Which Humidor?

[DinoCop05]

I was in your shoes several years ago and was also looking for the best possible cabinet humidor. I spent years researching and learning.

Keep in mind that Aristocrat uses MDF in their cabinets. That is cutting corners. You pay premium price for a cabinet that is not 100% solid wood. The use of MDF is often related to the development of mold.

Long story short, I came to the conclusion that the best cabinet humidor on the worldwide market is made by Marc Andre at Der Humidor in Germany.

http://humidorbau.de/humidore-century-legion/century-cabinet-schrankhumidore/index.html

Why is it the best?

The active humidifier works in a convection manner. It constantly goes up and down in a loop which allows a 100% identical RH% throughout the entire storage volume (I have made measurement in other premium cabinets and found up to 3 (very) different RH% readings within each). Having fans inside cabinets is not sufficient, they need to work a certain way to reach every milimiter cube inside the cabinet. [On a side note, the same active humidifier is used to humidify a section of the particle accelerator at the University of Munich and also in Buben & Zorweg's $40,000 cabinet humidors.] Needless to say that the cabinets are made out of 100% cedar wood.

Once again, all of this depends on how picky (crazy) one is about storing his cigars.

Hmmm, I didn't realize mdf was used. That is odd. I would have never thought. I must have missed that during my research. I'm assuming it's used on the interior which could definitely pose a potential risk. I appreciate the insight. This has gotten tougher than I imagined. Just when I thought I was all set, a curve ball. Thank you for pointing it out. I'm gonna look into the Andre Humidor, although I won't rule out the Aristocrat just yet.

[DinoCop05]

Hi Dino,

Yes, Aristocrat cabinet humidors have MDF "sandwiched" between the cedar interior and exterior veneer/finish. You won't be able to see it but it's there. MDF is simply to cut cost and thus increase profit. I see MDF vs solid wood as gold plated bs solid gold. (I'll send you a PM with links about this.)

That being said, you cannot go wrong with an Aristocrat cabinet humidor. They are well made and will last very long. They can be customized the way you want and since they are made in the US, it will be easier for you to handle the overall process.

I see. Thanks again for all your great info. I did get a chance to look at Marc Andre humidors. They are amazing! Great styles and very nice setup.

[Guest gradymrobertson]

I was in your shoes several years ago and was also looking for the best possible cabinet humidor. I spent years researching and learning.

Keep in mind that Aristocrat uses MDF in their cabinets. That is cutting corners. You pay premium price for a cabinet that is not 100% solid wood. The use of MDF is often related to the development of mold.

Long story short, I came to the conclusion that the best cabinet humidor on the worldwide market is made by Marc Andre at Der Humidor in Germany.

http://humidorbau.de/humidore-century-legion/century-cabinet-schrankhumidore/index.html

Why is it the best?

The active humidifier works in a convection manner. It constantly goes up and down in a loop which allows a 100% identical RH% throughout the entire storage volume (I have made measurement in other premium cabinets and found up to 3 (very) different RH% readings within each). Having fans inside cabinets is not sufficient, they need to work a certain way to reach every milimiter cube inside the cabinet. [On a side note, the same active humidifier is used to humidify a section of the particle accelerator at the University of Munich and also in Buben & Zorweg's $40,000 cabinet humidors.] Needless to say that the cabinets are made out of 100% cedar wood.

http://humidorbau.de/aktive-befeuchter/yterbium-ng.html

Once again, all of this depends on how picky (crazy) one is about storing his cigars.

I respecttively dissagree with some of these statements. I own a cabinet/millwork shop and we use about 100 sheets of MDF monthly for everything from cabinets, trim work and doors. MDF is widely accepted in my industry.

I have been to Bob's shop and can assure you he does not cut corners. The product he actually uses is Medex. This is a water proof version of standard MDF with a cedar verneer high pressure laminated to it. This produces a more stable product than solid wood. I have made everthing from outdoor signage to exterior shutters out of this stuff. In my industry, solid wood does not allways equal better.

[Guest gradymrobertson]

I've been shopping for a larger humi to hold all my CCs. But, I'm torn between these choices. I know there are members here who own the Aristocrat. I hear great things about them. Great workmanship and quality. I also really like the modern look of the Monolith and Adorini. Ease of use and reliability is also very important. As well as, capacity. Would love to hear the consensus. Would be great to hear input from some owners of either or other brand humidors.

Thanks!

Dino, I'll try to snswer this from my personal experience, not "research". I have been a cabinet/furniture maker for 20 years. When I started thinking about a cabinet humidor about 3 years ago I decided I did not have the time to build my own. I was in Dallas on business and stopped by Bob's shop to meet him and look at his humidors. Needless to say, I was very impressed since I ordered one. I also went back to his shop about halfway through the construction process. I have not been disapointed as it keeps my cigars at 65/65 here in hot-dry west Texas. I believe, as a professionl woodworker, that his construction methods are as good or better than the competition. Arlan's humidors are true works of art (at a price) but I don't know if they can achieve better storage conditions. Depending on the amount you want to spend you can't go wrong with either of theses brands.

Grady

[bc8436]

Avallo seems to be similar to the Aristocrat, without all the extra options. Not bad... thanks!

I have purchased two Avallos. One was non-cooled, which I sold. My current cabinet is a cooled unit.

The fit and finish on Aristocrat is better than the Avallo, but I purchased mine at a decent discount rate so I can't complain. The only issue I have with my chilled cabinet is that ambient temperature has to be less than 78 degrees or the humidity starts going up. I don't know anybody with a chilled Aristocrat cabinet so I can't say if they share the same issue.

During the more humid months I remove the water from the bottles. I also have some beads in there at all times to help stabilize things. On the non-chilled unit, it held the RH% very well.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the setup as I have the A/C on during the summer anyways so the humidity spikes isn't a major issue. Hopefully this helps, feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Oh, by the way, no matter which cabinet you go with, definitely get sliding shelves!