A friend of a friend of a friend did something really stupid this morning and literally crushed the plastic face of his humidor's hygrometer. He cursed himself for what he did, but wonders if the hygrometer is still usable once he cleans all the plastic shrapnel off the countertop and out of the hygrometer. Does the plastic face have any real purpose outside of aesthetics?

The main purpose of analog hygrometers is to convince you to buy a digital one.

However, it would seem that as long as he places the one with the broken face in such a way as the needle is not obstructed, it would probably be fine...

...but that is only a guess.

If it was an analog and he was frustrated enough to pound on it, maybe he should consider a good digital?

Either way, it must be calibrated so you know the degree of innacuracy. Haven't seen one yet that was spot on using the salt test. Go digital.

He thinks it was a good analog hygrometer. He was in the process of calibrating it with the salt test when things took a turn for the worse.

Digital!!!! If you are lucky (like I was) you can find an auction site that you can save you some money. However, shop around for the shape that will go best with his humidor...I should have bought the "Little Havana"...size of cigar. But that's just a matter of shape...digital, at any shape, is the way to go.

I have the Little Havanna... Its a fine machine. Has some cool little hidden features. It is a little on the expensive side. But I recomend it.

If it is fully in the humidor it should work fine. If it is the type that is installed through the front or top and is visible from the outside of the humidor then he will need to replace it. Without the plastice face the reading will be effected by the outside air humidity.

I'm going to say this again...the research that I've done and the many people who I've talked to who know what they're talking about (people who SELL digital hygrometers) all tell me that the analog are just as good if not BETTER!! Stick with the analog....

Calibrate it and it should still work fine. ut I recomend you go with a digital unit takes the guess work out of it.