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Hank_The_Tank
Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter

9 years ago

#81

For the Boveda packs, do you actually have to replace every couple of months or do they last longer than that?

KingoftheCove
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#82

I switched to Bovedas from HF beads. Was rather disappointed when my newer "65%" beads were really more like 74%. My old ones still seem good but the newer ones are basically useless, they're just sitting uncharged in the humidor now, guess in case some pours a whole glass of water in there, then they'll finally do something.

clickbangdead wrote:

Had the exact same issue years ago with HF beads.
my first order of 65s was fine.
My second order several month later......not so good. Ordered 65s...........they would not fall below 70........ In fact......stayed solid at 70.........I'm certain they were 70s.

Contacted HF, he said they were 65s and that possibly my hygrometer was off...........what?!
Um, I have 10 hygrometers.......tested the beads with 5 different ones..........70rh..........period.

No biggie, still like and use my original HF beads, and have since added KL and Bovedas to my virtually maintenance free set- ups.

delta1
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#83

Like ZRX, tupperware containers with HF beads work for me. I drill holes (1/8" bit, smaller diameter than bead) in the lids to allow the moisture in and out. The holes are very close (1/4") together and spread over the entire lid. I have six containers with 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb of beads that I place in different spots in my end table humidor, with smaller containers in my desktops.

I add distilled water every few weeks when the beads dry out. RH stays between 60-65, depending on ambient humidity. During winter months when the ambient humidity drops into the 20's and below and the RH in the humidor drops into the mid 50's, I add a few Boveda 69's and/or a shot glass with DW.

We moved a few months ago, and the weather here is drier, hotter in the summer, and cooler in the winter, so I've had to monitor my hygrometers and adjust my watering intervals.

Edited by user 9 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Hank_The_Tank
Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter

9 years ago

#84

delta1 wrote:

So how do you prep the beads before putting them in?

Pudding Mittens
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#85

Looking to finally make the jump to HF beads. Any info someone can provide to help get me started will be appreciated (meaning what to do, start to finish).

Hank_The_Tank wrote:

For the Boveda packs, do you actually have to replace every couple of months or do they last longer than that?

You have to replace (or even touch) them literally NEVER, if you have another easily-refillable source of humidity in the same container (e.g. a gel jar chargd with PG, or similar). It emits humidity and the Bovedas do "2-way buffering" to smooth it out. You get rock-solid RH, zero hassles, and can refill with distilled in seconds, although with plastic/Tupperware it's necessary only very rarely. As I said, the Bovedas never have to be replaced or even touched.

If you don't even want to pay the markup on the ready-made PG gel jars, you can just make your own with the generic super-absorbent polymer, any plastic jar, and some 50/50 PG solution, all of which are dirt cheap from lots of well-known suppliers, not super-duper-secret suppliers like the bead re-sellers apparently use (and guard the identity of closely).

Lots of guys here look down on the PG-infused gel jars, but if you team 'em up with Bovedas, it's a hell of a great, cheap, low-hassle solution. Yes, yes, everyone says they have a mold problem, but 10 years later I'm still waiting for it, and it hasn't happened yet!

Edited by user 9 years ago | Reason: Not specified

crgcpro
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#86

clickbangdead wrote:

I switched from HF to HCM beads over 2 years ago and my humis maintain 65% perfectly. I have my cigar oasis set at 62 with an additional 3 lbs of HCM 65% beads in my CC humidor and it maintains 63-64%% all the time.

No fuss no muss with HCM as well. Once every couple of months, I put in a glass of distilled water for a few days and the beads absorb a little of it, more so in the summer.

HCM beads are expensive but when you're protecting $75K-$100K in cigars it's a small price for piece of mind.

Pro

Hank_The_Tank
Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter

9 years ago

#87

Step 1: Get out your wallet and prepare to pay an obscene markup for calibrated sand that the vendor got for a tiny fraction of the price he's charging you, from a secret supplier he'll never disclose.

You have to replace (or even touch) them literally NEVER, if you have another easily-refillable source of humidity in the same container (e.g. a gel jar chargd with PG, or similar). It emits humidity and the Bovedas do "2-way buffering" to smooth it out. You get rock-solid RH, zero hassles, and can refill with distilled in seconds, although with plastic/Tupperware it's necessary only very rarely. As I said, the Bovedas never have to be replaced or even touched.

