I purchased a analog hygrometer. I was initially pleasantly surprised as with the salt test it read 24h later exactly 75% as expected. Then I tested it with a 65% rated Boveda pack and 24h later it read ... 80% which of course does not make any sense. So why it happened and who is the crazy one, the hygrometer or the Boveda pack? This is also even more bizarre as I live in a dry place (Southern California) so I would expect if there is an err to be on the low reading not in the high reading.
Crazy Hygrometer or Boveda pack?
- Thread starter 64alex
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Analog will be +- by up to 7. Get digital if you want more accurate readings. Try wrapping the hygrometer in a wrung out wet cloth for a couple hours, if it doesn't hit 100% or get near it needs adjusting.
Yep, digital all the way, worth their weight in gold.
I trusted the dial hygrometer when I first got my humidor and got it upto 70%, only to find soggy cigars.
Digital hygrometer read 70% against 30% for the analog once I compared the two...
I trusted the dial hygrometer when I first got my humidor and got it upto 70%, only to find soggy cigars.
Digital hygrometer read 70% against 30% for the analog once I compared the two...
You can trust your boveda pack, you can't trust that analog RH meter, buy a digital one.
Digital
But steer clear of Boveda Butler. Very over priced. Battery life is useless and sleeps too often. Plus Boveda themselves stopped selling it and no longer support it.
But steer clear of Boveda Butler. Very over priced. Battery life is useless and sleeps too often. Plus Boveda themselves stopped selling it and no longer support it.
The salt test is notoriously easy to do wrong. Trust the Boveda.
Digital only - have not seen a trustworthy analog hygrometer for less than a few hundred dollars.
Salt test is great if you're wanting to use the hygrometer to gauge an environment in the neighborhood of 75% RH. Since these are cheap, consumer-grade products (vs. something you would purchase for a laboratory or historical archive), their accuracy varies widely (+/- 5%). I'm much more curious to know how they perform in the upper 50s to mid 60s RH, since that is the environment I store my cigars in.
I learned to rely on and trust my digital hygrometers only after using them for years and comparing what they read and how the cigars smoke. When the hygrometer reads, say, 62% RH, I know my cigars are well-kept, in spite of not knowing what the actual RH is.
Eventually, you get a feel for how a particular humidor/coolerdor/wineador behaves with respect to regulating temperature and humidity. My hygrometers have been out of batteries for a few months, now, and the battery size isn't easy to find in local stores. I'm not terribly concerned because I know my humidors. I added water to my humidification beads when I realized I hadn't done so in about 6 months and a few cigars I sampled were a touch on the dry side (fantastic flavor, but burned quicker than expected).
Salt test is great if you're wanting to use the hygrometer to gauge an environment in the neighborhood of 75% RH. Since these are cheap, consumer-grade products (vs. something you would purchase for a laboratory or historical archive), their accuracy varies widely (+/- 5%). I'm much more curious to know how they perform in the upper 50s to mid 60s RH, since that is the environment I store my cigars in.
I learned to rely on and trust my digital hygrometers only after using them for years and comparing what they read and how the cigars smoke. When the hygrometer reads, say, 62% RH, I know my cigars are well-kept, in spite of not knowing what the actual RH is.
Eventually, you get a feel for how a particular humidor/coolerdor/wineador behaves with respect to regulating temperature and humidity. My hygrometers have been out of batteries for a few months, now, and the battery size isn't easy to find in local stores. I'm not terribly concerned because I know my humidors. I added water to my humidification beads when I realized I hadn't done so in about 6 months and a few cigars I sampled were a touch on the dry side (fantastic flavor, but burned quicker than expected).
I don’t get all crazy over a few % points either way, as long as they’re over 60 and under 67 it’s good. I use kitty litter in my large coolers and they are rock solid at 65, might have to spritz twice a year. All the small containers & humidors get Boveda and the large humidors are electronic. The two electronic units are the ones that cause the most concern, anytime the electricity goes out they automatically reset to 70. As for calibrating a hygrometer I agree it’s best to calibrate to your preferred rh, I use a new Boveda 65 pack for this.
I have heard things about electronic units good, bad, and in-between. Bummer they reset when power goes out. Maybe you need a generator?
I have thought about one of the battery pack/surge protectors, as long as I’m here and catch it, it’s not that big of a deal, if I had to go out of town for a while I would probably go ahead and spend the money on one.I have heard things about electronic units good, bad, and in-between. Bummer they reset when power goes out. Maybe you need a generator?
It was an Acrylic jar humidor and a boveda pack once a year for me. I only smoked a few cigars a year, so the humidor rarely was opened. I've actually had a boveda pack with 20 cigars last as long as 1.5 years.
I keep a few humidors of cigars for my friends and family who do (won't) smoke a pipe. They are the kind that hermetically seals up, not the foo-foo-fancy-fancy boxes made from exotic heartwoods.
I used PG tubes as my primary source for humidity and have a quality hygrometer in each case but as an added insurance policy I drop in 1 single Boveda that is formulated for my target humidity percentage. It's the first thing I touch whenever I open one of these cases. If it's hard, something ain't right.... If it's liquid, all is well.
I used PG tubes as my primary source for humidity and have a quality hygrometer in each case but as an added insurance policy I drop in 1 single Boveda that is formulated for my target humidity percentage. It's the first thing I touch whenever I open one of these cases. If it's hard, something ain't right.... If it's liquid, all is well.
50 stick desk top humidor and 2x 69 Boveda large packs. Change them every 3 months. Temp varies as the weather from 60 in winter to 80 in summer. Humidor sits between 66-71. Never a problem for my mix of cubans and new worlds. But - i usually only have a rotation of 11/12 sticks at any time.
