Switching over to beads? Humidity pointers anyone

I have had a 500 ct humi chest, with close to 200 sticks inside inside, some stored in various boxes, some on trays. I currently am using the blue himi gel larger one, and 3 smaller clear humi gels, along with 4 or 5 of those humi pillows. With 2 digital humi gauges and 1 analog im holding 67 humidity, and when you open the chest the humidity instantly drops, or when I add sticks. Im trying to bump it up to 70%, but those humi gels are taking up space. So im curious to switch to beads, but which ones are better to go with? And I have heard when you switch over the Humidity is not to stable. Or should I try something else to get the humidity to where I would like it. thanks

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JCizzle

I use the Heartfelt beads but I've read that the Conservagel beads are the same thing and cheaper. The humidity is very stable with the beads, in my experience, it rarely varies +/- 1%.

docbp87

Heartfelt has the most options for how the beads are stored, divided, etc. They are also a great small family business, and much like supporting B&Ms, I like to support David when I can. Buy a half pound of 70% beads, and divide it either into two or four small containers of some sort, and then place those evenly throughout your humidor. When you first add the beads, once you "season" them (aka. mist them gently with distilled water until most of them are clear), place them in the humidor, but don't take out all of the humidification devices you have in there already. Over the course of maybe a couple of days, gradually remove your old humidification devices, and you should be good to go, with no transition time with low humidity. The beads, once settled, will maintain proper RH% better than anything else on the market, aside from expensive electronic devices.

Even with beads, your humidity is going to drop every time you open the humidor, but the beads should release a little bit of moisture to compensate, and bring the RH% back up where it belongs. Honestly, going from 67% to 70%, odds are that you might not notice TOO big of a difference (like if you were to alter the RH% by 5% or more), and with any device, fluctuations of a few percentage points are going to happen (my 65% beads read anywhere from 63-67% depending on factors like temperature, and air movement)... ultimately, relax. As long as your relative humidity does not move outside of the 60-72% range for more than a few days, I don't think you'll have any problems.

Unthought_Known

I've used kitty litter gel beads for a couple years and they do the trick. Lifetime supply for about $10. I like to keep my humidor in the mid-60's though. If you've had your humidor at 70% in the past and you've liked it, then feel free to go for it. But if you're doing it just because you read 70% is 'perfect', then I'd recommend keeping it in the 60's. I get the best results when the humidor is a little under 70.

docbp87

Unthought_Known:
I've used kitty litter gel beads for a couple years and they do the trick. Lifetime supply for about $10. I like to keep my humidor in the mid-60's though. If you've had your humidor at 70% in the past and you've liked it, then feel free to go for it. But if you're doing it just because you read 70% is 'perfect', then I'd recommend keeping it in the 60's. I get the best results when the humidor is a little under 70.

I agree with this. Different cigars, for different reasons, will smoke better or worse when stored at different humidity levels. For instance, densely packed Cuban cigars burn and draw better at lower RH%, while for instance, I have some AB Family Blends with somewhat fragile wrappers, that have been smoking better, and having less issues with wrapper tears and pops at a slightly higher RH%. You'll notice differences, and start to figure out your preference in time.

Fourtotheflush

I went with 70% beads and my humi has benn pegged at about 68% ever since! so I highly recomend the bead, no matter what RH you settle on!

mfotis

I recently switch to beads and I was having all kinds of RH issues but you should let it ride a week or two to allow things to settle. It took a little while for my beads to kick in and level out but in the end every thing was good. I'm in Budapest Hungary and tho the local humidity is usually high, they use gas on water heaters and it tends to dry things out. I bought the 70% beads and both my coolidor and humi are about 65% and 67% respectfully. One tip I would add is dont be afraid to wet down the beads (use a spray bottle) if the RH is to high you can always add some dry beads to the mix. This isnt professional advice but it worked for me. Hope this helps.

RaschNuts

I have the heartfelt in my 50ct. granted right now i am recharging every couple days it seems do to the NH weather. they worked great before winter hit.

xmacro

I have a 300-count and use a cigar oasis II, along with a few tubes of beads in the top racks to absorb any excess humidity.

kuzi16

RaschNuts:
I have the heartfelt in my 50ct. granted right now i am recharging every couple days it seems do to the NH weather. they worked great before winter hit.

over charge them a bit. get 90-95% of them clear. it should last longer.

crzydimnd68

Beads are the way to go.Cigar Mechanic serves them up in containers we are used to.Pucks etc.

AQUADGIO1200

Ever think about using an electric humidifier? They have small, med and large ones. for a 500ct you can get one for 80 bucks (med one)....it will bump up your humidity instantly once it drops below your set point. I recommend the Humi-Care brand.