Advice on my first humidor purchase

[Braidsta]

Greetings all,

I'm new to the forum and wanted to lurk a while before asking too many questions, but I can't seem to find an answer to this one and it's itching... without going into brand names, suppliers etc - will £100 - £150 get me a reliable humidor for 50 - 80 cigars? Digital hygrometers and other accessories aside I mean... I understand I will probably have to sort these out too.

I ask because I have already found one and was going to purchase it but then came across some information that warned of unreliable humidors with fluctuating humidity. I can safely say that I won't be needing a big cabinet humidor, I was aiming for one with room for 50 but then saw ones that fit 80 in the same price range.

I guess what I'm asking is, am I asking too much for this kind of money?

Many thanks for any help, and if I've missed a blatant FAQ please slap me and point me towards it

John

[maverickdrinker]

best advice that I can give you is to get a cooler vs. a humidor. The bigger the better

[tjhernandez34]

As far as size goes, I second the coolidor idea. As most members on the forum will tell you, in regards to the number of cigars you think you will have to store, you should double that number. Then you can look for a box that will allow you to hold that many cigars. It's a slippery slope. Enjoy!

[riazp]

best advice that I can give you is to get a cooler vs. a humidor. The bigger the better

x2 on the cooler route, great inexepensive way to have a humidor.I started out with a small 50 ct desktop, then a 250 ct desktop then went the cooler route, and nver looked back

[Marker]

A 16-20 qt cooler is your best humidor for the money. Does it look sweet? Not really but it does a better job, easier than most humidors. After you buy a 50qt in a few months you can still use the 20qt for beer. What would you do with the red headed stepchild 100ct humidor?

[Michel1968]

Bigger for sure (makes it x4) Never, ever think you're done with a '50 - 80 count', it's just not the way it works...

[pedromendes]

If I could go back in time to when I bought my 150 count desktop humidor, it would be to say "spend your money on cigars, not a fancy box that doesn't work very well anyway". If you don't want to go as big as a cooler, a smaller, snap-lid tupperware will do a great job of keeping your singles happy. All you'll need then is some humidity beads and a hygrometre and for very little money, you're set up!

[cckandb24]

X4 on bigger. A 80 ct humidor will really only hold about 40 cigars and no boxes for sure. I don't think you would be happy. But here in the states I have bought numerous 250 ct humidors for under a $100. But switching to the cooler was my best decision by far. Cheaper and better

[Hemsworth]

I have a really nice little 250 count humidor for the "ready to smoke" cigars on display in the livingroom and a 130qt Coleman cooler for my boxes to rest/age. Oh, and a 50 count that sits empty that I laugh at now.

The cooler does a MUCH better job of keeping the humidity.

[kcheek]

I have the most beautiful and expensive desktop humidor that you have ever seen, only problem is I never see it because it is in my closet with clothes stacked on top of it. It is very well made and does work good for a few months out of the year, but from November to May, when the heat is on in the house, it WILL NOT maintain an acceptable humidity. I know I could Saran Wrap it and all that stuff, but I just don't want to deal with that, not yet anyway, so there it sits empty.

I have two coolers, one with beads and one with kitty litter, they both are rock solid year around. My opinion is buy a cooler, get some beads, and spend the extra cash you saved and buy some more smokes!

[Braidsta]

Cor cheers for all the responses! Well, I have to admit when I read through them my heart sank a little... after looking through pictures of DIY coolidors though, I'm pretty excited about making my own!

The things mentioned here, particularly the temperature differences throughout the year would be a problem for me as I'm sitting here typing in 2 t-shirts and a jumper... so really for me to be able to age a few cigars it's either move house or sort out one of these coolidors!

I do love the posh look of the humidors but after seeing the DIY stuff I'm sold, it's gonna be a while yet but I have a few ideas to toy with in the meantime - I reckon I'll try to hunt down a cigar box with a fancy picture on the lid and have that as part of the inlay to give it a "posher" look. Yep, I am a bit of a tart when it comes to aesthetics!

thanks again everyone, really appreciate the advice!

John