ExquisiCat Crystals Cat Litter. MUST READ!!!

[Kenny Powers]

Originally Posted by sboyajian

Again.. never used Litter, so I won't discourage you from doing so.. just trying to determine what could have been the problem with the beads?

Was the proper amount of water added to them? If they are over saturated, they will not work properly and often a lower rH is given than should be.

I suppose it's also possible while you ordered 70%, and it said 70%, you may have received 65%.

That being said, if you don't want em and still have em, lemme know.. I have a 3rd box that could really use em.. haha

Like I said in my first post, I ordered the 70% beads twice in case they may have sent me the wrong ones. I hydrated them the proper way.....I'm not an idiot! Lastly, even if they were 65% beads in a container labeled 70% they never even reached 65%. In the end, the kitty litter works better for me and I am glad it does because it is so much cheaper than the silica beads being marketed for humidors.

I am a strong believer that the silica beads sold for humidors were not made specifically for humidors. I'm sure they were used for something else and some company's just decided to buy them in bulk to market them as humidification for humidors. It's just like if I packaged kitty litter and marketed it the same way. Nobody would ever know.

[sboyajian]

Originally Posted by Kenny Powers

Like I said in my first post, I ordered the 70% beads twice in case they may have sent me the wrong ones. I hydrated them the proper way.....I'm not an idiot! Lastly, even if they were 65% beads in a container labeled 70% they never even reached 65%. In the end, the kitty litter works better for me and I am glad it does because it is so much cheaper than the silica beads being marketed for humidors.

I am a strong believer that the silica beads sold for humidors were not made specifically for humidors. I'm sure they were used for something else and some company's just decided to buy them in bulk to market them as humidification for humidors. It's just like if I packaged kitty litter and marketed it the same way. Nobody would ever know.

.. and any credence you had with me just went out the window..

Never called you an idiot.. you don't have to be an idiot to do something wrong or as not instructed. It's very easy to put to much or to little water in the beads, I've been very smart and very experienced people do it.

Unlike everyone else who posted either for or against beads or litter, I'm trying to determine possible causes as to why they didn't work for you, but have worked for pretty much everyone else I've ever know to use them.

Silica beads were NOT designed for humidors.. they were not designed for any specific box, cabinet, container, etc. They were designed to maintain a specific humidified environment. Whether it be control a specific rH, pull excess out or release more. It's the quantity of said beads that control it for certain sizes and that is all these companies are doing. Packaging it in specific sizes or containers for specific uses.

I apologize for missing some of the finer points of your first post. Perhaps breaking your novel into more than 1 paragraph would allow it to be read easier and allow people to retain more information by actually being able to follow the full posts without going cross-eyed.

[GlockG23]

After reading this on the 31st. I went out and bought some,
on the 1st to try out on a small empty established humi

I put a Caliber III in it along with wet crystals and a separate dish
of dry crystals checking twice a day once in the morning and
once in the evening

April first - 67
(April 2) 58 - 62
(April 3) 64 - 65
(April 4) 73 - 74
(April 5) 72 - 71
(April 6) 70 - 68
(April 7) 67 - 64
(April 8th) 63

So far, they are not working for me
(my house is 68 deg +/-, at 31RH +/-)

[slyder]

Yeah that didnt stabilize very good. Wonder if you cut back to one check a day to see what whould happen? Or maybe skip to every other day? My Heartfelts are spot on.....every time I open the door no matter If im adding or subtracting cigars its always 64-67%! Money well spent in my eyes and I really put alot of thought and research into it before I spent any money.

[GlockG23]

Originally Posted by slyder

Yeah that didnt stabilize very good. Wonder if you cut back to one check a day to see what whould happen? Or maybe skip to every other day? My Heartfelts are spot on.....every time I open the door no matter If im adding or subtracting cigars its always 64-67%! Money well spent in my eyes and I really put alot of thought and research into it before I spent any money.

I might toss this humi out. After I am done testing the kitty litter.
Because my humidor does not smell like a humidor anymore (25 count freebie)

[slyder]

Originally Posted by GlockG23

I might toss this humi out. After I am done testing the kitty litter.
Because my humidor does not smell like a humidor anymore (25 count freebie)

Really? thats interesting. Thats a major CON.

