where to buy humidity beads?

[Jszeto]

I believe Cheap Humidors has a sale right now. Buy one bag, get two free. However, they're preset at 70%. Hope that helps.

[demiurgic]

Thanks for the post Piggy. Yes, I am interested for sure!

Still not sure if a cooler or a vino temp is the right fit here.

30+ boxes need a home. Wonder what the general math on cubic feet per 25 count box is. Any clue?

Also, does one need the active humidifier part, like a cigar oasis in a cooler, even though Ambient RH is in the 80 Percentile at least?

I do need something right away and was just going to buy some beads from Heartfelt or the new Patented ones from Mark at Cigarmony(extra to absorb moisture of course) and an oust fan to keep the air circulated in the largest igloo I can find. I take that you do not sell only the beads adjusted at a certain RH, say 65?

I am instinctively averse to pursuing the vinotemp route because of the maintenance of an electrical unit part part.

But if I can set it good, and forget it for the most part, this may be the winner.

Thank You for the meticulous research on such a useful topic ....

...especially for cigar smokers who aren't calling Bob Staebell anytime soon

Aloha Piggy!

PS - I found an indepth tutorial on installing a cooling element onto a humidor. You've probably seen it. Link.

[PigFish]

Thanks for the link. No I have never read that. Nice job, good read. The engineering on the TE is quite interesting and I learned a few things. I found several items I would call erroneous which the author and I could certainly debate. I have to admit, I rarely ever read the work of others, with exception of scientific papers on specific topics. I think this guy did a helluva job!!!

TE coolers are a problem! The fact is that they are just not very efficient for the money! What I got most out of the article is the expense one needs to incorporate one. This is why I don't mess with them. They just don't work very well when real world physics puts them to the test. I am gonna' do more work with them someday, just not today.

Now I have some questions for you and maybe you can help me out. As a consumer how important do you rate the PRE-conditioning of humidity beads? Since I know how, and would prefer to do this myself, I assume that folks know what I know and would also feel the same way about it. Is it important to you to get your beads pre-conditioned? Is it a cost factor, a time factor... a knowledge factor?

Many of the statements regarding desiccants in this article are erroneous. The author on the other hand seems pretty bright! I have to think that his beliefs, mis-beliefs are likely widely held by the public.

Do you believe that 65 rh beads are "set" to deliver air at 65 rH? How long will they do this?

I am not looking to put you on the spot, I am looking for help in developing products and materials for products. A laymen's view is important to me.

Regarding beads again. Do you realize that when you buy a pre-conditioned desiccant product, and you buy them by weight you are buying 25 to 30% water? So lets say you buy a pound of beads... I don't want to retype this so here is an excerpt from an article I am writing:

The next topic will cover the convention on measuring cigar desiccants. In a nutshell discussing cigar desiccants as a measure of weight is really meaningless. I will explain. The question you have to ask yourself is how much should your desiccant weigh? You are likely thinking that you bought 3 pounds of desiccant from your supplier so you have 3 pounds… right? Wrong! You only have 3 pounds, inclusive of the water that you bought with the desiccant at a certain temperature and rH. The fact is, without the engineering, or the desire to test them yourself, you will never know how much water is in them. You will see why that is important in a moment. But while you are wondering why it is important let me say this. At $30/pound, assuming that you got them with about 30% water, you just paid $30 for 11.2 ounces of desiccant and 4.8 ounces of water! This made the actually cost of the desiccant $2.68 per oz. or $42.85 a pound.

I would like to hear your thoughts... as a consumer.

Lastly... If you assume that a box of Coronas Gordas is an average box of cigars, then you will get about 10 of them per cubic foot of space.

Look for a PM from me! Thanks, Ray