Craftsman Bench Humidor Review

[jsteel508]

Cannot sleep so thought I would write a review. I saw this humidor and fell in love with it. It is the Taj Mah Hal (spell???). It is supposed to be a 110 count, I guess if you filled it with Robustos and Coronas it would hold 110. THe wood and finish are beautiful. The quality of the construction is top notch. This humidor had some neat options. THe lit has a metal piece sandwiched in it wich allows the humidifier and analog hygrometer that came with it to be attache with magnets. The top tray was the only thing I was not in love with, it is very deep and allows you to double stack the cigars on top. I currently have 28 larger sticks in the top tray.


One of the thing I noticed when I looked at this humidor was the humidifier that came with it. Very nice quality piece. I also saw right away how it could be retrofit with Heartfelt beads. I also replace the analog hygro with a digital. I used four small rare earth magnets from radio shack to attach it to the lid.

The bottom has two cedar dividers. The deep upper tray makes for a shallow lower compartment. Only allowing you to stack two larger stick together. I currently have 38 sticks in the bottom. As you can see from the pics I have them stacked in pretty tight and only have 68 cigars in this 110 count humidor. THe RH stays dead on and I do not need to recharge my beads very often. All in all a quality humidor at a good value. Only wish it had more capacity.

Since purchasing this humidor I have had the chance to check out other Craftsman B ench humidors and have found they are all well made. Hope this was helpful if you are considering a new humidor.

[Big Fame One]

very nice, and nice upgrades. Looks about the same in terms of size and basic construction as my humidor. What was the price on that digi hyg?

[doctorcue]

Very nice all around! Good call on:

Humi
Beads
Digi-Hygro
Cigars

A thing of beauty!

[jsteel508]

Originally Posted by Big Fame One

very nice, and nice upgrades. Looks about the same in terms of size and basic construction as my humidor. What was the price on that digi hyg?

I honestly do not remember. Bought from a B&M in Charlotte NC.

[Seabird]

jsteel508,

Just ordered my Craftsman Bench Taj Mahal last night. I saw this humidor at a local cigar shop and what a beauty! What method did you use to season it? I noticed you said the humidty was dead on. This is my first box and if you got it right, I want to do the same thing.

Todd

[Timberlake2006]

Nice looking humidor, I really like the deep wood grain pattern

[luckybandit]

like the idea that it is already full and i do like the deeper tray on the top shelf, saves opening the box for a long time to fish for a bottom feeder

[omowasu]

I really like the Craftsman Bench humidors - they are a good American-made humi that holds humidity well and stands up to the test of time. They are a little pricey when compared to cheaper knock-offs, but they pay for themselves over time. I would consider a Craftsman Bench for a new humi if needed. You made a good investment, IMO.

[stashu]

Wait a minute, this is not a humidor review!

You're just showing off all those great cigars, aren't you?

[Stogiefanatic182]

Nice review and nice looking humi and cigars. My 4 count travel humi is a Craftsman Bench and I love it. Might look into one of their larger humis for christmas.

[jsteel508]

Originally Posted by Seabird

jsteel508,

Just ordered my Craftsman Bench Taj Mahal last night. I saw this humidor at a local cigar shop and what a beauty! What method did you use to season it? I noticed you said the humidty was dead on. This is my first box and if you got it right, I want to do the same thing.

Todd

The way I like to season my humidors is to put a small dish of distilled water in the bottom. I use a dish to increase the surface area of the water. THen just let it set for about a week. One of the largest reasons the R/H stays dead on is because I retrofit the humidifier with viper beads.

[Seabird]

Well, my Taj Mahal arrived last week. I did a quick Heartfelt bead (65%) conversion with the included humidifer (humidifer has a built in screen that maintains the beads without a nylon or mesh bag) and let it sit. Actually, I believe I checked it almost everytime I walked past it. Anyway, it has been a week and this humi has maintain exactly the same humidity (65%) and temp inside. I am very impressed! I did not even season it since based on intial readings it appeared ready to go. I simply charged the beads and she was ready!

[sspolv]

I too have a Craftsman's Bench humidor. I'm not sure if mine has a name, but its a matte cherry, 65 count. It's really a thing of beauty. It holds rh well, almost like a rock. It'll sit well through NY winters (which are mild compared to other places), and needs almost no humidifcation work during the summer. It came with a seperator, which I don't use (more room for 'gars), and an analog hygrometer (which I do use, despite my best intuition), as well as a credo humidifier. Probably going to upgrade soon, as Rochester winters are killer. But, yeah, if I need to get a new humidor (i.e. now), then I'm probably gonna go with a Craftsman's Bench.

[Blueface]

Very good looking humi.
Enjoy!!!

[donp]

Your humi is beautiful, and so are the smokes. Right now I'm looking at adding another humi as, I don't have enough space in my other 3 and tupperdor.