Hygrometers

[Maron76]

Hello all, I am getting so sick and tired of these crappy hygrometers I have. They seem to be all I can find. 20 bucks for a piece of junk, what a racket. Can anyone recommend me a nice hygrometer?

[PigFish]

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... is it a hygrometer, a thermometer, no... it is a data logger?

While I have applied to become a dealer for these (caveat emptor) I am telling you about them not to sell them (I have no stock yet) but as very satisfied owner and user. These are the bomb! Lascar USB/LCD data loggers; about $120 retail and tons of uses.

[TM-US]

What brands have you tried?

I have a Western III and a Xikar- the Western III is dead-on with the Boveda calibration packet, the Xikar was 2% off after 24 hrs. I like the fact that the Western III will give me peak readings for temp and humidity, that's nice to know.

I'll probably get more Western IIIs, cheap on ebay.

[nick17]

I have one i bought at walmart for about 20CND its national geographic branded tells you temp in F/C as well as your max and for both trmp and relative humidity its works perfectly in my cabinet humidor and my desk top

[nick17]

pig that looks rather interesting if you could tell me more about them i would love it as ive been looking into getting one for my cabinet

[MadMax]

The HygroSet by Boveda! Used with there Calibration packet, it's dead on and adjustable! Best one I've ever used! On sale they run about $14.95, they come in two sizes.

[Maron76]

Hey piggy, I have always wondered about your data logger. If you cant post it here pm me some more info please. Looks like you have a simple evaporation set up there. Does that usb data logger control the fans for you? I am quite handy with electronics, I build audio amps and the like. May have the needed parts lying around here. Please more info Sir Pig!

[PigFish]

Hey piggy, I have always wondered about your data logger. If you cant post it here pm me some more info please. Looks like you have a simple evaporation set up there. Does that usb data logger control the fans for you? I am quite handy with electronics, I build audio amps and the like. May have the needed parts lying around here. Please more info Sir Pig!

Data Logger

These are the ones that I use. Simple, not too pricey, reliable and accurate enough! The key in my mind is not accuracy to bureau of standards where others don't have the same standards, but more the ability to repeat ones processes and track their progress. I have several instruments for humidity and depending on which one you believe... they all cluster very close between 70 and 60 RH.

The instrument you use is not really that important. What is important is the repeatability, resolution and sample rate and your ability to do something with the data you collect. While I can always make an argument for the faster gun, these work for me.

Bear in mind! If you buy a data logger, prepare to spend a lot more when you see what is going on inside your humidor!!!! Ignorance is bliss.

More specific questions, post and I will answer them to the best of my ability. The boxes in the shot are some products of mine. It was the first I found of a pic of a data logger.

-Piggy

[PigFish]

I do all kinds of things with my data loggers.

This is a chart showing the response of 290 ml of my brand of humidity beads in a test. What I am doing here is loading the beads looking for correlations between water content and ERH of different blends of desiccants.

The two boxes are used in the experiment as well. One box, a product of mine is a powered bead silo I call a Bead-Blaster, a rather small one for empirical product testing, and a humidifier to load (pre-condition) the beads. I make measurements such as wight of the beads and units of water in a sealed test chamber to judge the performance of my products. I will be launching two internet sites in the not too distant future. One will be a general educational site about how to condition cigars. The other will be oriented around the sale of my products.

Fun stuff!

[cementhead339]

I have a couple Diamond Crown hygrometers in 2 of my boxes, both our dead on, plus i think it might be life time guarantee. I think they were around 35 bucks.

[Maron76]

Very cool piggy! How do you connect to your pc? Just run a long cable or perhaps a wireless repeater? Please let me know when you start selling them. I used to have my reef tank monitored by my computer and it was great.

[PigFish]

You just take them out and plug them in amigo! They are very easy to use. While I don't use the LCD much, you can program them on or off to save batteries, they do come in handy if you just want to reference them like a regular hygrometer.

Good luck on whatever you buy! -Piggy

[daboose]

Ditto on the Lascar data logger

Thinking of getting a second.

[Ginseng]

Hello all, I am getting so sick and tired of these crappy hygrometers I have. They seem to be all I can find. 20 bucks for a piece of junk, what a racket. Can anyone recommend me a nice hygrometer?

Amazing work there Piggy. I will definitely take a look at your system when its ready. For now, I am a lazy but demanding man when it comes to my temperature and humidity measurement. I have been using Oregon Scientific remote monitoring stations for a number of years and have been well pleased.

The base station is this unit:Wireless Weather Station with Temp/Humidity Display and Atomic Clock Model # BAR388HGA-BK

It is fed by three remote wireless sensors: Wireless Temperature and Humidity Sensor with Display Model # THGR122NX

The whole system is quite a bit more than $20. But it provides nice peace of mind and the ability to "peek" in on life in the coolers (in the basement) from my office (first floor).

Wilkey

[davidl]

I bought two Caliper III hygrometers. The first, I bought about 5 years ago and is spot on accurate - I calibrated it with a Boveda calibration kit. The second one that I bought was a few months ago, was 2-3% of on RH. I thought to myself, with so many great reviews on Amazon, what could be wrong with this hygrometer?!

I agree with Piggy's analysis that the only way to go is with certifiable and accurate precision equipment.

[TonyV]

I also have the wireless weather station,it tells you its accurate within +-6 degrees so would make sure to salt test the sensor with the boveda test pack

[Ginseng]

I also have the wireless weather station,it tells you its accurate within +-6 degrees so would make sure to salt test the sensor with the boveda test pack

Yes, always a good idea. I have a piece of tape on my base station with the corrected targets so that I can quickly get a read on the right number. For example, if Sensor 2 is in a cooler that I want to maintain 65% and the sensor tests 2% high, my note indicates the adjustment is -2 and the indicated RH should be 67%. Keep in mind that with a $30 sensor, +/- 2% is about as good as you should expect. What you don't want to do is keep 62% cigars in 72% conditions. Small deviations from intended humidity usually wash out upon smoking.

Wilkey

[tmac77]

Bang for your buck the Western III is IMO the best cheap version. I have 4 of them and they are within 1% whenver I test them every 6 months or so.

If you dont mind springing a bit more then go with Piggy and Wilkey's recomendations.

[brassie00]

Got 2 Hygro's both have been dead on for 2 years .$17 ea

[Guest leanderdsilva]

I use this

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/PersonalCare/ThermometersMonitors/PRD~0439266P/Vicks%252BHygrometer.jsp?locale=en

[Nocoins]

I have a couple Diamond Crown hygrometers in 2 of my boxes, both our dead on, plus i think it might be life time guarantee. I think they were around 35 bucks.

+1 on that. I have the same thing and it has been great. Salt tested it twice now, and it predictably runs -2%. As long as it reads 64%-66%, my cigars smoke and taste great.

[tmac77]

I use this

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/PersonalCare/ThermometersMonitors/PRD~0439266P/Vicks%252BHygrometer.jsp?locale=en

Good ol' crappy tire Leander.

How reliable has it been for you?

Tom

[IcedCanuck]

I just picked up a digital hygrometer from The Source for under $20 bucks ... not too shabby of a deal if you ask me.

[stogieokie]

This is what I use. Yeah, they're a little more costly than the $20 cheapos, but at least they're calibrated. My stock is worth the extra investment. Note if you order one that the old style pen is what's pictured in the link--the new one is a bit smaller and more streamlined.