I need beads! There a difference?

[OHMatt]

I have purchased both BargainHumidors' and Heartfelt's beads. Based entirely on physical appearance and with no credible testing I prefer the beads from Bargainhumidors.

A larger percentage of the BH beads turn translucent after my indirect recharge method; whereas the Heartfelt beads seem to have a higher percentage remain opaque. To me this observed change indicates the BH beads absorb more/better. Some of the heartfelt beads do turn transparent like the BH beads, just a much lower percentage; perhaps the Heartfelt beads do better with direct addition of water.

(Then of course there is also the factor that BH beads are $17 a pound and Heartfelt are $31 a pound)

I haven't used Shilala's beads; if they are competitively priced to BH I might give them a try in the future..

[MNSmoker]

I use Heartfelt beads in the desktop and Shilala beads in the Vino. They both work well, and customer service was great with both of them. You really can't go wrong either way.

[floydpink]

I will use Heartfelt until I have a reason to go elsewhere, which would mean they stopped their lightning shipping and great customer service.

I have never had any problems with their service or product, which means they have a customer for life.

I use Scott's beads and am very happy! All three are class acts in my book - they just get it, customer service and great products!

[N2Advnture]

Originally Posted by OHMatt

A larger percentage of the BH beads turn translucent after my indirect recharge method; whereas the Heartfelt beads seem to have a higher percentage remain opaque. To me this observed change indicates the BH beads absorb more/better. Some of the heartfelt beads do turn transparent like the BH beads, just a much lower percentage; perhaps the Heartfelt beads do better with direct addition of water. ..

All beads are definitely not created equally. Some (RH Beads & Heartfelt's beads) perform better (more efficiently) in the RH range that we store our cigars (60-70% range) where as others perform better outside of that range (see "hysteresis curve").

It should be noted that the RH Beads & Heartfelt beads cost nearly 2x as much as other beads as well. ("You get what you pay for" applies here)

I hope this helps

~Mark

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[shilala]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words of support.
I love you guys!!!

[OHMatt]

Originally Posted by N2Advnture

All beads are definitely not created equally. Some (RH Beads & Heartfelt's beads) perform better (more efficiently) in the RH range that we store our cigars (60-70% range) where as others perform better outside of that range (see "hysteresis curve").

It should be noted that the RH Beads & Heartfelt beads cost nearly 2x as much as other beads as well. ("You get what you pay for" applies here)

I hope this helps

~Mark

.

If people want to pay $31 instead of $17 to help out a BOTL, fine.. Viper and Shilala do go out of their way to help the community so it is the community's prerogative to return the favor. These two guys are class acts.

Throwing around technical mumbo jumbo such as "hysteresis curve" will fool only some of the people in the asylum.. There have been great discussions on beads over the years. On cigarfamily there was a thread in which "CigarNV" stated the following (3 odd years ago):

In a humidor the cigars and the wood act as a stable device as they contain a defined amount of moisture. They act as the buffering agents with the beads only serving as the control device. Art and cigars are two very different applications and as such kitty litter provides more than enough buffering control for cigar applications. This is the reason why a full humidor or coolador always is more stable than a half empty one.

Bottom line is that conditioned silica gel will perform the same function as the commercial product at far less cost for all cigar applications.

While I am not recommending using the ($15/7 pounds at PetSmart) ExquisiCat Pearls, rather an inexpensive commercial cigar product; what CigarNV stated convinces me that hysteresis curves are moot.. Spend the extra twenty bucks to put cigars in your humi; bead performance doesn't really matter. *If* a commercial bead supplier ever provides empirical data demonstrating their superior performance compared to the less costly commercial bead suppliers, a full humi is still more important for keeping the environment stable.

I have never read disparaging remarks from Scott or Viper about the competition. They compete with the other guys by participating in the forums and by providing excellent service. On the other hand we have, "Perform better outside 60% - 70%" and "You get what you pay for"? I would ask for evidence to support the implication that BH's and/or CH's beads don't perform as well in lieu of a drive by implication. It is worth noting that the $16 CH beads come with a lifetime guarantee. What kind of guarantee do "RH Beads" carry?

Perhaps I am incompetent/careless enough with my cigar storage that I can't discern that my BH beads aren't performing as well as my Heartfelt beads. I have a pound of each in 2 identical coolers. I would appreciate someone letting me know what should I be looking for to indicate the inferior nature of BH beads..

Dave, are you still using BH beads to regulate/buffer your truly priceless cigar collection? Perhaps you should switch to RH beads...

[N2Advnture]

Originally Posted by OHMatt

...Throwing around technical mumbo jumbo such as "hysteresis curve" will fool only some of the people in the asylum.. There have been great discussions on beads over the years. On cigarfamily there was a thread in which "CigarNV" stated the following (3 odd years ago)...I have never read disparaging remarks from Scott or Viper about the competition. They compete with the other guys by participating in the forums and by providing excellent service. On the other hand we have, "Perform better outside 60% - 70%" and "You get what you pay for"? I would ask for evidence to support the implication that...

I apologize if my post came across as "disparaging" the competition, that was not the intent at all.

Not only have I have been on the boards for years and participate as much, if not more, than any other retailer, I have been a BH customer for quite some time. I have spoken to Motek of BH at the RTDAs and he himself references the hysteresis curve.

All I meant was that there is a difference in the quality of the beads which is why there is a cost difference.