HCM beads are the fastest sumbitches on the planet, bar none.
I will tell you that Dave's beads will get the job done. If they're all white, they should be sucking water almost so fast you can hear it.
Before thinking about using my beads, how many beads are you using and how big is the humi? You may just not have enough beads, or you may have them arranged in a fashion where they can't work to their best ability.
One other thing...
If you've been using them for quite some time and they're all bead chips now, it may be time for some new ones.
I would have suggested that your humi is leaking, but if the beads never turn color, it's not that.