Always start with the hygrometer….

[Rhinoww]

As background most of my stash has been maintained in weathertight containers (the big Tupperware w gaskets) and coolidors. For years I used basic lcd hygrometers I bought in bulk from China - tested them all for days in ziplocs w active bovedas, threw away the ones that were a bit off and lived my life. Ever since I put my collection on a spreadsheet which included which box sticks were in, I only open the storage containers every two or three months to fill up the singles tray in my main Coolidor. That’s when I would check the lcd display and boom always right at 65. 

In February I learned of these inexpensive Bluetooth and lcd temp/hygrometers. I bought like 15. like the LCD these were tested in ziplocs w bovedas and against all of the other new gizmos. They all passed the test and were added to every storage location w a few duplicates. The Bluetooth reaches my WAH desk. So I check in them more regularly. As summer got going the rh on the devices started to climb a bit. We have had a wet summer so the basement where things are stored has had a high rh notwithstanding a dehumidifier running constantly. In the laundry hvac room it’s like 60 rh. I was assuming higher rh elsewhere in the basement and that it was somehow getting into the sealed containers. I also have two containers of fresh customs that were also running high to me  

the old LCD simple hygrometers showed 65 while the new ones showed 70/71rh. I assumed I had an rh issue - why shouldn’t I trust the new hygrometers?  I mean they had all been tested most recently and they were all showing this creep upwards. 
 

I had an Amazon gift card equal to the cost of two govees. So I ordered them. First a much better interface and one can calibrate the readout. These two tested spot on 65 after a few days w a boveda and ziploc. They have since provided a few days of readings consistent with the old lcd hygrometer (65).  The AliExpress version continue to show 70/71rh. 
 

My unscientific reaction is that the AliExpress Bluetooth models somehow are slowly reading higher. It is an issue across the board in every storage unit, which makes me wonder if there is a design flaw. At least I can manually recalibrate the results from those devices. I have yet to test the AliExpress hygrometers In a ziploc and boveda but anticipate they will show + 5-6%  

I ended up getting another pound of 65 Heartfelt beads which I will deploy soon. If they change the results in the coming weeks I will report back as I will only be putting the beads in three of the storage units. 
 

Moral of my story was that I shouldn’t have gone cheap on the Bluetooth hygrometers but now somE boxes have three hygrometers. 
 

I will likely be transitioning to govee as primary hygrometer if these results hold in the coming months. I thought I would pass this along for those thinking of which Bluetooth hygrometer to go with. 

[SpecialK]

I've switched over entirely to Govee.. I like that I can calibrate them easily..

[gormag38]

I too played around with your typical cheap LCD display hygrometers. Once I found the bluetooth govees I haven't looked back. Usually cal check them once a year and they're good to go. 

[BossHogg]

I'm using govee as well. Works good for me 👍 

[MossybackR]

I love the Govee hygrometer/thermos. I started with one Bluetooth version that I rotated through my stock but later bought a bunch of the Wi-Fi versions — one for each storage unit. One additional learning point was how stable my Igloo-dors and wooden humidors are in comparison to the acrylic Weathertight boxes that I use for overflow.

[El Presidente]

God I am old shool. 

I have best in business commercial electronic humidifiers at work. I change my RH sensors every 6 months. I have 12. 

Still, I work by touch. Simply feeling the bunch between my fingers. It tells me so much more. 

[KCCubano]

41 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

God I am old shool. 

I have best in business commercial electronic humidifiers at work. I change my RH sensors every 6 months. I have 12. 

Still, I work by touch. Simply feeling the bunch between my fingers. It tells me so much more. 

I glance at my Aristocrat Cabinet readings on RH and temp but touch and feel tells me if they are accurate.