New humidor sucks.....

[commonsenseman]

I bought a little 20 cigar humidor off Cbid for around $7, stupid peice of junk won't hold humidity though. I've tried seasoning it twice, both times it seemed to work but after I put cigars in it dropped to about the mid 50's in humidity. I have the little stock humidifier and a water-pillow in there.

Do I need to just scrap this peice of junk, or is there anything I can do to make it work?

[ssutton219]

Slow down....it may be junk but if you are adding cigars to it its going to drop RH..how much depends on the surronding air you let in and the RH of the cigars added.


I have a 125ct on my desk and when I removed 20-25 cigars the other day and added 15 new it moved all over..and after 24-30 hrs its stable and still kicking @ 62%.




So let it sit for a bit and see what happens.




Shawn

[DBCcigar]

What's the humidity level?

Lift the lid up about 3 inches or so and let go. Does it slam down, or does it make a swoosh sound?

[Cigary]

I got a humidor 20 counts probably much like what you got and I seasoned mine put in some beads and it holds very well at 68%. Did you do the light test or dollar bill test to see if there is any leak?

[SmoknTaz]

Some good advise already, I've learned early on that"Patience is a virtue," especially when it come to cigars. Take your time, the reward is worth the wait.

[Vinnie]

When all else fails, it will make a great little dry box.
Not all is lost.
Vinnie

[zitro_joe]

Originally Posted by commonsenseman

I bought a little 20 cigar humidor off Cbid for around $7, stupid peice of junk won't hold humidity though. I've tried seasoning it twice, both times it seemed to work but after I put cigars in it dropped to about the mid 50's in humidity. I have the little stock humidifier and a water-pillow in there.

Do I need to just scrap this peice of junk, or is there anything I can do to make it work?

Was it the Warminster? It is better off used as storage box or a drybox. I have one that I want to get rid of.

[Shervin]

Patience is the ticket, let it settle as suggested and see what happens

[omowasu]

Your humidor may in fact be junk, sorry to say - I have had my fair share of humidors that just didnt seal right, had gaps, etc right out of the box, and one was from you-know-where. Even an otherwise nice Savoy that I purchased as a closeout was problematic - the glass top was somewhat gapped (maybe 10/1000 of an inch), the cedar inserts on the sides were a bit loose - and the two combined to let way too much air transfer happen. That particular humidor would lose humidity 3x faster than my others, and no amount of seasoning would fix it.

But caulking in the glass, (with food grade silicone and WAITING for it to dry), combined with retacking the cedar seals, helped quite a bit. Even still, its not perfect...

If you dont want to spend any more money, just keep the whole humi in a cooler or thick plastic bag.

If you dont mind spending a couple extra bucks, here are some recommendations:
- the best "low-end" humidors I have seen and tried are by a brand called Red Star. Shop around, prices vary...
- look for one that has "sure-seal", which provides some seal longevity by machining the cedar seal panels to precision...

[Cigar Man Andy]

I find anything under a 75ct is a pain to use. Keep looking for a deal on CI. They have better deals from time to time in their sampler deals and close outs. Or better yet, eBay. You can get a half way descent 300ct for under $75 shipped. But like it has been said, keep the 20ct for a dry box.

I found the best way to check the seal on a humidor is the dollar bill test. Take a dollar bill and put 2/3 into the box and close the lid. Gently pull the bill out. If it comes out very easy, the seal is too loose. If the cox wants to slide instead of letting the bill go, it is too tight. The bill should slide out with effort, but not pulling the box.

Works for me and always has. Good luck.

I have a couple of these and they work well for me.

Click on the pix.

[piperman]

Where is Hugo? It is winter and it will be very hard to keep the RH up where you want it, now a day's humi's are mad by machine with very tight spec, I doubt it leaks, unless you seasoned it wrong which I doubt just get y0u some bead and keep it up until summer then it should level out.

[commonsenseman]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

I thought I seasoned it correctly, Wet it down for a couple days until the huidity reached around 70%, then added the smokes.

Also it seems to be tight-fitting but not too tight, It only cost me $7 off Cbid so if it doesn't work, it's not the end of the world.

It is pretty dry up here in Hugo, MN in the winter, but my 100 cigar humidor doesn't seem to have any problems at all, and it's full.

Oh well, must be a piece of junk.....

[commonsenseman]

Originally Posted by zitro_joe

Was it the Warminster? It is better off used as storage box or a drybox. I have one that I want to get rid of.

It's not, actually it's a Gurkha humidor, not sure who it's made by though.

I am going to try seasoning it one more time, maybe third time's the charm!

[CharlieCobra]

You could use my trick of a bowl of steaming water right out of the microwave and on a trivet or coaster. Boil the water for two minutes in the nuke and place int the humidor for a couple of hours. I've seasoned two humidors in 8 hrs that way without warping. They hold a perfect 68% when full.

[mmpjim]

i've had trouble ever since the Hurricane in September..I finally contacted CI as i was using a puck and it was drying every week. They suggested I do the following: empty the humi, place a shot glass of distilled water in the humi for 24 hours. Repeat with a fresh glass for another 24 hours. refill humi and add the puck...a perfect 70% at 70.5 degrees for 3 weeks now..couldn't be happier.