Dollar bill test question

Volusianator · 12-27-2011, 10:14 PM

I think the dollar bill test is useless in most cases. Most humidors have a lining of Spanish Cedar that goes above the top edge of bottom of the box. In most cases it has a angled cut on it to allow the lid to slide over it. The lid then comes down and seals against this angled piece of cedar. So what you have is a test where a piece of paper is supposed to come out with resistance while traveling over a piece of wood sticking up higher than the base and protruding somewhat into the lid, then going back down and out the side of the box. Of course the bill is going to have resistance. I think this "test" was invented by a humidor builder to trick his customers into thinking that he had a great seal. Not if your humidor had no lining that protruded upward into the lid, but rather just two pieces of wood that rested together, one being the base and one the top, if that dollar then came out snugly...yeah, great test. .02

bobarian · 12-27-2011, 10:19 PM

Check the seal after the humidor has been completely seasoned.

ktblunden · 12-28-2011, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volusianator

I think the dollar bill test is useless in most cases. Most humidors have a lining of Spanish Cedar that goes above the top edge of bottom of the box. In most cases it has a angled cut on it to allow the lid to slide over it. The lid then comes down and seals against this angled piece of cedar. So what you have is a test where a piece of paper is supposed to come out with resistance while traveling over a piece of wood sticking up higher than the base and protruding somewhat into the lid, then going back down and out the side of the box. Of course the bill is going to have resistance. I think this "test" was invented by a humidor builder to trick his customers into thinking that he had a great seal. Not if your humidor had no lining that protruded upward into the lid, but rather just two pieces of wood that rested together, one being the base and one the top, if that dollar then came out snugly...yeah, great test. .02

By the same token, if the dollar just slips out with almost no resistance at all it's pretty much a sign of a poor seal. I've had this happen with a couple humidors. I wouldn't use the test as a verification that the seal is good so much as being able to spot problem areas around the lid. If you get resistance in one spot you know that there's a problem there.

EDIT: I also use a strip of printer paper about as wide as a dollar bill. It's thinner than a dollar and makes for a better test.

12-27-2011, 10:14 PM	#1
Volusianator Bikes, Babes & Cigars! Join Date: Feb 2009 First Name: Wade Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 1,438 Trading: (17)	Re: Dollar bill test question I think the dollar bill test is useless in most cases. Most humidors have a lining of Spanish Cedar that goes above the top edge of bottom of the box. In most cases it has a angled cut on it to allow the lid to slide over it. The lid then comes down and seals against this angled piece of cedar. So what you have is a test where a piece of paper is supposed to come out with resistance while traveling over a piece of wood sticking up higher than the base and protruding somewhat into the lid, then going back down and out the side of the box. Of course the bill is going to have resistance. I think this "test" was invented by a humidor builder to trick his customers into thinking that he had a great seal. Not if your humidor had no lining that protruded upward into the lid, but rather just two pieces of wood that rested together, one being the base and one the top, if that dollar then came out snugly...yeah, great test. .02 __________________ Overtime pays more because of what you're missing, money isn't everything.

12-27-2011, 10:19 PM	#2
bobarian Cranky Habanophile Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Wine Country Posts: 8,869 Trading: (51)	Re: Dollar bill test question Check the seal after the humidor has been completely seasoned.