I'm a cigar novice who is looking for a first humidor. I used to just buy 'em in the aluminum tubes or smoke them in a few days. Recomendations? I'd like to keep it desktop size and under $100. Glass to show off the wares would be a plus. main focus is total hands-off no-maintinence! so something with a very large water reserve and automatic notification when empty would be ideal.
You can test them by letting the lid drop from an inch or two in order to feel the air seal. The lid shouldn't slam but rather make an airtight seal. Make sure it is lined with Spanish Cedar. A good humidifier and gauge will run you $50 or so by itself. Dampen the inside of the humidor the first time with distilled water on a towel. A decent box will be more than $100...maybe $200 Forget the glass top.
head over to cigarweekly.com forums. read some reviews over there. a lot of people have bought some from tampahumidor.com and cheaphumidors.com that they have been happy with. Go into the forums and go to the "cedar room" section. I bought a desktop from a local cigar shop that had been used for a long time but was in perfect shape and was still air tight. I picked it up for $25. It had a humidifier in it that I still use. I am probably going to upgrade to beads so it will be more self maintaining. I do not use a gauge and go simply by feel. I have been keeping my cigars this way for about a year and a half now and have got it down pretty good for my taste. Go to that forum and read up you can learn a lot over there. You do not have to spend a lot to have a properly functioning humidor. For a desktop the beads would be the best low maintenance way to do it. http://heartfeltindustries.com/beads_1.html
I found this one at tampahumidor.com for $92. Has a glass top though, any pressing reason to steer away from those? I do like the exposed hygrometer, though I'd back it up with a digital one I don't have to calibrate. Tell me more about the beads, how do they work? I will also read up on those forums, thanks everyone. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Every humidor I've seen with a glass top has not kept a true seal. A good humidor will last for years. A cheap one will not. They will warp and loosen on you.
the way i understand it is the beads are made to keep humidity at a certain level. you can buy them for 65% or 70% humidity. they will release or absorb humidity as needed. They only need distilled water to recharge and not a special solution like normal humidity devices. I do not use them yet so I can not answer totally. There is a lot of info for them on the link I gave you and on the forum. There is also something called cigar oasis that uses water cartridges and a fan it releases water when needed but i think it is for larger humidors. If the humidor is going to be in a warm place or under lights I would stay away from the glass top. I have no experience with them so I can't say if you should stay away from them or not. I'm sure you can find out more on the CW forums. If you find a model you like search around for some posts about it and see if there has been any reported problems with it.
I didn't even think about them getting looser over time. Mine is really old but is made of really thick and heavy wood and still functions perfectly. I guess this proves your point. The ones sold by the links I provided have been praised by people online but I don't know how well they will hold up over time. You may want to find a local mom and pop cigar shop and see what they have. That is where I found my humidor for $25.
