Cheap alternatives to "cigar" beads?

Originally Posted by shilala

I could have dug up all the test data and saved you eleven bucks and a lot of time.
You have to precondition the beads prior to using them, too.
You can do that by putting them in an ambient RH that's the same as whatever you wish your setpoint to be, it takes time.
You can also do some mathematical calculations to figure out roughly how much water to add to them to yield a specific RH, but it takes them forever to equalize and become usable.
Simply put, they're a real pain in the butt.
I know where you're coming from though. You'll have fun messing around.

Thanks Shilala. I still want to try out your beads some time I think. I'd also like to see what they look like. I heard something about clay? Eventually I'll need more of somebody's beads after the multiple expansions I'll inevitably do.