Hydra Review purchased from bargain humidors

[bcampos]

Ok guys this is my first review-type post on this forum so bear with me a bit. I just wanted to blow off a little steam, and I hope this problem gets resolved and I have better news to report....

As some of you know, I purchased the treasure dome humidor, and set it up over the course of a few days. I seasoned it with distilled water and got the humidity up to par. I stocked it up, and installed a hydra humidifer... enter in my problem...

So i set my adjustable hygro with a humidipak, and drop it in... Locks on at 65%.. The hydra was turned on, and 65% on the hydra screen was about 70% on the hygro... so I used the fancy adjustment knob on the hydra to even it out....

Day 2 with the hydra: Humidity rock steady at 65%. I only really heard it kick on when I opened the lid.

Day 5..... Open the humidor, hygro reads 64%. The hydra reads 61%. A discrepency yes, but why wasn't the fan on the hydra kicking?

I inspect the unit and find that the paper thin ribbon cable is deformed on the joint, and the cable inside is broken, but touching. Enough for the lights to be on, but the fan was not home (if you get what i'm saying). Then I note that the cable is actually cracked going into the hydra unit itself?!?!?!

So I sign onto the old bargain humidors webpage and read this quote:

""""Break a ribbon cable? Unit turns out to be defective? Just contact us for a replacement. No one, gives you customer service like Bargain Humidors. Other sellers simply tell you to contact the manufacturer. We will handle defects and replacements with you directly for this product. """"

I was happy to see that my POS hydra could be resolved with a quick replacement or refund by reading this. So I sent an email to Bargain Humidors, and I recieved a response email with the following quote: """"I will call the manufacturer in the morning and see about getting it sent in for warranty""""

Now I don't want to sound pissy or anything... But I dont want a warranty run with a 4-6 week turn around. When you say "we will handle defect and replacement with you directly for this product," I expect a replacement directly from you!!!!

Am I wrong about this?

Anyway, my overall opinion on this unit is that it feels very very cheap. Yes the adjustable feature is kinda cool, but overall the Cigar Oasis versions feel much more quality, the cable feels more solid, an the connection to the AC/DC transform end is much higher quality. I didnt even get into the cheap tranfer piece that the hydra came with.

I guess if you have a good adjustable digital hygro, it doesnt really matter what the Hydra/Oasis says, just tune it till it's right.

Hopefully I can post some new information in a few days with a resolution from bargain humidors.. We'll see.

[Rahllin]

I actually just had some problems getting my hydra to read accurately for the past few days. It was reading way lower than the actual humidity and it wasn't allowing me to adjust it up high enough. I was about willing to give up, I left it off for a few days and let my beads do all the work. I decided to give it another shot yesterday, and I turned it on and, voila, it worked perfectly, seemed almost like it adjusted itself... So, overall, mine has been great, but I've run into a couple snags that I was unable to figure out myself.

I bought mine from Viper at heartfeltindustries, and I know if I really had a real problem with it, he'd take care of me. He has outstanding customer service.

[bcampos]

Originally Posted by Rahllin

I actually just had some problems getting my hydra to read accurately for the past few days. It was reading way lower than the actual humidity and it wasn't allowing me to adjust it up high enough. I was about willing to give up, I left it off for a few days and let my beads do all the work. I decided to give it another shot yesterday, and I turned it on and, voila, it worked perfectly, seemed almost like it adjusted itself... So, overall, mine has been great, but I've run into a couple snags that I was unable to figure out myself.

I bought mine from Viper at heartfeltindustries, and I know if I really had a real problem with it, he'd take care of me. He has outstanding customer service.

Like I said... I want to see where bargain humidor's customer service leads me tomorrow, but I was not impressed today.. Hopefully they will pan out. Worst case I'll just buy a cigar oasis from heartfelt.

[Rahllin]

Originally Posted by bcampos

Like I said... I want to see where bargain humidor's customer service leads me tomorrow, but I was not impressed today.. Hopefully they will pan out. Worst case I'll just buy a cigar oasis from heartfelt.

Well, in your e-mail, did you bring up the fact that they said they dealt with replacements personally for that product? Maybe you got in touch with an employee who had no clue of this statement on their page.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Rahllin

Well, in your e-mail, did you bring up the fact that they said they dealt with replacements personally for that product? Maybe you got in touch with an employee who had no clue of this statement on their page.

True, it is Sunday...maybe it was the custodian answering the e-mails.

[gamayrouge]

Originally Posted by icehog3

True, it is Sunday...maybe it was the custodian answering the e-mails.

He was taking a smoke break and decided, wtf, why not?

[bcampos]

Originally Posted by Rahllin

Well, in your e-mail, did you bring up the fact that they said they dealt with replacements personally for that product? Maybe you got in touch with an employee who had no clue of this statement on their page.

Not in my first email. But I did send a reply back mentioning it... Maybe the custodian could forward it to a real employee and the problem will be solved quickly..... We'll see.

[chippewastud79]

I have been using the Hydra and have had little to no problems with it. It sounds like the bigger problem is with Bargain Humidors, not the Hydra itself. I understand the cable is a problem, but if Bargain Humidors trys to give you the run around, might I suggest trying to see if Viper can do something for you as far as getting/buying a new cable rather than the 'warranty' from bargain humidors.
Also, the accessories extra fan that you can order comes with the exact same cable, so a cheap way around it may be to just order the extra fans and use the cable from that.

Hope it helps.

[bcampos]

Update: I received a PM today from user: Humi, who is from Quality Importers, the manufacturer of the Hydra. He not only answered my question, but put a ribbon cable in the mail for me right away. Hopefully that is the whole problem and I'll be back up and running....

[Rahllin]

Originally Posted by bcampos

Update: I received a PM today from user: Humi, who is from Quality Importers, the manufacturer of the Hydra. He not only answered my question, but put a ribbon cable in the mail for me right away. Hopefully that is the whole problem and I'll be back up and running....

Wow, glad to know the makers of the Hydra have good customer service!

[bcampos]

Originally Posted by Rahllin

Wow, glad to know the makers of the Hydra have good customer service!

Yeah.. Whatever happens with bargain humidors now is a moot point... The manufacturer at least has it together. Lets just hope the problem is limited to the wire.

[chippewastud79]

Glad Hydra came through for you.

[BillyCigars]

Great conclusion!

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by bcampos

Yeah.. Whatever happens with bargain humidors now is a moot point... The manufacturer at least has it together. Lets just hope the problem is limited to the wire.

bcampos: I don't know about you, but every time I try out the "latest and greatest" gadget, I'm disappointed! I talked to the people at my local Tinder Box, and they recommended the "Beads" over all other humidification devices! I use Boveda packs myself with excellent RH control, but I realize they are more expensive than Beads. If you continue to have trouble with the Hydra, you might consider Beads or Boveda. There is nothing worse than dealing with RH problems in your new humidor. Believe me, I've almost ruined $500 worth of cigars with PG solution and over-humidification due to faulty analog hygrometers. Good luck & keep us posted!

[ljh824]

Best of luck. I had a cable issue (sort of) with the Hydra I purchased from Cigarmony. I told Mark about it and he hooked me up immediately. Wish you the best at bargain.