenge in the summer, we see single digit humidity come July...

Currently the humidor is around 45% and very slowly climbing. When I got the cabinet it was in a garage so I'm sure the cedar was about as dry as it gets. I suspect this will take a week or two to properly season.

Will adding some oust fans help season? Perhaps the airflow will help push the dw I have at the bottom around a bit better?

Thanks again!

-Bill


Like Dave said, that humi is too big for Oust fans. One of the benefits of the electronic systems is most have a fan controller built in to move air around. My Avallo kicks on circulation fans for a few minutes every hour to keep the humidity even throughout the cabinet. If you want to go with beads, you should invest in an electric timer and mount some small fans to do the same in your cabinet. That is what I do in my wine cooler.

[dmatzkin]

I know this is a very old tread but I was wondering if anybody ever used a good standard room humidifier for a large cabinet.

Thank you!

Dan