[Slowpokebill]

Do you condition the Kitty litter like the other beads...wetting/hydrating about 75% until they are clear?

I'm tempted to give the litter a test. If it works great and if it doesn't then the wife's cats will get some expensive litter to use for a week or two.

[Kenny Powers]

Sboyajian, I am not the only one that did not have the advertised results with humidification beads. Actually a lot of people out their do not reach the 70% like advertised but their still happy with say 66% or some other RH in the 60's.

I could have kept using the beads and I am confident they would have maintained my RH at or right around 64% which is OK with a lot of people but not me. I like my sticks as close as I can get to 70% without actually hitting 70%.

This is the last thing I wanted when I decided to post my findings. I didn't want to start arguments with people who had a vested interest in humidor silica beads which is why I didn't list the names of the company's I purchased the beads from.

I didn't create this thread to deter people from buying silica beads from the favorite humidor accessory retailer. If you continue to buy silica beads made for humidors (if you can even call them that) then great. If you stop using them and start using Exquisicat then great. Thier really is no need to argue about the subject when all it comes down to is personel prefference. In the end, people will use what works for them and that's why I am a proud user of Exquisicat Cat Litter

[Strick]

Originally Posted by GlockG23

I might toss this humi out. After I am done testing the kitty litter.
Because my humidor does not smell like a humidor anymore (25 count freebie)

Well if you used the KL with the blue beads I can see why. The blue beads are scented. Only the KL with all clear beads is not...

[Jonesee]

Originally Posted by Strick

Well if you used the KL with the blue beads I can see why. The blue beads are scented. Only the KL with all clear beads is not...

No, they aren't. At least not the ones I use.

[sboyajian]

Originally Posted by Kenny Powers

Sboyajian, I am not the only one that did not have the advertised results with humidification beads. Actually a lot of people out their do not reach the 70% like advertised but their still happy with say 66% or some other RH in the 60's.

I could have kept using the beads and I am confident they would have maintained my RH at or right around 64% which is OK with a lot of people but not me. I like my sticks as close as I can get to 70% without actually hitting 70%.

This is the last thing I wanted when I decided to post my findings. I didn't want to start arguments with people who had a vested interest in humidor silica beads which is why I didn't list the names of the company's I purchased the beads from.

I didn't create this thread to deter people from buying silica beads from the favorite humidor accessory retailer. If you continue to buy silica beads made for humidors (if you can even call them that) then great. If you stop using them and start using Exquisicat then great. Thier really is no need to argue about the subject when all it comes down to is personel prefference. In the end, people will use what works for them and that's why I am a proud user of Exquisicat Cat Litter

While I believe what you are saying.. I think you need to be aware of the chip you had on your shoulder.

Both times I posted I made it very clear I had not used Kitty Litter and could not speak for how well or not well it works. I have no opinion on the product because I've never used it. I was attempting to figure out the problem with the actual Silica Beads you experienced a problem with.

I have beads being used in 3 of my 4 humidors (one being a 5cu ft wine fridge). Each of them at 65% beads and they all reach 65% and stay right on it.

That you were using 70% and couldn't even reach 65%, seemed to me their may have been an issue and rather than leave you with a bad taste regarding a product myself, and many others, use without issue, I was hoping we could discover a potential reason for it. For some reason you saw that as a personal attack on your character or my questioning your intelligence.

[GlockG23]

Originally Posted by Strick

Well if you used the KL with the blue beads I can see why. The blue beads are scented. Only the KL with all clear beads is not...

Yes, I am testing with the blue crystals.
It is a blank sweet smell, with a really small hint of the humidors ceder

[Jack Straw]

Well aren't they supposed to be deodorizers? Maybe that's one adverse side effect.

[Callaway29]

I am using 70% beads, and everytime I charge them my humidor becomes stuck at 64%.

I happen to be fine with 64%, but it is interesting that no matter how much I wet them....my humi never gets close to 70%.

C_

PS: YES, my DIGITAL hygrometer is calibrated.

[Slowpokebill]

I picked up some Exquisicat Cat Crystals at Petsmart today. It has both white and blue crystal. All the crystals are unscented. I tested some wet and no smell. The crystals go clear when wet. Now i just need to find something to put them into and I'll toss them in my 25 count which stays pretty constant at 70% rh now with Xikar Crystals.

this is a test and only a test because I'm curious.