Quote:
Originally Posted by DaBear
For the little jars of crystals, PG is actually the best thing to put in there. Most of the time, the jars even advertise to use the company's brand of PG(ie Xikar, which is what I use). Distilled water works fine in them, but over time the crystals will no longer be able to absorb as much as they used to.(learned this the hard way with one of my jars)
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There are a lot of different formulations to make a super absorbent polymer and it's possible that Xikar uses a rather different formulation than others, one which requires PG to maintain humidity, is something that I have heard before.
Most of the ones out there which are sold for cigar use are self-regulating around 65-70 RH with only water. The differences in formulation also explain why you generally can't take stuff from the arts and crafts store floral section and just stick it in a humidor, or, more accurately, why it doesn't give you a desirable RH when you do.
Also, going back to the formulation, certain formulations have different useable lifespans than others. Some are good for a few years, some are good for a decade before they "wear out".
Regarding some of the companies, the fact that they want you to buy their PG/water solution, when the PG doesn't do anything for the gel is classic marketing.