If you don't even want to pay the markup on the ready-made PG gel jars, you can just make your own with the generic super-absorbent polymer, any plastic jar, and some 50/50 PG solution, all of which are dirt cheap from lots of well-known suppliers, not super-duper-secret suppliers like the bead re-sellers apparently use (and guard the identity of closely).

Lots of guys here look down on the PG-infused gel jars, but if you team 'em up with Bovedas, it's a hell of a great, cheap, low-hassle solution. Yes, yes, everyone says they have a mold problem, but 10 years later I'm still waiting for it, and it hasn't happened yet!

Pudding Mittens wrote:

What is the best option for buying the Boveda? They show a 320mg pack that seems to be the best deal, but what do I know.

Pudding Mittens
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#88

What is the best option for buying the Boveda? They show a 320mg pack that seems to be the best deal, but what do I know.

Hank_The_Tank wrote:

I got mine awhile ago, so I don't know the current best and cheapest way of buying them. I bought the standard-size ones in the bulk 20-bricks, and tossed about 4-5 in every (around 115-quart) plastic Sterilite container I have, along with one gel jar in each, which I refill with distilled (only necessary very rarely).

The big-assed 320mg ones might work better and/or be cheaper, I dunno. Interesting!

Hank_The_Tank
Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter

9 years ago

#89

Pudding Mittens wrote:

I have two 150 ct humidors that I need to put them in. It looks slightly cheaper to buy the big 320mg ones. Thanks for the help. Pretty sure you changed my mind on this.

Pudding Mittens
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#90

From the Boveda website:

do not use Boveda in the same humidor with other humidification products

Heh-heh. Yeah, because if you do, you might discover that you never need to buy any more Bovedas, and they don't want THAT to happen!

Plastic storage containers are typically better at preventing air/moisture from entering or leaving the container. This means Boveda doesn't have to work as hard and you don't need as many.

Very true. Plastic beats the pants off wood (Spanish cedar) in terms of performance. All you lose is the aesthetics of actual wood walls. You don't even lose the humidity-buffering value of wood, because you can just toss some into your plastic container!

Pudding Mittens
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#91

I have two 150 ct humidors that I need to put them in. It looks slightly cheaper to buy the big 320mg ones. Thanks for the help. Pretty sure you changed my mind on this.

Hank_The_Tank wrote:

You're quite welcome! When I started out, I had great long-time cigar guys transferring info to me, which saved me a ton of time and effort. I'm just trying to "pay it forward" now!

P.S.--- one more thing: In case you didn't know, the more cigars in a container, the better the humidity regulation. Cigars themselves serve as humidity buffers, helping to maintain RH level and lessen the severity of any swings. So have your containers mostly full of cigars, rather than mostly empty.

Edited by user 9 years ago | Reason: Not specified

Hank_The_Tank
Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter

9 years ago

#92

Pudding Mittens wrote:

They are both packed full. Going to have to do some moving around to get the packs to fit in there. Hoping to change to a cooler soon, but who knows.

Pudding Mittens
Herf-A-Holic

9 years ago

#93

If you mean 150 COUNT, not 150 QUART, though, 320 is probably a whole lot of overkill, especially if you're using another, refillable humidity source (e.g. gel jar) in there, too.

I use 4-5 standard-size (60 gram) packets (for a total of 240-300 grams) and one gel jar in 116-quart (29 gallon!) containers, and those can hold well over a thousand cigars.

You might just want to go for a cooler and one 320 gram packet, plus a refillable like a gel jar. That might work really well, and will give you lots of future expansion room.

Or if you want to save money and fast, large temperature swings (which coolers buffer) aren't a problem where your cigars will be located, just get a Sterilite or similar very large plastic container, like what I use. Make sure it has a decent sealing or locking system (mine has handles that lock up over the lid to keep it down, and it works fine... it's not a hermetically perfect seal, but it's not SUPPOSED to be... cigars need a tiny bit of air exchange as they age).

Here's the ones I use. Also note they're transparent, so you can read the hygro through the walls without having to open the thing! Coolers can't do that, unless you use a wireless hygro sender/display combo unit:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sterilite-116-Qt-Ultra-Storage-Box-19908604/204725029

Cheap (try to find a cooler that big for $17!), huge, clear-walled (coolers aren't), stackable, great humidity retaining, and maximized internal storage capacity vs. outside dimensions (walls are a few millimeters thick, instead of a few inches thick!)

Edited by user 9 years ago | Reason: Not specified